The kids’ school sent home voluntary forms for the kids to participate in Math-A-Thon. When I saw that it began with the words “Math,” and my daughter needed a little initiative when it comes to learning, I decided to check out the site to see what it was all about. Math-A-Thon is a volunteer-based fundraising program for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility where doctors treat children with serious diseases, like cancer. The hospital is where other doctors send their patients when they have run out of solutions. It is doing wonderful things for children, and its doctors usually are paving the way in medical solutions that will one day be the norm. Many of their work is funded by donations by individuals all over the world (including me). When I saw that the Math-A-Thon was for St. Jude Children’s Research Hopsital, I jumped at the chance to enroll Isabelle and Cebastian.

On top of the fact that the children are helping children with critical diseases, they are also sharpening their math and comprehension skills. This is how St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital explains the Math-A-Thon:

“The program includes a free math curriculum supplement for grades K-8 that students complete after obtaining sponsorships from family and friends. Benefits The benefits of Math-A-Thon add up to help a good cause. Students who participate will: improve math and comprehension skills solve age-appropriate math problems understand the importance of helping others This all equals help for St. Jude patients battling cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. How it Works The Math-A-Thon DVD is shown and students take home the Student/Parent Guide. Students return the signed permission/consent form to the coordinator. Students obtain sponsors, and then complete their Funbook by solving a variety of math problems. After completing the problems, students collect donations from their sponsors and return them to their coordinator. Students and schools earn prizes depending on total funds collected.”

The site is organized by grade level and it shows seven activities, initially. The kids and I went through them, and they are a little harder than what they are learning at school, and I’m glad. It forces them to actually think about the problem, instead of having the answer right in front of them.

If your school offers Math-A-Thon, definitely enroll your child(ren) in it.  It’s a great program that helps your children help children with life-threatening diseases while doing it in an educational way.

My kids have different personalities and taste. Ever since they were little, Cebastian preferred things you would usually consider “boy stuff,” while Isabelle preferred things that you would think “girl stuff.” However, with this difference comes another one. Learning.

I know that I shouldn’t compare my children, but I am doing it out of worry. With Cebastian, I never had to worry when it came to school. His teachers always exclaimed that he is one of the brightest kids in the class. He was reading and writing by the time he was four. There were some issues with his speech, and I got a speech therapist for that, but other than that, Cebastian has never had any problems.

Isabelle is having issues at school. Her teacher told me at the first parent/teacher conference that she was worried. Isabelle was having problems with number recognition, sight words, and reading. I have bought her flash cards, started focusing more on her when it came to her homework, and try to read with her every night. She has made significant progress, and I’m happy about that, but she is still struggling.

I once read a book called “MotherStyles: Using Personality Type to Discover Your Parenting Strengths,” which tries to help your parenting by you knowing your personality type and your child(ren)’s.  After reading this book, which is one of the best parenting books I’ve ever read, I realized that Isabelle’s personality is the complete opposite of mine, while Cebastian’s is exactly like mine. I know that I need to adjust the way I teach her because she is more of a visual and auditory learner, while I am more of a kinesthetic one.  I’ve asked the teacher for some techniques, and she told me to use flash cards, pictures, and detailing the problem.  It seems to be working cause her interim report card came back that she has improved immensely.  However, her reading is still not where it should be.

I worry that laziness might be a factor. When I am asking Cebastian questions when he is doing his homework, she can usually gets the answer before him. However, when I see her work, I can tell that she raced through it.  I keep telling her that it doesn’t matter if she finishes first or not, it’s about trying her best.

Education is very important to me, and I want my kids to excel in it.  I wonder if maybe getting a tutor is the best next step.

When I was in elementary school, I would always see the smartest kids in the class participating in this program called “Odyssey of the Mind.” I always wanted to do it, but my parents didn’t have enough time to take me around, so I just sat there admiring these kids and wish that I could be one of them.

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that my children’s school had their own Odyssey of the Mind program.  I quickly signed up to learn more about it.  I definitely got more excited when I found out that our school’s PTA was funding the program.   Last night, I went to the parent meeting.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program, so kids all over the world compete.  However, for kids in first and second grade, they are in a non-competitive division, which I think it’s great at that age.  They are presented a certificate at the end to indicate the completion of the program.

During the year, kids have to answer one problem.  For my kids’ team, we have to answer the following one:

Primary: Surprise Party Grades K-2 The team is to create and present a humorous performance that includes a Surprise Party for a team-created character. The theme of the party is a surprise because it is being given for something that is not normally celebrated. Partygoers will give three gifts that help symbolize the theme of the party. The performance will also include an original party “noisemaker” that makes an unusual sound instead of a loud sound. Cost limit: $125 USD.

As you can see, there is a cost limit of $125.  This is for all the materials used for the project.  There are also short-term problems that the kids have to answer in a quick and spontaneous fashion.

This program is great because it teaches children to hold on to their creativity.  Like the coordinator said, after 1st grade, children tend to lose that for one reason or the other. This helps them encapsulate that.  I see how creative both of my children are.  Isabelle spends her day drawing and painting, while Cebastian loves to build things with his Legos.  I don’t want them to lose that, so I am glad that this program is around.

A parent or two usually coaches the team.  This other mother and I volunteered to be co-coaches.  I can use my organizational and time management skills to keep the kids on task.  I already created a Google Calendar for us that has all the meetings and events, and used Google Docs to keep track of the contact list.

I think it also helps children with their problem-solving skills, which is very important when they go out in the real world.  It is for all types of kids, so it’s not just for the outgoing child, but also for the shy child who stands in the back.  One thing that the teachers have been telling is that Cebastian and Isabelle tend to not want to get involved in group activities.  They are like me where they prefer to work independently.  I am hoping that this program helps them want to work as a team.  Even if you don’t want to work in a team, you usually do.  I want to prepare them for that.

If your child’s school has this program, then definitely check it out.  I am going to see if I can even create team shirts.  I will have the kids be creative and come up with the design. =)

back to school blackboard, originally uploaded by mystockphoto.

This morning, after I had left the house, my cell phone rang.

“Shevonne speaking,” I answered.  I don’t know why I never say hello anymore.  It’s just something I haven’t done in years.

“Hi, Ms. Polastre.  This is Mrs. Bacon.”

It was my son’s (and soon-to-be daughter’s) school principal.

At the end of December, after my ex started to become more and more MIA from the kids’ lives, my son started acting up in school.  The counselor, teacher, and principal didn’t label him a “bully,” like they would have done at other schools.  They would call and email me to let me know how he was doing, they put him in counseling sessions at school, and would praise him when he behaved. At my end, I sat down with him and told him that it isn’t his fault that his father is not more involved.

It was very important to me that my son not be labeled a “bully” or any similar words.  When you start throwing labels out to children, they start believing them and playing the part.  You could even say that it happens to adults as well.  My parents would always have labels for my sisters and me, and I saw how it affected us.  I don’t want that to happen to my children.  I told them this, and they wholeheartedly agreed that labels do not help.

The principal and I chitchatted for awhile, and she then asked to talk to Cebastian.

“Hi, Mrs. Bacon,” he said.

By his smile, I could tell she said some nice things, and then he said goodbye and handed the phone back to me.

“Ms. Polastre, I just wanted to tell you that I hand picked your son’s second grade teacher.”

“Is she strict?” I asked.

“Yes, she is.  However, I didn’t want her to be so strict that it suffocates his individuality because he is a very unique person.  She will be perfect for him,” she said.

This is how schools should be.  I can tell that she genuinely cares for the students that attend the school.  When I was going to school, the counselors and principal didn’t care to really interact with their students.  If someone misbehaved, instead of working with the parents, they would label them and not deal with the issue behind the superficial one.  They didn’t know anything about their students’ personalities.

My children’s school is definitely different.  They get that a school is part of the community, and that it takes a community to raise a child; not just the parents.  I am not saying that parents are not the core of a child’s upbringing, but their environment also helps mold that child.