The overwhelming nature of kindergarten

I find the kids' new school to be oppressive. Today was gym day (it rotates), and Naomi had to sit out of gym because she did not have the proper shoes. She was in the sandals she always plays in. Now mind you, we were not given a schedule of Gym days. I double checked through the PILE of absolute crap that was sent home (things like the meaningless letter from the principal, the disgusting fast/junk FOOD fund raising flier, the student handbook where they ask you to talk to your 5-year-old about it being against the rules to use drugs, and be late to school and the like, and then ask the kids to sign it and return it.) She was so sad, and I was pretty peeved. All they do is run up and down the gym with shuffly steps like elves. Oppressive! If perhaps I had been allowed to come to the school open house, I might have had time to look at the things posted on the walls and write notes about when there was a certain dress code.

THAT was one of those automated phone calls--the whole open house evening. First, we got a call that said, "Oh, sorry, we found out that not all of our new students got the invitation for the new student open house. Please come." Then after talking to the principal about maybe getting a collection together for someone--or me to go get ALL the classroom supplies instead of all of us mothers going to get only one of each item on the 13 item list (never happened), I mention that I'll see her on the open house. Well, she tells me that the kindergartners are NOT invited to the open house since they have the gradual entry thing. I get another automated call later that week, reminding me not to come.

AND, today they were learning about signs, Stop, Exit...and the big learning tool was reading fast food signs and singing a song about "McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dunkin' Donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken" where they repeated the names of the chains over and over....and over. Dear god....Are there no other signs we can use? I guess the kids don't care, but I found it really weird..and ...Appalachian, in a Glass Castles sort of way. My children were being drilled, and I mean DRILLED in recognizing fast food chain signs and logos. I was speechless.

To top it off, the other room mom and I were getting all geared up to get the Halloween party going and we were both deflated. We were informed that all treats MUST be store bought--except for the gingerbread man that they are making in class that day. THAT'S okay. I asked about the peanut allergy child so we could avoid issues, and asked if was okay to have M&Ms (they are processed in a plant that once had peanuts mentioned in its halls. Important to kids with really bad alergies). The teacher replied that she did not know, but that the gingerbread man was okay. Um...that was not the question, and is not relevant in any way. UGH!

When we asked how elaborate we could get, the teacher replied that the kids already get so much candy, that we should keep it small. HUH??? Candy???? Who said anything about candy? We wanted to know if we could plan games and decorations and the like. The other room mom had an elaborate spread sheet of what the previous mom had done, and it involved fruit plates and all. So, if all the food has to be store bought, that means that we have to get store made fruit platters too! OH GIVE ME BREAK!!! We were told it was a school rule. I asked is it a school rule or a COUNTY rule, and she corrected herself that it was COUNTY rule. Hmmmm...methinks this is not entirely true since I personally know a mom in the same school system that brought brownies to school for her child's birthday. Of course, we have been told that we are not allowed to bring food treats for our childrens' birthdays.

Of course, I am not one to be easily stopped, especially when it involves the well-being (and delight) of my children. I checked. Yep, I called the school system, and found that it is NOT a rule. It's just recommended. They like the labels so that all the moms can see what's in it, and well, they think that store bought food is made in a kitchen with better hygiene than the regular mom's kitchen. Ahem....where have all the food-born issues been coming from recently??? NOT from mom's kitchen! This principal is really going to be the end of me.....or I the end of her.

I am so downtrodden already. My muse is deflated. I thought this was going to be a glorious time of parent involvement. Now it's just plain weird and spiritless. Do I home school??? Things have changed so much in the last 40 years when I was in kindergarten....and from the kids' (and my) preschool. Am I just in culture shock?

Oh, and one more of the best learning tools that there ever was has been shot down. I am told by the other room mom that field trips are to be limited. Great, we can stuff our kids' head full of Corporate American fast food logos, but we can't take them to the Smithsonian. I THINK the kids will be okay, but they will not get the education I had hoped for them. The question is, how will I survive this oppression? PTA, Here I come...like it or not. The OTHER question is how do I reconcile the fact that this school is performing WELL above (double the numbers) of the rest of the county? If I move them, well, does that mean that they will go to a school that is worse? Is going by the numbers just plain stupid (as I sort of feel is so) because the numbers really just show how devoid of originality and oppressive a school is? These are my kids' minds we are talking about. I don't want them in the hands of people who thing that mozzerella dippers is a meal--or that "all twins need to be separated because all twins depend on each other". Another gem from the principal. If you insert any other words for "twins" and "depend on each other" you get a racial slur that would land you in serious trouble. Yes, I won on that one, but I still am dumbfounded that ANY educator, let alone one that made it to the rank of principal, could ever utter such insanely stupid and untrue words. I fear that any contact my kids may with this woman could only make them label themselves in stupid and restricting ways. I plan to stand firmly between her and my babies. Of course, I also have to deal with the fallout my kids will have to take as I become their advocates in a "racist" school. I am sure I am the talk of the school since i raised such a big stink to get my kids in the same class. There is another set of b/g twins in kindergarten, and they were split. I have been told by other moms that that had 'never heard of not splitting twins". OMG. why can't twins be as individual as any other set of siblings?