Out of My League

I have been asked many times since I have been at Smithfield Elementary about the best age for kids to start school. I wrestled with and continue to wrestle with this question regarding my own kids. For those of you pondering the question about when your kid should start school, the New York Times posted an article awhile back about just that. Read and make an informed decision. Click on the link below…

When Should A Kid Start School?

  I remember sitting in several interviews over the past few years… not always good memories… but as Ray Thompson might say they are “growth opportunities.” During one or more of those interviews the question was asked about jobs in education that I would like outside of the school building. I cannot think of a job outside of the school building that involves kids. The last time I checked the administration building did not have any teachers or classes neither did the transportation department. To me, working in a school job that does not involve kids is like having a car without wheels. I chose education as my profession because I wanted to have a career that made a difference. After spending most of my adult life being an educator I can say that I think I am doing just that, making a difference.I am excited to come back to work this week after an extended summer break. Due to the state setting the start date of school on August 27th, I had the longest summer that I can remember in the past eighteen years. I was ready to come back to work. Yet, I can feel that edge of depressive fog slipping around me today. It’s just me and the custodians… no kids… man I cannot wait until August 27th. That is when the real work begins. As we refocus our energies on school we also need to refocus on what is important. It is all about the kids. Welcome back!

Another family vacation in the Bicknell household is in the books. A week just flew by. We did many things in the great city of San Antonio, TX. We spent several parts of several days at Fiesta Texas. We went to the San Antonio Zoo. We visited the Witte Museum. We bowled… a favorite family activity… you never know who will win. Win!?! Did I say win? Competition is alive and well in our household. I think this is the first year that the two oldest boys didn’t try to kill each other. As Angie put it to me during the week… they have each found a common enemy, their four year old little brother. He makes them laugh and he makes them scream. I know that they love him, yet they truly have no use for him. He is a pest to them. He does frustrate us all from time to time, yet he can bring us all back to reality with his use of sarcasm. I know he doesn’t truly know what he is doing, yet he does it so well. Much like his mother. Enough about him. Back to the trip.

I think we got out of the trip what we intended. We spent time away from home with each other. We made memories that will last way beyond next week. Hopefully, the boys will talk about the trip for years to come.

Angie and I are preparing for a great family tradition. Each summer, whether we can afford it or not, we load up the boys and head out on the great American family vacation. I have great memories of growing up and going on vacation each summer with my parents and most of my siblings. My recollection of these trips is wonderful. Having experienced several of these as a parent, I’m not sure my mom would agree. I do have vivid memories of the places we traveled. One summer we drove all over Texas. We drove to the Davis Mountains and to the McDonald Observatory. We also traversed over to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We hit the beach as well. Six of us. I was the youngest and smallest of the group (at least eight years old) the rest were:  my siblings, Theresa (10), Lynda (11), and Tim (13), and my parents, Dad (43), and Mom (42).  I have even better memories of the way we traveled.

Imagine the six of us piling into a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle… A Super Beetle… Six Bicknells tumbling out of this small car. (Bicknells have big bones.) We LOVED each other. Many places people would stop and count as we got out… much like a clown car. Did I mention we traversed the state without air-conditioning? What great memories I have!

I remember playing games with my parents and my siblings as we drove. We would play the ABC game. We were very competitive, as you can imagine. We would sing songs. Many of the songs I sing to my kids that make them laugh, are songs that I sang as a kid on family trips. I love to sing even though I don’t do it well.  We observed and absorbed. I don’t remember anything on the radio other than WBAP. My dad believed there was three kinds of music… gospel… country… and western. Angie and I have tried to give the boys an eclectic taste of music. We like all kinds, yet, you can’t beat music from the 80’s.

 My memories of these trips offer a richness that I can’t say my kids are getting. I truly love the memory of those trips. What great times we had.

I think as parents we might be failing our kids. We have a two screen DVD player in our car. You can watch the same video or two differenet ones. Tyler has his own DVD player. This works out so each child can watch the movie of his choice. They miss out on so much. They don’t get to see the rich countryside that we live in. They don’t get to see the crops in the fields. They miss out on the agriculture class I teach as we drive down the road (I have a minor in biology). They miss out on many things because they are focused on the small screen in front of them. Some people would say that I missed out on the countryside by playing the ABC game as a child and not focusing on the true flavor of Texas. Even when the boys aren’t watching the movies and they are looking at the countryside, they are missing the 80’s music coming out of the stereo. They are listening to something, probably rap, on their MP3 players. They are so missing out!

Are we doing the right thing by our kids? I think we are. Are they missing out? I think they are. They are missing some of the things we drive by. They are missing some important family conversation. They are missing the fighting. Not really time to fight when you are watching “A Knights Tale”.

I have great memories of the family vacation. I hope that my kids can say the same!