Little Britches and 1491

First,  Little Britches.   It was a good story, but I've heard about it so much beforehand as such a great book to teach values, that I think it ruined the book for me. Every time the father said anything, I was thinking, "Oh, and here comes the lesson I'm supposed to learn."  Also, the father had no faults whatsoever, and all in all it seemed too rose-colored.  I realize that the author probably idolized his father and with the father passing away while he was young, he might never had realized any faults or short-comings in his father.  And I think for a younger reader, and for this type of book, it isn't necessary to have a more critical approach.  However for me, it came across as too sentimental.

As for 1491, it was interesting, but seemed disjointed at times, giving it a kind of pointless feel by the end. (I mean the ending just kind of happens with no sum up or conclusion or anything, just talking about what he had been talking about in that particular chapter.) The political correctness was kind of grating at times too--I thought the author did a good job being fair and balanced in his views, but it was so obvious the effort he took to be politically correct, that it was annoying. Another thing was that many of the theories are still being debated and so the author would present both views and then just move on, (okay, I know that's not really his fault but it still made the book seem rather unconnected). But the author never gives his opinion, and I find that rather boring writing.  

I did enjoy learning about the cultures and archaeology. So fascinating! I wish I had read this book closer to the time I read Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond, because they seem to conflict in many areas concerning the Americas.  For instance, Guns, Germs, and Steel argued that the Americas didn't progress as rapidly because it didn't have enough grain crops to domesticate and that corn was inconsequential till recent hybrids and development, while 1491 had a whole chapter on corn and its importance.  1491 and GGS even differed on the location of pre-Columbian corn usage.  (Okay, I'm making these books sound extremely dull. They're really not.) 

My favorite parts of the book dealt with Squanto--yes, of pilgrim fame.  His history is fascinating!  If nothing else, you should check out this book and read the chapter about him and John Smith.  And yes, they knew each other.  The politics that Squanto was trying to put into play by helping the pilgrims--wow.  Who knew?  

Other things I would have found engrossing except I read about them before in other books, like Guns, Germs, and Steel and The Lost City of Z.   So if you've never read those, this book would be even better.  But seriously, read the Squanto chapter.

So much to post on...but first a rant.

This Tuesday, I went to two open houses, one for the elementary school and one for the junior high.  First of all, they overlapped the scheduling.  Umm..that's dumb.  Second of all, is it just me, or is this some heightened form of helicopter parenting?  That's what I felt like, but on the other hand, I did find out several things.  The first one of which will be my rant.

Rant:
Elena goes to all day kindergarten from 8:20 till 3:40.  I think this is much too long, and she comes home exhausted each day and cries half the mornings about having to go to school. However, I figured, it's kindergarten, they'll have lots of play time and recess, and she'll adjust.  At the open house, I received a detailed schedule of their day.  Guess how much time they have for recess during the entire day???

15 minutes!  

Seriously??  I would be exhausted with the schedule they have these kids on.  I literally cried when I was telling Leo about it at home that night.  (Okay that might be a bit of postpartum hormones.)  She does have PE for 55 mins, 2 or 3 days a week--it varies.  But that's not the same as unstructured play and downtime.  Here's her schedule:

8:20-8:30 Morning announcements and pledge

8:30-8:45 Calendar (reviewing days, months, seasons)

8:45-9:00  Phonemic Awareness (ABC chants, sight words review)

9:00-9:45 Writer's Workshop (kid writing)

9:45-10:30 Extended Learning/Developmental Centers

10:30-10:48 Handwriting

10:48-11:18  Lunch (this does not include recess time, I asked)

11:30-12:35 Math/Science

12:35-1:30 Specials (Art/PE/Music/Library)

1:30-1:45 Recess

1:45-2:00 Snack/Quiet time

2:00-2:20 Themed Interactive writing (science/social studies)

2:20-2:35 Shared reading/read aloud

2:35-3:20 Literacy Centers/Guided reading

3:20-3:40 Pack & Stack/Dismissal

So is it just me, or does this seem crazy?  And the teacher kept explaining how the district upped it's standards this year, and kids have to be reading at a 1st grade level by the end of kindergarten, and how they're requiring more sight words to be memorized, etc.   Really?  I know I'm the odd person out by not having Elena in preschool, but Kindergarten, I thought, was still supposed to be a transition into regular school.  But not only that, I would want my older kids (1st graders, 4th graders, etc) to have more recess too.  Even the national recommendations are at least 20 minutes of recess a day.   

My father referred to my school district as "abusive," and said that "No educator in the country would consider that as developmental appropriate for that age group."

My good friend who has a ten year old brother in an elementary school nearby--which is rated the number 1 elementary school in the entire Houston area, and one of the best in the state--told me that her brother is being treated for anxiety.  And the problem is the pressure he feels at school.  That's insane.  She herself went to a the number 1 ranked high school in Houston, and she said BYU (most of her classmates went to Ivy League schools) was easy for her, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing, because she was so burnt out from high school when she got there and she felt that her high school had been too extreme and not in proportion to the needs of preparing for college and a career. I definitely want my kids challenged in school, but this is too much. 

Back to play, here's some tidbits I found.

 In a comprehensive review of numerous studies on play, researchers found evidence that play contributes to advances in "verbalization, vocabulary, language comprehension, attention span, imagination, concentration, impulse control, curiosity, problem-solving strategies, cooperation, empathy, and group participation" (Smilansky & Shefatya, 1990). Recent research provides additional evidence of the strong connections between quality of play in preschool years and children's readiness for school instruction (Bowman, Donovan, & Burns, 2000; Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 2002; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). Further, research directly links play to children's ability to master such academic content as literacy and numeracy. For example, children's engagement in pretend play was found to be positively and significantly correlated with such competencies as text comprehension and metalinguistic awareness and with an understanding of the purpose of reading and writing (Roskos & Christie, 2000).

The Importance of Being Playful. By: Bodrova, Elena, Leong, Deborah J., Educational Leadership, 00131784, Apr2003, Vol. 60, Issue 7

Because of the positive effects of physical activity on attention-to-task, it is recommended that elementary school teachers consider implementing physical activity sessions throughout the school day in the form of recess and classroom-based physical activities.

Impact of short bouts of physical activity on attention-to-task in elementary school children Matthew T. Mahar Activity Promotion Laboratory, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

When youth participate in at least 60 min of physical activity every day, health benefits accrue, such as healthy bones and muscles, improved muscular strength and endurance, reduced risk for developing chronic disease risk factors, improved self-esteem, and reduced stress and anxiety (Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2008).

So I'm going to write a letter to the principal and superintendent of the school district voicing my opinion.  Also, I am definitely holding my other children back a year before they start kindergarten and I'm going to start looking at other school districts nearby and charter schools.  However, the reason we moved to this area WAS the schools.  Elena is in the Spanish two-way immersion program, and I really want my kids to stay in a immersion program for Spanish.  So my options are limited.  (See me now banging my head on the table.) What to do?  What to do?

LB

I'm reading it aloud to my 9 year old son.  We're both enjoying it.  First time he's read it.  We won't be done for a bit, though.  I'm having him help read it aloud as reading practice.


side note:  If there's one thing that public school taught me (as a mostly homeschool mom) it's that children need to have time to read aloud.  It improves their fluency, and prompts discussions for what words mean.  I find kids are more likely to ask what a word means when they are the ones doing the reading.

Anyway, we're working on it!

Anyone?

Did anyone read Little Britches? I just barely got it in at the library, as my Sunday School teacher reminded me on Sunday.  His last names starts with an L too and he was picking up his wife's books and saw mine.  Anyway, I still plan on reading it but I would like someone else's comments.

Will anyone read 1491?  I read it this past month because I didn't have Little Britches and I would LOVE to discuss it.

 Tootaloo.

Congratulations, Kami!  That's exciting!  I've never birthed a baby that big...I'm impressed.    Hope things are going well!

Baby Lando

Kami just posted about a book and failed to mention that she had a baby last week.  Congrats again on Lando's arrival, Kami Sue!  He was huge--8' 14 and more than a week overdue.  Fortunately, everything went well and Kami is feeling well enough to blog about books.  :)

Howdy

Yes, I have read other Jules Verne books--I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea when I was in 7th grade, and I think I read another one too.  Anyway, I remember it being interesting for the story, but slow writing.  That was a long time ago though.  But the book was much longer than Around the World so maybe it did have a bit more depth to the characters.  I put Little Britches on hold at the library.  I read that too in middle school but I don't remember it at all.

80 days

I too read it awhile back and decided not to re-read it. I checked it out from the library but ran out of time. In terms of how I liked the book, I think I'm in the middle between Julia and Kami. I thought it was interesting, but it wasn't the best book I'd ever read. I'm super excited to re-read Little Britches. Ralph Moody is one of my favorite authors. This year for school, I read his book about the Pony Express aloud to the kids. It was a GREAT story to read to my 9 year old son, and even had me in tears at several parts as I contemplated the incredible courage several of the PE riders had. I think I get more emotional when I'm reading aloud than to myself because I seem to cry over all sorts of stories that I read aloud. ;-) I highly recommend the book, as it taught me a lot about the Pony Express that I didn't know, and was an action-filled adventure story, to boot!

ARound the WOrld

It's so funny to me how I can give a book five stars and then have someone give it a one.  How is that possible?!  Kami - sorry you were disappointed. I love this book!  Maybe I just was in a quirky mood when I read it, but I just found this book delightful and funny and worth reading. 

I did not read it recently for this discussion so I don't have concrete points to share (sorry, I decided last minute to be in charge of a girls book group this year and so have been reading ferociously for that trying to decide what books to read). 

I do remember, however, thinking about the time element of the book.  There was a theme on time running throughout the whole book that I found interesting and thought with a book group we could delve into the creation of clocks and how that has affected the way we live today  (something I'm studying in other areas as well right now, actually).  And really, I just thought it was so funny. 

Have you read any of Jules Verne's other books?  Are they dry to you as well?  Just curious.

LOL
JULIA

Around the world....zzzzzzz.........

Oh my goodness, how dry. Luckily it was short. I guess I'm character driven in the stories I like, and the main character in this is personified by his lack of any apparent emotion or reaction to anything. Ugh. The one saving grace was the last two pages, because they were at least romantic. I won't give away what happens though. And I find it funny that Utah and Mormons were one of the 3 places/people he actually spends time describing, I guess we're just that exotic. Hee. Hee.


Ready to move on to Little Britches?  Anyone still reading?