B-a-l-l-a-y

Anabelle comes home from school yesterday and I ask her the standard question. This is how the conversations goes:

Me: How was school Belle?

Belle: Fine, well, okay, but for music time we did B-A-L-L-A-Y (sounding disgusted)

Me: Oh, fun! Did you like it?

Belle: MOM! You should know better than that! Me and the boys HATED it. Why did the music teacher make us do ballet? It was so stupid! I'm a tomboy and I don't like girl things, remember?

Me: Oh, yeah. You're right, I should know better. I'm sorry you had to do ballet today honey. Do you want to go to Target with me?

Belle: Can I buy a toy with my money?

Me: Sure, what do you want?

Belle: A Hot Wheels car!

Boy, do I love my girl...I mean tomboy. I love you Belly Bop!
(Please excuse the "morning hair". She doesn't normally look like that...well in the morning she does :)

AMEN!

I read an article on msn.com this morning about elementary kids and homework. I have to say I completely agree with it. Click here for the whole article, but my favorite part is in quotations below:

""Children come to school thinking the world is their oyster and that anything is possible," concludes Molnar-Szakacs, "and then every year we essentially limit their vision by teaching them how to narrow their thinking."

If homework can't be more universal in drawing on student strengths, the least our schools can do is allow a kid more time to be a kid. After all, the most respected thinkers in history are noted for their exploration of unconventional ideas.

Some of the hours now spent hogtied to a chair, trying to solve for x and y, would be better spent thinking outside of the box…or even simply outside of the house."

By Rich Maloof