Day One in the Education System

 Last night I went to Ayla's school for Open House. Since I am a super nerd and love school - I was really excited to get into her classroom and hear what the teachers had to say. Right now, Ayla's teacher is a young grad student who is filling in for the veteran teacher who is on her maternity leave. They both seem like wonderfully attentive people and I am optimistic that Ayla will learn from them too.

  I could tell that our interim teacher was nervous and trying her hardest to explain state curriculum and teaching strategies. And on Day One, it seems that she is already facing tough criticism from the parents.

  Honestly, sometimes parents are the worst. One mother was freaking out that too much information was being thrown at the kids. Seriously? Five year olds are the most curious bunch on the planet. They want to know everything! God forbid the teachers tell them too much. Another mother made the snotty comment, "Who's great idea was it to give them PlayDoh?" Manners. Please. The playdough is given to the children as a reward for good behavior. Ayla's teacher replied that she thought it was a nice alternative from candy. I agree.

 Hello, Kindergarten! What are you going to teach my child?

 Maybe I am a bad parent... but I am just so happy that I don't have to be held responsible for teaching my kids everything! I didn't get an education degree. I don't research the best phonetics approaches. I commend any parent that chooses to home-school. I truly don't think I would be good at it.

  So I am grateful that Ayla attends a reputable school district. I am going to give her teachers the benefit of the doubt. I'm not ready to jump on the critical parent bandwagon.

 It's Kindergarten! This pressure is so unnecessary at this stage of life. If her teacher was slacking in SAT preparation, that would be one thing. Being in a district that has a full day program is change enough from when I was little. Coloring, letters, numbers, seasons, friends, reading, etc. - we've got it! I just want Ayla to enjoy school before we are bombarded with homework and last minute projects.

Let's hope the parents were just nervous and not ready to crucify the teachers because they don't like the book choices!