Righteous Living in Perilous Times

In Relief Society at church today I taught the final lesson in the Teachings of the Prophets: George Albert Smith book.  The chapter was "Living Righteously in Perilous Times."  The timing for the topics in relation to what is going on in the world really is mind-blowing and a testament to me of the omnipotence and love of our Heavenly Father.  It is a comfort to be reminded that he truly knows the end from the beginning.

My heart aches for the victims and families of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.  These past few days, I've held my children a little longer, gazed at them more intently and tried to be more loving.  We really do live in perilous times.  We live in the last days when we are preparing for the return of our Savior.

After my lesson today, a sister came up and asked if she could use my handout (like to post on facebook, etc.)  She indicated that everyone needs the principles therein, not just members of our church.  I thought that was a good idea, so I'm going to post it here.


Righteous Living in Perilous Times

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith

Chapter 24

Serious difficulties have been predicted in the latter days. (Page 255)

1.      JS Matthew1:22-23, 29-30

22-23 For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets…you also shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all I have told you must come to pass; but the end is not yet.

29 Behold I speak for mine elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

30 And again, because iniquity shall abound, the love of men shall wax cold; but he that shall not be overcome, the same shall be saved.

We need have no fear if we do what the Lord has asked us to do.

(Pg. 260) “We need have no fear if we do what the Lord has asked us to do. This is His world. All men and women are subject to Him. All the powers of evil will be controlled for the sake of His people, if they will honor Him and keep His commandments.”

2.      Alma 14:11  (Alma and Amulek witness a horrible scene of carnage, but are restrained from stopping it; the Lord takes up the righteous unto Himself in glory, and their blood will stand as a witness against the wicked in the final day of judgement.)

(Pg. 261) “No matter whether the clouds may gather, no matter how the war drums may beat, no matter what conditions may arise in the world, here in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wherever we are honoring and keeping the commandments of God, there will be protection from the powers of evil, and men and women will be permitted to live upon the earth until their lives are finished in honor and glory if they will keep the commandments of our Heavenly Father.”

3.      Alma 14:12-13 (Alma and Amulek's work is not yet finished; "They burn us not".)

The only way to peace is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

4.      John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

(Pg. 260) “Though the world may be filled with distress, and the heavens gather blackness, and the vivid lightnings flash, and the earth quake from center to circumference, if we know that God lives, and our lives are righteous, we will be happy, there will be peace unspeakable because we know our Father approves [of] our lives.”

Our homes can be peaceful, holy places even in the midst of calamities. (Pg. 261)

We can be a positive influence in the world.

5.      Matt 5:13-16 

(Pg. 263) “I want to plead with you, … be as anchors in the community in which you live that others may be drawn to you and feel secure. Let your light so shine that others seeing your good works will have a desire in their hearts to be like you.  It is our duty to set the example; it is our duty to hold aloft the banner of truth.”

(Pg. 263) “… Let us set our hands to the work that he has entrusted to our care, let us bless our Father’s children wherever they may be, and our lives will be enriched and this world will be made happier.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please continue to pray for the families who mourn.

Love you, Amy

Wendell's Dragon Birthday Party

This weekend, Saturday 12/8, we celebrated Wendell's upcoming birthday.  He will turn 4 on the 20th!  It was a dragon party!  It was seriously such a delight to see him having so much fun at his party.  It was the first time we really were able to throw him a friends party.  It was really fun.

Here's the invitation:

On our front door, this greeted those who were brave enough to attend...

We started out having free play with toys and coloring dragon pictures.

Pin the Tail on the Dragon

The kids played a little Simon Says (thanks to mom Steph) while I hid the dragon .  Then they hunted for the hidden dragon eggs, which held the secret message of where the dragon was hiding.  We decoded the message:

They ran to the closet and thankfully weren't clobbered by the dragon's pole...  I guess he was taking a cheap shot at the lords and ladies that were about to bring him down.

Pictures with the dragons before they were destroyed.

 Demolishing the Dragon

 Pinatas are surprisingly entertaining.  It was such a big hit.  (No pun intended!)

 The question is, who was having more fun, the kids or Richard?

It was so funny, after a few kids had taken their swings, Mary was ready to get in on the action.  She suddenly just ran up to the dragon and gave it a little push.  It was cute.  She had a turn with the sword after that.

 After all the kids had two turns, it was time to bring in the big guns.  This was one tough dragon.  (Worth every penny!)

 We moms were talking about how gratifying it was to hit the pinata.  Lol.

 Wendell and Angela got the last swings.

Time for dragon cake!

Wendell was of course super excited to open his presents. He "super likes" them all.  He wore this new shirt (complete with adorable dragon cape) that night to the ward Christmas party.  It trumped even his new Christmas elf shirt!  He wore it again today before church even though it was dirty.  I snuck it away and am hoping to get it washed in the morning before he notices!

Thanks to those who came to Wendell's party.  Hope you had as much fun as we did!

Changing Schools

Mt. Rainier

Incredible!  I haven't posted once all year!  How did that happen?  Even now, as I write, I think, I must only take a couple minutes cus I have got to get to bed.  Last night I stayed up late folding about six loads of laundry, (and there are a couple more loads I didn't get to!)  Then Wendell woke up before 5 am and didn't go back to sleep.  So, now that it's 10 pm I feel the slumber-urgency.

I'm including the letter I wrote to request a change of school for our first kindergartner.  As I already mentioned to some of you (via text), I feel really good about trying to make this change.  Writing the letter itself felt really empowering.  If the change doesn't work out, I'll happily home-school her for this year.  Your reading the letter will shed light on the why and fill you in on an aspect of our life lately.  

Anyway, I hope all is well!  Congrats to my my big bro, Dave and Jamee and their new little baby.  Welcome to the world of parenting three!  The world of slumber-urgency.  

I first had to turn the request in to the school district.  I called their office called today and it sounds like I'll hear tomorrow if our preferred school will let Isabelle transfer there or not.  I've changed school names in the letter for privacy.

~

October 25, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

            Thank you for your interest in the educational success of the students in the Lipson School District.  My daughter, Isabelle Lastname,  is presently assigned to Current Elementary.  In this letter I have included the major reasons for our request to transfer her to Preferred Elementary.  (For the sake of brevity, I have not included reasons of preference to Preferred, but would gladly address our reasoning at request.)

Isabelle’s reactions to her class/teacher

Isabelle is bright and loves to learn new things.  She is attentive and usually thrives in formal instructional settings.  Unfortunately, since her kindergarten experience has begun, though she performs well academically in the classroom, she has had a dramatic increase in temper tantrums and incompliance in the home (especially right when she returns home from school).  She has even started to have trouble sleeping through the night.  She frequently expresses how much she dislikes school and stated that she never wants to go back.  Recently, she has started crying to me saying she doesn't want to go back to school because her teacher yells.

A few weeks into school, I felt the teacher’s discipline strategies and the classroom atmosphere were negative and destructive.  I tried to change Isabelle to the other half-day kindergarten teacher, but my request was denied.  As the weeks have progressed, the situation has worsened.

Omitted recess for half-day kindergarten

            With a degree in elementary education, a minor in early childhood development and over ten years experience working with children, I was surprised when the principal told me that she has omitted recess from half-day kindergarten.  Ironically, her reason was to leave more instructional time.  What better place to enhance language skills, social studies, cooperation, citizenship, physical coordination, and even science and math than during free time at recess—a time to interact with peers and experience the world?  Especially for young children, play is work!  Contrary to the notion that more time in the classroom will lead to better test scores, there exists no research that supports this idea.¹  On the other hand, there is much evidence that supports the importance of recess; resulting in development of physical, cognitive and social aspects.¹ 

            In the article “Give Kids a Break: The Importance of Recess in Childhood Education,”² Megan Donohue notes the following:

Recess continues to have many supporters.  The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that play is essential to children’s development. Eight out of ten principals polled in 2009 said recess has a positive impact on learning. Finally, according to a survey conducted by the National Parent Teacher Association, three out of four parents believe recess should be mandatory. 

After calling every elementary school in the Lipson school district, I learned that Current Elementary is the only half-day kindergarten that has a no-recess policy.  (See attached table.)

Unwillingness to encourage healthy snack options

In addition, I am very concerned with the disregard that is given to nutrition in my daughter’s kindergarten class.  Parents are asked to bring the snack for the entire class on a rotating basis.  The majority of the snacks have been unhealthy in nature (such as a bag of Oreos).  More disturbing than this was the teacher’s response to my concern. I e-mailed to ask if there was a way I could possibly network with the parents and encourage healthier snack options, or if she would be willing to kindly remind guardians of the guidelines put out by our school district.  Her response not only reflected an unwillingness to help address the issue, but was simply unkind. She responded, “…As I tell my students, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.  With that said, if you would like Isabelle to have a healthy snack each day, she may bring a snack.” 

Occasionally, snack has been withheld as punishment.  My daughter has returned from school on these instances and has had a complete melt-down before she could even wash her hands for lunch.

Candy is also given as a reward or bribery in class.  The administration uses candy to get the results they want from children; the principal referring to candy as “magic!” 

Nationally recognized expert on pediatric obesity, Joanne P. Ikeda, MA, RD strikes a chord, “Research on child eating habits has shown that foods used as ‘rewards’ become more desirable to children than if they had not been used as rewards.  Giving children candy as a reward is like saying, ‘Here is something that is not very healthy for you as a reward for being good.’ Does this make sense?”³

Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that “obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago.”⁴

Two of the main factors compounding the childhood obesity epidemic in our country, as acknowledged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are “less healthy foods on school campuses” and “lack of daily quality physical activity in all schools.”⁴

Conclusion

As the foundation to formal education, kindergarten is crucial in a child’s development.  Effective and positive life skills are among the most basic fundamentals that any moral parent should be able to expect in the classroom.  A teacher that nurtures not yells, an administration that encourages daily physical activity, a teacher that values health and nutrition and who is willing to address parental concerns with respect, are indispensable components to an acceptable educational experience.  After multiple attempts to work with the teacher and principal to resolve concerns and problems, I have only come up against disregard and disrespect.  For the well-being of my daughter, I submit this request for transfer to Preferred Elementary School. 

My husband and I appreciate the time and energy you dedicate on behalf of children.  Also, thank you for your consideration and attention to our concerns regarding our daughter’s educational situation.

Sincerely,

Amy Lastname

1.     .Adams, Caralee, “Recess Makes Kids Smarter,” Instructor Magazine, available at

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3755758.

2.     Donohue, Megan, “Give Kids a Break: The Importance of Recess in Childhood Education,” available at http://www.luc.edu/law/academics/special/center/child/childed_forum/pdfs/2011_student_papers/donohue_kids_break.pdf

3.     Ikeda, Joanne P., MA,RD, “Using Candy as a Reward Leaves a Very Bad Taste,” available at http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/nutrition_answers/pr_candy-as-reward.php

4.     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Overweight and Obesity: A Growing Problem,” available at  http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html

The Holiday Season Begins



Gingerbread houses we made on Thanksgiving.

(You can see that her eczema hasn't improved.)

Matchie matchie cuteness squared.

I love to grab my toes.

Riding bikes on a cold, wet, pretty day.

Wendell sings "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam."  (You'll notice he says "beep" instead of beam.  :)

Happy December!  Hope all enjoyed a delightful Thanksgiving.  We have a real Christmas tree!  (My first one- not counting the little real one my high school friends surprised me with when they heard I'd only ever had an artificial one... :)

Happy Birthday to my mom too!  I love you, Mom!  I hope my card gets there tomorrow!

X0, Amy