November

Well, it has been a busy month. I survived my first Book Fair, parent-teacher conferences for the Mayor and Computer Boy and Thanksgiving with my Mother-in-Law. But, now I'm sick, I'm fighting laryngitis. Just great for a professional singer...(she says sarcastically).

I can't complain about the Book Fair. Scholastic delivered everything as promised and the Friday prior to the event we set up the room. A fellow PTA member, Donna, helped out. Donna is very efficient and when she does a job, it is done well. Many people don't like her, because she is opinionated and while she is knowledgable, when she shares information she sounds as if it's her way or no way. Personally, I don't mind her. It might be due to the fact that she is so informed. She is truly a wealth of information. Or it may be because I only have had to directly deal with her this year.

Book Fair was held on three mornings the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. Students only have half days that week due to the fact that parent-teacher conferences are held in the afternoon.

While I am on the subject...parent-teacher conferences. As expected the Mayor is doing very well in school. In fact, I would have been extremely surprised if she hadn't done well. My son's...let's just say...didn't go as smoothly. The classroom teacher offered CB's speech therapist the opportunity to speak first. She started by saying my son whines. Yes, you read that correctly. She would have been better off starting off on a positive note. How he's made progress with his language. I'll be honest with you, I know why he whines. He senses that she deson't like him. That's right. A boy with social difficulties, on the autistic spectrum, knows when someone doesn't like him. I digress, that comment made me feel as if a black cloud was hanging over the rest of the meeting. The classroom teacher offered her the opportunity to leave, but she said she would like to stay. I didn't think anything of it, but she probably was just being nosy. I will speak with her about this, I haven't decided if it will be face to face in a meeting or if it will be on the phone. Part of me, wants this to be over with and discuss this on the phone. However, the other part of me wants to look her in the eye and confront her on this (nicely, of course). Unlike her, I will start of a positive note and then get into the fact that her comment, while true, made me feel uncomfortable in an already "tense" situation. Any suggestions or comments on how to handle "her" are welcome.

After Book Fair and my parent-teacher conference, Thanksgiving was uneventful. Since I sang Wednesday night and Thursday morning, we went out to a restaurant for dinner. My meal was very nice, the children were behaved and best of all, I did not have to cook or clean afterward. :) An added bonus, my mother-in-law behaved herself. She didn't embarass anyone by screaming across the room for the server and made polite converation. It was a pleasant day.

Why ask?

I am someone who is naturally curious. I enjoy learning about different things. Consequently, I ask a lot of questions and usually receive a lot of answers to those questions. When I ask questions, I want honest and correct responses. So, I would expect someone to want the same of me. Apparently, that is not always the case.

Why ask me a question if I'm not going to give you the answer you WANT to hear? Have you ever been in this situation? You receive a phone call, exchange polite greetings and then you're asked a question...of course, you give an answer to the best of your ability...only to be told "Oh, well, I'll call (so & so). Truly, I wanted to reach through the phone line and scream "Then why didn't you call her in THE FIRST PLACE????!!" (Rant over--thank you for letting me vent.)

People, I'm sorry. I give honest answers. Is that a problem? Should I just tell you what you want to hear only to find that I was correct in the first place? That seems to be a waste of our collective time. When I don't know the answer, I take the time to find the right answer for your purposes. I offer for your consideration this post. The one in which I was tied up in knots, but I managed to get answers for the people involved. By the way, Dinosaur Rocks! is a definite go for the second graders. Whoo-hoo! I'm thrilled and truly hope the students enjoy the program.

My other PTA responsibility is the Book Fair. My chairperson and I met today and worked on the letter inviting the students and their parents to come "check us out". Scholastic has an entire program in which they offer all sorts of suggestions and assign a sales representative assist in planning and coordinating your fair. This year's theme is "Read Around the World". We have a month and a half to plan, coordinate and line up volunteers to help. Since the students visit during class time, we need volunteers to assist the children in selecting a book (or two) to purchase. I've already made a mental list of people I want to help us with the fair. I'll keep you updated on our progress.