Recess

The highlight of my day during grade school was always recess. Who didn't enjoy the release of childhood imaginations at its best. I would gather with my friends, think up imaginary worlds, play house, doctor,  even oddly enough...teacher. We would put on shows, my all time favorite was singing, "Stop In The Name Of Love" by The Supremes. This was of course always equipped with hand gestures and the coolest dance moves you've ever seen. 

I cant help noticing that schools all over the nation are putting a halt on recess. What troubles me even more, are those certain title one schools that run an hour later than other schools whom also do not partake in recess. That means for seven hours out of each weekday students are coupe up in a room.  Explain to me how the school administrators do not see the link between the rise in childhood obesity and attention deficit disorders to the decline of daily recess.

When confronted, school administrators can only state that with the elimination of recess means more time that teachers will have with student to improve test scores and school grades. They also state outdoor play leads to more injuries. These are understandable reasons but that does not mean recess should be eliminated. It is well known that children benefit from even fifteen minutes of recess and in schools where recess is still very much apart of every day, you see a low percent of  behavioral issues in the classroom and students tend to easily retain information.  I have also noticed that if a student has not behaved, they lose recess time, those are likely the students that need recess the most. 

This does not sit well with me. As a future teacher, I worry daily where the school system is headed. If you ask me we are one step from baring the windows and labeling it prison. We take away their creativity, focus only on the academics that make the school look good, we stress our students, pushing on to them the importance of high test scores and now we have taken away there mere thirty minutes of release. Has everyone forgotten that school is not just about learning Mathematics, Reading, and Writing. Nor, is it about competition on which schools can obtain the highest grades.

Meeting

We met under a mango tree, in a field lined with possibility.

We met on the beaches sand, while we walked hand in hand.

I wait by the phone, so I know you're there

I long for your touch, reminding me you care

Thinking of our first kiss, and showing all the signs of love

We met under a mango tree, in a field lined with possibility.

We met on the beaches sand, while we walked hand in hand.

I promised you, our love will never fade

and I will show you this everyday

So if you ever find yourself wondering if this was the way

You know just what ill say

We met under a mango tree, in a field lined with possibility.

We met on the beaches sand, while we walked hand in hand.

One With Wilderness

This past weekend I celebrated Mother's Day. Asa and I went camping for the first time. I dont know why I never camped growing up but I do know that as a young adult I had this stigma. I couldn't leave the house without make up. I grew up feeling as though I was never good enough let alone pretty enough. This is an issue I battle with daily on some level or another. The older I become the more I realize how little meaning my looks and what people think of me matter. In fact, they dont matter at all. So as time passes I grow, mentally and as a reward for that growth I can allow myself to relax and enjoy what life brings, instead of hiding from the world.

Let me just say, if you haven't been camping you must go! Asa and I had so much fun. We went with his scouts as a combined camping plus the yearly derby car races. Some of the scouts were gracious enough to help us set up our tent which was not as difficult as I thought. I imagined endless hours of propping the tent up just to watch it fall down, just like in the cartoons. Id say it took all of twenty minutes.  I packed tons of junk food which now, that the weekend is over, I am paying the price dearly. As the scouts and families arrived, had dinner, settled in and then watched a movie...the latest Harry Potter, via a sweet outdoor screen and projector. I played guitar for a bit and was alittle disappointed there was a fire ban. That did not put limitations on the fun to be had though. It was nearly midnight before calling it a day, Asa and I snuggled into our four person tent, equipped with two blow up mattresses and comfy sleeping bags. We pulled out the junk food, snacked and told stories. Our first story had to be all rhyming words. It went alittle something like this..."I had a pet frog that only sat on a log, he lived in a bog, that was covered in fog." This was followed by some pretty sweet knock knock jokes and then off to sleep we went.

As I am drifting away I see a bug crawl across me, Ahahahaha! Thankful it was small and quickly squished. After that there were no issues. We fell asleep listening to the sounds of night time critters. At some point during the night I woke to complete silence, it was an odd environment. Especially for someone who sleeps with constant white noise. Then around 6am we woke to the sounds of birds chirping happily. We finally rose around 7:30am. Had breakfast. Asa went straight to play with his friends. I watched, took some pictures. I believe over a hundred pictures were captured. More scouts and families started to arrive for the races, everything was coming together. We tweak Asa's car, get him registered and impound the car then went for a hike with some scouts. The land was beautiful, yet another hidey hole within Florida. Around lunch time Grandpa and Grandma arrived, the races began. There were some sweet cars, so many ideas for next year I cant even begin to explain the creativity involved. There were 2 rounds of racing. A total of 8 races in round one. Asa won second place...woohoo! He did great for his first year! After all the festivities we packed up, Asa was tired and for our first camping it was quite eventful. The rest of our weekend was spent baking and resting...which technically if your baking, resting is an impossibility.