Royal wedding today

I got up at 4am this morning and watched the Royal Wedding. Yay!

America is bleeding competitiveness

"With anti-immigrant sentiment building across the nation, and clouds of nativism swirling around Washington, D.C., skilled immigrants are voting with their feet. They are returning home to countries like India and China. It’s not just the people we are denying visas to who are leaving; even U.S. permanent residents and naturalized citizens are going to where they think the grass is greener. As a result, India and China are experiencing an entrepreneurship boom. And they are learning to innovate just as Silicon Valley does."

Read more here.

The number one reason I returned to Canada with my family was to get away from this hatred of immigrants. It doesn't matter if you naturalize, the nativism is so bad you will always be considered an "alien".

As a bonus the part of Southwestern Ontario we live in is known as the "technological triangle". My sons, who are good at science and math, will have plenty of opportunity here in Canada.

Should US citizens be required to carry passports within the US?

One morning we were driving around the American town where hubby was born and raised, when he realized that all the identification he was carrying on him was foreign. Our car was registered to Ontario, our driver licences were from Ontario, and he had absolutely no proof that he was an American citizen. Come on, no one thinks to carry a passport when you’re going to get coffee and donuts. I’ve traveled all over Europe, and if I was not crossing a border, I kept my passport back at the hotel for safekeeping.

As anti-immigrant hysteria sweeps the US, more and more states are passing laws similar to Arizona’s draconian SB1070. This law requires the local police force to ask for US identification and proof of legal residence if they have any reason to interact with you. In hubby’s case, in the absence of proof of lawful presence in the US would require the police to report him to Homeland Security for immediate removal to an Immigrant Detention Center. How ironic that he could be arrested and detained by immigration authorities in the town he was born and raised in.

Now obviously we can produce a US passport for him, but immigration authorities will still incarcerate him pending presentation of that document.

It is only a matter of time before all states have passed their own form of SB1070 and more and more US citizens and legal immigrants will be detained.

For the first time hubby felt like an outsider in the town where he was born and raised.

Spring in Ohio

We went to southern Ohio for Easter to see the family. Had a great time. US border guard did not harass us (always impressed when that happens).

We had only been driving on I75 for about 20 minutes when we saw a Homeland Security vehicle pull over a driver near us. We often see that, and find it weird. Many people don’t know that, within the US, if you are within 100 miles of the US border you are in a constitution free zone. Homeland Security has the power to stop and detain ANYONE, even if you are not crossing the border.

In Ontario spring hasn’t really started yet, so we have brownish grass and sticks for trees. We don’t have any grass on our street yet since winter came before the developer could put it in, so our yard is brown mud.

There has been a lot of rain in Southern Ohio, and the temperature is 15 degrees warmer (70F – 20C). There the grass was so green and lush it looked like we were in Ireland. The trees were starting to get leaves, and there were flowers and blossom trees blooming.

We felt like we had gone from brown muted colours to vibrant colours. Then we realized, since we lived in Florida, it’s been at least 20 years since we have seen a Spring, and the kids have never seen one.

We are now back in Ontario, and it’s raining. I’m looking forward to seeing green grass and flowers blooming here asap.

6 year old Florida child taken from her parents by police and forcibly held in psych ward.

Photo 1: another child being arrested from school in Texas: Flickr
Photo 2: actual child who was handcuffed by police, taken from her parents, and sent to a psych ward

I just don’t understand what is happening to children in the US, and particularly Florida.

Recently in Keystone Heights, Florida, a 6 year old girl’s parents had taken her to the doctor to be evaluated for mood swings in connection with her ADHD medicine. Without explanation the little girl was given a long medical questionnaire to fill out. During the evaluation she bubbled in the answer “yes” to the question “have you ever thought of killing yourself”. Did a 6 year old child really understand the full ramifications of the question she was bubbling in the answer to?

Suddenly, the mental health professionals told her parents they were invoking the Baker Act. The police were called, the child was handcuffed and taken away from her parents and held in a psychiatric ward overnight. Her parents were not permitted to see her.

This is not an isolated incident in Florida. Last year more than 11,000 Florida children were Baker Acted from school. Sometimes these children are given strong psychotropic drugs, all without parental consent.

The Baker Act is the name given for the Florida Mental Health Act which is a Florida statute giving schools and medical professionals the right to involuntarily commit someone (or a child) to a mental health facility for up to 72 hours for observation if it is thought they are a threat to themselves or to others.

A couple years ago a 7 year old boy had a tantrum in class, and he was taken away by police and Baker Acted into a psych ward overnight.

A few years ago I met a family who were home schooling their 7 year old son. He had been bullied at school and the school was ignoring it. When he broke down in tears one day the school principal decided he was a threat to himself and decided to Baker Act him. He was handcuffed and taken in a police patrol car to a psychiatric ward overnight for evaluation. His parents were also refused permission to contact him. As soon as custody of the child was returned to the parents, they withdrew him from school and home schooled him. This child has nightmares about his time in the psychiatric hospital.

I think the Baker Act is being used too often. A USF Report shows fewer children are Baker Acted during the summer months when school is not in session. It appears schools are resorting to using the Baker Act to avoid dealing with students who have problems by shipping the student off somewhere else. Kind of the same way they don't have a bullying problem by ignoring it or blaming the victim.

When you take your child to the doctor, or send them off to school in the morning, you don't expect to be stripped of your parental rights by the end of the day.

Life is like coffee

click link here to play video, photo did not load properly.

Life is Like Coffee

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything...they just make the best of everything."

Sometimes it's easy to get wrapped up in the details of life and forget about the things that bring us true happiness.

Olly Olly Oxen Free. No recess for you!

In the most recent PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results, published in December 2010, Canadian students scored in the top 6 in reading, science and math.

Why do Canadian students score higher on international tests than American students?

Could this be one of the answers? Recess twice a day for 25 minutes, which includes snack time as well as play. After recess students are refreshed and more attentive in class.

As a mother of 3 boys, I can tell you they are full of energy. If they are chained to a desk all day they will become fidgety and will not be able to concentrate.

In Florida recess is only available in Kindergarten, once a day for 15 minutes. I remember eldest boy starting 1st grade and coming home very unhappy because he had to sit still at a desk all day.

After kindergarten, recess is unknown in Florida. Is it a coincidence that Florida schools rank behind most other states?

During middle school at the end of the school day my children were told they had 4 minutes to leave the building and get on the bus or they would be given detention. You had to rush from the classroom to the locker, and to the bus. Forget going to the bathroom on the way, or saying hello to a friend. To make matters worse, Florida does not have neighbourhood schools. Kids are bused all over town to make up racial quotas, so the only time they might see their friends would be at school.

In Ontario children get recess through 8th grade. The entire school goes out for recess. There are 3 different play sections depending on grade. Younger children to 2nd grade in one area. 3rd to 5th grade in another area. 6th to 8th grade in a separate area. There are 3 teachers per area. Injuries, if they happen, tend to be minor, and lawsuits virtually unknown.

I live near a school and love hearing the children outside playing during recess. They go outside during the winter, except when it is very cold. I would often see the school children out tobogganing at recess.

Playtime is a necessary part of growing up because children learn important social skills and they need to burn off energy.

Sometimes recess in the US is replaced by PE. While kids need PE it is a structured activity and does not replace recess. In addition to PE, kids need free time to play with other kids.

Many states have either eliminated recess, or are considering it, in order to devote more time to instruction to increase test scores. How sad and ill advised.

Goodbye recess, hello Ritalin.