Jackals Are Running The School

I promise I didn't wake up this morning intending to be one of "those" parents. I sing the praises of teachers and extol the merits of attending school every time I get the chance, having been a teacher in my life before becoming a parent and appreciating any shred of parental or public support. But when the school that your child attends is run by jackals in capris and skirts, it is very difficult to maintain your Stepford smile and keep from vomiting simultaneously.

I considered utilizing my new mobile blog app to blog on-the-spot and snap a picture of the lovely sign at the front door of the school today, but thank the good Lord I had sense not to do that. Heaven forbid someone from my local area would recognize the school and get the local yokels down at the beauty shop or the feed and seed all worked up over talkin' about their baby sister's cousin's girlfriends... you get the point. Either that, or a serial killer with a widow fetish would track me down via my proximity to said school and kill me in my sleep. So I just decided I would come home and rant sans photograph.

Let me say this: I do like this school. I chose to support public schools. I was intentional about buying a home in this town and in this neighborhood in large part due to which school my children would be attending. I make a point to avail myself to my child's teacher and the PTA so that people are aware that they have public support. When I was a teacher in Kansas, we received very little parent support. I believe this was in large part due to the demographics of the local neighborhood and the number of single parent families we had with said parent working more than one job. We did what we could with the resources we had and loved on those kids while we had them, knowing that they would be fed, kept warm and clean, and learn something while they were there. As a Christian mom, I am intentional about getting to know teachers and students and praying for them when I can. I'm not decked out in school colors complete with face paint and pom pons on the first day of school, but I let the teacher know that I would be happy to volunteer when called upon.

That being said...

I've been having some "issues" with Li'l G's school. This stream started trickling in the spring of last year but has turned into a steady flow already on the third day of school. After getting a not-so-parent-friendly vibe last year, I was encouraged to know that some of the administration would be changing for this academic year and had high hopes that the climate would be much more relaxed as a result. Insert insane, high pitched laughing here.

If I have to hear the words "district policy" one more time for the rest of the year coming from the Gatekeeper at the front door, you will likely see headlines in the local paper about a local woman being apprehended for insane ranting and raving at the neighborhood elementary school. (Incidentally, during the writing of this post, the administrator in charge of student affairs commented that our school had moved to implement certain policies prematurely and that he would be going out there to "visit" with the principal today.)

The straw that threatened to break the camel's back came this morning. Apparently, parents are not allowed to walk their children to class anymore on the third day of school. While this really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, it makes me question the priorities of the administrators and minions posted at doors to do their bidding. There are preschoolers in tears, apprehensive Kindergarteners, and even some very young first graders (Li'l G) who need to be shown that a big school of 700 other children and strange adults really is a safe place for them to be for eight hours, five days a week. If giving these children more than two days to acclimate to their surroundings helps them to be less anxious so that they can concentrate, then why is this a problem for "district policy"? According to the Gatekeeper, and I'm directly quoting here, "There are over 700 kids in this school. How are we supposed to keep track of who's tardy and who isn't if we have parents in the hallway?" I propose that, if we are more concerned about rounding up all the tardy children on the third day of school, many of whom are lost or crying to begin with, the "district policy" does not have its priorities in the right place.

What I understand is this: it is imperative that schools are safe for children. Schools and parents must have open, trusting relationships; otherwise, the efforts of teachers to instruct and support our children will be completely undermined by a strained relationship between the adults in the picture. We as parents are called to model behavior that we want our children to emulate, and respect for authority is one of those behaviors that we expect them to master and obey without question. Parents have to be able to show children how to obey rules, regardless of they agree with them or consider them valid. If school administrators expect parents to hold up their end of the bargain, the least they could do is not humiliate and condescend to them. If relationships are strained between parents and the school, there will always be friction for the entire time the kids are enrolled at the school, and trust me -- this attitude always trickles down to the classroom, which really is the bottom line.

Yes, I promise to behave and not vomit simultaneously upon walking upon school property. And I promise to instruct my children to follow rules regardless of their personal opinions on the matter. And yes, I promise to ask God to gently correct my attitude. But I also promise that I'm watching those jackals closely this year!