[speaker001:] think about this
[speaker002:] uh do you have children in school um I have two that are uh now just about ready to graduate from college but I also have two that are just entering school um
[speaker001:] I do oh so you see a big difference then in before and now do you or
[speaker002:] uh well uh I think they're just pushing them much entirely to fast
[speaker001:] a lot of testing
[speaker002:] um well it seems to me that kindergarten is now the equivalent of first grade my son leaves the house at seven thirty and doesn't get home until three o'clock
[speaker001:] uh-huh um-hum
[speaker002:] and I think that's such a long day for a kindergartner
[speaker001:] I do too I oh I think that's awful
[speaker002:] and uh I have a preschooler um I was told by her preschool teacher that she thought maybe she was to immature for kindergarten and I thought well how mature do you have to be
[speaker001:] I know really what's the new criteria huh
[speaker002:] and uh there is a do you have the standardized testing now
[speaker001:] we have all kinds of testing and it's over and over it's ITBS or and uh just everything everything and they test test test I live in Plano actually and
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I don't know if you've heard of Plano but it's a very transient community a lot of people from everywhere it's just north of Dallas
[speaker002:] no um-hum
[speaker001:] and it's grown in leaps and bounds I we must have maybe a hundred and fifty thousand people now and most of them from other places
[speaker002:] oh yeah
[speaker001:] uh JC Penney's come down from New York and of course TI and Xerox from Rochester and we just have lots of people from everywhere lots of industry coming in and it's a very wealthy community
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] uh not that I am but other people seem to be and I would love to know why but I mean they do they have I I would I really would I mean they just have beautiful beautiful homes and they have everything
[speaker002:] yeah you'd like to know what they're doing right
[speaker001:] the kids only wear name brand things to school and it's one of these things well it does you know it really does because I'm a single mom and I have a thirteen year old now and uh you know it does I mean we do it to a point but um
[speaker002:] oh me well that makes it hard for you doesn't it oh me yeah it's hard to explain to them why you can't
[speaker001:] not to where she feels different but some of them are very rich and so um we just kind of have everything here and we have a very goal oriented population because their parents are
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and so I don't know how much of it is us and how much of it is Texas but the kids are expected to excel in everything
[speaker002:] oh dear
[speaker001:] and it's almost impossible because you have so many children and just so many activities that everybody can't be first and they're expected to be you know their parents expect it
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] the teachers expect it Texas wants very badly to be considered tops in the school system and if you read national surveys they're far from it
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and so there's just a whole lot of testing and a whole lot of pushing to do well on these tests and
[speaker002:] how about the kids how are they coping with it
[speaker001:] well not very well they bring home notes that say they have to get a good night's sleep and eat right in the morning before tests I mean they make a big deal to me the paper should just be put on the desk that day and say just do this
[speaker002:] hum right
[speaker001:] you know I just feel they do better that way and yeah and and I have older children too that now are out of high school and
[speaker002:] yeah rather than anticipating
[speaker001:] uh they've always done this you know I mean it's always been the same but it is it's getting worse and worse there's more pressure for everything and I just think it's really awful and I I'm with you on that you don't hear too many people say this but I think it's a very long day
[speaker002:] oh it is
[speaker001:] and my feeling is that you you know you're only a kid once and you don't wanna spend your whole life in school
[speaker002:] that's right my son said that came home and he said he said mom all we do is work we hardly ever play and
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum and I don't think that's right I think we should do what Europe does and include cultural activities in our school system
[speaker002:] oh likewise
[speaker001:] I don't think I should have to pay for dancing lessons gymnastics piano I would like to see those things included in our school system because I think we should have well rounded kids
[speaker002:] right wouldn't that be great um-hum
[speaker001:] not just smart book smart kids
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and so I just find this a real problem I think if they're gonna be there all day they should find time one of my daughters once was out of school with Mono in her junior year I think it was and she had a home teacher for like four hours a week and when she went back in six weeks she was ahead
[speaker002:] is that right oh my gosh
[speaker001:] so what does that tell you the it tells you there's a whole lot of wasted time
[speaker002:] oh my gosh
[speaker001:] and they could be using this time better
[speaker002:] well for example in my son's kindergarten they're really finished at lunch time after lunch they have some uh I'm trying to think if they have recess after lunch and then they have naps or rest period
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and uh I think either send them home or do something
[speaker001:] that's a very long day for kindergarten but I think that working parents have kind of demanded this
[speaker002:] a little more interesting I agree I wouldn't be surprised
[speaker001:] you know because they don't they don't wanna send them to day care
[speaker002:] I doubt if they would say that it was too long
[speaker001:] that's why they want them there because then somebody takes care of them all day so the
[speaker002:] um do you have the before school care at your school and the after school care
[speaker001:] we have them at some one school like