Good Morning, Oppo

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 08/16/2018 at 09:30 • Filed to: good morning oppo

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My boys head back to school today. I am thrilled.  Watch out for buses and school zones, Oppo.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 09:36

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Our public schools started a solid week ago, which is crazy. My son (2nd grade, private) started yesterday, and my daughter (K, private) doesn’t start until the 29th. It’s a logistical hassle to say the least. But at least next year they’ll be at the same school together....for a few years.

When I was a kid, it was late August. My first couple years of college, it was late September (which was awesome, because apartment leases started on 9/1, so it was 3 weeks of working, parties, and R&R before classes)

Cé hé sin > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 09:49

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That’s very early. When did they get their holidays?

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 10:19

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Ours started earlier this week. My daughter is driving them, so instead of dealing with carpooling, now we just have to deal with worrying about them being in traffic. They spend about five miles on the interstate, so it’s somewhat nerve-wracking for us.

facw > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 10:26

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Do kids still take the bus these days? I get the impression that it’s considered child-abuse to do anything other than waiting in hour-long drop-off/pick- up lines to get them to/from school.

ttyymmnn > Ash78, voting early and often 08/16/2018 at 10:33

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Our schools are starting a week early this year because we are a “district of innovation.” Whatever the hell that means.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/16/2018 at 10:34

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My oldest is only on his learners permit now. When he is a senior, his brothers will be freshman. It remains to be seen if he will even be willing to drive them. We don’t have a third car as it is. Yet.

ttyymmnn > facw 08/16/2018 at 10:35

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Yup. My middle schoolers ride the bus because their school is far across town. I take my high schooler every day. As to why, it’s complicated.

ttyymmnn > Cé hé sin 08/16/2018 at 10:36

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We are starting earlier this year than we have in the past. They get a full week at Thanksgiving, a couple of weeks at Christmas, and a full week for spring break.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 10:38

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Ours are only a few days earlier than last year, but they like to build in a lot of teacher service days and long Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. The teacher’s union is the largest union in the state and has a surprising amount of influence over calendars. Parents — especially working parents — hate it because the first few days are half days, plus the long, sporadic vacation times make it harder to plan for daycare. Not a huge issue for us (wife is a SAHM and I work from home) but still a hassle.

facw > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 10:46

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For me:

K: Walk (short walk, only one, not very busy, street crossing)

1-3: Bus

4-6: Bicycle (or walk in bad weather)

7-8: Bus

9-11: Walk

12: Drive myself

Talking to parents these days though, many seem to be under the impression that the vast majority of kids waiting for the bus are abducted, and that any who aren’t will almost certainly be killed in bus crashes.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 10:58

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Willing? Hah! We explained to our daughter that if she wanted to drive, she would be responsible for transporting her brother.

Technically, my wife doesn’t have a car. She’s driving mine. As long as I’m working in Houston, I have a rental.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 11:12

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Does you school do uniforms?  Because our school does uniforms, and right now I am pissed about the way they are handling it.

JustAnotherG6 > facw 08/16/2018 at 11:19

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Both my boys have the option for taking the bus though neither prefer it since some kids are down right mean and there is little to no recourse/supervision. Fortunately, we live close enough for the little one to walk and the Middle School is on my way to work (if he doesn’t mind getting there early).

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 08/16/2018 at 11:21

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No uniforms, thankfully.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 11:22

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Every picture here has at least one “huh, that’s odd” factor. First one - an integrated private school (!) with “NEW DEAL” in the name. Second one, an International D-series with a non-coach-built wooden body in rural Georgia outside a schoolhouse(?) with no indoor plumbing - yet constructed recently.

The buses in the third pic are extremely primitive, and odd because they don’t have “truck” front bodywork that matches the period for the big players. It aligns more closely with a European style of WWI truck, with commercial vehicles such as tractors, and with WWI artillery tractors. I cheated and looked up the pic’s age, and it was 1918 as I had loosely placed it, but being in Iowa I don’t really know who made them. They look a lot like WWI Liberty B military trucks with a different brushguard. I’m leaning toward something offbeat like Federal or Brockway based on pictures. Really hard.

4th pic, a Suburban schoolbus? Churchville NY appears to be tiny, but still.

Pic 5 looks... odd. Like an International, maybe a ‘59 - very car-like styling.

I wonder why three grown men are posing with it?

Final two pics, odd because hot rod, and what may be an old White or Brockway *on rails*. I think that oddity speaks for itself.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 08/16/2018 at 11:41

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Our kids have always had uniforms. It’s a requirement for all state schools in Louisiana. All the private schools do the same.

The biggest issue we’ve had is the shoes. You know how hard it is to find solid-white shoes?

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/16/2018 at 13:14

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We had to buy expensive saddle shoes, because apparently catholic school girls all have to conform to a stereotype or they aren’t learning anything. Our uniforms are composed of  very expensive items that must be purchased from a specific outfitter.  And some items aren’t even available as of the start of school this week, even though they are required.  This is all bullshit that has nothing to do with kids learning.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 13:15

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Lucky.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 08/16/2018 at 13:31

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T here are some benefits. It evens the playing field somewhat by keeping wealthier kids from singling out the poorer kids. It also keeps the playground from being a fashion show.

At the end of the year, most schools have a hand-me-down sale and you can pick up older kids’ used uniforms cheap. The uniform materials are usually pretty tough, so they last forever. It’s just a matter of the kids outgrowing their clothes. Bad years for us were when out son hit a growth spurt and we’d have to get new uniforms mid-way through the year.

Look around, you may be able to order the same uniforms online and then have a local shop embroider the logo for you. We’ve done that for my daughter’s uniforms.

ttyymmnn > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/16/2018 at 13:47

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I wonder why three grown men are posing with it?

I figured they were bus drivers.

I had fun looking for these pictures. I hope you enjoyed the detective work!

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/16/2018 at 13:53

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I am kind of on board with the disparities thing. The problem I have is the way our school goes about it. Our kids don’t have a simple navy slacks and oxford shirt that you could get lots of places cheaply, like the public school does . We have to have a specific plaid and a specific shirt that can only be purchased at the contracted store with the specially designed logo. You cannot buy another blue oxford and embroider it yourself; they pay attention and will not allow this . Shoes aren’t just white tennis shoes that we used to be able to get. The rules have changed with this principal , and now it must be leather saddle shoes, again only available at one place.

We were active at the uniform sales in the past, but the uniform has changed this year , and that is not open to us anymore. We had to spend $500 for a new school wardrobe.

On top of all of this, we have to have a specific PE uniform that the principal is telling us is available from the store and the store is telling us we have to get at the school. So we don’t have that yet, after several miscommunications and three trips to this store that is over a half hour drive away up in Plano .

The thing that really gets me on top of all of this is that they don’t seem to care about the expense and problems this is causing the families. They are completely insensitive in their interactions with the families. The attitude is, “deal with it ”. They are also insensitive to the fact that our school is not a rich community. We have a wide demographic, with middle class and blue collar families. Many are sending multiple kids to school, and there is not a care for how families may have to struggle to find the money to outfit their kids by these arbitrary requirements.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 13:59

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I really liked the second picture. A presumably poor-ish community engaging in a bit of community pride - buying (and building) a new schoolbus, putting up a new schoolhouse. They don’t have much, but they’re going to do their very best with it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 08/16/2018 at 14:06

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I hear you. That can be a problem. We’ve dealt with something similar (see the white shoe comment above). There’s usually a committee of some kind that is responsible for the uniform selection. Since it’s a Catholic school, you can always take it up with the diocese.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/16/2018 at 14:18

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What I’d like to do it oust this principal. She has shown in many ways that she really isn’t very good. School events are poorly organized, teacher turnover has increased, parent involvement is way down as morale decreases.   Problem is, we also have a new pastor, who is kind of disengaged from the school. I dunno, palace coups are exhausting. I’m weighing my options.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > ttyymmnn 08/16/2018 at 14:28

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I drive bat out of hell fast most of the time but slow and cautious in residential areas and especially school zones. It infuriates me when I get aggressively tailgated for observing a 25 school zone.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 08/16/2018 at 14:45

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We dealt with similar issues for 9 years. My son was so fed up with the school that he asked to go the high school’s 8th-grade program. Fortunately, all the mediocrity found in the elementary/middle school program is made up by the outstanding programs at the high school level. Both of our kids are now in blue-ribbon schools, something their former schools will never achieve.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/16/2018 at 14:51

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I’m so glad. Our parish school has an inside track to the nearby catholic high school, which is a top flight school. The public high school not so much. They have a new special college prep program, but we’re not confident. So, as long as we live here, this is where we go to school. I’m truly worried about how to come up with the tuition for the catholic high school in two years , but that’s another discussion.

AestheticsInMotion > Chariotoflove 08/16/2018 at 14:53

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Wow. That is absolutely insane. And this is at a public school..? 

Chariotoflove > AestheticsInMotion 08/16/2018 at 14:59

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Catholic school.  I doubt the public schools could get away with this.  Our administration, though, is mostly answerable to the pastor, who is technically answerable to the bishop, but I doubt the diocese would get involved in our issues unless a serious problem ensued.  Still, if the PTO and parish council makes a stink, they will have to listen.

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion 08/16/2018 at 15:17

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He’s talking about a private school, but similar things have happened at the public schools in Louisiana. Yeah, many of them have uniform requirements.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 08/16/2018 at 15:23

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Public schools in Louisiana have had similar issues.

https://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/08/school_uniforms_the_good_the_b.html

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/16/2018 at 18:26

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Good article. It all sounds familiar. The interesting thing in there is about schools telling suppliers to find a cheaper way, and the stores complying. Not at our school.

My wife was poor growing up. To her, uniforms were a great equalizer because she didn’t have nice clothes to wear. Most of her stuff was hand me downs from cousins. So I’m cool with the uniform idea. Properly done, it’s merely a dress code that is simplified. The Dallas ISD does uniforms now. I t’s simply navy or khaki pants or skirt and white shirt, but is flexible . You can find that stuff anywhere at whatever price. It has all the elements you need: propriety, discipline, lack of distraction. They also have this provision:

Please note that uniform requirements can only be made for those articles of clothing that a district is willing to provide for students who cannot afford to purchase their own uniform.

I like that. Let’s keep our eye on the ball, people.