*sigh*

Robert, a 2nd Grader, brings this little beauty home last week and chucks it on the counter in a disgusted sort of way.

"We had a sub today and we did this."

I raise an eyebrow, "Wow. A dot-to-dot that goes aaaaaaaaaall the way to 53."

"And we HAD to color it." He rolls his eyes.

"I see," I cringe inside and try not to be angry at such low expectations. Robert loves to avoid hard work like the best of them, but this was actually kinda embarrassing for him to bring home. I figure his teacher must be under a lot of stress to leave this sort of thing with the sub. In the beginning of the year, she promised weekly newsletters and weekly homework packets. None of that has materialized.

I raged about the dot-to-dot for a couple days.

Then I spoke with a friend who is a 2nd grade teacher elsewhere in the district. Apparently, it's really bad this year at Alice and Robert's school. Classes bursting into the hallways with 30+ students. Discipline issues keeping a steady stream of kids flowing into and out of the principal's office all day. Thousands of recess minutes lost to poor behavior...the whole class suffers.

I asked this teacher friend what I could possibly do to help. She said I should contact the district office and let them know my concerns. I'm more than a little terrified of that thought.

FYI, my friend's public school classroom has only 16 students enrolled right now. What!? I've got a notion to jump ship and request a transfer. No, no, that's too hard on the kids. Maybe I'll just enroll James in THAT kindergarten next year. What a mess to have 3 kids in 3 different schools! Maybe things will calm down next year when the renovations are complete and the school is forced to follow current fire code regulations: 26 students per room. Until the renovations are complete, they get to follow the regulations under which the school was built: 35 students per room.

Yikes.