My experience is either telling me:

1.) I need to chill, I must have insanely high expectations that may never be met and perhaps I should start taking some kind of a happy sedative drug while my girls are in school.

2.) I have my work cut out for me…clearly basic “Leadership” “Communication” and perhaps even “Management” or “Parenting 101″ requirements are non-existent in public schools, not to mention basic self care (health/diet/exercise), is it my imagination or are 90% of the teachers overweight? Maybe this comment should be in my first thought but if someone is teaching about healthy habits…shouldn’t they be practicing them too? I see this as “work” that I need to do advocacy and whistle blower-wise.

3.) I might need to just let her try it out, be diligent about providing ample learning opportunities at home and volunteer a lot. I feel like this is maybe what the school would like to see? It is difficult because as a non-paid problem fixer (how I see it) shows me a list about a mile long starting with things like:
*Get them a microphone that works or offer to help as a MC for their next meeting
*Offer to teach a course in public speaking that will show them a few techniques to quiet a noisy room of side talkers
*Explain the relevance of a “schedule” and recommend that part of encouraging adherence to one requires basic when/where/how information being communicated (ideally in advance and upon arriving to said events)
*Set up a parent email list for them/parents to communicate with
*Create a simple 8 item list (similar in style but shorter than the *to-do list I am writing here) that gives the outline for the content being discussed quietly in front of the parents so that we could have a slight bit of understanding, and for the ESL parents at least have something that someone can translate for them (I saw one table where a little bit of translation was happening and was a tad jealous they got the one on one information!)
*Creating an actual “Red” sign for the “Red Table” (it has a red dot that is barely visible that is red…nothing else)
*Repeat for other tables
*Print and laminate multiple copies of the kindergarten schedule to post around the room or at least by the sink for parents to see and take note of
*Print and laminate copies of the class lists so that parents can learn their child’s friend’s names, maybe offer to compile a communication list
*Send along any awesome dietitian or personal trainer groupon deals that come along

4.) Focus on finding a good private school (I have a few in mind) and get the applications in…holding her back a year to enroll next year if I need to.

5.) Get started with homeschooling!! The world really is turning the way of Idiocracy and Wall-E!!!

6.) Move to a snobby (rich?) neighborhood (outside Seattle?) where standards are being upheld

So yes number one might be the most accurate, which I am bummed about. Doesn’t everyone want to nourish the future? Are we really working to turn our children into clones who don’t think and either fail or excel (or both) when it bores them?

Sigh…

So we’re doing alright…just need to eat up some more of that kale!!

“I know you
I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you the gleameoi is so…”

Here’s where I must stop, take a deep breath while I’m listening to her and focus on not laughing….she’s singing with all her heart, drawing out the sounds and being very passionate and then it comes out:

“Chamele-uglee!!!”

To which my husband at some point cracks a little joke to say that it’s a word to describe someone who is ugly no matter how they change themselves like a chameleon does.

I love listening to the way that songs get interpreted by my little princess…and I enjoy it so much that I don’t necessarily correct her or tell her the ‘right’ way to sing it. I love the way that she makes it her own. The first song she did this with was “Little Star” which I’ll never forget, however it is gone now and I miss it. She used to sing it just as passionately as she now sings the princess tunes and it went like this:

“Twinkle twinkle LITTLE star (‘little’ was said with a lot of emphasis)
How I wonder what you are..”

here it comes…

“Up a bubble in sky
Like a diamond in the sky
twinkle twinkle LITTLE star
how I wonder what you are.”

I love my little munchkin…and I can’t wait til she starts teaching songs to her little sister.