One of my favorite things to do is to in the school clinic is teach girls about sticking together. The girls like to come in for sanitary napkins (gets them out of class and it's a grown up thing to do). 3 came in to the clinic at one time with varying nonsense and then, all 3 suddenly needed a sanitary napkin. Insta period. Anyway, one girl noticed (no details) that another might need a little more guidance on how to use a pad (I didn't notice the problem).  The incorrect use gal had just left the clinic. I told the concerned student that, when she gets back to class, she can quietly share her concern with that student. And these kids can do this...they can be nice, they can stick together. Incorrect pad use girl came back to the clinic and we figured out the whole situation. That's some girl power.  And it wasn't a show of power- it was kindness and gentleness. That's all. It was goodness initiated by a kid who probably doesn't see a lot of hope and goodness on many days.

What I'm seeing is teachers having to teach life skills in addition to the actual school teaching that they need to do. This doesn't work so well. Teachers can't be responsible for teaching kids to tie their shoes, to have generally good manners, to wipe their faces, to use a fork. That's an at home job and yet, here are the teachers, custodians, instructional assistants, front office staff....filling in the gaps. 

I get it. Parents have to work. They are tired. Something has to give and the bottom line is, to me, those are your kids. Those are YOUR kids to love and teach and if you can't do, get help. Talk to teachers, but don't talk at them, yell at them, or just be generally angry at them. They're the helpers. 

And the boys--they need to pee in the toilet not around the toilet. Can someone please tell them to start holding their penis and aiming? Please? And that's the least of the issues. I just can't handle it all in one sitting in front of the computer.

This is my SOS. Send help! If you have some time to volunteer, complete the volunteer form in your school system because we need you. This, what we have today, isn't working for everyone. And if we keep separating, spreading out and away from each other- there's no end in sight.