Monday, October 31, 2011
I Am a Homebirth Advocate and This is Why
This week I received a comment about looking for homebirth blogs, as I seem to be geared towards those planning a hospital birth. It's true, the last several posts have been geared towards alerting the hospital birthers about certain practices/policies to be aware of. I certainly don't want to be known as a Bradley birth blogger though! Statistically, up until this last year, 25% of my students have birthed in the hospital. Over the last year, it has gradually flip-flopped to 75% are out of the hospital. This is what happens when a birth center makes your class required for their clients though!
I have birthed two babies in the hospital and two at home. I believe that a woman will birth "best" where she is most comfortable -- physically, and more importantly, emotionally.
Over the years, the normal progression for people that take my class has been this:
Baby #1: Switch from an OB to a CNM, remaining in the hospital (just in case).
Baby #2: Switch from a CNM to a CPM and birth in a freestanding birth center.
Baby #3: Birth baby at home with a CPM and wish they had done that from the very beginning!
I decided to go through the homebirth blog posts I have written over the last three years and link to them this week. Enjoy!
I found so many other posts that were related to homebirth -- dozens when it was mentioned -- but these are probably the ones that homebirth is the main focus. Still aggravated after all these years that "homebirth" is flagged as not being a word.
Romy's Birth Story from Ceci Jane on Vimeo.
This video of my co-chapter leader for TCBN, Shannon, about sums up the beauty of homebirth. Ceci is another TCBN chapter leader and she did this amazing video. Shannon had an incredible team of women there, all hand-picked. Her husband was incredibly touched by the love and support they received as they welcomed their new baby into their family. It is evident on everyone's face this was a glorious homebirth. I am so lucky to work with such talented people. If you haven't seen this video yet, grab your tissues. Then go read all these homebirth posts I've written over the years!
[Continue Reading]
I have birthed two babies in the hospital and two at home. I believe that a woman will birth "best" where she is most comfortable -- physically, and more importantly, emotionally.
Over the years, the normal progression for people that take my class has been this:
Baby #1: Switch from an OB to a CNM, remaining in the hospital (just in case).
Baby #2: Switch from a CNM to a CPM and birth in a freestanding birth center.
Baby #3: Birth baby at home with a CPM and wish they had done that from the very beginning!
I decided to go through the homebirth blog posts I have written over the last three years and link to them this week. Enjoy!
I found so many other posts that were related to homebirth -- dozens when it was mentioned -- but these are probably the ones that homebirth is the main focus. Still aggravated after all these years that "homebirth" is flagged as not being a word.
Romy's Birth Story from Ceci Jane on Vimeo.
This video of my co-chapter leader for TCBN, Shannon, about sums up the beauty of homebirth. Ceci is another TCBN chapter leader and she did this amazing video. Shannon had an incredible team of women there, all hand-picked. Her husband was incredibly touched by the love and support they received as they welcomed their new baby into their family. It is evident on everyone's face this was a glorious homebirth. I am so lucky to work with such talented people. If you haven't seen this video yet, grab your tissues. Then go read all these homebirth posts I've written over the years!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Future DE Education budgets - More Cuts Predicted!
From
Early 2013 budget numbers being shared with Educators.
Posted on October 27, 2011 by Wolfe Gary Thanks to Gary for his great post!
By January 2012, the 2013 budgets for Delaware’s schools will begin to take shape, and it has already been rumored that our Leadership in Dover is looking to make even deeper cuts to Education. Already we have one district, Laurel, that is floundering on the edge of not being able to meet its finances after April 2012. Many administrators, school boards, and teachers associations have sat down and looked at where we are today compared to where we were just a few years earlier. Since FY2008, State funding has been completely eliminated for the following programs:
* Reading Resource Teachers $9,431,500
* Math Specialists $3,071,700
* Limited English Proficiency Grant $1,625,000
* Technology Block Grant $1,354,000
* School-Based Discipline Program $8,213,900
* Tax Relief Allocation $17,549,500
* Academic Excellence Allotment $4,595,600
* Extra Time Programs $10,428,000
* Tuition Reimbursement $1,100,000
* Teacher Cadre & Mentoring $1,128,400
TOTAL STATE PROGRAM ELIMINATIONS: $58,497,600
In addition to these program eliminations, many districts have also experienced several reductions in base funding levels:
Division II AOC(funding for classroom, and other day to day supplies)Unit Value $3,274,020 (FY08 $3,279 to FY12 $2,955 at 10,105 Dlv II units)
Division II Energy Unit Value $2,455,515 (FY08 $2,678 to FY 12 $2,435 at 10,105 Div II units)
Professional Development Funding $1,300,000 (FY08 $2,866,500 to FY 12 $1,566,500)
Beyond these program eliminations and base funding reductions, increasing demands are being placed on
local funds (Shift of 10% Transportation Costs $7,133,800) at a time when local assessed values are essentially flat, and other local revenues such as interest, indirect cost and cost recovery collections are in decline. For those wondering what losses looked like around the state:
FY 2012 Loss Based On 2008 Amount Per Unit
Appoquinimink ($3,216,675)
Brandywine ($6,967,025)
Christina ($10,594,538)
Colonial ($4,208,339)
NCCVT ($3,839,781 )
Red Clay ($9,297,025)
Caesar Rodney ($2,374,300)
Capital ($3,244,120)
Lake Forest ($1,591,437)
Milford ($2,757,148)
Poly tech ($554,096)
Smyrna ($2,906,050)
Cape Henlopen ($2,506,117)
Delmar ($814,812)
Indian River ($2,334,774)
Laurel ($1,803,148)
Seaford ($1,787,634)
SVT ($862,796)
Woodbridge ($1,357,726)
Total all Districts: ($63,017,540)
So bottom line is that the cost of educating the next generation is going up in a time when every taxpayer is doing more with less, and raising local taxes is not an option for schools. So what can all those who have a stake in Education do to prevent our students from being cheated out of an education? Here are a few ideas we are discussing in Milford on November 8th with the community at a district wide meeting at the Milford High School Auditorium:
~ Begin lobbying efforts now, prior to the Governor’s Recommended Budget
~ Focus attention on the cumulative state funding reductions that have occurred since FY2008.
~ E.mphasize that federal stimulus funding (State Fiscal Stabilization Funds and EdJobs Funding) were intended to ‘stabilize’ state and local agencies that were experiencing revenue reductions. As revenues increase, these funds should therefore be utilized to restore previous funding reductions.
~ Target restoration funding as follows: 1) restoration of EdJobs funding; 2) restoration of State Fiscal Stabilization funding.
~ Recognize the need for efficiencies and budget reductions, but public education has been disproportionally impacted in recent years.
~ Restoring the public education budget back to its FY2010 percentage of the total budget (33.33%) would add $59,650,400 to the public education budget.
~ Collaborate with DSEA to lobby for funding restoration.
~ Establish consistent individual district meetings with local legislators.
~ Provide legislators with specific legislation to support.
~ Provide flexibility to districts in severe fiscal hardship by allowing districts to ‘cash in’ as many units as necessary to maintain solvency, and to not forfeit Division IIIunit funding for cashed in units.
~ Target the message that the “Foundation is Crumbling”. While we have the benefit of many short-term funding initiatives (i.e. Race to the Top) the core K-12 public education finance structure is not sufficient to maintain current service and performance levels.
[Continue Reading]
Education and Community News from Home Town Delaware
Early 2013 budget numbers being shared with Educators.
Posted on October 27, 2011 by Wolfe Gary Thanks to Gary for his great post!
By January 2012, the 2013 budgets for Delaware’s schools will begin to take shape, and it has already been rumored that our Leadership in Dover is looking to make even deeper cuts to Education. Already we have one district, Laurel, that is floundering on the edge of not being able to meet its finances after April 2012. Many administrators, school boards, and teachers associations have sat down and looked at where we are today compared to where we were just a few years earlier. Since FY2008, State funding has been completely eliminated for the following programs:
* Reading Resource Teachers $9,431,500
* Math Specialists $3,071,700
* Limited English Proficiency Grant $1,625,000
* Technology Block Grant $1,354,000
* School-Based Discipline Program $8,213,900
* Tax Relief Allocation $17,549,500
* Academic Excellence Allotment $4,595,600
* Extra Time Programs $10,428,000
* Tuition Reimbursement $1,100,000
* Teacher Cadre & Mentoring $1,128,400
TOTAL STATE PROGRAM ELIMINATIONS: $58,497,600
In addition to these program eliminations, many districts have also experienced several reductions in base funding levels:
Division II AOC(funding for classroom, and other day to day supplies)Unit Value $3,274,020 (FY08 $3,279 to FY12 $2,955 at 10,105 Dlv II units)
Division II Energy Unit Value $2,455,515 (FY08 $2,678 to FY 12 $2,435 at 10,105 Div II units)
Professional Development Funding $1,300,000 (FY08 $2,866,500 to FY 12 $1,566,500)
Beyond these program eliminations and base funding reductions, increasing demands are being placed on
local funds (Shift of 10% Transportation Costs $7,133,800) at a time when local assessed values are essentially flat, and other local revenues such as interest, indirect cost and cost recovery collections are in decline. For those wondering what losses looked like around the state:
FY 2012 Loss Based On 2008 Amount Per Unit
Appoquinimink ($3,216,675)
Brandywine ($6,967,025)
Christina ($10,594,538)
Colonial ($4,208,339)
NCCVT ($3,839,781 )
Red Clay ($9,297,025)
Caesar Rodney ($2,374,300)
Capital ($3,244,120)
Lake Forest ($1,591,437)
Milford ($2,757,148)
Poly tech ($554,096)
Smyrna ($2,906,050)
Cape Henlopen ($2,506,117)
Delmar ($814,812)
Indian River ($2,334,774)
Laurel ($1,803,148)
Seaford ($1,787,634)
SVT ($862,796)
Woodbridge ($1,357,726)
Total all Districts: ($63,017,540)
So bottom line is that the cost of educating the next generation is going up in a time when every taxpayer is doing more with less, and raising local taxes is not an option for schools. So what can all those who have a stake in Education do to prevent our students from being cheated out of an education? Here are a few ideas we are discussing in Milford on November 8th with the community at a district wide meeting at the Milford High School Auditorium:
~ Begin lobbying efforts now, prior to the Governor’s Recommended Budget
~ Focus attention on the cumulative state funding reductions that have occurred since FY2008.
~ E.mphasize that federal stimulus funding (State Fiscal Stabilization Funds and EdJobs Funding) were intended to ‘stabilize’ state and local agencies that were experiencing revenue reductions. As revenues increase, these funds should therefore be utilized to restore previous funding reductions.
~ Target restoration funding as follows: 1) restoration of EdJobs funding; 2) restoration of State Fiscal Stabilization funding.
~ Recognize the need for efficiencies and budget reductions, but public education has been disproportionally impacted in recent years.
~ Restoring the public education budget back to its FY2010 percentage of the total budget (33.33%) would add $59,650,400 to the public education budget.
~ Collaborate with DSEA to lobby for funding restoration.
~ Establish consistent individual district meetings with local legislators.
~ Provide legislators with specific legislation to support.
~ Provide flexibility to districts in severe fiscal hardship by allowing districts to ‘cash in’ as many units as necessary to maintain solvency, and to not forfeit Division IIIunit funding for cashed in units.
~ Target the message that the “Foundation is Crumbling”. While we have the benefit of many short-term funding initiatives (i.e. Race to the Top) the core K-12 public education finance structure is not sufficient to maintain current service and performance levels.
More natural approach to educate
Lately we've taken a more relaxed less formal state of learning. The kind that can not be planned and prepped before hand.
Isaiah found a baby monitor that was given to us. I consider it junk because I don't know how to use it. I am rarely far from my babies so I have never seen a need for one.
However, this clever kid put batteries in, worked out how it worked and figured out he can put it next to the radio and listen to music from another room. Something I would never work out on my own.
I don't get how this kids brain work but it is certainly not like mine. Any ideas?
So what does this say about me? That I'm not as smart as the 5 year old?! Yeah probably...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Do Delaware's Charters have a right to funding equity?
From the News Journal: HERE Delaware's Charter Schools have a right to funding equity
By: Gregory Meece, director of the Newark Charter School and president of the Delaware Charter Schools Network, and a member of The News Journal's Community View Board.
[Continue Reading]
By: Gregory Meece, director of the Newark Charter School and president of the Delaware Charter Schools Network, and a member of The News Journal's Community View Board.
In 1995, before the ink was dry on the governor's signature on the charter schools law, I signed on to help create Delaware's first charter school. At that time, we didn't expect charter schools to be "the answer" to all of our challenges in public education, but we did see the promise of charter schools as one of the best opportunities to make a dramatic improvement in Delaware's public education landscape.
The results of the charter school movement in Delaware are significant. Charters rank at the top academically at all grade levels. They have been the first to tackle new frontiers in curriculum, teacher incentive pay, site-based management, extended school years, facilities construction, financial autonomy, parent engagement, student uniforms and much more.
There are thousands of students on charter school waiting lists. Almost 80 percent of Delawareans favor charter schools (according to a University of Delaware poll) even though only 9 percent of the student population attends them. Yet progress hasn't been easy, due to an uneven playing field when it comes to the way public charter schools are funded.
The Delaware Charter School Network stands for excellence. But there are times when meeting the high standards we've set for ourselves can be difficult, due to the financial challenges that charters face compared to our district counterparts.
A recent News Journal article rightly highlighted the financial pressures constricting Delaware school districts in the wake of multimillion-dollar state cuts for education. Absent, however, was any mention of the even more acute financial woes of Delaware's 22 public charter schools. We support our public school districts and believe funding adequacy is an issue that must be addressed for all of our schools. But we are one system of public schools, not two. For charter schools, the issue of funding equity is just as important.
In the 2009 report, A New Model Law for Supporting the Growth of High-Quality Public Charter Schools, equitable operational funding and access to capital funding are cited as two "Essential Components of a Strong Public Charter School Law."
And according to Delaware Department of Education data, public charter schools receive nearly 23 percent less per student than traditional district schools, even after excluding the 10 district-operated schools throughout the state that primarily serve resource-intensive, high-needs students.
Several factors can explain this disparity, but the result of this gap is an unfair penalty on charter school students and educators. For example, while Stubbs Elementary, in the Christina School District, might receive $11,437 for Lisa, Prestige Academy -- a mere 10 blocks away -- receives $9,331 for her brother. That translates to less funding available for teacher salaries and much-needed instructional resources.
One of the main reasons for this gap is that charters have neither the ability to raise revenue through referendums nor state funding for major capital costs, such as building upgrades. Public charter schools are forced to pay from 7 to 20 percent of their operating budgets for facilities. Imagine the compounded impact recent state budget cuts have on schools with fewer available dollars to begin with.
Another concern is the formula that districts use to transfer local property tax revenue to charter schools. The guiding principle is "the money follows the child." But districts are permitted to exclude certain categories of local funds before the transfers are made. These deductions are not transparent and often fluctuate dramatically, thereby complicating charter schools budget planning. For example, my charter school budgeted an increase in local funds because our largest feeder district passed a multimillion-dollar operating referendum the previous year. We were shocked to learn that our share of that district's local funds actually decreased substantially.
Further complicating the matter is that the formula for transferring these funds is based not on actual revenues but on district expenditures from the previous year. There is no way for charter schools to "catch up."
Last spring, passage of House Bill 205 represented an important first step toward growing and sustaining high-quality charter schools in the state. We also have resources to draw from to make even more progress. For example, The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has a menu of best practices for supporting public charter schools' facility needs.
It is my hope that Delaware's General Assembly takes the next big steps in charter legislation: changing policy conditions to give all public school students an equal chance at success regardless of where they go to school. Such policies will encourage high-performing charters to expand, and they will encourage great charters to come into the state.
Sixteen years ago, policy decisions were made as safeguards in the event that charters didn't pan out. Well, we did pan out. Charter schools are here to stay.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Learning {lots} around here lately
I have been desperately wanting to record what we have been learning recently and how we have been learning it, complete with perfected blog pictures & beautiful headlines. I have a very broken computer and I don't know how to upload unto this so no pics & pretties. But hey, if I don't just get what we HAVE done without the beautifying process that takes up time that I just don't have and cannot find then it is simply not going to happen. So here it is in point(ish) form.
Language Arts
We set up a book corner. Then set up another book area in our 'new' school room. Plenty of books available at any time.
* LLATL- Blue Book = Short Vowel Readers
* Gumnut Readers = Short Vowel Readers
* Children can now 'read' We're going on a bear hunt word for word. It's great!
Literacy Books: to name a few (bold are favourites)
Johnny's World (R&S Reader)
We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rooson
Are you my Mother? P.D. Eastman
Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown
Green Eggs & Ham Dr Seuss
Fox in Socks Dr Seuss
Who took the farmer's hat? Joan L Nodset
Going to the Doctor
Tootle
The Lord is my Shepherd,
The Good Samaritan, Andrew Donoghue
The runaway bunny, Margaret Wise Brown
Nursery Ryhmes
Mr Gumpy's Outing
Where's my teddy? Jez Alborough
Babar's Little Circus Star, Laurent De Brunhoff
Huge Harold, Bill Peet
Dr Seuss's ABC, Dr Seuss
Bedtime for Frances, Russell Hoban
Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey
The Little House, Virginia Lee Burton
Make way for ducklings, Robert McCloskey
The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats
A fly went by, Mike Mclintock
Horton hatches the egg, Dr Seuss
The best nest, P.D. Eastman
The cat in the hat, Dr Seuss
One Woolly Wombat, Kerry Argent
Thank you, God, for Daddy
A is for Adam, Ken and Mally Ham
D is for Dinosaur, Ken and Mally Ham
Maths
Formal maths has stopped. We've taken a more 'natural' method of learning:
* skip counting by 5 up to 100
* telling the time
* 'playing shops' & learning about money, buying & selling. I am surprised how much they have picked up through 'non-schooling- events such as regular shopping & running errands that I never even thought about.
* hide & seek = practice counting
* table setting = counting
* colour sorting using coloured pom pom balls (fun stuff for toddler)
* fractions = cutting fruit & pizza puzzle
* puzzles =' problem solving
Music
* Still in love with One Thing Remains by Jesus Culture
* Variety - Singing never stops in this place.
Physical Eduation:
* Dancing (Amalia & Isaiah)
* Kindy Gym (Jarah, Amalia & Isaiah)
* Signed Isaiah up for Tee Ball starting next month
* Kayaking (Isaiah, Amalia & Me)
Science:
* How does it rain?
* Home made torch & lighting light bulbs using batteries
* Wind
Character Training:
* Kindness & Gentleness.
* Sharing.
* Forgiving & Apologizing.
* Socialising.
Toilet Training:
Jarah! Successful. Being Successful.
Some days it feels like we progress forward in leaps and bounds then BAM! 10 steps back.
[Continue Reading]
Language Arts
We set up a book corner. Then set up another book area in our 'new' school room. Plenty of books available at any time.
* LLATL- Blue Book = Short Vowel Readers
* Gumnut Readers = Short Vowel Readers
* Children can now 'read' We're going on a bear hunt word for word. It's great!
Literacy Books: to name a few (bold are favourites)
Johnny's World (R&S Reader)
We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rooson
Are you my Mother? P.D. Eastman
Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown
Green Eggs & Ham Dr Seuss
Fox in Socks Dr Seuss
Who took the farmer's hat? Joan L Nodset
Going to the Doctor
Tootle
The Lord is my Shepherd,
The Good Samaritan, Andrew Donoghue
The runaway bunny, Margaret Wise Brown
Nursery Ryhmes
Mr Gumpy's Outing
Where's my teddy? Jez Alborough
Babar's Little Circus Star, Laurent De Brunhoff
Huge Harold, Bill Peet
Dr Seuss's ABC, Dr Seuss
Bedtime for Frances, Russell Hoban
Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey
The Little House, Virginia Lee Burton
Make way for ducklings, Robert McCloskey
The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats
A fly went by, Mike Mclintock
Horton hatches the egg, Dr Seuss
The best nest, P.D. Eastman
The cat in the hat, Dr Seuss
One Woolly Wombat, Kerry Argent
Thank you, God, for Daddy
A is for Adam, Ken and Mally Ham
D is for Dinosaur, Ken and Mally Ham
Maths
Formal maths has stopped. We've taken a more 'natural' method of learning:
* skip counting by 5 up to 100
* telling the time
* 'playing shops' & learning about money, buying & selling. I am surprised how much they have picked up through 'non-schooling- events such as regular shopping & running errands that I never even thought about.
* hide & seek = practice counting
* table setting = counting
* colour sorting using coloured pom pom balls (fun stuff for toddler)
* fractions = cutting fruit & pizza puzzle
* puzzles =' problem solving
Music
* Still in love with One Thing Remains by Jesus Culture
* Variety - Singing never stops in this place.
Physical Eduation:
* Dancing (Amalia & Isaiah)
* Kindy Gym (Jarah, Amalia & Isaiah)
* Signed Isaiah up for Tee Ball starting next month
* Kayaking (Isaiah, Amalia & Me)
Science:
* How does it rain?
* Home made torch & lighting light bulbs using batteries
* Wind
Character Training:
* Kindness & Gentleness.
* Sharing.
* Forgiving & Apologizing.
* Socialising.
Toilet Training:
Jarah! Successful. Being Successful.
Some days it feels like we progress forward in leaps and bounds then BAM! 10 steps back.
I am learning more then the kids.
In fact I am homeschooling myself.
Pushed into Supine Pushing Positions
When I was thinking about getting pregnant with my second baby, I visited my OB, Dr. Brian Wolsey, that "delivered" my first baby. I had been gathering lots of information and knew I would do things differently with the second baby. One of the questions I asked him was how he felt about me pushing in a different position besides flat on my back. He got down on the floor (in his very nice clothes), and on one knee, contorted his body, and while looking and reaching up, said, "Well, it's kind of hard to catch a baby in this position." He was more concerned with his comfort than mine when it came to pushing my baby out.
I never returned to his office.
This is an important question to ask your care provider. The answer should be a respectful "Let's see how you feel when it comes time to push. The benefits to using gravity and an upright position are ... An example of when you might not want to use gravity is ..."
I've had a number of people return to class saying things like, "My doctor said I can hang from the rafters for all he cares" or "I can squat on the floor like I'm in the jungle!" They seem happy with these responses, but in reality, your doctor is making fun of you. He thinks its undignified and foolish.
If I am an OB -- or even a Certified Nurse Midwife -- working in a hospital, chances are, approximately 90% of the births I attend is with an epidural. The mom is mostly on her back. Like it or not, this is how I get used to catching babies. This is what I am comfortable with. Even to have a mom on hands and knees, well, this looks different to me, and I am not as comfortable with this situation. I will find a way to get this mom on her back. I will give her lots of excuses that sound really good, such as, "The baby is caught on the pubic bone and I need you to lean back."
If a woman is left alone to choose her birthing position, very often she will use gravity in some form or another. Rarely will she lay flat on her back to push her baby out. Squatting, for example, is known to widen the pelvis up to 30%. Many OBs will not suggest a mom get up and squat, but instead, will cut an episiotomy to get the baby out quicker. Or worse, perform a c-section because her hips were "too small."
I simply wanted to let women know that what position you birth your baby in is your choice. This seems common sense, right? I routinely hear women talk about their doctor wanting them in a certain position when it comes time to push. Pushing while flat on her back can cause more problems that it fixes. The only person benefiting from this position is the OB.
When you ask your care provider this important question, listen for silly answers that are really meant to make fun of you. Listen for responses that put his/her comfort above your own. The good answers are the ones that inform and respect you and your comfort. Follow what your body is telling you to do. Don't let them push you around when it comes to pushing your baby out!
[Continue Reading]
I never returned to his office.
This is an important question to ask your care provider. The answer should be a respectful "Let's see how you feel when it comes time to push. The benefits to using gravity and an upright position are ... An example of when you might not want to use gravity is ..."
I've had a number of people return to class saying things like, "My doctor said I can hang from the rafters for all he cares" or "I can squat on the floor like I'm in the jungle!" They seem happy with these responses, but in reality, your doctor is making fun of you. He thinks its undignified and foolish.
If I am an OB -- or even a Certified Nurse Midwife -- working in a hospital, chances are, approximately 90% of the births I attend is with an epidural. The mom is mostly on her back. Like it or not, this is how I get used to catching babies. This is what I am comfortable with. Even to have a mom on hands and knees, well, this looks different to me, and I am not as comfortable with this situation. I will find a way to get this mom on her back. I will give her lots of excuses that sound really good, such as, "The baby is caught on the pubic bone and I need you to lean back."
If a woman is left alone to choose her birthing position, very often she will use gravity in some form or another. Rarely will she lay flat on her back to push her baby out. Squatting, for example, is known to widen the pelvis up to 30%. Many OBs will not suggest a mom get up and squat, but instead, will cut an episiotomy to get the baby out quicker. Or worse, perform a c-section because her hips were "too small."
I simply wanted to let women know that what position you birth your baby in is your choice. This seems common sense, right? I routinely hear women talk about their doctor wanting them in a certain position when it comes time to push. Pushing while flat on her back can cause more problems that it fixes. The only person benefiting from this position is the OB.
When you ask your care provider this important question, listen for silly answers that are really meant to make fun of you. Listen for responses that put his/her comfort above your own. The good answers are the ones that inform and respect you and your comfort. Follow what your body is telling you to do. Don't let them push you around when it comes to pushing your baby out!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Comment Rescue: If Red Lion and Moyer Close
Thank you for sharing:
Will the state fund those students elsewhere?
Moyer- If the state or K12 shutter the school this school year - After the critical Sept. 30 count - will the funding follow the students to their new school, assuming the families choose either charter or district options in lieu of private school? Update: DOE Representative says that there will be no funding this year for a private school student entering the public school system post Sept. 30. That's not entirely surprising - Delaware lives and dies by the Sept. 30 count. But, it does raise an ethics question - if a private school fails mid-year, is there an obligation to fund the public education of their students? Most presume that if a private school fails, those parents have the personal resources to send their child to another private school. However, private schools have many children on financial needs scholarships, full or partial. So, if a private school fails, is there a moral obligation to fund the public education of those students who are needs-based scholarships? And if the answer is "yes" then does that same obligation extend to all students? And that's our walk through morals and ethics of education funding for the evening...
Red Lion - If the private christian school with more than 700 students closes due to financial hardship, a closing that seems almost probably, and parents opt for public options - again either district or charter - will the state infuse receiving schools with funding? This one's a bit trickier to predict as Red Lion students don't generate state funding b/c of their private school status.
[Continue Reading]
Esther said...
My friends who work at Red Lion tell me that the reports of their financial problems are greatly exaggerated, and they do not anticipate having to close or to be sold.
October 23, 2011 9:35 PM
Will the state fund those students elsewhere?
Moyer- If the state or K12 shutter the school this school year - After the critical Sept. 30 count - will the funding follow the students to their new school, assuming the families choose either charter or district options in lieu of private school? Update: DOE Representative says that there will be no funding this year for a private school student entering the public school system post Sept. 30. That's not entirely surprising - Delaware lives and dies by the Sept. 30 count. But, it does raise an ethics question - if a private school fails mid-year, is there an obligation to fund the public education of their students? Most presume that if a private school fails, those parents have the personal resources to send their child to another private school. However, private schools have many children on financial needs scholarships, full or partial. So, if a private school fails, is there a moral obligation to fund the public education of those students who are needs-based scholarships? And if the answer is "yes" then does that same obligation extend to all students? And that's our walk through morals and ethics of education funding for the evening...
Red Lion - If the private christian school with more than 700 students closes due to financial hardship, a closing that seems almost probably, and parents opt for public options - again either district or charter - will the state infuse receiving schools with funding? This one's a bit trickier to predict as Red Lion students don't generate state funding b/c of their private school status.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
List of Markell Ed-Critics Growing
Low enrollment, a new computer-based school model and low test scores are concerns for Wilmington City Councilman Mike Brown, who said Gov. Jack Markell's administration made a mistake when it picked K12 Inc., a Virginia-based for-profit education company, to run the school after the state Board of Education voted to revoke a local group's control.
"That's the one the governor swore to God he was going to change things around," Brown said. "That's the one where they rode in there on their white horse and said everything was going to be all right -- we got it under control, we got handpicked people, we got people who are HQT, highly qualified teachers. We got this, we got that, we got a whole lot. So, I'm still waiting on it."
That's City Councilman Mike Brown on K12's failure to attract enough students to meet the enrollment target at Moyer. Gov. Markell and DOE brought in K12 to manage the school in 2010. It was rated commendable at the time. K12 has also failed to post the mandated financials on the school website despite two state laws that demand such transparency.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Delaware's Ed Sec. Jargon Phrase of Day: The On-Ramp
Delaware's on the on-ramp to providing a world class education, a state that's going to produce some of the best students in the world.
Unless, of course, you are on Route 7 approaching I-95 North. That ramp's closed...
[Continue Reading]
Unless, of course, you are on Route 7 approaching I-95 North. That ramp's closed...
Onto other news - potentially real news - the right to free speech
From today's News Journal, a story about the ACLU, free speech, internet usage, and school districts:
I'm going to risk being the lone wolf... I was taught that the first amendment rights are guaranteed rights in so long as they are not used to compromise or infringe upon the rights of others.
Free speech or freedom of expression is the right to speak freely without censorship. However, in practice, this right is not absolute, it's commonly subject to limitations such as libel, slander, obscenity and incitement to commit a crime.
In the context of our global community, there's another document that defines human rights - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The Universal Declarion is recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and as such the freedom of expression is recognized as Internation Law - one ratified by the United States.
However, Article 19 of the ICCPR stipulates that the exercise of these rights carries "special duties and responsibilities" and may "therefore be subject to certain restrictions" when necessary "[f]or respect of the rights or reputation of others" or "[f]or the protection of national security or of public order (order public), or of public health or morals".[1][2] Various subsequent governing documents indicate that "limitations to freedom of speech may occur through legal sanction or social disapprobation, or both."
Which brings us back to the ACLU and the Capital School District's policies - It's one thing for a citizen to take to the internet to criticize a public figure - an elected official or a department of government. Laws governing slander and libel protect the individual but do not shelter the public persona - the actions of a public person or agency. But, that same right of criticism is NOT afforded to the PRIVATE individual - a student or co-worker - or the PRIVATE life of a public figure.
Unless the NJ left out some brazen language in their story, Captial's policies do not seem to violate the right to freedom of expression in any form. The policies themselves are social disapprobation - an expression of strong disapproval and a pronouncement of what is ethically culpable and that falls right in line with the international interpretation of this human right.
Furthermore, Capital's policies are aligned to legally protected characteristics - race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, etc. When a person, citing free speech, attacks these characteristics they are essential committing a hate crime. And such behavior from a student would most certainly fall within the social definition of bullying, if not the legal definition. And when these violations occur they erode the fundamental human right to safety.
The question posed to you today: Should the freedom of expression be absolute? even if that means violating the rights of others to safety and/or protection? Should the law protect the reputation of a private individual? Does International law trump National law? And should we be permitted to say what we will even if that means hurting innocent children? Or is the ACLU over-reacting?
[Continue Reading]
In a letter sent to the district last week, Delaware ACLU legal director Richard Morse said the district's (Capital) student social media policy, still in draft form, and a separate employee policy, adopted in August, are both clear violations of First Amendment rights...
The student policy, drafted in August and listed on the Capital board's agenda for Wednesday night, contains a "Prohibited Activities" list that bars students from posting negative comments about individuals or groups based on legally protected characteristics such as race or religion...
Capital's policy governing the online conduct of staff contains the same prohibitions as the student policy, and also bars employees from posting disparaging comments about co-workers, bosses or the public, even while off the clock...
I'm going to risk being the lone wolf... I was taught that the first amendment rights are guaranteed rights in so long as they are not used to compromise or infringe upon the rights of others.
Free speech or freedom of expression is the right to speak freely without censorship. However, in practice, this right is not absolute, it's commonly subject to limitations such as libel, slander, obscenity and incitement to commit a crime.
In the context of our global community, there's another document that defines human rights - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The Universal Declarion is recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and as such the freedom of expression is recognized as Internation Law - one ratified by the United States.
However, Article 19 of the ICCPR stipulates that the exercise of these rights carries "special duties and responsibilities" and may "therefore be subject to certain restrictions" when necessary "[f]or respect of the rights or reputation of others" or "[f]or the protection of national security or of public order (order public), or of public health or morals".[1][2] Various subsequent governing documents indicate that "limitations to freedom of speech may occur through legal sanction or social disapprobation, or both."
Which brings us back to the ACLU and the Capital School District's policies - It's one thing for a citizen to take to the internet to criticize a public figure - an elected official or a department of government. Laws governing slander and libel protect the individual but do not shelter the public persona - the actions of a public person or agency. But, that same right of criticism is NOT afforded to the PRIVATE individual - a student or co-worker - or the PRIVATE life of a public figure.
Unless the NJ left out some brazen language in their story, Captial's policies do not seem to violate the right to freedom of expression in any form. The policies themselves are social disapprobation - an expression of strong disapproval and a pronouncement of what is ethically culpable and that falls right in line with the international interpretation of this human right.
Furthermore, Capital's policies are aligned to legally protected characteristics - race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, etc. When a person, citing free speech, attacks these characteristics they are essential committing a hate crime. And such behavior from a student would most certainly fall within the social definition of bullying, if not the legal definition. And when these violations occur they erode the fundamental human right to safety.
The question posed to you today: Should the freedom of expression be absolute? even if that means violating the rights of others to safety and/or protection? Should the law protect the reputation of a private individual? Does International law trump National law? And should we be permitted to say what we will even if that means hurting innocent children? Or is the ACLU over-reacting?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Broad Hiring! Help Select the Next Generation of Broad Superintendents...
Check out this Job Posted on TopSchoolJobs.org: Job currently posted on TopSchoolJobs.org
Deputy Director, Recruitment and Selection – The Broad Superintendents Academy
The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems
Los Angeles CA 90024 USA
Full Time - 12 Month
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Deputy Director, Recruitment and Selection – The Broad Superintendents Academy
The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems
Los Angeles CA 90024 USA
Full Time - 12 Month
It's Just an IV -- What's the Big Deal?
I posed a question on my Facebook page this weekend asking if an IV was required at your place of birth. As expected, the majority of those birthing in the hospital said yes. I recently had an IV when I went for a colonoscopy, and I must admit, I did not like it. My number one complaint is that feeling of cold fluid running through my veins. Not a fan.
What about for labor though? Should an IV be a part of a normal labor? The hospitals think so.
Let's face it -- nearly everyone who finds themselves on the Labor & Delivery floor will have an epidural. Or an induction. Likely both. Before an epidural is placed, a mom will receive a couple of bags of IV fluid. Epidurals are notorious for causing the blood pressure to drop, so these fluids are necessary. Here's why they want you to have an IV when you walk through the door: The minute you say you want an epidural, they can give it to you. Otherwise, they have to wait for these IV fluids to be administered. They believe that you will eventually beg for the epidural, no matter how many times you say that you want an unmedicated birth. I hate to sound paranoid - or make others paranoid - but the truth is quite ugly when we talk about IVs. You will very likely have other things running through an IV besides saline water, with pitocin at the top of that list. Even if you don't have pitocin during the labor, you will assuredly have it after your baby is born to "aid" in the delivery of the placenta. If you have an IV, you won't even know pitocin was added. They simply do not ask your permission.
Antibiotics are often added to an IV. This is given, typically, under three scenarios:
1) Mom develops a fever. This could be due to infection, but epidurals cause fevers in many women. Since we aren't sure either way, antibiotics are administered.
2) Water is broken so antibiotics are given routinely, you know, just in case she might develop a fever. (Can you hear my eye roll?)
3) Mom tested positive at 36 weeks for Group B Strep and antibiotics are standard procedure. This post is not a post about GBS, but suffice to say, antibiotics are very necessary if the baby actually acquires GBS on the way out of the birth canal, but only 2 out of 1000 babies that are born to GBS-positive mothers will be affected. One-third of women will test positive, so that is a lot of women receiving antibiotics -- just in case. I have strong feelings about antibiotics from my own personal experiences, but you may not care one way or another. Maybe you feel that it is better to be safe than sorry. It's a decision each parent needs to make for themselves.
Is an IV ever necessary in labor? In short, yes. A woman in labor should be eating and drinking plenty of water. Water is crucial in helping the uterus work effectively. Without it, the uterus can become "irritable," often making an IV necessary. Under these conditions, she'll often experience contractions close together and intense, but only lasting about 30 seconds. An IV might help her stay hydrated and therefore causing more effective contractions. If a mom can't keep fluids down, she might also require an IV. As with all interventions, there is a time and place for everything. IVs should not, however, be a routine part of a normal labor.
It seems that many moms end up consenting to a hep-lock, which is an open vein. If they need to give you an IV quickly, they won't have to "fumble" to find a vein. To quote one of my Facebook readers, "They said it was in case there was an emergency and I started to bleed out. I said "If you're telling me if there isn't anyone here that can save me in an emergency if I dont have an IV line in already then I need to leave because I don't feel safe." They laughed, said good point and left me alone." The hospital group I refer to in the Fort Worth area, the UNT Health Nurse-Midwives, have not required even a hep-lock for my students unless there was a medical reason to do so.
One more thing I found extremely interesting about IV use in labor. This can have a negative effect on breastfeeding. Mellanie Sheppard, IBCLC, explained this at a Tarrant County Birth Network meeting one evening: When a woman has IV fluids, she becomes swollen and puffy until the extra fluid has time to leave her body. This can include extra fluid in the breast. A woman who didn't think she had flat nipples before now may have a problem with the baby latching properly. She might be started on a nipple shield and thus started down a road that could have been prevented by simply avoiding the IV in the first place.
Last week I wrote about various policies that contribute to the high c-section rates and neglectfully left routine IVs off that list. It should have been there. Drink your water. Talk to your care providers. If you are choosing to birth in the hospital, search out the care providers who practice evidence-based maternity care. You will likely have to concede on some issues, but choose your "battles" carefully and thoughtfully.
[Continue Reading]
What about for labor though? Should an IV be a part of a normal labor? The hospitals think so.
Let's face it -- nearly everyone who finds themselves on the Labor & Delivery floor will have an epidural. Or an induction. Likely both. Before an epidural is placed, a mom will receive a couple of bags of IV fluid. Epidurals are notorious for causing the blood pressure to drop, so these fluids are necessary. Here's why they want you to have an IV when you walk through the door: The minute you say you want an epidural, they can give it to you. Otherwise, they have to wait for these IV fluids to be administered. They believe that you will eventually beg for the epidural, no matter how many times you say that you want an unmedicated birth. I hate to sound paranoid - or make others paranoid - but the truth is quite ugly when we talk about IVs. You will very likely have other things running through an IV besides saline water, with pitocin at the top of that list. Even if you don't have pitocin during the labor, you will assuredly have it after your baby is born to "aid" in the delivery of the placenta. If you have an IV, you won't even know pitocin was added. They simply do not ask your permission.
Antibiotics are often added to an IV. This is given, typically, under three scenarios:
1) Mom develops a fever. This could be due to infection, but epidurals cause fevers in many women. Since we aren't sure either way, antibiotics are administered.
2) Water is broken so antibiotics are given routinely, you know, just in case she might develop a fever. (Can you hear my eye roll?)
3) Mom tested positive at 36 weeks for Group B Strep and antibiotics are standard procedure. This post is not a post about GBS, but suffice to say, antibiotics are very necessary if the baby actually acquires GBS on the way out of the birth canal, but only 2 out of 1000 babies that are born to GBS-positive mothers will be affected. One-third of women will test positive, so that is a lot of women receiving antibiotics -- just in case. I have strong feelings about antibiotics from my own personal experiences, but you may not care one way or another. Maybe you feel that it is better to be safe than sorry. It's a decision each parent needs to make for themselves.
Is an IV ever necessary in labor? In short, yes. A woman in labor should be eating and drinking plenty of water. Water is crucial in helping the uterus work effectively. Without it, the uterus can become "irritable," often making an IV necessary. Under these conditions, she'll often experience contractions close together and intense, but only lasting about 30 seconds. An IV might help her stay hydrated and therefore causing more effective contractions. If a mom can't keep fluids down, she might also require an IV. As with all interventions, there is a time and place for everything. IVs should not, however, be a routine part of a normal labor.
One more thing I found extremely interesting about IV use in labor. This can have a negative effect on breastfeeding. Mellanie Sheppard, IBCLC, explained this at a Tarrant County Birth Network meeting one evening: When a woman has IV fluids, she becomes swollen and puffy until the extra fluid has time to leave her body. This can include extra fluid in the breast. A woman who didn't think she had flat nipples before now may have a problem with the baby latching properly. She might be started on a nipple shield and thus started down a road that could have been prevented by simply avoiding the IV in the first place.
Last week I wrote about various policies that contribute to the high c-section rates and neglectfully left routine IVs off that list. It should have been there. Drink your water. Talk to your care providers. If you are choosing to birth in the hospital, search out the care providers who practice evidence-based maternity care. You will likely have to concede on some issues, but choose your "battles" carefully and thoughtfully.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A Family's Loss, A Friend's Loss
I lost a student a couple years ago. The reality of it touched me more deeply than any other loss I've ever felt. "Fireflies" was one of his favorite songs. As death comes to us when least we expect it, as friends, acquaintances, and family have greeted death and left indelible touches upon our hearts , this is the song I remember, this is the song I think of in those time, for comfort. Thank you to my student for the impression he left upon my life.
This week a long ago friend lost her husband. This song is for her now, too.
[Continue Reading]
This week a long ago friend lost her husband. This song is for her now, too.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
It's Official - Delaware to Apply for NCLB Waiver
It's official according to Politics K-12 at Edweekcom:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2011/10/yesterday_was_the_deadline_for.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
Delaware has filed a Notice of Intent that signifies the state's desire to apply for the NCLB waiver. Yesterday was the deadline for applicants to file a courtesy notification with US DOE.
Delaware joins 38 other applicants in providing notification. Of note - our state indicates that it intends to file for the waiver in mid-February. It should be noted that a state can change it's mind and decide not to apply for the waiver. It should also be noted that Delaware could have opted to apply for the Waiver this coming November, but for whatever reason, opted to wait until February 2012.
However, this is the burning question - If the time is now, if the time was yesterday, if we are Racing to the Top, and seeking Innovation that must be immediate - if our PZ schools have only TWO YEARS to turnaround their achievement and find proficiency - WHY IN A MILLION YEARS WOULD DEDOE APPLY FOR THIS WAIVER?
[Continue Reading]
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2011/10/yesterday_was_the_deadline_for.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
Delaware has filed a Notice of Intent that signifies the state's desire to apply for the NCLB waiver. Yesterday was the deadline for applicants to file a courtesy notification with US DOE.
Delaware joins 38 other applicants in providing notification. Of note - our state indicates that it intends to file for the waiver in mid-February. It should be noted that a state can change it's mind and decide not to apply for the waiver. It should also be noted that Delaware could have opted to apply for the Waiver this coming November, but for whatever reason, opted to wait until February 2012.
However, this is the burning question - If the time is now, if the time was yesterday, if we are Racing to the Top, and seeking Innovation that must be immediate - if our PZ schools have only TWO YEARS to turnaround their achievement and find proficiency - WHY IN A MILLION YEARS WOULD DEDOE APPLY FOR THIS WAIVER?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Christina to Establish First Public-Montessori Program in Delaware
Last night, late in the evening, at our regularly scheduled board meeting, the Christina Board of Education voted 7-0 to establish Delaware's FIRST Public-Montessori program! Chrsitina now heads into a year of planning and preparation that culminate with Montessori classrooms in both the urban portion of our district and the suburban.
The Montessori model comes with substantial historical data validating it's methodologies which include smaller class sizes. For those in Christina who have lobbied for true education reform that directly affects the classroom, we will now embark on a three year pilot during which time we can collect and validate our own Christina-generated data!
Our Montessori model will bring new choice options to Christina students while positioning the district to offer even greater diversification in learning environments. This partnership is a win for Christina's children! I couldn't be prouder than I am today that our Board has taken the steps to invest in proven best-practices in a reknowned model.
Maria Montessori
(1870-1952), Italian educator and doctor, born in Chiaravalle, and educated at the University of Rome. She is best known for the Montessori method of teaching young children, introduced to Rome in 1907. Her method, which has since spread throughout the world, stresses the development of initiative and self-reliance by permitting children to do by themselves the things that interest them, but within strictly disciplined limits. A wide variety of special equipment of increasing complexity is used to help direct the interests of the child and hasten development.
When a child is ready to learn new and more difficult tasks, the teacher guides the child's first endeavours in order to avoid wasted effort and the learning of wrong habits; otherwise the child learns alone. It has been reported that the Montessori method has enabled children to learn to read and write much more quickly and with greater facility than has otherwise been possible. Her writings include The Montessori Method (1912) and Advanced Montessori Method (1917).There is no better investment in education than investing in our classrooms and our students. Warm Gratitidue is due to the Elementary Workshop in Wilmington for engaging Christina in several months of collaboration. Today, it's Children First!
[Continue Reading]
The Montessori model comes with substantial historical data validating it's methodologies which include smaller class sizes. For those in Christina who have lobbied for true education reform that directly affects the classroom, we will now embark on a three year pilot during which time we can collect and validate our own Christina-generated data!
Our Montessori model will bring new choice options to Christina students while positioning the district to offer even greater diversification in learning environments. This partnership is a win for Christina's children! I couldn't be prouder than I am today that our Board has taken the steps to invest in proven best-practices in a reknowned model.
Maria Montessori
When a child is ready to learn new and more difficult tasks, the teacher guides the child's first endeavours in order to avoid wasted effort and the learning of wrong habits; otherwise the child learns alone. It has been reported that the Montessori method has enabled children to learn to read and write much more quickly and with greater facility than has otherwise been possible. Her writings include The Montessori Method (1912) and Advanced Montessori Method (1917).There is no better investment in education than investing in our classrooms and our students. Warm Gratitidue is due to the Elementary Workshop in Wilmington for engaging Christina in several months of collaboration. Today, it's Children First!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Mayor Baker: When you are going to call the Gov a CRIMINAL? Because he just Jacked you!
No bones about it - last spring when Mayor Baker called the CSD board a bunch of criminals (for doing due diligence nonetheless and ensuring process was followed with fidelity - it was later learned that process need only be followed with "substantial performance/compliance") for the Gov's misinformed decision to withdraw RTTT funding and PZ funding from the district, it upset me greatly.
So, Mayor Baker, today the Gov. pulled the PZ funding from Bayard Middle School, skipped over Warner and Brandywine - the next recipients on the list of under-performers and both of which serve the children of your constituents - and sent the funds to Laurel.
When are you going to call the Gov. out for stealing from your students? At what point does the Gov become the Criminal? I'll be the first to tell you - you got it wrong on the first go round. This is your one chance to correct your error. Demand accountability NOW! Demand that DOE fund PZ for Warner or Brandywine!
[Continue Reading]
So, Mayor Baker, today the Gov. pulled the PZ funding from Bayard Middle School, skipped over Warner and Brandywine - the next recipients on the list of under-performers and both of which serve the children of your constituents - and sent the funds to Laurel.
When are you going to call the Gov. out for stealing from your students? At what point does the Gov become the Criminal? I'll be the first to tell you - you got it wrong on the first go round. This is your one chance to correct your error. Demand accountability NOW! Demand that DOE fund PZ for Warner or Brandywine!
There's no nice way to say this - But, WTF happened at DOE today?
Breaking News - Rick Jensen show on PZ bumble$uck! http://www.wdel.com/
DOE pulls PZ funding from Bayard Middle School and sends it to Laurel.
Well, that's a fine howdoyado!
[Continue Reading]
DOE pulls PZ funding from Bayard Middle School and sends it to Laurel.
Well, that's a fine howdoyado!
Hospital Policies that Encourage these Outrageous C-Section Rates
Over the years, I have narrowed down the hospital policies that are the biggest problem for moms who want to have an unmedicated birth. Short and sweet! Here are your red flags:
1) The use of continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM). I wrote about this one last week. This chains mom to the bed. She's not moving around, helping her baby figure his/her way out. This policy is applied in nearly all hospital births. It's very convenient for the nurses, but not for the mom. Evidence indicates that it is not safer for the baby and the c-section rates rise when EFM is used. Check with your hospital and your care provider. If your care provider "approves" intermittent monitoring, make sure that gets written in your chart. (Just a heads up -- while this improves your chances of not having EFM, it is not a guarantee.)
2) If your water breaks, you are in bed for the duration of your labor. They claim this is for your benefit, saving you from a c-section, as the umbilical cord could suddenly slip out, endangering the baby, making a c-section necessary. The chances of this actually occurring are about .3% of all births. How can you prevent this from occurring? Don't let anyone break your water! This is more likely to happen if the baby is high in the pelvis. If your baby is low, this is not really a risk. Also, if this is going to occur, it usually happens when the water breaks.
A couple other things worth noting that may or may not seem obvious: You will be on a time clock once your water breaks (find out what that means at your place of birth - usually 12-24 hours), so you really want to do things that encourage the baby to come. Laying in bed on a monitor doesn't really do that! Pitocin is usually started after water breaks. Evidence just doesn't make a lot of sense with this policy. They say that they are trying to prevent you from having a c-section, but by keeping you in bed, that is exactly where you are headed!
3) Vaginal Exams every two hours. The reason women are given vaginal exams are because they have epidurals and can't feel when they are ready to push. A woman who isn't numb doesn't need to be told how dilated she is or when to push. Failure to Progress is the 2nd most common reason women have c-sections (2nd to already having had a previous c-section). So let's add this up: She's in bed, on a fetal monitor, having vaginal exams every two hours. She's not moving or using gravity. I know of a hospital midwifery group that hardly ever does vaginal exams, unless there is a medical reason to do so. This is how it should be. Many women will stay at a certain number of dilation for many hours and then suddenly dilate in a short amount of time. Labor is not all about the dilation of the cervix! Vaginal exams are directly related to the dreaded time clock.
4) Does your hospital employ midwives? This is a big deal. If there are not midwives at your hospital, only the medical model of care is practiced. This is the only model the OBs use and the only model the nurses see. The midwifery model of care views labor and birth as a normal process. The medical model views childbirth as a medical emergency waiting to happen. They believe that medicine and technology improve the safety and process of birth.
5) Does your hospital have a no-VBAC policy? Then they don't trust birth and they don't read the evidence.
Finally, don't ignore the red flags. I could go on and on about policies that the majority of hospitals have that are problems for a natural birth mama. Follow your gut. There are great places to have your baby. Seek them out. Hopefully this list will be helpful on your journey. Don't be a victim! Like I always say, as long as your baby is still inside, you have options. This is your birth. Choose a birth place that respects your wishes and shows reverence towards your special day.
[Continue Reading]
1) The use of continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM). I wrote about this one last week. This chains mom to the bed. She's not moving around, helping her baby figure his/her way out. This policy is applied in nearly all hospital births. It's very convenient for the nurses, but not for the mom. Evidence indicates that it is not safer for the baby and the c-section rates rise when EFM is used. Check with your hospital and your care provider. If your care provider "approves" intermittent monitoring, make sure that gets written in your chart. (Just a heads up -- while this improves your chances of not having EFM, it is not a guarantee.)
2) If your water breaks, you are in bed for the duration of your labor. They claim this is for your benefit, saving you from a c-section, as the umbilical cord could suddenly slip out, endangering the baby, making a c-section necessary. The chances of this actually occurring are about .3% of all births. How can you prevent this from occurring? Don't let anyone break your water! This is more likely to happen if the baby is high in the pelvis. If your baby is low, this is not really a risk. Also, if this is going to occur, it usually happens when the water breaks.
A couple other things worth noting that may or may not seem obvious: You will be on a time clock once your water breaks (find out what that means at your place of birth - usually 12-24 hours), so you really want to do things that encourage the baby to come. Laying in bed on a monitor doesn't really do that! Pitocin is usually started after water breaks. Evidence just doesn't make a lot of sense with this policy. They say that they are trying to prevent you from having a c-section, but by keeping you in bed, that is exactly where you are headed!
3) Vaginal Exams every two hours. The reason women are given vaginal exams are because they have epidurals and can't feel when they are ready to push. A woman who isn't numb doesn't need to be told how dilated she is or when to push. Failure to Progress is the 2nd most common reason women have c-sections (2nd to already having had a previous c-section). So let's add this up: She's in bed, on a fetal monitor, having vaginal exams every two hours. She's not moving or using gravity. I know of a hospital midwifery group that hardly ever does vaginal exams, unless there is a medical reason to do so. This is how it should be. Many women will stay at a certain number of dilation for many hours and then suddenly dilate in a short amount of time. Labor is not all about the dilation of the cervix! Vaginal exams are directly related to the dreaded time clock.
4) Does your hospital employ midwives? This is a big deal. If there are not midwives at your hospital, only the medical model of care is practiced. This is the only model the OBs use and the only model the nurses see. The midwifery model of care views labor and birth as a normal process. The medical model views childbirth as a medical emergency waiting to happen. They believe that medicine and technology improve the safety and process of birth.
5) Does your hospital have a no-VBAC policy? Then they don't trust birth and they don't read the evidence.
Finally, don't ignore the red flags. I could go on and on about policies that the majority of hospitals have that are problems for a natural birth mama. Follow your gut. There are great places to have your baby. Seek them out. Hopefully this list will be helpful on your journey. Don't be a victim! Like I always say, as long as your baby is still inside, you have options. This is your birth. Choose a birth place that respects your wishes and shows reverence towards your special day.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Once A Month Shop
Not a new concept for the lots of little kids house hold but certainly not one that has taken place in the last... year... or two... or even three...
Inspired by the idiocy of dragging four little kids through a busy supermarket once or twice per week. I came up with a 'brain wave'. I would shop every Monday and every Thursday morning. Only... on a monday someone would be sick and a thursday someone else would be sick and so it just totally sucked. We ran our freezer supply down to half a bag of peas and a tub of yeast. Not that fancy a meal IMHO.
After another draggy-type shop apologising to just about every person I passed who almost hit one of my children I decided... no DECLARED!! I was going to shop once a month with a quick stock up of fresh foods WHEN NEEDED... Different to running a schedule.
So...
Here is how to get one done:
1. Meal Plan - 28 Dinner Meals = 4 weeks
2. Plan Shopping List according to Meal Plan & places to purchase
3. Arrange Babysitter & Shopping Pal
4. Go Shop!
1. Meal Plan. 4 weeks = 28 Dinner Meals.
Firstly I sorted, cleaned, tidied the cupboard and what little was left in both freezers writing down anything that was needed using a white board marker on the fridge.
I then took stock take of what we already had & wanted to use up.
I then made up a menu plan page by writing the numbers 1-28 down the side.
Then I drew them into 7 boxes. 4 meals per box. and labelled them PER DAY.
I (cheated) and using the items for sale at a butcher in BULK PACKS (to save money) made up as many meal ideas as I could and put them in different places for PER DAYS. eg easy meals = Shabbat (day of rest), Crock pot meals for busy day, etc
I then finished off the meal planner, added sides, salads, and vegetables.
Then drew up the shopping list 'per day'.
When all the ingredients were put together I then re-did the shopping list, added in quantities and put different items on different sections according to WHERE THINGS ARE at the shops (& also where to buy different items).
Then, got a babysitter (something I NEVER do) for the middle-kids, grabbed a sis-in-law for the fun and off we went. A VERY full trolley & $350 later (+$200 @ butchers) I have all the necessary ingredients for many many meals without the necessity of shopping EVERY week.
I'll need to drop in for fresh foods but those trips won't take me any longer than 10 minutes per visit with 4xkids and I wont need to drag them down endless isles.
Saving time, Saving sanity, Saving money.
MUCH LOVE!!! xxx
P.S. I am trying to save LOADS of money!!! SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!
Gov. Renders DE Diploma Useless and Brags About It!
If you didn't read the Gov's byline in Sunday's News Journal, you may want to check it out ... maybe. Depends how much propaganda you can stomach.
I know a couple other Delaware bloggers have already run with it - Kilroy, Transparent Christina. Even with their great evaluations, I have one bone to pick about the piece. Here goes:
The Gov writes:
If we inflict the truth on this statement, it would read like this:
All the font in red - That's my critical evaluation of the Gov's latest kool-aide.
This one goes out to Jack:
[Continue Reading]
I know a couple other Delaware bloggers have already run with it - Kilroy, Transparent Christina. Even with their great evaluations, I have one bone to pick about the piece. Here goes:
The Gov writes:
Together, we are raising expectations around what it means to be proficient in core subjects like reading and math; measuring students against their own progress instead of against a snapshot of the class that came before them; and helping lead the nation in the adoption of Common Core Standards so a Delaware diploma can be recognized in any state as a symbol of achievement.
If we inflict the truth on this statement, it would read like this:
Together, I, Gov. Markell, and the Delaware Department of ,who bow to my every whim and whimper, have decreased academic expectations. With the new DCAS, individual students must perform better because the test is harder in order to achieve their same scores as under the old DSTP. However, together, we duped my appointed State Board of Education in agreeing to allow the DOE to drop the proficiency rate - so culmulatively-speaking fewer actual students had score at the assigned profiency rate in order for a school to be ranked Superior or Commendable. With these changes, I have rendered the Delaware Diploma system useless.
While the DOE embarks on the implementation of common core standards, which admittedly are an over-stretch of federal intrustion (and have been interpretted by many to be flat out illegal), it's important to note that potential employers of this generation will have wade through data, coached and manipulated, to find real value in the diploma itself. If a school's reputation is known to be Superior and a student comes to an employer bearing a diploma from a reputable school, one might assume that the student actually mastered the common core standards and therefore would be a logical and attractive employee. But, if that same school achieved the Superior or Commendable rating based squarely on "growth" that diploma may simply be useless as it is not a marker of profiency, but an indicator of growth.
All the font in red - That's my critical evaluation of the Gov's latest kool-aide.
This one goes out to Jack:
Friday, October 7, 2011
Genuine of Heart
Remember reading this post here? No? Well, just to refresh your memory. It was bed time and the children were all in their room gearing down for sleep. In fact it was very late and all they were meant to do was go to sleep. I wandered down to check on them to discover a certain child rubbing his blanket on pink wet paint all over the wall. I could hardly believe it. Not wanting to Over-re-act and thus do more damage then good I decided the matter belonged to the Papa.
All he said was 'make him clean it up tomorrow' and they had some special time (briefly) before being sent back to bed.
Well. The. Very. Next. Day. This particular child expressed his heart. I was informed he wanted his bedroom wall painted so that it LOOKED PRETTY. In fact we've had this discussion several times already. Let's face it. In our cheap rental the walls are a neutral and unflattering dull yellow (my least fave colour in the world).
Knowing what I then knew I was super duper glad that I 1). Handed the matter over to someone else & 2). that no disciplinary measures where taken. Why? BECAUSE. Although the PHYSICAL ACTION was 'naughty' the INWARD ACTION was not.
I guess the experience has made me consider what is actually classed as being 'naughty'? Is it something that is inconvenient to us? something that wastes our resources (time, money, energy, etc)?
No wonders they say 'kids will be kids' or 'boys will be boys'. Natural learning, exploring, cause and effect. They are just being in the development stage they are in and learning about the world in which we live.
You don't read that kind of 'parenting advice' in the parenting books.
[Continue Reading]
All he said was 'make him clean it up tomorrow' and they had some special time (briefly) before being sent back to bed.
Well. The. Very. Next. Day. This particular child expressed his heart. I was informed he wanted his bedroom wall painted so that it LOOKED PRETTY. In fact we've had this discussion several times already. Let's face it. In our cheap rental the walls are a neutral and unflattering dull yellow (my least fave colour in the world).
Knowing what I then knew I was super duper glad that I 1). Handed the matter over to someone else & 2). that no disciplinary measures where taken. Why? BECAUSE. Although the PHYSICAL ACTION was 'naughty' the INWARD ACTION was not.
I guess the experience has made me consider what is actually classed as being 'naughty'? Is it something that is inconvenient to us? something that wastes our resources (time, money, energy, etc)?
No wonders they say 'kids will be kids' or 'boys will be boys'. Natural learning, exploring, cause and effect. They are just being in the development stage they are in and learning about the world in which we live.
You don't read that kind of 'parenting advice' in the parenting books.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
RTTT Jargon Phrase of the Day
Thought Partner
For a much better Translation of "Thought Partner," go HERE.
[Continue Reading]
The role of a Thought Partner is to think with the client in a way that makes the process of thinking explicit and allows the client to see the implications of the thinking process on his or her goals, actions and conditions for performance. It is not the role of the Thought Partner to be more informed, more correct, more logical or more incisive than the client. It is the role of the Thought Partner to attend to the conditions of the dialogue in a way that enables the client to think more clearly and effectively toward his or her goals.
The critical faculties for being a great Thought Partner are listening without criticism, reflecting a client's thinking back to him accurately and without judgment and sharing insights emerging from the dialogue with no emotional attachment to being viewed as right or brilliant or any other favorable or unfavorable assessment. The Thought Partner is more than a parrot, in that he or she must think the thoughts of the client and then reflect them back, not merely repeat the words. Neither is the Thought Partner merely a foil for the client's thinking. http://www.thoughtpartner.net/index.php?/archives/3-What-is-a-Thought-Partner.html
For a much better Translation of "Thought Partner," go HERE.
Just in case...
... You were thinking we get away with these sorts of "issues" because we home school.
Red paint + after bed time = 1 in trouble lil kid!!!!!
And they were being so lovely moments beforehand.
Atleast. I suppose. He knew it was wrong because he tried washing it off with his BLANKET!!! Grrr :(
Homeschool: literacy skills
I sometimes worry these kids arn't learning enough, or getting enough. It's a comparison foe that I have not fully ditched. Home school verse rest of main stream Aussie kids.
Yet here they are. Back out of bed to hear a story I'm reading to the toddler.
Then. Sitting there. Reading. Or telling the story from the pictures. He's so accurate one could be fooled into thinking he's reading the words.
The kid has no literacy issues for his age. I'm so relieved.
Bonus is he reads to the other kids. Just like me (lol).
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Banana ice cream
Proud as punch is the eldest of lots of little kids in this house today.
He just made the kids banana ice cream. It's that simple.
Freeze peeled bananas.
When frozen shove down a juicer, mix in a thermomix or blend in a blender for under 1 minute.
Enjoy.
We've been making lots of things today. Laundry liquid is cooked and set. Cornflour spray is next.
One month of meal planning and shopping list writing.
Cupboard sorting, rubbish pick UPS outside.
And washing. Lots and lots of washing.
He just made the kids banana ice cream. It's that simple.
Freeze peeled bananas.
When frozen shove down a juicer, mix in a thermomix or blend in a blender for under 1 minute.
Enjoy.
We've been making lots of things today. Laundry liquid is cooked and set. Cornflour spray is next.
One month of meal planning and shopping list writing.
Cupboard sorting, rubbish pick UPS outside.
And washing. Lots and lots of washing.
RTTT Phrase of the Day!
substantial performance (compliance) legal definition
noun
A doctrine in equity that if a good faith attempt was made to perform the requirements of a contract, but failed to exactly meet the specifics, and if the essential aim of the contract has been met, the agreement will still be considered as having been completed. Minimal damages for the impreciseness may be permitted by the court. See also performance.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc. http://law.yourdictionary.com/substantial-performance-compliance
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
School...
... Today looks like this:
Why? Because they spread milk throughout the entire kitchen!
This is: life skills. Consequence. Responsibility.
Trying to convince me its time for someone's birthday.
I think not.
5 things I am thankful for today.
1. Mik at work. Providing our financial needs
2. Grace. I need it.
3. Mercy. I need this too.
4. Revelation. I am not a lousy wife like once believed.
5. Knowing I am not a quitter. Regardless of popular belief. I am indeed a fighter!!
Why? Because they spread milk throughout the entire kitchen!
This is: life skills. Consequence. Responsibility.
Trying to convince me its time for someone's birthday.
I think not.
5 things I am thankful for today.
1. Mik at work. Providing our financial needs
2. Grace. I need it.
3. Mercy. I need this too.
4. Revelation. I am not a lousy wife like once believed.
5. Knowing I am not a quitter. Regardless of popular belief. I am indeed a fighter!!
Moyer, now Middletown. What's in the H2O?
Middletown High locked down after girl found with three knives.
And to think, our Governor wanted to replace our SROs with rookie cops. Thank goodness that never happened!
[Continue Reading]
And to think, our Governor wanted to replace our SROs with rookie cops. Thank goodness that never happened!
Outside
With a wide awake, crawling, falling baby... (I'm attempting to hang 10 loads up)
Meat loaf
Cooking meat loaf for my family. With a man like ours.
Means our kids are put off meat loaf for life. Pity. It's one of my childhood favourites.
Dry reaching at the table with dog food in their mouth.
*sigh*
Potato n herbs
I am not sure what the official name for this stuff is called but I love it. Which is saying a lot because I don't like potatoes unless deep fried.
Tonight I have my school boy chopping potatoes and making this dish. It's that easy.
Cube potatoes.
Add oil and mixed herbs.
Fry on stove until cooked and crispy.
Eat :)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Changing rooms
With a near impossible task of changing rooms around with small children inc a cuddly baby with a self-inflicted black eye I had to come up with something and fast.
Fun time with the jolly jumper. Simply hang her up! Complete with bunny ears.
Chilled out day?
I hate those mornings when you need more sleep because you were up half the night for no reason.
No jobs done,
Kids have eaten,
Some kids are dressed,
Others are not.
We've read: green eggs and ham,
Fox in socks,
And a bible story about rich men getting into heaven.
We've had lots of cuddles,
And fights over bunny ears
And fights over who is not getting jarah clothes,
Also playing with toys.
And. Eaten cheese. Cheese? Yep, cheese.
That's about it and its 9:10 am. Time for me to get up?! And commence our bet sefer (home school).
Electronic Fetal Monitoring -- Is it really saving babies?
As Tim McGraw's biggest fan, I subscribe to a number of Country news emails and Facebook groups. I skip over most of it, but sometimes I'll see something that catches my eye that is not even related to Tim. As you can imagine, it usually has to do with someone having a baby.
A couple of weeks ago it came across my News Feed that Jewel was showing off her new baby. She lives in this area of Texas, about an hour from me, and because we have about a 50% c-section rate, I was very curious how things turned out for her. (I had heard that she had desired a "natural birth.")
The story goes that she was doing Hypnobirthing -- no details available. Could have been self-study or CDs, maybe a class. So I assume that desiring a "natural birth" really did mean an unmedicated birth, not just a vaginal birth.
The article went on to describe how violent the Braxton-Hicks contractions were and put the baby at risk. Yadda, yadda, yadda... she had an emergency c-section that miraculously saved her baby.
The singer, who studies hypnobirthing, was eager to have a natural birth, but things didn’t work out as planned. When Jewel started having early Braxton Hicks contractions, Kase’s heart rate dropped. She admits, “I feel lucky to be pregnant in the modern age where they could actually tell he wasn’t well during those contractions.”
In the end, Jewel says her scheduled birth plan wasn’t what was important to the young family. “We felt thankful that we had good doctors and a good hospital nearby, and that everything was OK,” she says. “I’m so lucky that we have a healthy baby boy. That’s all I cared about.”
I can't help but think this poor reporter got his terms mixed up about the contractions, and there's little information to go on from there.
Regardless, how many women have had c-sections that truly believe they were necessary -- that their baby would have died without the surgery? Countless. The year the Electronic Fetal Monitor was introduced, we went from a 5% c-section rate to 23%. Studies have shown time and again that a baby who is truly in distress will be picked up with intermittent monitoring. (Side note: "intermittent" means different things to different care providers. It may mean during and between a couple of contractions per hour, or 20 minutes per hour. Find out what intermittent means at your place of birth.)
One of the problems with the continuous monitoring is the lack of communication between the birth team and the parents. Mom is monitored from down the hall, and when a nurse does walk in, she tends to look at the monitor and not the laboring woman. Another problem is obvious: mom can't move around and help her baby out. The baby is left to figure it out on his/her own.
Problem number 3: Any time a mom receives drugs of any kind, she'll be put on a monitor to be sure the baby is handling it OK. This can mean hours and hours of a baby being exposed to ultrasound. That's what Electronic Fetal Monitoring is -- ultrasound. I've written posts on the risks of ultrasound in the past. Click here and here and here. You need to decide how comfortable you are with this intervention.
Problem number 4: The biggest problem of all is simply that they have to do something with the results of the readout. Take a baby that has a cord around the neck, for example. This baby will have decels of the heart rate on the printout. They aren't sure why the baby's heart rate is dropping, but better safe than sorry, right? Lawsuit alarms start going off and a c-section is performed. The baby is fine (Jewel's baby looked great!), but there is this perception -- or defense mechanism -- that thank goodness the c-section was performed and saved the baby.
Was the baby ever in trouble?
We'll never know. But now, because it's so hard to find a VBAC-friendly doctor, we've put this mom on a c-section path for all her children -- unless of course she becomes informed of her VBAC options. As an OB, this is exactly where I want her. Easier for me and twice as much money. Few women will question the c-section because it makes her look like a bad mom. She trusts her doctor. It's easier to believe that the surgery saved the baby.
Another side note: The cord around the baby's neck occurs in about one in three births. When a c-section is performed where the cord is around the neck, the OB often makes a big deal about it, making the parents feel like this was very dangerous. It's not. The OB or midwife, after the head is out, will simply lift it over the baby's head. It could be wrapped around the neck several times! The most I've seen from one of my student's was 4 times! Had she stayed with her original hospital and OB -- who required continuous monitoring -- she assuredly would have had a c-section. Instead, she had a fabulous water birth with CNMs at a different hospital.
So, I feel bad for Jewel. Maybe her baby really was in distress, but I suspect that the doctor didn't want such a public birth taking a chance at going sour. Given the high c-section rate in our area, perhaps he was less comfortable with (unmedicated) vaginal birth than cesarean birth. He knew he could perform a mean c-section and spin it like he saved the baby. Again, just me speculating. I do believe that she was likely another victim of our broken maternity system and doesn't even realize it. While I always advocate for women being informed of their choices in childbirth, sometimes ignorance is probably quite blissful.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Shabbat shalom
It means restful peace in Hebrew. See. The begining of the bible states that God made the heavens and the earth in a day. Then light, sun, moon, stars, animals, plants, and man all in 6 days. Then he rested on the seventh day. Shabbat or Sabbath or in modern language Saturday.
He (God) later states to Moses in the dessert as one of the ten commandments to "keep the Sabbath holy, do no work, rest". Throughout the old testament (before Christ) & the new testament (Christ's life plus) keep the Sabbath day holy is spoken of several times.
In a general sense Christians can say I don't need to do that because the bible also says that whoever calls on his name and believes in his heart will be saved (often referred to as the sinners prayer).
If you look at a set of rules or laws they are generally put in place to protect us and others from harm. For example speeding. I'd prefer people travelling at lower speeds through school zones in the hopes lives are saved. I like that rule. What about drink driving. We generally say its not ok. Why? Because reflexes are slowed (as well as other stuff) and accidents causing death occur. Punishment for breaking these two laws can include fines, loss of licence and the life long conscience that you killed someone or caused them harm. Not cool.
As a busy mum I often feel unrested. Why? Because I do stuff each and every day. Important stuff.
A few months back I came into the realisation that I needed a rest (weekly) & that God told us to take a day off weekly. I was surprised how often the bible tells us to do so. Not because it will benefit God but because it will benefit us.
So. I started setting aside each (just about) Saturday to have my peaceful day of rest. Some weeks had functions on others I laid in bed for ages, sat on the couch and read the bible, watched movies with the kids etc etc etc. Not one rest day has so far looked the same.
I try get all house work done by Friday 5pm. It's meant re-organising the other work days a bit to do the work in but I manage.
Truthfully, it is such a blessed day. Hanging with those I love the most and chilling. On the inside I usually feel well rested and ready for another busy week.
Whether you are a believer in Jesus or not, take a rest day off and see what it feels like (inside). You may become convinced and get freshened up too :)
He (God) later states to Moses in the dessert as one of the ten commandments to "keep the Sabbath holy, do no work, rest". Throughout the old testament (before Christ) & the new testament (Christ's life plus) keep the Sabbath day holy is spoken of several times.
In a general sense Christians can say I don't need to do that because the bible also says that whoever calls on his name and believes in his heart will be saved (often referred to as the sinners prayer).
If you look at a set of rules or laws they are generally put in place to protect us and others from harm. For example speeding. I'd prefer people travelling at lower speeds through school zones in the hopes lives are saved. I like that rule. What about drink driving. We generally say its not ok. Why? Because reflexes are slowed (as well as other stuff) and accidents causing death occur. Punishment for breaking these two laws can include fines, loss of licence and the life long conscience that you killed someone or caused them harm. Not cool.
As a busy mum I often feel unrested. Why? Because I do stuff each and every day. Important stuff.
A few months back I came into the realisation that I needed a rest (weekly) & that God told us to take a day off weekly. I was surprised how often the bible tells us to do so. Not because it will benefit God but because it will benefit us.
So. I started setting aside each (just about) Saturday to have my peaceful day of rest. Some weeks had functions on others I laid in bed for ages, sat on the couch and read the bible, watched movies with the kids etc etc etc. Not one rest day has so far looked the same.
I try get all house work done by Friday 5pm. It's meant re-organising the other work days a bit to do the work in but I manage.
Truthfully, it is such a blessed day. Hanging with those I love the most and chilling. On the inside I usually feel well rested and ready for another busy week.
Whether you are a believer in Jesus or not, take a rest day off and see what it feels like (inside). You may become convinced and get freshened up too :)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
DOE Plays Games with Charters - Chooses Which Laws to Enforce
I get a myriad of email through my inbox. To date, I have more than 1400. Every once in a while, one sparks my interest. This particular one may even spark the interest of Paul Herdman and Rodel's Vision Network.
This came through earlier this week:
A Delaware Charter School has raised an issue of Charter Law - specifically violations of Title 14, Chapter 5, 506 (c.3). This clause states that families enrolling their student in a charter school for the first time must sign a one-time one year contract committing them to keep their child at said charter school for the full year. The request to DOE was about enforcement capabilities as some parents and students signed the contract and then withdrew their students and enrolled them in the traditional public schools. The traditional public schools appear complacent to violate the law as they did not stop the enrollment from occurring.
While I have to admit that I don't quite get the law itself, I wasn't around when it was written. My guess is that it was to stem students from committing to several schools and then waiting for the last minute to decide which school to go to - which makes it difficult for schools/districts to hire teaching staff and purchase materials within budget.
Here's the response to the query:
From: Cruce Daniel
To: XXXX
Cc: XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX,
Sent: Wed, Sep 28, 2011
Subject: RE: Charter student contracts
Thank you for raising your concerns regarding this issue After reviewing the issue with our internal team, it has been determined that students not in attendance at your school during the last 10 days of September do not qualify for inclusion in the September 30th unit count.
I would like to illuminate several points below germane to this issue:
The first year agreement letter, signed by parents per 14 Del.C. §506 (c) (3), is a written confirmation between the charter school and the parent. This written confirmation, or violation of this written confirmation, is exclusively between the charter school and the parent.
State funding is based on where a student is enrolled and attending during the last 10 days of school in September.
Students not in attendance during the last 10 days of school in September cannot be included in a district or charter school unit count as outlined in 14 DE Admin.Code 701 Unit Count 2.1.
DDOE addresses all regulations and requirements for the inclusion and exclusion of students in the September 30th unit count in our Unit Count training sessions.
o These training sessions require representation from all districts and charter schools.
The summary document and multiple other related resources are available in the Unit Count PLUS program under Help & Documentation.
We understand the concerns this issue raises at your school and appreciate the opportunity to reiterate the above clarifications. As stated previously, we want to ensure the success of all schools while also ensuring that unit count regulations are specifically followed. Inherent in this effort is the intent that parents have the information they need to make informed decisions about their child's education.
Respectfully-
Dan
------------------------------------
Here's my admittedly under-educated take:
1) Directing the conversation to the Sept. 30th unit count is a diversion tactic. Deflect from the real issue.
2) The Real Issue: DOE chooses which laws to enforce. DOE via RTTT claims to be pro-charter. However, DOE, and vicariously, the Governor are not willing to enforce Charter law and regulation. What DOE says and what DOE does are two very different things. And this is just another indication that DOE is NOT pro-charter, despite 'sclaims otherwise. DOE is pro-business. My predication is that the movement of charters in Delaware will go down like this : instead of home grown localized charters, outside Charter Management Organizations are poised to enter the Delaware market, either through take over as seen at Moyer or via Innovative Schools which seems to have a monopoly on the Charter School economy in Delaware. You name the service you need, Innovative has it. One-stop-shopping. Wonder how many sole-source contracts Innovative has gotten over the last two-three years?
Yeah, so I'm a conspiracy theorist. At the end of the day, the law's the LAW. DOE should enforce it and that enforcement capability occurs on the receiving end - those districts that take kids despite signed contracts when good cause does not exist. Why should the Charter school be punished for plannnig according to committments via loss of funds on Sept. 30th and why should a district benefit from the violation of state law? Maybe DOE needs to look at withholding funding for any student in violation of the 1 year contract provision. Districts must adhere to the law. Despite the lure of funding, they need to set the example for parents who are trying to game the system. They need to work in partnership with Charters to ensure choice is not corrupted.
If districts don't set a good example for students when parents are playing the system, who will?
Maybe Paul Herdmann and Vision will step up to the plate and actually advocate for the charters they claim to support. DOE has no mind to listen to me. But, they might be compelled to enforce the law if the power-brokers at Vision are up in arms.
[Continue Reading]
This came through earlier this week:
A Delaware Charter School has raised an issue of Charter Law - specifically violations of Title 14, Chapter 5, 506 (c.3). This clause states that families enrolling their student in a charter school for the first time must sign a one-time one year contract committing them to keep their child at said charter school for the full year. The request to DOE was about enforcement capabilities as some parents and students signed the contract and then withdrew their students and enrolled them in the traditional public schools. The traditional public schools appear complacent to violate the law as they did not stop the enrollment from occurring.
While I have to admit that I don't quite get the law itself, I wasn't around when it was written. My guess is that it was to stem students from committing to several schools and then waiting for the last minute to decide which school to go to - which makes it difficult for schools/districts to hire teaching staff and purchase materials within budget.
Here's the response to the query:
From: Cruce Daniel
To: XXXX
Cc: XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX,
Sent: Wed, Sep 28, 2011
Subject: RE: Charter student contracts
Thank you for raising your concerns regarding this issue After reviewing the issue with our internal team, it has been determined that students not in attendance at your school during the last 10 days of September do not qualify for inclusion in the September 30th unit count.
I would like to illuminate several points below germane to this issue:
The first year agreement letter, signed by parents per 14 Del.C. §506 (c) (3), is a written confirmation between the charter school and the parent. This written confirmation, or violation of this written confirmation, is exclusively between the charter school and the parent.
State funding is based on where a student is enrolled and attending during the last 10 days of school in September.
Students not in attendance during the last 10 days of school in September cannot be included in a district or charter school unit count as outlined in 14 DE Admin.Code 701 Unit Count 2.1.
DDOE addresses all regulations and requirements for the inclusion and exclusion of students in the September 30th unit count in our Unit Count training sessions.
o These training sessions require representation from all districts and charter schools.
The summary document and multiple other related resources are available in the Unit Count PLUS program under Help & Documentation.
We understand the concerns this issue raises at your school and appreciate the opportunity to reiterate the above clarifications. As stated previously, we want to ensure the success of all schools while also ensuring that unit count regulations are specifically followed. Inherent in this effort is the intent that parents have the information they need to make informed decisions about their child's education.
Respectfully-
Dan
------------------------------------
Here's my admittedly under-educated take:
1) Directing the conversation to the Sept. 30th unit count is a diversion tactic. Deflect from the real issue.
2) The Real Issue: DOE chooses which laws to enforce. DOE via RTTT claims to be pro-charter. However, DOE, and vicariously, the Governor are not willing to enforce Charter law and regulation. What DOE says and what DOE does are two very different things. And this is just another indication that DOE is NOT pro-charter, despite 'sclaims otherwise. DOE is pro-business. My predication is that the movement of charters in Delaware will go down like this : instead of home grown localized charters, outside Charter Management Organizations are poised to enter the Delaware market, either through take over as seen at Moyer or via Innovative Schools which seems to have a monopoly on the Charter School economy in Delaware. You name the service you need, Innovative has it. One-stop-shopping. Wonder how many sole-source contracts Innovative has gotten over the last two-three years?
Yeah, so I'm a conspiracy theorist. At the end of the day, the law's the LAW. DOE should enforce it and that enforcement capability occurs on the receiving end - those districts that take kids despite signed contracts when good cause does not exist. Why should the Charter school be punished for plannnig according to committments via loss of funds on Sept. 30th and why should a district benefit from the violation of state law? Maybe DOE needs to look at withholding funding for any student in violation of the 1 year contract provision. Districts must adhere to the law. Despite the lure of funding, they need to set the example for parents who are trying to game the system. They need to work in partnership with Charters to ensure choice is not corrupted.
If districts don't set a good example for students when parents are playing the system, who will?
Maybe Paul Herdmann and Vision will step up to the plate and actually advocate for the charters they claim to support. DOE has no mind to listen to me. But, they might be compelled to enforce the law if the power-brokers at Vision are up in arms.
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