When I let myself think about O starting kindergarten, I am terrified. It overwhelms me to think of all the hurdles he will encounter. If it were any other child, one of my students instead of my own son, I would have a list of solutions to possible problems already. But, lately, I just can’t get past the fear.

In a effort to make this logical rather than emotional, I decided try a strategy that I use when making goals and plans for my students…think about things from their perspective. What are they thinking? How would they react and why?

So, I started thinking about what O would say, if he had the chance, to kindergarten. And, this series was born. This is the first of many letters I will write to kindergarten, from O’s perspective. To ask questions. To discover solutions. …continue reading

November 6, 2012…later in the day…Why it matters part II…

As soon as I picked Ewan and his brother, Vaughn, up from school today, they honed in on my ‘I voted’ sticker, and excitedly asked, “Did you vote today mom?”

I replied, “Of course, I voted!  It’s my duty.”  The historian in me giggled with delight as I explained all about voting to the boys.

Ewan seemed very excited about this, and asked, “So, can kids vote?  I want to vote.”

I shook my head, “No, kids can’t vote.  You have to be 18 years of age to vote.”

Ewan frowned, “Why?  That’s not fair!”

I patted his shoulder quickly before he squirmed away, and said, “Well, voting is a serious responsibility and you have to be able to handle that responsibility before you vote.  And that means you have to be a little older.”  When Ewan continued to frown at me and mumble something about unfairness in the American political landscape, I said, “You know, I wanted to talk to you about rights today anyway.  So even though you don’t have the right to vote just yet, you do have another right.”

Excited, he asked, “What right?”

I smiled, thinking maybe I’d found a segway into my next topic, “Well, it’s called the right of inclusion.”

He groaned, “Inclusion?  That’s not fun.”

I laughed, “Well, maybe, maybe not, but it’s still a right.  And it’s something you should know more about.” …continue reading