Project Turned In by Chris

I told Mrs. Ruiz it was ready. So I turned it in. I think I get 20 extra points for presenting today. I didn't want to go first because I was scared so I went second.

It was hard to talk about. I had to say what was on the poster.

Mrs. Ruiz didn't say anything, but she started clapping.

Collared Shirts and Blue Jeans

Now that the temperature has dropped a bit, shorts aren't really working for Christopher. On to blue jeans.

He has four "working" pair of jeans -- meaning, he'll wear them.

My thought and basically what the entire fashion world believes is anything goes with blue jeans. T-shirts, collared shirts, shirts of any color, etc.

Nope. Not in my house.

And now the rules of what goes with blue jeans according to my son:
1. You wear a light blue collared shirt with light blue jeans. That's it. Not dark blue shirts or white shirts, light blue collared shirts.
2. With dark colored jeans, you can wear white striped collared shirts and a navy blue collared shirt. You cannot wear a black collared shirt.
3. You can wear a T-shirt with dark colored jeans only if it is gray or white.

It's going to be a long fall and winter.

Milk by Chris

Today I got milk for breakfast. Some of my other friends were there eating breakfast so I just got milk.

I'm probably going to start doing that. Because I'm pretty thirsty. Like today.

Thank Goodness for Book Reports

Christopher has a book report due December 15. This means one thing -- he will actually read a chapter book!

He has the book picked out -- it's a story based on Tiki and Ronde Barber, two NFL players, when they were in middle school. OK, it's not classic literature or some 500-page book, but it's a book. And it is over 150 pages.

Maybe he'll do another book report in January. And then February. Then March. And so on and so on.

"I can't figure out my homework"

That was the quote of the day. I'd like to believe it, but in reality it's Christopher's way of saying, "I don't want to work on it right now so I'll wait until you get home because if you are really tired, you'll just help me with the answers."

So, he's figured me out!

And, the homework was in math. Fractions. Adding complex fractions -- I'm not even sure if that is what they are called. Maybe mixed fractions. It's the 3 2/4 + 4 5/4 kind of problem.

While, he thinks he has figured me out, he should know by now I can't figure out fractions.

Yes, I walk in the door frustrated and tired -- horrible traffic and my husband calling asking me to bring him his shoes to Lee before the basketball game -- and I see the worksheet o' fractions.

I tell Christopher we need to get started and he points out his notes. Thank heavens for step-by-step notes. I was so grateful I forgot to point out to him that he could have read the notes and done this work by himself. Oh, but he needs me. Warm feeling . . .oh, wait I'm frustrated and tired.

We get down to business. Based on the notes, and not because I remember this at all, if the denominators are the same (bottom number for you who don't know), you add the whole numbers first (big number). Then you add the two numerators. In my example above, that would be 7 7/4. Great, time to reduce.

You reduce the 7/4 to 1 3/4 because 1 equals 4/4 and when you add that to 3/4 you get 7/4. I'm so smart -- thank you, thank you notes!

Then, you add 1 3/4 to 7. Answer is 8 3/4. I helped him with the first three and then he knocked out the rest.

My confidence factor on the answers was pretty high -- not because I even know how to check the work beyond what I just wrote -- but because there was a puzzle involved in the work sheet. The kind where the corresponding answer goes with a letter and when you fill in all the blanks you get some clever saying responding to a phrase. Our letters matched up correctly! We got it right!

Call me Ms. Fraction. At least until tomorrow when I'm sure it's adding different denominators -- there's something like finding a common factor or something in there.

On to the Next Project by Chris

In reading, we have to do a book report. And this kid already finished it. I was working on my word skills in the library.

I have to pick a chapter book that the teacher approves. It can be a comic book or anything like that.

I think we have to write it on the computer. I'm not sure.

It is due December 15. I think.

Finished Project

Finishing touches were made this evening -- Christopher touched up with glue to make sure all the labels and pictures were adhered to the once very white, but now very well done display board.

We logged about five hours this weekend and an hour tonight putting it together. Yes, I helped. Christopher had drawn out his plan, found his sources and came up with the labels. We both cut out the pictures -- I have some pretty cool Martha tools to help with that precision. He glued.

The details, as we called them, were typed up on the computer. I helped type, but he came up with the words. He had resources (web site print-outs and two books) scattered all over the floor by the computer.

It looks great. Being limited to 500 words was tough -- he ended up with only 61 for the Civil War. Fortunately, Christopher focused on Lee and who he was as a general so he didn't have to go into detail about the war.

He is taking it to school tomorrow (two days ahead of the due date) to share with his teacher and get any tips to make it better. So he may have some more work to do over the next two nights, but I cannot imagine she will ask him to do more. He has tutoring in the morning with his Social Studies teacher so he can finish up his bibliography.

He wants to win now so he can advance to the state competition. He said, "We get to do a six-foot board for that."

Yippee.

Nothing

This history project is to be worked on in Social Studies class, yet I'm not sure what Christopher has actually worked on in class. It seems he brings everything home -- because we have so much time in the evenings for extra work!?

Today I asked him . . . so what work are you doing in class? He said he looks up sources and goes on the computer. I asked where those sources were and how he could use them on his display board. He said he doesn't write them down. Huh?

He said he could bring his display board to class and work on it and I asked what would you do. He said he didn't know.

What is not connecting in this kid's head? He has a 3x4 foot blank display board. Nothing on it and no idea what is going on it. He's filled out three "note cards" of information based on three sources. That's it.

I don't know why he hasn't figured out he has to do this board. He is going to tutoring next Tuesday afternoon, but who knows what he'll walk away doing.

Tomorrow, in class, he's completing a bibliography page -- I guess of his three sources.

I don't want to help him on this because he needs to learn, but he literally has nothing. Nothing! And the thing is do next Thursday. So he has wasted an entire week of class room time. Nothing has come out of his class. Nothing!

I specifically told him today that tomorrow he will come home with a completed sketch of what the board will look like -- what pictures he wants to include, what labels he will make, what the timeline will look like. I also told him I have no stake in this game. It is his grade, not mine. Did anything connect or will nothing result.

I'm about to go crazy staring at that big ol' white board in my living room.

It is blank. It has nothing.

Incredible Pizza Company Field Trip by Chris

Today I went to Incredible Pizza Company for selling magazine subscriptions. I rode in a Hummer limo. There were three limos. No. 1 was blue, no. 2 was white and no. 3 was yellow. All different colors. I rode with Coach Fuschak and I got to control the radio on the way back. The chaperon for the blue one was Mrs. Horrigan, the chaperon for the white one was Mrs. Roman and the chaperon for the yellow was Coach Fuschak. Mr. Watson, our assistant principal rode with us in the passenger seat.

About 20 people could fit in the limo. My limo was yellow.

We only had like two minutes to play games. I played the game where you press start and roll them up to like a thousand.

I ate like everything there. I ate pizza, ice cream, pink lemonade, spaghetti and glazed doughnut type things. It wasn't just pizza it was everything.

I missed a lot of third period and missed fourth and about 75 percent of fifth.

It was a good day. I wish we had more time at Incredible Pizza.

Shoes

Again with the shoes and my child. He has eight pair of tennis shoes, yet could not find any pair to wear to school today. He said the shoes he had didn't go with his clothes. I lost it.

I want to throw away all the shoes he never wears -- maybe worn once or twice -- and have him only have one pair. He has too many.

We have created a child who thinks he gets that many choices, yet in the end only chooses flops. I hate flops at school. He was able to wear them today because he went on a field trip to Incredible Pizza Company.

Never again will he wear those flops to school. And, we are going through those other tennis shoes. He's getting rid of all of them except for two pair. End of story. Bottom line. He has too many.

Choosing the Best Way

Tonight I previewed the sixth grade sexuality program. Whew. It is a new curriculum this year. The material covers six days, which for Christopher means it will be over a three-week period because he has health two days a week. The PE coaches, health teachers and nurses teach the course.

The coursework is from Choosing the Best Way. Each segment includes a very brief video, four or five pages in a workbook and a take-home parent/child interview.

The first two segments cover making good decisions and selecting the right type of friend. During the friend segment, the material covers crushes and infatuation. Harmless enough, right?

The third and fourth are the doozies. I think they layer them in between the beginning and the end purposefully. No, I'm sure there is a sensible order to this thing. Anyway, the third is about avoiding unhealthy relationships and the fourth covers identifying the risks. OK, the third is about having sex and the impact of those decisions. It also includes a bit on rape. Ugh. I know it is something we need to discuss. It just seemed well abrupt. That's a topic we'll cover at home before Christopher hears it at school. The fourth covers getting pregnant and contracting STDs. Neither of the third and fourth segments praises or lauds having sex. In fact, it portrays everything in somewhat of a scary light, which I'm OK with at this age. One mom tonight wondered why the beauty of sex wasn't covered. Uh, they are in sixth grade. We want to scare them into not doing it!

The fifth segment covers abstinence which includes signing a pledge. The sixth is about saying no and standing up for yourself -- a big chunk is over not drinking alcohol.

I signed the permission slip for Christopher to attend the classes. In hearing how the teachers handle questions (written on pieces of paper and then answered the next day based on the teachers discretion and done with definition only) and knowing there is a very scripted presentation, I'm comfortable with him attending.

Now, this class puts it out there that the parents need to take some of the responsibility as well. That's why I attend these parent preview sessions -- I find out what will be covered so I can determine what we need to prepare Christopher for.

Oh, I want him to be little and not grow up . . . but I know this stuff is out there. So, I'd rather talk about it at home, prepare him and then let professionals help reinforce and teach.

The classes start in about two weeks. That means we have two weeks to talk to Christopher. Better do it.

Ultimate Frisbee by Chris

In PE today we did ultimate frisbee. It's a game with a frisbee. You throw it and try and make a score. You try and throw it in between the cones.

I scored. Well someone threw it to me and I got it.

I like doing those things in PE.

Veteran's Day Assembly by Chris

We had the assembly during third period, of course. PE time.

The orchestra played, the band played and the choir sang. They played "Our Country Tis of Thee."
This guy said something and this girl said something about her dad who went to Iraq. He had crutches when he came back.

Display Boards

Who knew there were so many choices for project display boards.

You can go with the traditional foam core board and construct the panels yourself. I assumed this would be our approach since I had not shopped for display boards in oh, say, 30 years. That would probably be the last time I put a project together.

I purchased two black boards.That wasn't right according to Christopher. I then found a smaller corrugated cardboard three-paneled Elmer's brand board. Again, too small, not right.

Third time to Target, I hit the mother lode. I found the 36x48-inch three-paneled Elmer's foam core display board. Just right.

Since November 4

We've elected a president. Barack Obama will be our 44th president and he will be the 1st black president. I fell asleep before his acceptance speech, but did see clips in the days following.\

Christopher had to answer two questions with five sentences each for debate class as a result of the election.
1. What was historic about this election? He answered with comments on Sen. Obama being the first black and that two women were very involved in the election (Sen. Clinton and Gov. Palin).

2. Do you agree with the results of the election? He answered with yes, that he was glad Sen. Obama was elected. He even used the word transformational -- because he heard it discussed on the television and by me with friends.

But those two responses are not what struck me about Christopher's reaction to the election. The morning after, I woke him up by telling him the news. He gave a thumbs up.

Then, over breakfast, while we watched the news, he said "What's the big deal about him being the first black president." Interesting commentary. It's so natural to Christopher that a black person be elected. He doesn't even think about the color. He just knew Sen. Obama was elected.

With that reaction, I wondered if he wasn't connecting the history. I told him less than 50 years ago black and white children couldn't go to the same school. I reminded him of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. He knows those stories and understands they were horrible times, but I don't know if the history of civil rights matches up in his head to the history-making election. He needs to understand what black Americans went through to have what they were promised -- equality.

After we discussed Sen. Obama, my son looked at me and said, "Don't worry Mama, someday there will be a woman president."

Someday.

Math Benchmark by Chris

I wrote in all my agenda spaces Benchmark for today. We had the math benchmark. I did OK. It was 28 questions and we had two and a half hours. I guessed at some.

I didn't have a book to read when I finished. I should have brought Diary of a Wimpee Kid. I could have read a magazine or anything.

We told scary stories in math instead of having work. Mrs. O'Keefe told a scary story about her brother's baby who saw a man with googles and knee pads. I left the classroom before she finished so my friend told me the whole story. Why would a baby see that?

Don't Say Anything

That was a request from my son today -- and I heard it last week as well.

As I worked the polls at his elementary school this afternoon, Christopher and his friend walked to my car and where I was. Both waited on me to finish my shift at 4 p.m. While I wrapped up and turned over my literature to my replacement, I saw some middle school kids messing with the many campaign signs posted around the school's perimeter. They were pulling them out of the ground -- which was very hard and required us to use extreme force and a sledge hammer to get signs in the ground -- and then walking around with them. I said in that direction, "Hey, leave those alone."

"Mom, don't say anything," said my son.

I looked at him and thought -- this is now the second time he's asked me not to be forthright and stand up for something. What? My son knows my personality and yet, is asking I don't say anything.

Last week, a boy was loudly cussing, using the really bad word at a girl across the street. Both started yelling and cussing at each other. Parents, kids, teachers . . all were around and could hear loud and clear the comments. I was at the stoplight closest to the boy, so I rolled down my window and before I said anything, my son said, "Mom, don't say anything."

I didn't, but as we drove away I let him know boys should never talk to girls that way and if I ever hear him using that language especially when talking to a girl, he won't be able to talk for a very long time because I will have popped him in the mouth so hard . . oooh.

All that lesson aside, I guess I'll have to cool it when I am in front of him. Maybe I point out what is wrong with the action I'm observing and let him form his own conclusions. Maybe I keep my mouth shut and let the punks do what they will . . .

Naaah, that ain't happening. I going to say something.

Research Project

Over the next two weeks, Christopher will be working on a Social Studies research project. It is paired with a National History competition.

First, he had to choose an individual who has made a historical contribution. He picked Robert E. Lee. I believe that has to do with where his dad coaches football!Second, he had to select the type of project. The choices were performance, documentary, web pages, research paper or an exhibit board. He selected the exhibit board. Yippee! It's a giant diorama. We loved doing those last year for fifth grade reading projects.

Both Christopher and I have big plans. Unfortunately, upon execution of those plans, he discovers I'm not so crafty or creative and we then struggle with the final design.

This time, we're planning. We know we'll need pictures, possibly a confederate flag (that'll spark some conversation), possibly a representation of Lee's horse, Traveller, and of course, lots of labels.

Research will be done at school. He has a series of activities -- notecards, drafts, outlines, etc., he'll be completing during class. The homework is taking the research and putting it on the board.

Over the weekend, we'll find the board and get some other props. Then we can begin assembly over the next week.

The project is due November 19. So we really have two and a half weeks, but I can almost picture the weekend of November 15 and 16 -- board heaven!

Necklace by Chris

I wore my 15 necklace to school today.

My mom kept saying Oh Christopher don't lose it.

I couldn't wear it in PE so I put it in my shoe in my locker.

It was easy to put back on.

I wanted to wear it because I just wanted to see what it felt liked and if I wanted to wear it again.

I probably will wear it again tomorrow and the rest of the week. I hope I get some more charms.

First Report Card

Apologies for such sporadic postings this past week. I was out of town Wednesday evening, we had football practice and loads of homework Thursday night and then Friday was a football game. Thankfully, we now have some time today to reflect on the first nine weeks through my son's first middle school report card.

All As except for that 89 in English. AARGH!?!?!? And, to top off the extremely aggravating 89, the English teacher's comment of I is a code for "exhibits positive attitude." Seriously, he gets kudos for a positive attitude and you can't bump his stinking grade up to an A.

Christopher seems OK with the B. He really wanted straight As, but knows he did his best. Again, the B resulted in two low, timed, in-class assignments. His homework, quizzes and tests -- an A average.

I plan on e-mailing his teacher. I will thank her for the nice comment and then ask how we can work together to get Christopher an A the next nine weeks.

Gervais and I are so proud of him. He has adapted well to changing classes and having different teachers. I think that keeps him focused and on top of his behavior. He gets to start fresh every 40 minutes.

He received all Satisfactory conduct codes except for one class, Art. In that class, he received an E. Yep, excellent.

That about sums up this first nine weeks in middle school -- excellent.