Shut up and act like everyone else ... oh, and remember you're special and unique ... ...

Let me begin this post by stating that I do not have a problem with public schools.

My parents were teachers (and principal) in the public school system, I have many other relatives and friends who currently teach in the public school system.  I understand the difficulty that teachers face trying to get through specific curriculum in a certain period of time with challenges in the classroom such as behavioral issues, children who consider English their second or even third language, parents who are ready to attack at any given moment, large classroom sizes ... the list goes on, I'm sure.

So ... I try to be supportive of every teacher that I have the privilege of dealing with and every teacher who is in an educator relationship with my child.

Jackie Chan is now in Grade 3.

It's a difficult year.  It's a "get serious" year.  In Grade 3 students have to write the EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) tests.

Students have to demonstrate at the end of Grade 3 what they've learned throughout the Primary Grades by writing these "tests" - I imagine it's stressful for students, teachers, and parents alike.

Jackie Chan is in Grade 3 and it's a whole new ballgame.

Last year we LOVED his teacher.  She was a wonderful, free spirited, gifted teacher who loved children and respected each child as an individual and recognized that each child learns differently.  She encouraged children in her classroom to be themselves and fostered an environment of fun while maintaining respect between the students and her position of authority.

Obviously the scenario wasn't perfect and there were certainly some flaws within the classroom ... but it was  year where Jackie Chan learned to love school and learned to love learning.

We've spent the first three weeks of this school year receiving numerous phone calls from Jackie Chan's current teacher asking us to please speak to him about staying in his desk and respecting the other students by remaining quiet and not moving around.  We also had a phone call where she asked us to speak to him about the fact that he called her "Hunny Bunny" ....

Yeah, admittedly the "Hunny Bunny" - while seriously hilarious - was quite out of line.  We had to explain to him the severe legalities of such a statement.

I've been trying to wrap my head around these "problems" he's been having since day one.

Jackie Chan talks to much - yes.

Jackie Chan doesn't like to sit still for too long.

Jackie Chan has a very active imagination and loves to tell stories and make people laugh.

These are the "problems" he's having this year.

Last year these qualities were admired and encouraged.  They were embraced.  This year they are cause for him to stay inside during recess.  Multiple times.

I went to curriculum night last night and within a heartbeat of entering the classroom realized why we were receiving so many phone calls ....

The room was bare.  Not a single picture on the walls.  The room was void of all colour.  There was one workstation that contained two black computers and nothing else.  Even the writing on the chalkboard was one colour - white.  And the writing on the paper on the easel was black marker.

No colour.  No life.

I felt my energy sucked out the moment I entered the room.

And my heart sank.

I knew where Jackie Chan's confusion was coming from ... this was not the "school" environment that he loved so much last year.  This was a different teacher with a different agenda entirely.

While she seems kind and I'm sure she wants the best for Jackie Chan, her message last night to all the parents was:

"I will not tolerate chaos in my classroom and chaos includes children getting up from their desks for any reason unless they raise their hands and ask permission."

She also mentioned that they may or may not get around to the physical activity part of the day that is supposed to be integrated into the program because they have so much work to get through in a day it simply may not always be possible.

Jackie Chan is eight years old.  This kind of conflicting message from one school year to the next would confuse even the most sophisticated adult.  At least temporarily.

How to we as parents encourage our child to learn and grow and develop as an individual when he's being told on a daily basis to sit down, shut up and do his work ... end of story.

I've found myself actually saying to him on the way to school:

"Now buddy ... if everyone else in your classroom is sitting down and working, you HAVE to sit down and work and not talk or get up.  It doesn't matter what you want to do.  You are not special.  You do not have special privileges.  You have to be the same as everyone else or you will get in trouble."

WHAT?????

What kind of message is that for an eight year old boy?

But what other choice do we as parents have????  We can't request a transfer every time Jackie Chan is in a classroom with a teacher we feel doesn't encourage his particular style of learning ... or has major issues with colour and pictures.

And we don't have trillions of billions of dollars saved up to send him to some artsy fartsy private school where they would custom tailor his education based on personality and learning styles ...

No ... we're stuck.  He's stuck.

It looks like it could be a very long year.

(It could also explain the various injuries he's had since school began.  I'd throw myself off the jungle gym too if I had to spend an entire day in the classroom of death and boredom.)