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Posts Tagged ‘school’

SAUDI ARABIA: The Choice I Made

February 21, 2012 12 comments

This is a follow-up to a post I wrote a short while ago titled ,”The Choices We Make (For Them)“. To summarize, in January we moved back to Riyadh, the city we used to live in. My kids want to go back to the schools they were in before.

I want them to go to a small school with a higher standard of education. The old schools are big and chock full of students (My son S had 28 classmates, My daughter J had 18). This school is small and has relatively few students. In S’s case there’s only one other student in 3rd grade!

Well, I made the choice! I chose the small school for both my kids. Needless to say, neither child was thrilled. But I am the adult in charge of making these decisions for them. The decisions that will make them sad and angry at me and say things like “it’s so unfair” and “I want to be with my friends.”

When I told them the decision they instantly crumpled. Read more…

Saturday Sidebar: What is one thing you will commit to do for yourself in the upcoming week?

December 10, 2011 12 comments

This Saturday Sidebar question comes to us from Tara B.  In the midst of all the holiday planning, she asked our writers…

“What is one thing you will commit to do for yourself in the upcoming week?”

Here is what some of our World Moms will be doing for themselves:

Diana @Hormonal Imbalances of Texas, USA writes:
“I’m going to make an effort to exercise daily only for the boost it gives me in dealing with my anxiety. No pushing to lose weight, no guilt trips. Strictly for the energy and feel good hormones!” Read more…

MINNESOTA, USA: 10 Things To Do With Your Kids On Human Rights Day on Dec. 10th!

December 6, 2011 9 comments

Make your own human rights tapestry!

Human Rights Day is December 10! The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly‘s adoption on 10 December 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global statement of international human rights principles.  Here are some ideas for simple yet meaningful ways for your family to celebrate the rights and responsibilities that we all share as human beings.

1.  Learn about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Check out the UDHR plain language version  or the Amnesty International UK book We Are All Born Free (15 of the illustrated pages of the book can be found on The Guardian’s website if you want to look at them online or print them out). You can also watch  a short video together and talk about it with your kids. My kids loved this animated video version of the UDHR even back when they couldn’t understand what the words meant. For a more historical view, check out The Story of Human Rights.

2.  Exercise your right to freedom of expression! Draw pictures together of the rights and freedoms that are important to you. Read more…

SAUDI ARABIA: The Choices We Make (for Them)

October 20, 2011 18 comments

If you read my personal blog then you know that the education of my children is a recurring subject in my posts. Now I am up against yet another educational dilemma.

Since moving to the eastern province and enrolling my son in a small school here, I have noticed something. He is more relaxed, more confident and definitely more focused. You see, he is in a class of 13 children now when he used to be in a class of 30.

Come January, we move back to Riyadh again. Where’s the dilemma? Well, the school I want to enroll him in will only have 3 other people in his class. It’s a new school that is just starting up. I know the woman who runs the school and have followed… Read more…

MINNESOTA, USA: Kindergarten Entrance Age

September 29, 2011 56 comments

This year I sent two children off to school, but I’m keeping one at home.

Even though Brody just turned three, I’m waiting another year before I enroll him in preschool and two more years after that before Kindergarten- which he will start having just turned six.

Yes, six.

And yes, I’m sure.

In our school district there’s a movement to change the rules, and our views, on the Kindergarten entrance age, and I’m against it. Here’s why. Read more…

CANADA: September and the Start of Something

September 1, 2011 24 comments

For several weeks now, I’ve been reading tweets and blog posts from American moms whose kids are back in school already. “I keep getting emails about back-to-school-sales,” said one tweet this morning. “We’re already on the 4th week of school!”

Four weeks already?! It’s only just September!

This is something I’ve always found surprising. In Canada, teacher friends are back to work in mid-August, which I understand. Read more…