Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

In case you haven’t heard the news, the FTC has some new proposed changes in store for blog reviewers.  We can be sued and held personally liable just like a product company or brand for making false claims of products we are reviewing. 

I agree we should not be making false and outrageous claims!!!  But I still hear those types of “off the wall claims” in mainstream media today.  Why FTC?  So now the FTC is going to police the state of blogging for outrageous claims and full disclosure!  If you need help FTC, you can hire me at a fraction of the price you will pay some “watchdog” group to police the state of mommy bloggers.  I am sure I have some other mommy bloggers who can help too! 

Note to readers: Always look for an opportunity in the middle of controversy!

Note to the FTC:  You need to start cracking down on the airways of traditional, mainstream media to hold them to the same standard as “professional” bloggers.  I find the level of media bias a joke in mainstream media.  Allow me to illustrate.  Again, in case you may have forgotten, this is my personal opinion:  Media is funded by advertising.  You have XYZ advertiser paying you millions and billions of dollars and you don’t bury stories or oversell positions?  Right?  On a television show you have a “so-called news story” and you are having your advertiser “pay to play” to be featured in that so-called news story and I don’t see you, mainstream media, saying this is a paid three minute human interest story featuring this company!  What about those public relations firms that are “pay to play” meaning we will have you on if you pay this fee and we can get you quoted by this national media outlet???

Unsure what I mean by an outrageous claim?

The following is my made-up outrageous claim that in no way is a reference to any real or existing product that may make this same claim with the following statement as my personal opinion only and was not paid for by anyone for me to say and again this is just an illustration of full disclosure on a blog post by a mom blogger with the following example of an false claim: “this (made-up product for illustration) will make your four year-old read like a college professor in three days or less or your money back”; but again, how many times are you flipping though the channels and you hear those “type” of outrageous claims in our mainstream media????  Our mainstream media is getting a paycheck to have these type of claims voiced on their watch.  Might there be a deeper issue at play here?

This is my opinion and not a paid endorsement from any third party:  I think that the special interests groups from traditional advertising groups are fighting word-of-mouth and don’t want to lose money to grassroots word-of-mouth bloggers.  Bloggers are a cheap way to advertise when compared to traditional pricing.  Do you want to pay $50,000 for a social media package or hire some mom blogger for $25- $2500 for a grassroots approach?  Do you want to pay some company to do the work for you that doesn’t even have kids that use your products or pay that same mom blogger who has been using the product for the last 15 years to tell others about her experiences at pennies on the dollar?  I think tradition media is running scared!  They are losing money to this new movement!

Speak up!  Voice your opinion!  WE NEED YOU if you are a mommy blogger!

Check out Milwaukee’s Morning Blend and Jodi Olson, The Frugalitarian, as she shares tips with Alison and Molly for home décor, using architectural salvage to help honor the earth.   Jodi also explains the Frugalitarian philosophy to honor Mother Earth.  Check out this video: http://www.themorningblend.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1474/xmid/31701/Default.aspx

www.thefrugalitarian.com

On April 20, 1999, Rachel Scott was the first person to be shot in the Columbine High School shootings.  Her amazing acts of kindness and compassion, along with the contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America. 

I have been blessed to see this uplifting program.  Do your students a favor and help bring Rachel’s Challenge to your school and watch how this young girl, who predicted a tragic fate like that of Ann Frank and wanted to keep a diary, just like Ann, to help the world understand her mission as well.  She wanted to change the way people treat other people. 

This program uses powerful video along with actual audio footage of Rachel’s life and the Columbine tragedy - that is truly motivating others across the country to create positive change in they way they treat others.

Today, in Rachel’s honor we celebrate a good chain reaction.  

http://www.rachelschallenge.com/

Successful Mom Entrepreneurs Share Insight on How to Get Started and Stay Ahead

SAN DIEGO, CA (April 2009) - In an economic climate where many are consumed with simply protecting their status quo, now might actually be the best time to take a leap of faith and start a business. According to a recent USA Today article, some of the country’s most successful companies - Johnson & Johnson, Disney and Proctor & Gamble, just to name a few - were started in recessions and benefited by weakened business competitors and consumers with loosened brand loyalties seeking cheaper alternatives.

                Of course not everyone should forego their steady income to wear the entrepreneurial hat, but some are poised to launch with little to no opportunity cost. As evidenced by the rise of the “mom entrepreneur,” mothers are in a prime position, as starting a home-based business can not only help stay-at-home moms contribute to the household during a time when dual incomes are increasingly important, but it can also provide job security and flexibility for families.

                “When you own your own business, you are not at the mercy of an employer who decides not to keep you on - you put in the work, and you reap the rewards,” explains Lisa Druxman, founder and CEO of Stroller Strides®, the country’s largest and fastest-growing postnatal exercise program for moms, which offers family-friendly franchise opportunities for moms across the nation. “Absolutely nothing can replace the experience of owning your own business, as you can develop it around your schedule and the needs of your family.”

                Seconds Beth Butler, Founder of Boca Beth LLC, a company that teaches Spanish and English to young children through CDs, DVDs puppets and books, “An unstable economy is one of the easiest times to outshine your competition. While many are working less because sales are down, I’m forging full-steam ahead.”

                Druxman and Butler aren’t alone. Thousands of moms have turned their personal passions into financially-rewarding enterprises, without having to sacrifice family along the way.

                How did they do it? From building an empire in eco-friendly cleaners to turning custom-painted pottery into a lucrative paycheck, several successful mom entrepreneurs share their insights on getting started and staying ahead:

• Play to Passion. When choosing the type of business you plan to launch, mom entrepreneurs agree - personal passions must play a key role. What do you like to do as a hobby that’s also in line with your skill set? What will get you out of bed at 3 a.m.? Because mom entrepreneurs can expect to be seven-days-a-week involved in the business - at least at the outset - these are important questions to ask.

• “Start something you know and love,” says Audra Conklin, founder of Modern Mermaids Eco-Friendly Products. “Don’t just jump into a business where you see others making money, as it needs to be something YOU believe in, and don’t do it out of desperation. It shows.”

          Research, research, research. Check out potential competitors, create a business plan, consult with a business coach, seek out women’s networking groups through your local Chamber of Commerce and USE THE INTERNET, suggest the mom entrepreneurs. Sign up for free marketing sites like The Publicity Hound, get free business counseling through SCORE.org or seek out a support site, such as TheMomEntrepreneur.com. Your fellow mom entrepreneurs can be your most valuable allies; Stroller Strides Founder Druxman even makes her expertise available to colleagues on a monthly basis by hosting free Mommy-Owned Business web calls.

• “Forums are great, because other moms are always happy to help,” says Natalja Millsap, president and CEO of Sweetsation Therapy LLC, an organic pregnancy skincare line. “You can ask any question you like and, chances are, someone will know the answer.”
• Maximize your savings by being home-based. When you work from home, you save money on rent, car wear and tear, wardrobe and supplies, not to mention receiving a tax write-off, say the mom entrepreneurs. And just because the business grows doesn’t mean you have to move the operation out of the home; with online phone systems such as Skype, portable email and web meeting resources available, having a virtual network of remote employees or partners is seamless.
• Working from home is a win-win for saving time and money, and you can carve out a time that works best for you and your family,” says Stacey Kannenberg, founder and CEO of Cedar Valley Publishing, one of the top 50 children’s publishers. “I work best after everyone is in bed, and ironically I can always connect with one of my fellow entrepreneurs online for advice during that time - it’s amazing how many of us are up working!”
• Keep the home office separate from the home. Beware of getting burned out easily with a new home-based business, mom entrepreneurs warn. Try to take the weekends off whenever possible and plan activities with the children where they get your full attention. Most moms are great at multi-tasking, but being on a business call while spoon-feeding a baby may prove challenging, so be prepared to possibly work strange hours so that you can be both an efficient businesswoman and an attentive mother.
• “Make sure your family is committed to giving you space and time for work,” says Laura Gisborne, owner of two retail stores and a winery in Arizona. “You will be much more effective in your business and be more emotionally available for your family.”

For more tips from successful mom entrepreneurs on starting a business or to set up an interview with the panel, please contact Jordan at On the Horizon Communications at (805) 773-1000 or email jordan@thepressroom.com.

Stroller Strides franchises are available for those interested in a home-based, family-friendly business. Stroller Strides classes are offered in over 800 locations in the United States and Canada. The hour-long classes emphasize cardiovascular activities and muscle-strengthening exercises using resistance bands and strollers, allowing moms to interact with their babies throughout their workout. Stroller Strides now also offers prenatal Fit4Baby classes at locations nationwide. To further assist mothers in all aspects of their lives, Stroller Strides partners with Pampers®, LUNA® and BOB®. For more information about Stroller Strides, including class locations, visit www.strollerstrides.com.

Career and Women’s Issues

Does full-time motherhood allow for fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment in today’s culture? Does working full time give parents a sense of balance in raising their children and handling the demands of a career? The answer is NO to both.

Betty Friedan, author of “The Feminine Mystique” wrote that, after nearly two decades of women abandoning their careers to have kids and stay home, these women were more depressed, isolated and frustrated than ever, even if they have first gone to college. “Like a two-headed schizophrenic…once she wrote a paper on Graveyard poets; now she writes notes to the milkman…”  The Feminine Mystique was written nearly fifty years ago but could have been written today. While more women ARE going to college and finishing their education, many accept the role of mother and wife, thereby forgoing the chance to shape and express their own identities in society.

I am one of ‘them.’ Raised mostly by a foster family and people other than my own parents, I quit my highly stressful job when I had my daughter. After countless hours of pushing her on the swing and rushing to the park in between naps, I witnessed the annihilation of my mental abilities. The biggest challenge became whether to cook chicken scaloppini or pasta for dinner. For years I felt as if I were suspended on a thread that depended on the passing of time; one day melded into another and my days were interminable.  When I tried to return to work it proved disastrous, caught as I was between the guilt and the anxiety of leaving my child behind and the demands of my job. The result was that I couldn’t perform either one to my satisfaction and eventually quit trying to do both.

Friedan asserts that the unhappiness of women (and at times men) while raising a child full time is the result of the fragmented, unrecognized, and undervalued existence that women conduct. I can’t agree with her more.  While it is very rewarding to be with our children, it can also wipe our sense of identity and direction.

Friedan continues her study by stating that, “with the career woman out of the way, the housewife with interests in the community becomes the devil to be exorcised…there is the discontent suburban wife who raises hell at the PTA; morbidly depressed, she …envies her husband…” I have seen with my own eyes the multitude of talented women vying for a spot in the various groups where we could express our skills and abilities. The question is: is the lack of pursuits in a woman’s life a consequence of the denial suffered by society or is motherhood a determining factor in the obliteration of other areas of interest?

Of course, one has to take into account the social class of the individual(s) in question. As a white, middle to upper class woman who has had the choice-albeit not always-to pick between homemaking and full time work, I suffered the conflict of wanting to be home with my child and yet longing to express my creativity in full. Over the years I quickly morphed into what Dr. Polly Eisendrath-Young defines as the ‘hothouse mother’ (from Women and Desire, an account of women desires and pathologies in the context of a patriarchal culture) which states that: “when a mother is “perceived simply as a resource for others’ needs rather than as a person in her own right, she becomes the Hothouse Mother”. In her estimation, the ‘hothouse’ concept is simply the result of society’s inability to respond to the needs of the parent of a young child, especially mothers. In their desire to become ‘ideal mothers’ women cut themselves from society and the ability to function amongst adults in the workplace. They become depressed, isolated and neurotic, which in turn plays against the image of what they are trying to achieve.

Friedan suggests that the solution for a society who doesn’t want to deal with women’s dissatisfaction is ‘the disappearance of the heroine altogether’ (the mythical figure from the past), which provides the answer to one of today’s dilemma also. Many women are talked into compromising their goals in the name of raising families and adjusting to the community. When a woman is seen only in terms of her sexual role, says Friedan, the barriers to the realization of her full potential-career, education and political interests-are no longer a problem. What remains is ‘the problem that has no name’ a vague wish for something more to which magazines reply by suggesting the adoption of a different outfit.

The central question remains: why is our society not capable of providing full time parents with a sense of their worth as they educate and form the individuals of tomorrow? Could it be that our capitalistic culture acknowledges and only rewards those who produce in a materialistic sense?

This is something we must strive to change. Unless we understand that caring for one another and contributing to each other’s wellbeing and education is the only guarantee for a prosperous future, we will suffer losses and produce less-than-whole members of society.

The topics around motherhood in industrialized societies, the fragmentation phenomenon and the consequences it carries, the isolation aspect-endemic of an industrialized culture-and the issue of re-entering the work force once the kids leave home are many and I will be addressing them in the blogs to come.

Thank you for your interest and your support,

Lauretta

I am PROUD to be 100% made in Wisconsin.

From my “Let’s Get Ready” series of books, the illustration and design team of Joyce Babel-Worth and Dori Schmitz are from Wisconsin … to my print production team. We are not only proud to be “Made in the USA” but also 100% made in Wisconsin!

Check out more Wisconsin made items at www.wisconsinmade.com! And check out my Wisconsin Made products at http://www.wisconsinmade.com/cedar-valley-publishing.aspx

I am a member of the author social networking site:  JacketFlap!  Come find me I am StaceyKann on JacketFlap and Twitter!

From Tracy Grand:

The nominees for the 2009 Children’s Choice Book Awards were recently announced. I’m excited to say that books illustrated by three of JacketFlap’s members are among the nominees! Please join me in congratulating the three nominees by clicking their names below and leaving a congratulations comment on their profiles:

Willow, illustrated by Cyd Moore

Sort it Out!, illustrated by Sherry Rogers

Those Darn Squirrels!, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Voting for the finalists is now open. Children and teens are able to cast their vote for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries, and online until Sunday, May 3, 2009. Close to 15,000 children and teens from around the US spent months reading and evaluating books submitted by publishers. The five favorite books published in 2008 in each of these categories are open for a nation-wide vote in March and April 2009 in each of four grade categories: K-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, and Teen as well as Favorite Author, and Favorite Illustrator. The winner in each category will be named at a gala during Children’s Book Week on May 12th, 2009 in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week (May 11-17, 2009), the oldest national literacy event in the United States.

To enhance the awareness of the awards, the Children’s Book Council is working with JacketFlap again this year to create a Children’s Choice Book Awards Widget, which displays a different finalist book every time it loads on a web site or blog. You can get the Widget for your own blog or web site at:
http://www.jacketflap.com/widgets/widget.asp?widgetname=cbc2

Please spread the word to children so they can vote. Remember, voting ends May 3, 2009!

Tracy Grand
CEO, JacketFlap.com

Mike Michalowicz is the Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, and his site and blog has me ROLLING (pun intended) with giddiness.   Where to start with a title like that?!!

Some days, Alice!

Recently, Mike asked for submissions from his audience on tips and suggestions about how to become an entrepreneur.  I was tickled with some quilted goodness (I couldn’t resist!) when he used one of my tips in this super post:  http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/163-ways-how-to-become-an-entrepreneur (see mine at #130).

If you *really* want to be your own boss, Mike’s site and blog are MUST READS!

Thank you all for visiting and contributing to Pink Ladders. http://www.pinkladders.com/

Each month excerpts of stories about successful women climbing their career ladders in corporations or owning their own businesses are listed in the Of the Essence section of the website under “Your Story”.  http://www.pinkladders.com/your_story.html  I’m confident you will find them to be inspiring to say the least. These women have and continue to accomplish so much not only in their careers but for their communities and families.

March 2009 Stories

I would like to thank all of these women for submitting their personal stories.

Brooke Kelley’s Story - Pink Ladders.com
Climbing the ladder of success must involve living by the principal of being good to one another.

Elizabeth Sobol’s Story - Pink Ladders.com
She climbed her career ladder from Intern to Managing Director working for an arts management company.

Jaime Geffen’s Story - Pink Ladders.com
It’s party time! That’s what Jaime and YourBASH! is all about.

Michelle Dunn’s Story - Pink Ladders.com
Working as an accounts receivable clerk to starting her own collections company and authoring books!

Nicole DeBoom’s Story - Pink Ladders.com
Ever wonder where those stylish running skirts came from? That would be Nicole.

Susan Lee-Titus’s Story - Pink Ladders.com
Raped, beaten and held hostage at gunpoint - Susan now has a prison outreach, The Joy Dancers.

New Website Feature

There is a new feature on the site this month in the Links and Things section. http://www.pinkladders.com/links_and_things.html

This section features “Women of Pink Ladders” businesses, books and websites categorized in five general categories:

• Authors
• Business
• Networking Sites
• Products
• Professional Services

If anyone is in need of the services or books offered - please support these women by checking out their websites.

New Articles in Career Section

Check out the new articles in the Career Section. http://www.pinkladders.com/career.html

I stumbled across this blog post and posted a comment on her blog - she read my blog last week about education but only wanted to post without sharing her name.  She gave me permission to repost her blog post from last week as long as we don’t reveal who she is …

At the beginning of the year I was sent a letter saying that my first grader needed special reading and after contacting the special reading teacher and asking a few questions I agreed to it. I wanted to know how they tested, why they felt like he needed it, when he was pulled out of class what he would be missing during that time in regular class? My feeling is that any parent should be asking these questions if they get this kind of letter.

The kindergarten, first, and second grades only get report cards three times a year. Once in November right before Thanksgiving, in March (yesterday), and then the last day of school. In November for the first report card you have a mandatory conference so the teacher can discuss where your child it at and what will be expected the rest of the year. If there are areas that your child needs to work on and how to improve his/her skills. When I went to this meeting we went over everything and was told he is at or above a first grade level in everything. I have this check list of things to be worked on but there isn’t anything that he needs to improve on at the time. He is doing great. I asked does this also include reading? Yes, he is at level or above it. He is doing well. So I asked then why is he is special reading? Good question I will talk to the special reading teacher and get back with you. I didn’t hear anything! I would ask and get with the holidays we have been busy but just as soon as I can set up a meeting with his special reading teacher I will. This went on and on from November until the middle of February when I finally got a conference with both teachers. I was then told….. we have been struggling for the past few weeks on sending home a retaining letter because he reading is so bad. Since November his skills have come to a stand still and he is only on a level 8 and needs to be on a level 16 by the end of the year. I asked… is he comprehending what he reads? Yes. Okay then what is the problem? He reads choppy and without expression. So you are recommending to fail a child in February for reading choppy and without expression when he can comprehends what he reads. We decided to wait a couple weeks before we make our decision. I tested him last week on his reading and his word list he is only on a level 8 and he ONLY knows 45 words. And his regular teacher said he also has a problem working independently he is always raising his hand for help. Then I asked why didn’t you notify me when he started having problems? Oh we discuss his progress everyday. Okay let me ask again why didn’t you notify me when you started noticing a problem so we the parents would be aware of it and to also discuss with us on ways to help him instead of waiting? I then heard these words come out of his special reading teachers mouth…….. I have never had the feeling you were on board with his special reading. Oh let me tell you I saw red!!!! I then informed her that before this day I had never met her once that I had talked to her on the phone once with questions as any concerned parent should. That she is the one that has neglected to get back to me with my requests for meetings. I then heard this out of her mouth……. you know you need to set a good example by reading! I said I have read to him since he was an infant and now he reads to me. She said no he needs to see you read and that you enjoy it. Now my temper was out of check and I had to be careful with my words or they would not be lady like. I said you have no idea what I do or don’t do. You have no idea who I am so how can you take it upon yourself to assume something you don’t know anything about. If you would like to go out and look in the front seat of my car you will find a couple of books that I am returning to the library after I leave here. I am also picking up a book that I have requested and had to wait almost 3 months for. If you like you may go to the library and have them pull up how many books I have read since we have lived here the past 7 years. Now that you know that I’m not illiterate and not a moron can we please get back on the topic at hand my son. I want to know how we can help him at home? I then heard……. Well our time is up have a nice day.

I was so mad and ready to rip somebody’s heart out at this point. I knew I needed to calm down before I went any further. I went to the library and then came home still fuming with so much anger. When my first grader got off the bus that afternoon he said on our walk home…. mommy do you want to hear something weird? Yes, please tell me something weird and thinking it would be something that one of his friends had done on the playground. I heard… I went to special reading twice today. You did? Did you go after PE? No, I went before PE. Are you sure isn’t wasn’t after PE? Nope it was before. I was there while he was in PE. What did you do in there this morning? She tested me on my reading and my words. Oh how did you do? She said I did GREAT! My mind was whirling at this point she said she had tested him last week. She lied! BIG MISTAKE! After hubby got home that evening I told him what had happened and what our child had said and he was angry. It’s not often that I see his veins pop out on the side of his neck and his face turn beet red. He said make another meeting because I will be there! I told him that it has taken months to get this one and that I had lost all confidence and faith in his teachers so I was going to request one with the principal present. I sat down that evening and wrote a long letter to the principal explaining why we wanted a meeting. It took three hours to write it because I had to go back and change several times because of my colorful expressions. I finally sent it and after a couple days I got a reply back saying that she had notified the teachers and as soon as they could come up with a day for them that was good that she would let me know. NO! NO! NO! If she thought that time needed to pass for us to calm down she was wrong. I then called the school board and requested to see what a retaining letter was and what was meant by it. She asked why I wanted to know and I explained everything to her. The next day I got a phone call from the school saying a meeting had been set for the next week and that we would have a copy of the retaining letter in the mail before then as I had requested.

The meeting was set for 3 in the afternoon so hubby could attend so I had to get my first grader picked up and told him that we had a meeting but he was to work on some stuff I had ready for him. He sat in the lobby working on the papers I had for him to work independently on his own while we were in the meeting. Both teachers and the principal was there and we started off by going over my letter and everything that concerned us about our child’s education. Now at this meeting the teachers were much nicer. They started off with how he just wasn’t progressing in reading and that they feel that as long as they are communicating with each other that they are doing their jobs. I didn’t hold anything back! I said no you are not doing your jobs when you don’t communicate with the parents. That at this age we should be getting more than 3 reports a year on how they are doing. And if there is a problem they should be contacting us so we can help that leaving a parent out of the loop of things is wrong. During our hour and a half meeting I bought up everything they had said in our first meeting and a couple of times one or the other would start to say a different version and I would speak up with excuse me this is what you said. Several times the principal looked up at them and was waiting for answers. Finally I said you will hear me out and hear what I have to say. You have lied to me! You have lost all my trust! This is what I know of my child because this is what we do at home. I pulled out all the flashcards and said this baggie is the words he knows there are 182 words in there. And this is the bag were are working on at the present. It was a challenge to get him to go over the same old words everyday and he didn’t want to do it so I asked him what would make it more fun for you? This is a must you have to learn these words before the end of the year so how do you want to do it? He said mommy those words are so boring I want to learn and he started naming off all these words and I started writing them down. So I made up flashcards for them all and said you will have so many words that you want to learn and so many from the list for school. We have been doing this for the past couple months and to make sure he knows the word he has to get it right 5 times before it’s pulled out of the pile. The principal was impressed. I then asked how can he only know 45 words when he gets 100’s on his spelling test? His special reading teacher said… I didn’t mean it that way I meant he knew 45 of the 50 words he is required to know for my class. Oh you didn’t say that and made it sound as if he was doing really bad and considering there is still a little over 3 months left for him to learn those 5 words I think he is doing pretty good. I also told them that the amount of homework for my first grader was so overwhelming that he no longer wanted to even open a book to just read for fun. The principal said what do you mean? I said he has spelling, math, and flashcards every night. He also has 4 reading assignments every night. His teacher spoke up and said he does not! I said he has one story that has to be read out of the big reading book you sent home and is kept there until it’s finished. He has the take home book that you send home on Monday and is to be read and evaluated and then again on Tuesday night. It’s sent back to school on Wednesday and another take home book is sent that has to be evaluated on Wednesday and again on Thursday and sent back on Friday. He has a poem that has to be read every night. And he has a book every night from his special reading teacher. There is no break on the weekends he also has required reading on Saturday and Sunday.

At one point in our conference there was a knock on the door and the secretary said she had to leave and what was she to do about the little one out in the lobby? I asked is he still doing his work I had left for him? She said yes. I asked has he asked you for any help? She said no. I said he will be fine just tell him if he has any problems to knock on this door and mommy said to finish up his work. I turned to his teacher and said he is working independently without asking for help and I would appreciate before you leave here that you look over what he is working on.

By the end of the meeting the principal had many good suggestions on how to help our first grader to read with more expression and help him be a more fluent reader. Let me say the teachers never gave one suggestion. I did inform them all that I was to be informed on everything from now on that if they could send me emails about fundraisers every week that they could find time to send me an email on how my child was doing. If they could plaster my child with stickers about fundraisers they could take a minute to write a note and send it home. You see one night during the week if you go to Burger King on that night so much money is donated to the school. On another night during the week it’s Pizza Hut night. And once a month it’s skating night. That I had been lied to and my I didn’t trust them and if I didn’t feel as if they were doing their job with my child or communicating with me that they would be seeing me again and again in the Principal’s office.

Oh let me also tell you that at the first meeting on February 23 he was at a level 8 in reading. The very next day the books he brought home was at a level 10. And yesterday his regular teacher still has him at a level 10 but the special reading teacher has moved him to a 11/12. He also brought home his report card yesterday and it looks really good but his teacher marked NO in the section for is he at first grade reading. But almost everything within the reading section is marked that he is at level or above it and 2 marked sometimes is at level. Those two things are fluency and decoding words. I really can’t wait for the end of the year as I have said I have lost all faith and trust in his teachers. I’m done rambling and ranting about this. But if you have taken the time to read it all Thank You!