I'm overwhelmed!

I've been spending quite a lot of time thinking -- and worrying about the state budget situation. I've been reading Joe's posts and have attended forums and had numerous discussions about how the budget cuts are effecting everyone across the states.

So, I'm finally getting around to writing about how things are going in my teaching situation. I can tell you this - the only thing constant throughout this budget dilemma -- is change.

I happen to be fortunate -- really fortunate -- to teach in a district that happens to provide Kindergarten teachers with Instructional Assistants and gives Kindergarten students special area classes - PE, Music, Library, and Art. I've also taught in situations where neither was provided. This was well before the "standards" movement and well -- kindergarten was still a time for exploration and socialization. Robert Fulghum's "Everything I need to know, I learned in Kindergarten" still was the way of the Kindergarten World.

The fun-filled days he so lovingly wrote about have long since passed. In the 20 or so years since, kindergarten has become " The New First Grade". The academic demands placed on Kindergarten students are amazing. Not only are kids expected to learn their "ABCs & 123s", but they are also expected to learn to read, add & subtract, and write complete sentences with capitals, spaces between words, and end punctuation. Did I mention that they also are being taught algebra and geometry? Did I mention that I am also responsible for helping children of recent immigrants from all over the world become fluent in English? The state would prefer that a child who comes to me knowing only his/her home language be brought to proficiency within a year. Don't get me started on That Unfunded Mandate. That will be my next entry.

These demands have gotten so "out of control" that it is a significant challenge to make sure that there is still time for them to play while they are at school -- and this is exactly why Music, Art, and PE are so important. When children are taught these special areas by folks who are duly certified and highly qualified to do so, it is exactly what the children need. The amount of skill that it takes to provide quality experiences while still meeting the state standards in the Arts & PE curricula is above and beyond my training.

Let's face it -- I have plenty on my plate being responsible for the academic standards imposed on kindergarten students. Because of the depth of the state budget cuts, my students will have very limited -- if any -- regular contact with certified special area teachers for their Music, Art, and PE classes. But wait -- the kindergarten level standards connected in these subjects haven not been removed even though the classes have been. So --- I will be teaching those standards, too. You can see the magnitude of my responsibility by clicking here. And, in case you are wondering -- No, I have not been provided with resources or materials to do so.

Here's another instance of a generalist doing a specialist's job. This is just as questionable as last year when a neighboring district replaced their certified librarians with non-certified assistants -- or was it volunteers?? Library Science isn't called a "science" for aesthetics.

Something like this can only fly in the field of education. Think about it -- if I had a serious medical issue -- (even though I absolutely LOVE my GP) I would be calling around for appointments with a specialist. Wouldn't you?