I'm all about the questions.
I get asked them at work (When is a good time for this event? What's the deal with Buddhism and suffering?)
And in everyday life (Who voices God on The Simpsons? Are these brownies fair game?)
And I always have my own lines of inquiry (Why is it a Uniform Monday Holidays Act and not a Uniform Friday Holiday act?) popping up regularly.
What's a question that you've recently asked, or one that's stuck with you for ages?
(I can't necessarily promise answers!)
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
First Week of School Finances
Oh, yes, it's the first week of school here.
Tuesday we had to send in $20 per kid for gym uniforms.
Tonight we went shopping for school supplies. Most every class requires its own binder and dividers and then the assortment of random things--we needed two stores and it was not an inexpensive evening.
The lines at Target were slow, and I got into a conversation with a brand new sixth grader. She sat at an unoccupied register, telling me how tired she gets making her way up and down the stairs and across the building. She explained the special activities she's in, and how she gets to emcee a piece of the upcoming Open House evening.
Engaged in conversation, I was late to notice her mother carefully prioritizing the items in their cart. I heard her tell the cashier, "Never mind, I need the tuna more than the spaghetti sauce."
Her discard pile likely cost less than the Ben & Jerry's I'd picked up for my special treat. Oof.
I could afford my children's school supplies, odds and ends, and even that pint of ice cream. But this is a tight time of year for many families--public education may be subsidized, but it's not actually free.
Could it be? Compared to the thousands of dollars taxpayers spend on each child's education (around $7000/year here in Houston), school supplies and uniforms are a tiny expense.
In some districts, any child who qualifies for free or reduced lunch automatically receives vouchers for school supplies and uniforms. In others, Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) and a hodgepodge of social agencies help when they can. Many of those programs vary widely from school to school, and even year to year within the same campus.
If we truly paid for ALL the parts of a child's education, we'd be taking some unilateral steps toward economic justice and making a values statement--all children are important and we have systems in place to make sure that each child has what they need.
In addition, bulk purchasing would likely save millions of dollars AND reduce parental frustration, free up time, and reduce all sorts of carbon footprints.
I could go on, but I'm exhausted from the shopping.
Tuesday we had to send in $20 per kid for gym uniforms.
Tonight we went shopping for school supplies. Most every class requires its own binder and dividers and then the assortment of random things--we needed two stores and it was not an inexpensive evening.
The lines at Target were slow, and I got into a conversation with a brand new sixth grader. She sat at an unoccupied register, telling me how tired she gets making her way up and down the stairs and across the building. She explained the special activities she's in, and how she gets to emcee a piece of the upcoming Open House evening.
Engaged in conversation, I was late to notice her mother carefully prioritizing the items in their cart. I heard her tell the cashier, "Never mind, I need the tuna more than the spaghetti sauce."
Her discard pile likely cost less than the Ben & Jerry's I'd picked up for my special treat. Oof.
I could afford my children's school supplies, odds and ends, and even that pint of ice cream. But this is a tight time of year for many families--public education may be subsidized, but it's not actually free.
Could it be? Compared to the thousands of dollars taxpayers spend on each child's education (around $7000/year here in Houston), school supplies and uniforms are a tiny expense.
In some districts, any child who qualifies for free or reduced lunch automatically receives vouchers for school supplies and uniforms. In others, Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) and a hodgepodge of social agencies help when they can. Many of those programs vary widely from school to school, and even year to year within the same campus.
If we truly paid for ALL the parts of a child's education, we'd be taking some unilateral steps toward economic justice and making a values statement--all children are important and we have systems in place to make sure that each child has what they need.
In addition, bulk purchasing would likely save millions of dollars AND reduce parental frustration, free up time, and reduce all sorts of carbon footprints.
I could go on, but I'm exhausted from the shopping.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Not Too Shameful Confession
I admit it--I am a sucker for a good commercial. Usually something funny, though I also cry at that darned coffee commercial when Peter! comes home in the early morning...
I'm supposed to be above these things, perhaps, and to see them as unwelcome messages brainwashing me into crass consumerism. Quite often I don't know what the commercial is for. That's some darned subliminal brainwashing
And not especially effective-- I rarely buy the products I see advertised. Or maybe it's just that I'm a homebody with a short memory--I don't want to get up off the couch, and then I don't remember the products the next day?
Mmmmm, french fries...
I'm supposed to be above these things, perhaps, and to see them as unwelcome messages brainwashing me into crass consumerism. Quite often I don't know what the commercial is for. That's some darned subliminal brainwashing
And not especially effective-- I rarely buy the products I see advertised. Or maybe it's just that I'm a homebody with a short memory--I don't want to get up off the couch, and then I don't remember the products the next day?
Mmmmm, french fries...
Monday, August 25, 2014
The Secret is Egg Salad
You spend enough time at church, you learn to host a lunch.
For the past few years, we've done a lunch for Sunday School teachers before the church year begins. Since it's a 'Back to School' sort of thing, we just serve the sort of things you might pack in a lunchbox.
Sandwiches - assortment of breads, lettuce, tomato, cold cuts, cheese, egg salad, pb&j (as allergies allow).
Fruit, a treat, fresh veggies, maybe some chips.
This year beverages were a choice of milks (fat-free or chocolate), apple juice, or milk.
It's relatively inexpensive, not much time to prep, and most anyone can get something they enjoy.
Clean up is easy, and any leftovers go home with someone who can definitely make use of them.
Everyone wins!
For the past few years, we've done a lunch for Sunday School teachers before the church year begins. Since it's a 'Back to School' sort of thing, we just serve the sort of things you might pack in a lunchbox.
Sandwiches - assortment of breads, lettuce, tomato, cold cuts, cheese, egg salad, pb&j (as allergies allow).
Fruit, a treat, fresh veggies, maybe some chips.
This year beverages were a choice of milks (fat-free or chocolate), apple juice, or milk.
It's relatively inexpensive, not much time to prep, and most anyone can get something they enjoy.
Clean up is easy, and any leftovers go home with someone who can definitely make use of them.
Everyone wins!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Tonnage
Like many, I have a professional development plan, and mine has a line about books to read in the coming year.
Being a quantifying sort, I sometimes put in a number of books. And sometimes shelf inches.
Perhaps this year I'll put it in pounds.
Because the carrying back and forth? It might as well count as weight lifting. At any given time there are a pile of partially-read books on my nightstand, on my desk at work, in my purse and backpack, and another box of to-be-read books in my reading nooks.
If I read just two pounds a week, I'd have a sixth grader by the end of the year.
Being a quantifying sort, I sometimes put in a number of books. And sometimes shelf inches.
Perhaps this year I'll put it in pounds.
Because the carrying back and forth? It might as well count as weight lifting. At any given time there are a pile of partially-read books on my nightstand, on my desk at work, in my purse and backpack, and another box of to-be-read books in my reading nooks.
If I read just two pounds a week, I'd have a sixth grader by the end of the year.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Shaggy-headed Descendants
When children are little, you get ready for the school year with a certain to-do list. Clothes, shoes, backpack, haircuts, school supplies...
On Monday my sons will start high school. Chances are, they'll be out the door before I'm awake--the cute 'First Day of School' photo hasn't happened in a while now.
Over the summer we hit the thrift stores--they picked out their own clothes, the most boring t-shirts and polos they could find, khaki shorts... a uniform of their own choosing. I was just there as the ride and the keeper of the credit card.
Dad took them for shoes, a no-big-whoop event.
They chose their own courses and pathways--one applied to a tough program as if it were no big deal. Huh.
At the Back to School Bash, they orbited the tables of endless clubs and activities, considering options my fourteen-year old self had never heard of. Their fees this year include a $25 insurance payment for district-issued laptops.
They've decided it is not yet time for haircuts. I know better than to make that a battle, and hey, one less errand.
On Monday my sons will start high school. Chances are, they'll be out the door before I'm awake--the cute 'First Day of School' photo hasn't happened in a while now.
Over the summer we hit the thrift stores--they picked out their own clothes, the most boring t-shirts and polos they could find, khaki shorts... a uniform of their own choosing. I was just there as the ride and the keeper of the credit card.
Dad took them for shoes, a no-big-whoop event.
They chose their own courses and pathways--one applied to a tough program as if it were no big deal. Huh.
At the Back to School Bash, they orbited the tables of endless clubs and activities, considering options my fourteen-year old self had never heard of. Their fees this year include a $25 insurance payment for district-issued laptops.
They've decided it is not yet time for haircuts. I know better than to make that a battle, and hey, one less errand.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Dental Plan! Dental Plan! (Lisa Needs Braces!) Dental Plan!*
FXX, a network many of us did not know we had on our cable package, is playing every Simpsons episode over a twelve day period.
It will likely be the default programming on my TV for the rest of the month.
In the early days, I watched The Simpsons every Sunday night. Through the magic of syndication, I've seen some episodes twenty times or more.
Many a Simpsons quote has crept into our common vocabulary--which is your favorite?
*Season 4, Episode 17, "Last Exit to Springfield"
It will likely be the default programming on my TV for the rest of the month.
In the early days, I watched The Simpsons every Sunday night. Through the magic of syndication, I've seen some episodes twenty times or more.
Many a Simpsons quote has crept into our common vocabulary--which is your favorite?
*Season 4, Episode 17, "Last Exit to Springfield"
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