All-Day Kindergarten

I came across this interesting news article today, but what spiked my interest were the 18 pages worth of comments. The most heated arguments centred around the quality of child care, home-schooling versus public schooling, and how parents should parent.

There were differing opinions on the quality of daycare and public/private schools. I agreed 100% with one reader (a parent who stays at home with young kids) who said that the quality of education that daycares or kindergarten classes provide depends on the philosophy on which the education was formed and delivered. I've seen daycare workers who sit in lawn chairs and read magazines or chatting with each other while "supervising" kids. I have also seen daycare workers who work extremely hard in a structured setting, ensuring safety and education for the kids. The same could be said for some teachers, and for that matter, parents.

Many responses come from parents who home-school their children. I do not have a problem with parents who homeschool their children, but I will when some of those parents call other parents who send their kids to daycare selfish. My husband and I have discussed schooling for our kids, even before we discussed if we were going to have any kids at all. My husband could support the three of us, but it would be tight. Plus, I do enjoy my career and I would go back to work even if I had a kid -- that does not mean that I love my child less than the parent who stays home to be with his/her kids. I have taught students who have been home-schooled for more than ten years of their lives and they absolutely floundered in school (private and public, I've seen both). I have also worked with children who have been home-schooled almost all their lives (up to age 17) and they are completely capable individuals. Again, it goes back to the structure surrounding the education of the child. One response went as far as to say, "...working parents make the choice to work because of their desire to 'get ahead'." Um....what? A lot of people I know who are parents go back to work because they HAVE to, not because they want to be first in the rat race. Like I said, my husband and I could live off of one income, and we don't do too badly comparatively, but it would be tight and we are not the type of people who live from paycheque to paycheque. I cannot speak for other people, but I do NOT go back to my job just to get ahead of the game. I'm not even sure how to do that as a teacher (and not considering becoming an administrator, either); if I go back to work, it wouldn't be because I'm ambitious.

Some others have also argued that 5-year-olds cannot handle all-day kindergarten. Perhaps, they have other reasons behind this statement. Again, playing Devil's Advocate, I would like to point out that research has shown that "by age three, children's brains are twice as active as those of adults" (Shore, R. Rethinking the Brain). Follow any two- or three-year-old around and you'll be amazed at how articulate and complex they really are. A group of linguists and psychologists of Harvard University did a study in the early 1980s and in one particular case where 122 transcripts were recorded of a two-year-old talking to herself after her parents put her to bed, they found that toddlers' "prattle" is significantly more advanced than thought by adults (Nelson, K. Narratives from the Crib). If enough engaging activities are balanced with downtime, then I believe 5-year-olds are more than capable of handling all-day kindergarten.

What is also distressing me while reading these comments ("then stop reading them" my inner voice says), are people who aim to direct others how to parent. No two families are exactly alike; there may be groups of parents who have similar parenting styles. So many comments are generalized and some are even extreme. I'm ok with people who post comments based on their own experience, but comments like "this policy just encourages more single-parent families and separates kids from families" or "parents are denying themselves the nurturing responsibilities they are entitled to as the creator of a life in favour of the states [sic] indoctrination" make me chuckle in a humourless way. On that note, my blog entry today is a discussion, but it is not meant to condemn anyone.

As with everything else, there are exceptions and factors that contribute to the success of a particular event, in this case, a child's education in private and public child care. This news article certainly generated a heated debate, but it is, after all, an age-old debate. I welcome discussion until comments become scathing remarks toward persons of different beliefs. I may be impartial, but I do believe that the government is going in the right direction with funding all-day kindergarten, helping to ensure a solid educational foundation for our children.

Not Many of Us Out Here

Recently, I had my sister and nine of her friends stay at my house for one weekend. My husband and I got to hang out with them for dinner one night before they went back to Vancouver and I realized then just how much I crave Chinese-ness out here in Mission. They were speaking in Chinese (not all the time) and making Chinese references. Finally, people who know what I mean when I say "yeet hay!"

Here in Mission, there are scarcely any Chinese people, although there are a few more Koreans. The Chinese food in Mission is westernized (what is kum pao and chop suey?) and sorely lacking variety. Apparently another Chan Clan who also happen to be teachers lurk in Mission/Abbotsford somewhere. In fact, I just transferred to a new school where the former vice-principal there was just transferred to another school and he was a Chan! The school that I worked at had a very small representation of East Asians ranging from Korean to Vietnamese. Only one other staff member was a visible minority and she and I often swapped Asian jokes and statements with each other (she is Indo-Canadian). She understands as much as I do the limited representation of the Asian culture in Abby-Mission. In one instance, another co-worker claimed that the best butter chicken she has ever tasted comes from M&M Meat Shop. My Indo-Canadian friend just about flipped! We all laughed about it, but my brown friend still shakes her head over it.

It's not that I don't like non-Chinese people; far from it, in fact, since both D and I grew up in friendship circles of mixed ethnicity (D was definitely a minority in his group of friends). Somehow, though, I just feel comfortable with people who culturally understand me. I miss having Chinese friends with similar lifestyles to hang out with.

I talked to my sister about this complaint of mine and she suggested that I move to Richmond. There are TOO many Chinese people living there and they're not the CBC kind like D and I are. My sister said, "Well, now you're just being finicky."

Hula Hoop Baby

Saw this on the Regis and Kelly show, when I checked it out to see Tamara Taggart filling in for Kelly:

Cruise to Alaska

Welcome aboard NCL's Norwegian Sun!

This is the second time I've been to Alaska. On my first cruise there, I rode on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas. That was when D proposed to me. We celebrate our second year anniversary today. :) Because I've already been to Alaska, I did not go on any excursions and didn't take as many photos as I did the first time, but the following are snippets of some highlights.

Ketchikan aka tourist galore. I stand in front of Creek Street, which is a little more touristy and interesting than the "downtown" souvenir shopping district.


While in Ketchikan, I did something that I have never done before. I paid over $100 for a piece of jewelry. Here I am, sitting in one of the bars/lounges on the ship, sporting my new Omega necklace, reversible (yellow gold on one side/white gold on the other) and came with a Northern Lights pendant.

Nothing to see in Juneau. Really...nothing.

Skagway is a quaint little town that is "busy" about four-six months of the year. In the off season, it houses less than 1000 residents.

While resting at a Skagway train station, I saw a stuffed bear that I was sure was shorter than I. What do you think?


We traveled down Tracy Arm Fjord to see Sawyer Glacier. I loved being close enough to the mountains to see the striations left behind by glaciers from centuries ago. The views were beautiful, especially around the areas where ice met with lush greenery.

We couldn't get close to the glacier because of the icebergs floating around and the potential damage they could cause the ship. A few folks, mainly the ones who could afford it, got to hop in a boat and maneuver around the icebergs to see the glacier up close.

On the cruise, there were lots of great shows and parties to attend, plus cruisers could participate in some casual activities like Name that Tune, a treasure hunt, or animal-making towel classes in the afternoons.


FOOD, FOOD, AND MORE FOOD! A few of my faves: Smoked Salmon Salad, Tuna Tartare, Lobster Night, and the Chocoholic Buffet.

Ssssssee you later!

Kabluey

Kabluey is a movie about a man who goes to help his sister-in-law take care of her two sons and in the meantime gets a job as a corporate mascot. Doesn't sound like much, but the movie's offbeat humour (think Lars and the Real Girl or Run, Fatboy, Run) is derived from the characters' extreme personalities.

Salman, played by Scott Prendergast who is also the director of this film, is the brother-in-law who was enlisted only as a desperate last measure to babysit two homicidal nephews. When he takes on the job as a mascot for a failing dot-com company, Salman slowly discovers that he can be a hero, albeit in a blue costume.

Actresses Lisa Kudrow and Conchata Ferrell play their respective roles fantastically. Kudrow portrays a despondent woman, a far cry from her Phoebe days, while Ferrell throws out curses and anger like nobody's business in a bizarre, but often funny, way.

I love how Kabluey shows the sad reality of the hero's life, but without the melodrama. At only 68 minutes long, the film is able to capture the quirky ways people relate to one another, as well as how they deal with their present situation with what resources they have. Although there is no overt political agenda to this film, it does put a spin on economic tension, which underlies some of the characters' motives. My favourite movies are usually ones that are character-driven, have plot lines that don't require a lot of fanfare and explosions, and contain witty dialogue that only English teachers and the linguistically-inclined can appreciate with a hearty laugh. Kabluey did not disappoint.

My Week in Vancouver

I love being with family and friends. I regret not taking any photos (except when I went to see my god-daughter), so I apologize to my readers.

From Sunday (night) to Tuesday, I hung out with my parents and sister. I love being able to just sit around and shoot the breeze, although there wasn't much of a breeze to speak of -- it was so hot!

On Wednesday, I celebrated my god-daughter's one-year-old birthday at her house. She is able to say a few words now and crawl really fast around the house. She is so smart -- when she knows she is down to her final Cheerio or blueberry, she savours the last one instead of just popping in the last morsel. Here she is playing in the kiddie pool (sorry, but I didn't know how to turn my video the right side up).


On Thursday, I had dinner with my friend, W, at Brown's in Yaletown and then we walked down Marinaside Crescent and stopped to chat while watching Dragon Boat teams practice along Stamp's Landing. Finally, we went to Kino Cafe on Cambie to drink chilled sangria and enjoyed the flamenco performances. I haven't seen this friend since my wedding two years ago and we haven't been able to hang out since we were in high school. She's been a very good friend of mine since primary school. Thank goodness for Facebook!

On the Friday before heading home, I was able to catch up with another old-time friend, M, who was my bridesmaid at my wedding. Like W, I haven't seen M since my wedding either. Why do Vancouverites think Mission is so far?!? M and I had lunch at Ichiro in Steveston before grabbing some frozen yogurt at Timothy's and strolling around Steveston.

Starting on Friday evening and ending around Sunday evening, my sister and nine other people stayed at my house for the long weekend. Ai yah! It was really nice meeting my sister's friends as they are all so friendly and fun-loving, but I'm not sure my husband and I would do something like that again. Our house looked like a hostel with all the sleeping bags, luggage, snacky foods, and blow-up mattresses lying all over the place. All in all, they were great company to have.