San Diego CityBeat - Backwards & in High Heels

Standardized testing as child abuse - It’s bubble time for the kiddos—and not the soapy kind

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 CDT

Last month in Oceanside, N.Y., Christine Dougherty wrote to her son’s principal requesting that he not sit for the standardized state exams. In the letter, posted to United Opt Out National’s website, she asked that Joseph instead be “given an alternative real learning opportunity.” She received a ghastly response.

May and June can be much more than a pre-summer bummer - Gray months provide crucial prep time for July and August

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 CDT

Ah, yes, glorious summer: when bedtime is a foreign word I cannot pronounce, when concerts in the park and concealed beverages are regular features of any weekend.

I am Trayvon Martin’s mother—are you? - Most white parents can’t relate to the experience of black parents

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CDT

It makes no sense that my baby could be tucked safely in bed while Sybrina Fulton’s was being profiled, stalked and murdered by a self-appointed neighborhood policer and negro-phobe who, more than a month-and-a-half later, still has not been arrested.

My rose-colored glasses come off - Facing the realities of school administration during economic hardship

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 CDT

Last week, a parent at my school planned a parent-child walkout during school hours. She asked that we gather with our children for all of 30 minutes to say that we oppose the draconian cuts that could reduce our teaching staff to nearly half of what it is currently, and that the coming explosion in class sizes is unacceptable and not in our children’s best interest.

Saturdays with Zoran and Cobra - I may not be cut out for basic training, but I can handle a little urban jungle gym

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 CDT

Yes, my opening bid for Beach Body Boot Camp was also the only bid for Beach Body Boot Camp. And this is how I came to find myself at 8 a.m. two Saturdays ago, not snuggled in bed with a cup of coffee and The New Yorker, but, rather, standing in some sci-fi, medieval place not quite Game of Thrones and not quite Beyond Thunderdome.

I’ve been trend watching - And now I have bald spots where my hair used to be

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 CST

But this column is not about one school’s innovative money-raising methods, because many schools are doing that. No, it’s really about various trends I’ve noted and have come to enjoy in some manner—either in an I-love-it kind of way or, more frequently, in an Ah-jeeze-that-one’s-scary kind of way.

The worst of the ’80s and the worst of school come together - What does this seventh-grade question say about me—and about school?

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 CST

I recently found myself suffering another memory I thought I’d cremated, brought on by an overwhelmingly effective trigger in the form of a multiple-choice question posed by one Gary Rubinstein on his blog.

Home-schooling lacks my idea of diversity exposure - I don’t mean to be all socialist-y, but—what about the greater good?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 CST

As much as I may disagree with standardized testing and the abysmal curriculum that comes with it, I believe in and want to be a part of a successful public-school system

Progressive educator Alfie Kohn comes to town, but is anybody listening? - Some interested parties paid a lot more attention when Michelle Rhee was in San Diego

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CST

Kohn lambasted—while citing research—traditional education methods like worksheets and bubble questions, as well as the intellectual, social and psychologically stunting impact of tests, quizzes and grades.

Fighting back against mandatory school testing, Part 2 - For my family, opting out is an act of civil disobedience

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CST

My husband and I see no incentive to subject our daughter to the ongoing experiment aimed at busting teachers unions, closing public schools and reopening them with public funds and unaccountable corporations at the helm.

Fighting back against mandatory school testing - It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really?

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 CST

Designed to prep the little ones for the revolving door of tests, the classwork being pushed is also perfect for squashing the curiosity right out of them.

Deconstructing the destruction of Herman Cain’s presidential bid - Was he just one big prank or a victim of bad timing?

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 CST

These boys are not the 99 percent, and when it comes to megalomania, they’re at the top of their respective games. They think so highly of themselves, in fact, that each thinks he’s immune to his problems with the ladies.

Education cuts mean hacking off limbs above the tourniquets - My ideas for balancing San Diego Unified’s budget

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 CST

Well, here it is—the midyear-budget-cut runaway train is gaining speed and headed toward San Diego Unified School District.

Keeping my inner mommy dearest in check - Child abuse is inexcusable, but understandable—and inexcusable!

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 CST

I can sort of understand why folks snap. There’s a finite amount of are-we-there-yets that a reasonable adult can handle. One can only ask a kid to brush her teeth (or wash her hands, or feed the dog, or please, please, please, for God’s sake, go brush your teeth) so many times each morning, as if it’s the very first morning in the history of mornings. One can only take so much Groundhog Day.

Let us eat cheesecake - Most folks are letting their carpets get dirty; I’m letting mine grow in

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 CDT

Not all indulgences are expensive, the Times points out. “But they could be on a party-supply list: premixed cocktails and coolers, cheesecake, cosmetics and wine.” Cheesecake saw a 22-percent sales increase in the last year. People: There’s been a run on cheese cake! Who would have thunk it?

Former CityBeat writer needs a bone-marrow transplant - Kia Momtazi is a 10 seeking a 10, and she needs your help

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 CDT

Kia is wise beyond her years—as they say, an old soul. She is beautiful, warm, funny, kind, creative, insightful and smart. She also happens to be fighting for her life, which took an unexpected detour last spring when she learned she had Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Schweddy Balls in a right-wing vice - A million moms pick a pseudo fight rather than make an actual difference for children

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 CDT

In case you haven’t heard, an organization called One Million Moms (OMM) has got its flesh-toned, 98-percent-nylon-2-percent-lycra granny panties with the lace waistband all bunched up inside its uber-tight butt crack.

Everybody’s blackout has a soundtrack, and this is mine - Neko Case’s sad-bastard music is not appropriate when you think the world’s coming to an end

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 CDT

I realized—as I hit forward on song after song— that if I was going to die, it wasn’t going to be to a soundtrack that included “Star Witness” and “Maybe Sparrow.”

If you’re gonna teach diversity, you have to talk about diversity - Why a popular method of pretending we don’t see color undermines progress when it comes to race

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 CDT

The thing is, I don’t want my daughter’s choices, opportunities, identity, sense of belonging and self-worth -- and those of her black brothers and sisters in this country -- to be dictated by the pseudo-educated, pale-faced Baby Drummonds of the world.

This time, he pushed it to the limit - Mr. McGee brings out my inner Incredible Hulk

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 CDT

I needed to know how much it would take before I would budown the house and walk away forever. I needed to see if Mr. McGee (not his real name) could actually be a responsible adult and drop his kid at the house at 11:30 a.m. on party day. And so: The call.