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Tsuga

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Everything posted by Tsuga

  1. The man of the house made dinner the last two nights and it is my turn. Work. Bike locks: need to reset before sending my fellow bike commuter to school. Laundry rotation from (gasp) today: need to move the loads through to make room for the next load. Oh god, soccer practice.
  2. Good for you. Maybe you're just better than other people. Or maybe you got lucky with kids whose learning styles were close enough to yours not to have to research brain development to teach numeracy. (BTW, if you have ever taught formally you will find that the typical course load is set up to give you a 2:1 prep to teach ratio: 3 classes = 12 hours or 1/3rd of a full time course load of 36 hours with 10% for admin and office hours. Public school is reversed because didn't you know, teachers are millionaires with huge retirment funds and therefore don't need prep time lol j/k that's why public schools struggle to retain new teachers, you get what you pay for folks, they prep for free and grade for free, you're welcome!)
  3. You're being a good sport. I accept a lot but I also have a line a draw and then I will fight for everyone. The ultra expensive uniform would be over the line if public funds are being spent. I think I own one piece of clothing that cost more than $85 and that is my one suit, which I use for job interviews. However if I were you I too would respect my daughter's wishes. Maybe after a year or two, suggesting an additional option would not be seen as combative? I live in Seattle so it must be different but I think a lot of people here would flip out at $150 for a school outfit--maybe for competitive select sports? Even the whole lacrosse kit AND stick were around $90 together. You could spend more but that was optional.
  4. I didn't mean to imply you haven't flown, just to remind you that the rule is specific to international flights. You may indeed usually be getting your luggage at your first and last US port of call if you live near one. Lucky. No other country I have been to does this so you wouldn't notice if you live at a major hub. I usually have to pass through one other airport to get to SeaTac and this thread has given me flashbacks of those "almost there... Oh yeah now this" moments.
  5. Not if you fly in internationally. Then you have to meet your luggage at first port of arrival in the US and check in to your final US destination. Only when you arrive to the US, only if you are staying (receiving bags) in the US. If you are leaving the US or if you are making a transfer in another country (e.g. Paris to Lyons) then you are fine. I always forget this until I arrive in JFK or Atlanta or LAX or whatnot and then I think "oh Lord not this again why can't we just scan the bags argh!"
  6. Edit: realized this is coming into the US and that's why you have to pick up your luggage. Two hours could be tight if there is a delay but should be okay. They might just make you move your bag from one line to another. I think you're okay. PS I hate that rule. Of all the restrictions since 9/11 that one drives me nuts. So much additional cost and time lost!
  7. Sounds almost incredible. Possibly a troll or someone who works as a grader or something for the College Board, but maybe is not a teacher. Someone with a bit of "inside" knowledge but not enough to make solid decisions. Also may be AP online and he sees the bulk cost of distributing online materials to thousands, without realizing that individual pricing for real books is a whole different ballgame?
  8. Throwing my hat in the ring. I have never heard of this tradition, except that I imagine more women want their bio mom in the delivery room, than their MIL. But not because MIL is a pain. Mine wasn't, she is a saint. Just because mom is mom. Of course MIL will want to enjoy her sweet grandbaby. Fairfarmhand's letter was great and I would use that as MIL or mom to show my acceptance and support to the new mom.
  9. Agree that this is a specialized question and you should follow the link to.disboard or similar. Disney families who obsess about this can save you a lot of time researching. When I was a teen we loved planning the journey ourselves. We planned everything, drew maps, had schedules, etc. It was fun. Hopefully your kids will also enjoy making their plans, and you guys can have some parents choice time as well.
  10. I get the blended family thing. We are very lucky to be stuck where we are. Maybe you can put in time in the name of public good to get them to tone down the mandatory uniform requirements. I don't see anything wrong with an $85 skirt for those who can afford it but asking that there be a generic department store option for all families to ensure accessibility seems reasonable and doable. Often in private schools you get ultra rich people who have no experience with management, public services, education or anything at all actually, running committees for free. Because it is time intensive to run a school so they rely on volunteers. It can be easier than you think to get them to accept alternatives for good publicity. That said sometimes you just end up so sorry you got involved because people can also be incredibly controlling and ungrateful.
  11. ,You certainly are dealing with more difficult issues than most PS parents deal with. $85 on a non machine wash skirt would anger me. That's not publicly accessible. That said... No advice other than, like many families, you could move to an area where people support public neighborhood schools without dress codes, without so many forms. Like in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. I don't know if such areas exist everywhere in the US but we can't be in the only one. Also, the forms are usually one-time only. We updated ours when they moved to a new system but other than that we usually only fill one medical form per year. Re: the not questioning: if it is truly public they can't kick you out for questioning them. Is this charter with public funds or what? How do they get away with charging so many fees? We pay through property taxes. But it goes to the community and they can't kick us out.
  12. This phase, in which 95% of acquaintance small talk with kids revolves around age and school, lasts until they hit puberty. Come up with some fun responses or learn to grit your teeth. "I'm as old as my mom says I am!" "I'm in a kinderpot. We homeschool so it's not a whole garden, just me." "The universe is my school and my mom is my teacher." Etc. If it makes you feel better, people ask me where I am from and why I speak such good English. This has gone on my whole life, since I could talk up to 2010 or so. (My family is from the Southwest and we have been here for centuries and more, to answer their question.) I think someone famous must have explained why it is a rude question, or I got less interesting looking, because it stopped around 2010 for the most part. Maybe I just perfected my RBF. People just have to say SOMETHING. It's irritating so it is good to have a script.
  13. It's an errands booyah, Jean. Hi everyone. Tomorrow public schools in my city start. TOO EARLY YOU GUYS. I haven't even harvested all the carrots yet.
  14. Is that because most people you meet who have gone to public school have character issues? Or because you have heard that this particular school is full of liars? If you want to visit, enroll him. It is public school. So if you enroll him and then pull him out, guess what. They can't stop you from re-enrolling later. Some would say that could create bad feeling with the school. I doubt you are the worst they've seen. It doesn't sound like you think that is the case either. I am sorry you're facing this. We have teens as well. I will just say that I know it is hard and I don't blame you for your frustration or his behavior. Good luck.
  15. You make a lot of great points, but I think that there are companies that specifically foster excellence versus brand loyalty. It is too bad more do not. I don't think it is a personality type alone though. They need a leader. A much healthier attitude for those who need a simple worldview is prayer, or love, or charity--something more generally applicable and also something that can be done privately without bugging the marks AHEM customers.
  16. I would call the cops on the carpet cleaner, not to get immediate action but to establish a record for the eventual restraining order. It works. For the postal worker--start with a general complaint and let them know you will get specific in the event of a repeat offense.
  17. Not all direct sales are MLM. The distinguishing factors are sales methods and pre-purchase and quotas. Those guarantee a profit to the parent company and put all the risk on the consultant, rather than balancing risk.
  18. To be fair I think that question may have been more, "As a taxpayer I believe that public funds should allow people to buy religious curricula on an individual choice basis so what can I do to change that rule," rather than, "who is going to buy this for me". Still up for debate but not the same as passing off responsibility.
  19. Well--I think the point is that if you can't keep it in house it costs a lot to outsource. The same goes for any parenting--daycare is expensive! So are haircuts, even the cheap one. It pays to be well-educated and organized. But certainly if you can do it yourself, you can save a lot. Not everyone has the skills or willingness. Some kids also do spurt in ability or motivation. Some parents didn't have access to a decent HS education and are not equipped to teach algebra or geometry or chemistry. So it can really fall apart quickly.
  20. Thats fair enough, but the origin of this thread was about primary education. I guess it just seems obvious to me that if you can't do it yourself it will cost more and that teaching high school subject would be out of my realm and I have a graduate degree and two years of college math and applied math. I know that lots of folks have neither the cash nor the expertise and I don't either which is why we send our children to public school and say thank you for it.
  21. $260 annually is $25/mo. If that were private school tuition for eight classes (normal high school with arts), paid monthly over a year, it would be $200/mo, which is a ridiculously low number. That is like, Catholic scholarship student prices from 1990. Which were of course highly subsidized by the church. What are these people smoking? I pay more than $2,000 on educational expenses annually in addition to donations to the classroom, the PTA, and of course the tax dollars that support the school. I feel awful for those that cannot afford it but it seems to me that people should consider that maybe they should invest in the public option for themselves... Thats what it is for.
  22. You guys, if you don't hear from me it is because I died of school shopping with an indecisive little bird and her friend. You will hear of them excavating my corpse from under a clearance rack of underpants at Target.
  23. Wait... They said you should educate their kids for them for free? Because paying for stuff is elitist? Or getting paid for work is elitist? Between the 2016 election and this thread I am feeling so elite right now what with my whole paying for stuff I get and paying taxes for the services I use. Elite! Me! With my 15 year old car and Goodwill pants! I wish I could like EsmeB's post 15 times because it is so true. People who think things should be free just don't value them.
  24. If this is that SAHM job I keep seeing advertised, I don't believe it. They promised me mimosas, manicures and #mommytime and all I got were incredibly gross floors, interrupted midday showers and a bunch if ungrateful whiners.
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