Who's in the PTA?

Not quite as many parents as I might have expected, but then I'm always amazed at how low voter turnout is as well. Here are the percentages of parents who have joined PTA, broken down by grade:

Pre-K: 48%
K: 60%
1st: 48%
2nd: 56%
3rd: 29%
4th: 37%
5th: 31%

I would have guessed that Kindergarten would have the highest (pre-K feels slightly off the bubble to me) and that 5th grade would be the lowest. There's certainly a downward trend, but the real news is the drop from 2nd grade to 3rd grade. If I were PTA president, I would try to figure out the disconnect there: lower percentages for those kids when they started K, higher number of new students in that grade, or perhaps different PTA leadership when those students started. It will be interesting to note how current class of Kindergarten tracks as they make their way to 5th grade.

More Conversations With a Kindergartener

Setting: The school's playground
Time: 3:15 p.m., a few minutes after the final bell

Enter Public School Dad and the kiddo. She climbs a ladder and scrambles to the top of a slide. PSD stands below her but is almost at eye-level with her feet. The previous evening, she had a super soccer game, and by super, we mean she scored five goals (and not just cheap little goals where she barely had to kick the ball because it was right on the line; these were goals that she led breakaways and outran the other team and booted the ball from AT LEAST eight feet away and zipped it into the net the way a fastball thumps a catcher's mitt . . . you get the idea).

PSD: So, did you tell your teacher about your soccer game last night?

Kiddo: No. [her voice is calm; she's sizing up the slide]

PSD: Well, did you tell your friends?

Kiddo: No.

PSD: Why not?

Kiddo: Because it's a secret.

PSD: Grandmom thinks you don't want to brag, but it's not bragging. I mean, not really.

Kiddo: Well, there's this girl in class, and she told everybody that she's a basketball player, and now everyone wants her autograph.

PSD: Uh-huh. [clearly puzzled]

Kiddo: Daddy, I just don't want everyone asking me for my autograph all the time.

Dial "M" for Moving Violation

First of all, shame on the dear reader who saw this headline and that picture and said to herself, "Public School Dad got a ticket today!" (You know who you are, k1p2.) One need only ask Public School Mom to learn that I have not received a ticket from Johnny Law in a couple of years; unfortunately, though, during that stretch I received two in three days.

Nay, that is not the reason for this post. Instead, I thought I'd combine compelling photojournalism (thank you Canon!) with my trademark blend of reporting and opinion.

Last year in the Dallas area, Highland Park and University Park started the trend of banning cell phones in school zones, which seems reasonable enough because it only affects drivers, not folks riding in the back of limos (buh-dum-bump, rimshot). Then Dallas, Duncanville, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Rowlett, Wylie, and Sachse followed suit. The Garland city council was the only outlier, deciding in July not to enact a ban. Proponents say it's a sensible way to help help protect students; opponents say that it's unnecessary regulation and a solution in search of a problem.

So what do I think? I'm glad you asked.

There's apparently no epidemic of students being run down by jibber-jabbering drivers. I get that. On the other hand, it's no surprise that drivers talking on cellphones can be less attentive and have shorter reaction times--just ask the woman in the Chevy Tahoe I honked at today as she veered into my lane. So how do you balance it? As I learned from my favorite political science professor, the debate comes down to freedom (I can talk on my phone whenever I want) versus order (the community limits individual choice for the greater good).

From a practical standpoint, this is a minor inconvenience with a potentially high pay-off. If one student is saved from an accident because drivers aren't allowed to talk for a brief period of time in a marked school zone, I think the benefit outweighs the cost. Even if critics say that there's no evidence that talking is a problem, I don't see the harm in an ordinance whose ultimate goal is to remind drivers to slow down and pay attention in a school zone.

And from a political standpoint, what elected official is going to vote against these proposals and risk an attack from a future opponent that she "doesn't care about the safety of the kids"? When Garland tabled the idea, the council did so unanimously. There was a reason for that: each member provided cover for the other. Besides, it's not as if we live in New York: in that state, you are never allowed to use a handheld device while driving. If your spouse tries to talk you into moving there, offer that as reason enough to stay in Texas.

Where Do the Kids Go?

According to the Morning News, the TEA has advised districts not to enroll children whose families are in shelters until they know how long the kids will stay. But as of this morning, Grand Prairie had already enrolled five students, Mesquite one, and Fort Worth appeared ready to take in 148.

For parents who evacuated, they can check the status of their home districts here.

School Closings Along the Coast

I spoke to a friend of mine this morning in Houston to ask about Ike and how her family was getting along. The short answer is that they were spared the worst and had minimal damage in their neighborhood. Her son is a senior in the Houston ISD, and she said that he would hopefully be able to go back on Thursday. I checked the Chronicle's Web site and found this list of school closings. Ominously, here are a few details to note:

Goodrich ISD is closed until further notice

Hardin ISD is closed until further notice.

Pearland ISD is closed until further notice.

Hitchcock ISD is closed until further notice

La Marque ISD is closed Monday and until further notice.

Clear Creek ISD is closed all week and until further notice.

The Year in Review

It's hard to believe that we're starting the fourth week of this thing they call kindergarten. Driving in this morning, the kiddo told me, "I love going to school!" When I asked her why in that peppy parental voice of affirmation and encouragement, she told me, "Because of my friends."

It's true: We named all of her friends, and it turns out that she now has more than I have. Way to go, kid!

Overall, I'd say things have been a great success. She's waking up well, and she's not getting upset when we drop her off. Every afternoon that we pick her up--well, almost every afternoon--she's excited about her day. And she seems to be making a name for herself. When the teacher had to take a sick student to the nurse's office, she asked her to watch the class. (I'm letting that sink in; okay I'm ready to go on.) She got to sit in the chair up front, and when Public School Mom and I asked her what she had to do, she said, "When any of the kids sat up during quiet time, I told them, 'Heads down!'" Yeah, this is working out great. One thing she didn't even think to tell us is that the teacher lets her take the attendance folder down to the office as well. I think she's really fitting in.

At this age, I'm interested in her academics of course. But I'm more concerned about how she's treated and how she's treating others. Based on that, she's found the perfect school, I think.

The Playlist

It shouldn't amaze me that my daughter uses the word "iPod," but it does. Anyway, here are the three songs she specifically requested--in order!--on the way to school today.

"Surfin' USA," by the Beach Boys

"Fly," by Sugar Ray

The theme from Indiana Jones

My question is, does this mean I'm raising a well-rounded kid? Or have I already lost complete control?

I Am Also Not Funnier Than . . .

Bruce Handy, who has drawn up this "registration form" for the new school year.

Conversations With a Kindergartener (Part of an Ongoing Series)

Setting: A sensible, four-door family sedan
Time: About 7:40 a.m.
Location: Halfway between home and school

Q: Dad, how long does Kindergarten last?

A: It's the same as your preschool. You'll go through Christmas, take a long break for the holidays, then go through spring.

Q: No, I mean, how long during the day?

A: Oh, right. You go from 8 in the morning until about 3 in the afternoon.

Q: So I go until night?

A: No, goofy. You go until mid-afternoon. Then you come home and rest and then we do something fun.

Q: Oh, man! That's all day. This kindergarten takes up too much of my time!

On the Blackboard

"I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day." "I will try to post every day."

But, man, it's tough.