Society Is Beginning to Make Me Sick!

I mostly post about Walker and life's activities, but today I feel the need to get some things off my chest. Being a Christian and a conservative I have many issues with the new administration. Everyday as I watch the news it seems something new is being passed or reversed from the Bush administration... like abortion or same sex marriage. Being a teacher, I was angered driving to school one day as I heard an announcement from President Obama. He wants teachers to raise their standards in order to decrease the drop out rate. Uh, Hello! What about calling on all parents to do their part and give a crap about their kids education. Or maybe raise the drop out age to 18 so they don't have a choice to drop out till they can make the choice of going to war. I've been in polar opposite school systems where parents do nothing but care verses the system where they don't know what's going on in their kids school and honestly, could not care less. To some, school is simply a babysitting service. This leads me to my next complaint about society...hand outs! I'm not saying this is due to the current president. It is most definitely a problem that started as far back as the FDR administration. What I can't understand is democrats are happy to give their hard working money to support those that do NOTHING! It's become a lifestyle to many and I think that is absurd. When a republican administration works to help the people keep more of their money, there becomes arguments over it. We need change, they said. Well, we've got it. Get ready to give away more of your hard earned paycheck. They predict in 2011 small businesses are going to be hit hard with higher taxes and no tax credits for things like charitable contributions. Since we own a business and we are already paying so much in taxes, we are very scared. Back to the hand outs. Unless you work in a school or some other similar public domain, you can not begin to understand the level of hand outs expected by some people. Since the school I teach at has a high percentage of "free-reduced" lunch students I see more of the bad part of society than I want. Let me just give you a list of cases where my jaw has hit the floor in shock, then anger...



1. Field Day- All students must pay x amount of money for a ticket/armband to participate in the many activities. (very reasonably priced may I add) There is a large amount of kids that show up at field day, having not paid, and expect a free ticket... in which they get!

2. One of our "free-reduced" kids asked in lunch last week, "Why do some people pay for their lunch when they can get it for free?" Need I say more?

3. Our school has a store where the kids can buy snacks and during lunch, extras. All kids bring tons of money for these extra items but never have money for things like Field Day, t-shirts, field trips, Graduation...etc. I'm telling you the "give it to me free" mentality is already so far ingrained into this generation that it is scary!

4. A parent made a comment the other day about how her child should not be failed because of No Child Left Behind. Apparently she doesn't know what that's all about.

5. Some parents need to wake up when three teachers, plus a principal, are recommending retention, but the parent still wants to pass them and I quote "get her some disability and special education."

6. We need to rethink opting for free lunches when we can cruise around in nice Cadillacs.



I know all of this just sounded awful of me to say, but like I said, it has been accumulating over time. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of good people. I know there is people who need help and services, but let's stop taking all the hard working people out there for a ride. I just wish there were more people who wanted to do the right thing.

It's A Girl... We Think

Long story short we went in at 17 weeks, which is a little early. We did the ultrasound anyways and between Dr. Miller and myself, it's a girl. If you ask Zac, it's a boy. Really I think he was just in denial. We got a perfect under view of her bottom and legs. Luckily she opened her crossed legs a few times just enough to make Dr. Miller say she thought it was a girl. I go back in a month for another ultrasound to be sure. I really think it's a girl as well. I think Zac was seeing bones inside the bottom instead of protruding objects between the legs.
However it turns out, we are thrilled and excited. But I know it's a girl! LOL! Zac is terrified to raise a girl. Who knows what her name will be. Everybody has taken all the names I have ever wanted to name a girl so there very well may be some repeats.

Less Than a Week Away!! Yea!

To answer alot of you wanting to know if I know the sex yet... I find out the 12th, next Tuesday. We can't wait to know if we'll be the sport going parents of two boys or the house divided of a boy and a girl. The butterflies are starting to swirl. I will most definitely post the news Tuesday.

Swine Flu

First the thought of lead poisoning from China made products made me really second guess everything Walker touched. Now here comes the wonderful and comforting news that any public place could be hazardous to your health. Well, since I work in a public school I have to say it is a little scary. Especially since a large population of my students are Mexican. I'm not racial profiling or anything, but come on... they have family members, including the kids, that go back and forth to Mexico all the time. Not to mention, the county and school system next door found two cases there so they shut down school for seven days. Oh, and ten probable cases there as well. No reason to panic at this point. But as soon as they say it is in Athens, don't think I will not shut Walker and my pregnant self up in our house.
The school I teach at has been given orders to do the following precautionary steps...

• everyone that enters the building is squirted with hand sanitizer
• no more using the water fountains
• no more self service in the lunchroom
• can not use napkin dispensers
• all doors must be left open
• all computers and headphones are sprayed with Lysol after every use
• buses are cleaned after morning and afternoon rides
• no more hugs

To alot of people in the school, this is excessive and showing panic before there needs to be. I don't know. I try to look at it as this is how it should be anyways. I'm a germ phob!!!! Anyone who knows me knows I don't like to touch anything a kid has touched. That may sound bad since I'm supposed to be a loving teacher...HA!...But if you have seen as many noses picked as I have, you would feel the same way.

I leave you with this thought... Don't let your kid do this! For the record, I don't know this kid, I just thought it was funny.