Teachers Deserve a Medal

One of the best things about being a stay at home mum in the chance to help out in the children’s classrooms…….at least that’s what I keep trying telling my self…over and over again…..

You see the reality is that now my little man is in preschool two days a week, I have been looking at those two days as a weekend….a weekend that I’ve waited 9 years for!

One of the hardest adjustments I had to make from full time employment as a Scientist, to being a SAHM was that there are no weekends, no knock-off times…..every day and every night are just the same, all flowing into one big mass of responsibility!

So now I hold those two precious days as almost sacred….its so hard to leave my nice quite, warm house to go and help in a classroom of not just 3 noisy, snotty, demanding  children but…but 25!!

Anyway, my daughter’s year 2 teacher asked me come in and help out with some science experiments the children were going to be doing in class….one look at my daughters little expectant face, and I knew I had to go…..

It was my job to supervise the mixing part of the experiment where the children had to mix cocoa powder, icing sugar and puffed rice together….I was instructed not to let the children eat their mixes and was put in charge of 15 children!!

image credit
*not what helping the the classroom was like at all!!

Half way through the experiment, I discovered one little boy, hiding under the table, happily devouring the contents of his plastic cup. I called him out from under the table and he had chocolate saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth….He then asked me, with great difficulty because his mouth was full of chocolate rice puffs, if he cold get a drink.

I looked at him and with my best teachers voice,  my hands on my hips and a badly disguised smile, I asked…. “Have you been eating your mix??”  There is no prizes for guessing what his response was….it was of course an emphatic “Nooooo!” I just could help but laugh, and told him to ask his teacher for a drink…..

I did actually have some fun in the end…as I thought the experiment was a bit dry, I improvised a little. I added water to the kids mixtures and  I fashioned a cone filter from some paper towel. We then poured the mix through the filter to end up with clean rice puffs…the kids actually thought that part was pretty cool!  I don't think the teacher appreciated the mess we made though!!

I guess the day was kind of like exercising. I didn’t want to go at first….but I felt really good when I was finished. It was nice seeing my little girl interacting with her friends at school and it was nice to get to know some of the other kids as well.

I came away from the class room that day needing a stiff drink and a good lie down!! I also left with the thought that teachers deserve a medal…a great big shiny medal!

Flogging my blog today over at With Some Grace....get your raunchy pants on and have a look!

Apraxia: Thankful for a Reason to Hope

Two events have happened this week for my little boy (4) who has a severe speech delay called dispraxia (apraxia). Both these events have made me feel very thankful and have given me a reason for hope.

I have previously written about how I have made the decision to change speech therapists. Yesterday, Buster had his first session with the new therapist. I am thankful (in a bitter sweet kind of way) that the new speech therapist has given him a priority ranking. This means he will be seen each week for therapy. I am so hoping that this consistency can really start to see results for his speech.

It’s bitter sweet because her assessment confirms that he has a very severe speech difficulty and I am so worried for his future….The weekly sessions will also be costing $100 each time!….It’s looking like I’ll be trying to find some supermarket, shelf packing, night work!

The speech therapist said that she honestly believes that she can help Buster’s speech…..so I will do whatever it takes to give him the best chance that I can.

The other event that occurred in Buster life this week is that he had his interview to attend big  school (the same school his sisters attend). I am thankful that this interview went so well!  Buster managed to concentrate, and answer his questions…he then went on to charm the teacher with a rendition of his favorite preschool song… ‘The Wombat Wobble’ (complete with actions).

After the interview, the teacher asked Buster if he knew the way to the kindergarten classrooms. He shot up and valiantly declared….”follow me!!” It was just too cute!

I have had a very good experience with this school and I’m thankful (and a little relieved) that Buster will be going there next year.

I am also thankful that the kindergarten teacher is a lovely lady that I know from the old playgroup days ….we both attended the same playgroup when our eldest children were toddlers (Canberra is a small place!). This lady saw my eldest daughter struggle thorough her apraxia. I am thankful that having a prior relationship with the teacher will make communication easier and will help with my sons transition to big school.

So, small steps maybe….but I am feeling very thankful this week!

Linking up this post with Kate at Kate Says Stuff  for Thankful Thursday.

The Discovery Playground at Tidbinbilla

*Tidbinbilla is a beautiful nature park in Canberra's south and was also featured in my last wordless Wednesday post here.


I'm joining in with  My Little Drummer Boys, Sakura Haruka,  and Tina's for Wordless Wednesday. Pop over and see some great Wordless Wednesday photos!

The Legendary Thomas Train Jelly Cake

As you may have gathered from a previous post entitled ‘cake decorating disaster’ creating the perfect birthday cake is not my forte!

So you can guess at my disappointment  when my third child decided that he didn’t want cake for his third birthday, (or ever for that matter)… his favorite ‘food’ is jelly. Therefore, I set about creating the famous and legendary (in our household al least) Thomas Train Jelly cake!

Previously, in an over enthusiastic way and with the confidence of best intentions, I purchased a silicone train cake mould from BigW…..Determined not to let my inspirational purchase go to waste I used the cake mould as a jelly mould instead!

 This jelly creation certainly would not win any prizes for perfectionism! But it certainly won a place in our families history…and judging by the photos, I'm pretty sure it won a place in my little boys heart!

Although I completely understand the irony of me offering tips for creating the jelly cake…. Here are some tips,  just in case you have been inspired by the awesomeness!

• Spray the mould with some light tasting cooing oil to make the jelly extraction easier (although it’s not easy and I lost quite a few little carriages, and warped Thomas……

• Make the jelly with ½ as much water as listed on the packet to make it firmer.

• Try not to move the jelly once it is on the tray…it sticks and breaks very easily!

• Anything will look good to a child with lollies on top!....just make sure they don't eat the play dough 

• Don't ever mention to the birthday boy  that you dismantled his favourite toy to create the Thomas jelly spectacular!

Today I’m sharing my amazing creativity (not) with the team at #IBOT (I blog on Thursday) over at Diary of a SAHM…pop over and take a look!

Disqualifications are tough!

This weekend Flash had her first ‘main’ meet for swimming. The main meets have qualifying times and are for swimmers 10 yrs and older. Although Flash has only just turned 9, she qualified to swim many events at the main meet and she wanted to give it a go…to see what it was like swimming with the big kids!

It’s the winter season in Australia, so all the swim meets are short course (in a 25m pool) which means lots of turns….turns are not Flash’s favorite element of swimming and swimming in this meet would mean some really valuable competition experience.

On the first day Flash swam really well, making some PB’s and finishing about mid pack. She knew she was swimming against girls who could be almost turning 11, so Flash was quite happy with the way things were going and she was having a lot of fun! ….in fact she demanded that I enter her into the second main meet in two weeks time!

On the second day of the meet were her two favorite races….the 100 IM and the 50 fly. I thought her best chance for a medal in this meet was in the 100m IM as she went into the race with the 4^th fastest time. Flash swam a terrific race and cut 3 seconds from her previous best time to finish in the bronze medal position.

Unfortunately, Flash was given a disqualification for doing an incorrect breaststroke to freestyle turn (She didn’t touch with two hands first).

This was Flash’s first disqualification in a swim meet and I could see in her face that she was very disappointed…..I think she really wanted that 3rd place!

We had a big talk about how disqualifications are a part of swimming and it happens to everybody. How the most important thing is to learn from her mistakes for next time and that the races are a learning experience. We talked about how executing a race well is more important than times or medals…and if she can break the race down and think about each element she has to do, than the times and  maybe the medals will come…

After a 2 hr wait (quite a long wait for a 9 year old) she was itching to get back into the water….her last race was the 50m fly, and what a race it was. Flash went in to the race with the 7^th best time but she managed to finish second! She swam the race in 38.09 which was a 4 second PB!...I just couldn’t believe it! Flash was so happy to have won herself a silver medal!

So, I spent the most part of Saturday and Sunday, time-keeping or sitting on those rock-hard benches at the AIS pool…but it was so worth it! But not for the reasons you might think.

 It wasn’t worth it to see her come back and win an completely unexpected silver medal after missing a medal through disqualification…..it was worth it from this conversation…

I was talking to some other parents about being excited to watch the up-coming Olympics. Flash piped into the conversation to tell us that she was going to go to the Olympics….One of the Dads said “…Oh are you??....” and Flash replied

“…I’m going to the Olympics to win a medal so I can throw my mum the flowers…..”

…and THAT is what makes it all worth it!

Why are people hitting those swimmers?

I thought I would share this little anecdote for my Friday post. I think it just gives a little glimpse into the innocence of a child’s thoughts….

My daughter at her first swim meet

..The swimming meets my daughters participate include differently abled children. There is something truly inspiring about watching these courageous children swim. No matter what the final result theses children have overcome so much just to be in the pool. The smile on their faces at the end of the race just says it all….and invariably makes me cry. I think it effects many others in the same way because the loudest cheering from the spectators is always for the wonderful efforts of these children.

In my opinion, this is what sport is all about. It’s challenging your self to participate and improve. A chance to show yourself and the world that you can do it….regardless of your ability.

The visually impaired swimmers have a helper that carries a long stick with a soft ball on the end. The helpers touch the swimmer as they are approaching the end of the race so that they know that the wall is coming and when to stop.

At my younger daughters first swimming meet, she was very interested in the differently abled swimmers and enjoyed cheering and supporting them. She also had many, many questions that I answered honestly, to the best of my knowledge. I wanted to ensure that my daughters respected these swimmers and thought of them just like the other competitors. I wanted to make sure that my girls would see the person and not just their disability as this is a topic very close to my heart. (See the post about my son here)

It was at the finish of one of the races where my daughter turned to me in shock and indignation…she said…

“…Mum, why are those people hitting those swimmers on the head…it’s not their fault that they are blind! They don’t deserve to be hit….”

Well, I guess I hasn’t explained the situation as well as I should of to her, that’s for sure!

I don’t mean to be offensive in any way…this is truly what my daughter said. In a way I was glad, at least, that was very concerned for the swimmers. But I was very quick to set her straight on the real use for the ball sticks…..

I'm flogging this post for Flog Your Blog Friday over at With Some Grace .

Buster, Apraxia and The Lady at the Post Office

Yesterday, on a routine errand to the post office, I watched a conversation between the lady at the counter and my four year old son, Buster. This conversation made my day…actually to be completely honest it made my week.

As you may have been able to glean from my last post about my son Buster and his communication difficulties (here), I have been feeling frustrated and isolated as we try and find a speech therapist that can help Buster with his Apraxia (a severe speech delay).

Now, I may be just a little bit bias ;), but my little man has an adorable bubbly little social personality!

He doesn’t think twice about ‘singing’ his current favorite song (we are young) when it comes on the radio. Even if he is getting his haircut in the middle of a busy hairdressing salon!

 He cheers wildly from the sidelines for his sisters with unmitigated enthusiasm.

I’ve watched fascinated, as he teaches the teenagers at the girl’s swim club how to do flips on the jumping pillow. When they high-five him my heart just melts at the goofy wide smile stuck on his face!

Overall I have found that other children have no problems at all accepting Buster into their games or conversations….if they are a little put off by the sound of his speech, than it doesn’t take long for his personality to shine through and win them over.

However, when it comes to adults, it is often a different story…..

With Adults, Buster is not the least bit shy or reserved. He is only too willing to inform them of vitally important information….like what he wants for his birthday, his favorite colour, his sisters favorite colour, or the colour of his new socks!

…however, adults don’t usually understand a thing that he says! Determined to get his message across, Buster will start to ‘speak’ loudly (and I mean LOUDLY) interspersing his words with sound effects and dramatic pantomimes.

Usually, the adult (and all adults in a 1km radius) will stare at us like a circus act….I’ve had people ask me if he is even speaking English. They will rudely enquire or diagnose him with various conditions. More often than not they will completely ignore his attempts at communication and talk to me instead. I find that many adults simply don’t take the time to understand him.

This is why I am thankful to that lady in the post office.

She took the time to listen to him….and she heard what he was saying and was able to have a conversation with him. She asked him questions and listened to the responses. She didn’t judge him on the mispronunciations of most of his words. She didn’t stare at me in incomprehension or make sarcastic comments. It was an ordinary conversation about his preschool, his teacher and his favorite toys…but it meant the world to us!

In my experience with my son, I have found it takes children and special adults to see past his communication difficulties…to look under the badly shaped words to see the sweet , charming personality underneath. People who don’t simply focus on his speech errors, but focus on Buster instead.

To the Lady at the Post Office, I can’t tell you what it meant to both of us that you treated my boy as an important individual in his own right….just as you would treat everybody else….

…Thank you.

Joining in with Kate Says Stuff for Thankful Thursday…..where you will find some fantastic inspirational posts this Thursday.

Kangaroos, Emus and Views at Tidbinbilla*

*Tidbinbilla is a beautiful nature park in Canberra's south.


I'm joining in with  My Little Drummer Boys, Sakura Haruka,  and Tina's for Wordless Wednesday. Pop over and see some great Wordless Wednesday photos!

Advice Worth Sharing

When my eldest daughter was still a small toddler I took her to music classes…. You know the ones…where the parents sit in a circle with their children on their laps clapping hands and singing widely  out of tune nursery rhymes…

The teacher was a lovely older lady with six adult children and many grandchildren of her own. At some point in the class she would put a piece of relaxing classical music on the CD player. She would instruct us parents to just lie on our backs, close our eyes and relax. If our children required our attention we were to tell them that mummy was relaxing and that they needed to wait until after the song was finished.

Most of the mothers that attended our lesson were first time parents…off course we were madly in love with our children. We were also madly in love with the ‘idea’ of being a parent….I know that I was pushing myself to be the best possible parent I could be. 

The music teacher told us that this was the most important part of the lesson. She said that if she could teach us just one thing than it would be this 

…to make sure your child understands that you are a person and you need some time to be a person as well….

 Our teacher said that being a parent was hard. She said some days are not good days. She said sometimes you just need to take some time out to center yourself….so you can do your job of being a parent again.

At the time, I didn’t really buy into this. I thought it was kind of ridiculous that I had to lie with my eyes shut, for 2 minutes and basically ignore my daughter. I remember thinking that the teacher must have forgotten what it was like to be a parent of young children….what sort of music lessons was I paying for???

When we first started, the toddlers would pester their parents no end and were quite surprised that they were not the center of attention. The teacher would  calmly tell each child to just wait until the song was over . The teacher and the other parents would tell the kids this over and over for the first few lessons….but as the weeks progressed the children became used to the song and the concept of relaxation time.

The 2 minutes became routine for the children. They knew that their mummy was going to relax while the music was playing. I found the most amazing thing was that, after several weeks,  my little daughter would snuggle right up next to me, close her eyes and relax until the music had finished….(if you knew Flash as a toddler, than you would know just how remarkable this feat was!)

Flash as a busy toddler

So that is the advise that I am sharing today. The same advise that was given to me all those years ago. Try to teach your child/ren that you are a person too. And that you need some time to yourself sometimes…

This could be some relaxing time to a piece of music…some computer time while your child plays independently for a few minutes. It may even mean leaving the child in the care of  their dad, a trusted family member or close friend so you can get some exercise, a coffee with a friend, a hair cut or a wonder around the shops...

I didn’t take much time for myself when my first child was a baby. I think I may have tried too hard to be too perfect. I felt it hard to step back, relax, take some time for myself. I guess I was a bit of a control freak and I would feel guiltily at he thought of anyone else looking after my baby.

My first baby was an extremely difficult baby (see my post about lactose intolerance here) and in a way I was a little embarrasses to let someone else look after her and see what a miserable crying  baby she was….I was convinced the neighbors, listening to her scream all day and night, listening to us walking past their houses with her screaming in the pram…must have thought that I was the worst parent on earth! My little daughter was also very clingy and suffered badly from separation anxiety.

Until the music lessons I didn’t understand how critically important it was for me to take some time out from parenting…even if it was just for  2 minutes of relaxing music (…and it’s better than hiding in the toilet!)

When my other babies arrived, I kept the words of our wise music teacher in my mind…I gave myself permission to take some time to relax occasionally and I think I was much happier therefore and a much better parent.

I'm sharing this post over at Diary of a SAHM for #TeamIBOT (I Blog On Tuesday). 

Active Kids Weekend: My Gymnastics Girl at Training

I’ve heard it said that gymnastics is one of the hardest and physically demanding sports there is...Watching my daughter Muscles (7) at her 3 hour training session this weekend left me in no doubt about the truthfulness of that statement!

Of all the sports my children have been involved in so far gymnastics is the benchmark. The coaches are dedicated and are constantly working on perfecting each movement. It is a case of correct, correct…correct!  There is a big emphasis on strength, technique and safety.  They learn to do the tricks correctly to minimize the chance of injuries.

Muscles currently trains for 8hrs each week for gymnastics. I know that sounds like a lot at 7 years old….But she really, really does love it. She is in The National Gymnastics Program Level 2. In her little group of gymnasts she has made some wonderful little friends. All the girls are very motivated to give their absolute best. The girls push each other, but the coaches have been wonderful in that they make sure that the girls support each other as well. At this level there is a real focus on teams and team results. I think it gets more serous at level 4 when the girls are all vying for selection to the Nationals.

All the gym training my daughter does has made her very strong and very fit. I think it has been great for her other sports of  running and athletics.

Of all the sports though, gymnastics is the one that I worry about the most. I have to admit that I walk though the doors at the gym to pick her up and  am quite relieved she hasn’t gotten hurt. I’m not concerned at the moment, but if she continues with gymnastics then the training is sure to increase. I wonder if this increased training may have consequences down the road for her growth and development. I am worried that her dedication to gymnastics will mean she misses out on other important experiences….but that is a little way off…at the moment I am ensuring that Muscles has a rich and varied childhood to the best of my abilities.

I’m going with my instincts and trusting the coaches the moment. I’ll keep taking my little girl off to gymnastics, and paying for the training as long as she still wants to train….as long as her eyes still sparkle at the mention of gymnastics.

My little girl just loves her gymnastics…her free time is willingly spent practicing her tricks on the trampoline (and teaching her little brother!). She is always practicing her handstands and cartwheels wherever she is. Her bedroom wall is decorated with her competition leotard. She tells me she like to hang it there so that she can dream about gymnastics when she’s asleep……

Here is a sneak peak into her training….

One of the aims I have for this SportyMummy blog is to create a community of parents interested in sport and a healthy lifestyle for their children.

If your children have participated in a sport or a fun energetic activity this week, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. You can also comment on the SportyMummy Facebook page. If you have written a blog post about a sport or activity your children have participated in this week, you can add it to the linky tool at the end of this post. It is my hope to create a supportive community that will also motivate others to get involved with an active lifestyle.

Apraxia: Banging My Head Against A Brick Wall

The title of this post is just how I have been feeling about this cursed Apraxia (Dispraxia) that as been plaguing my little boy, Buster (4)

It really hit home when my oldest daughter Flash (9) cam to me in tears…finally admitting that the reason for her distress was….

‘…..I’m just really worried about my brother…he can’t talk yet….”

Buster has been seeing a speech therapist and in the beginning I was feeling very hopeful that his speech would make big improvements this year. However, I can only get to see the speech therapist about once each month. On one of these scheduled appointments, Buster was very sick with the flu (he missed a week of preschool). I called the therapist and was informed that the next appointment he could get was 2 months later!!

Busters Preschool teacher also called me this week. She wanted to say that she was very concerned that Buster’s speech was not improving . She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to help him. She is such a lovely teacher J. She asked if she could speak to Busters Speech Therapist to get some ideas on how to best support Buster in the class room (The therapist was supposed to call the teacher at the beginning of the school year, but that has never happened).

The most frustrating part for me is the speech therapist. Even though I have been to see an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist to rule out any structural abnormalities, she has told the preschool teacher that she thinks that buster has an abnormality in his palette *!*. She is still very determined to teach buster sign language and have him use his iPod…..she even told the preschool teacher that it was a shame she didn’t see Buster more regularly….(Hello....you make the appointments!!)

I am just simply perplexed by these strategies. How on earth will sign language help him be understood at school when neither the other children or the teachers use sign language?? We have also found that walking around with an iPod is just not really practical in a preschool situation.

I feel like I’m banging by head on a brick wall because I just want the speech therapist to help him speak!!

I realise that treating apraxia is a long, slow process. Buster gets so frustrated with people (including me) constantly correcting him…He actually does try his absolute hardest to repeat the word the way it is supposed to sound….but he just can’t seem to do it. Listening to him struggle just breaks my heart. It seems that the speech therapist has given up on the possibility that he will ever be able to speak fluently, and is trying to provide other options for communication….but I’m not going to give up on my little boy!

Yesterday I called the speech pathologist that my daughter saw. I was prepared  to literally beg her to see my son. Unfortunately she no longer sees clients…but she did give me a recommendation to a speech therapist who trained under her and specializes in Apraxia therapy.

Although this new speech therapist was ‘full’,  thanks to this recommendation, I was able to get an appointment for an assessment with this new therapist…..Suddenly I have a reason to feel hopeful again!!

I am willing and determined to practice with Buster. Buster’s preschool teacher is also prepared and enthusiastic to support him at preschool with the same strategies. His support system is in place and is raring to go! Now, I have my fingers crossed (and everything else!) that this specialist in Apraxia can give us some techniques and a structured and effective plan of therapy to follow. ..

….I’m not going to give up.

I'm sharing this post over at Mumma Grace for Flog Yo Blog Friday.... There are some great posts up today!!

Thankful for my Children’s School….but not the NAPLAN

Today I have been thinking about schools and education….

…. I have been mulling it over in my head because this week,  my oldest daughter Flash (9) is sitting her first standardized tests; the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).

As it is my first experience parenting a child  through a standardised test, I have not really been sure what to expect. I have tried to extract information from my daughter but most of the time she has not seemed willing to talk much about it…I know that there was an exposition to write about food and she knew how to spell ‘vegetable’…

I haven’t pushed the point because after spending a large part of the school day sitting multiple tests…the last thing a 9 year old would want is to be grilled about it by her mum!...I’ll have  another go at getting some of her thoughts on the weekend….but I can tell that that this has certainly been a stressful and un-enjoyable experience for her. I have to say that after today I am thankful that the NAPLAN is over.

According to the NAPLAN website, these tests are important because...

“…NAPLAN tests are run every year to provide policy makers, schools, and parents with important information about how well students are performing in key areas of literacy and numeracy….”

I didn’t experience this sort of testing when I was in year 3. These tests have been run for only the last few years. The schools I attended were in country town NSW. A town where unemployment and  poverty, were very high. I think it is fair to say that it was an area of lower socio-economic standard than I live in today.

I am being completely honest when I say that the school was terribly under resourced. Of course at the time, it was all that I had known. But now, when I see the school that my children attend, the vast range of equipment, resources and opportunities they have…than the difference is wide and gaping!

I was able to finish school, go on to university and achieve a PhD in Medical Research. I think I  was able to achieve a score high enough to study science at university largely due to the support of my mum and my internal drive.

 I do truly believe that myself and my cohort were just as capable as a children attending a Canberra private school….but the difference in university entrance scores is staggering! A student attending my old school would find it extremely difficult if not impossible to achieve a high enough entrance score to pursue medicine, law or any of those type of university courses straight from school.

If there is anything useful to come out of the NAPLAN tests than I hope that differences in literacy and numeracy will be detected at year 3…where there’s still time to improve,…rather than waiting for the university entrance scores. I hope that the schools that perform poorly at the NAPLAN tests get the funding, resources and support that they require to increase the levels of literacy and numeracy in their students so that they will have the opportunities to attend university, just like their counterparts form more advantaged schools.

Unfortunately, I think the NAPLAN is abused. I have heard stories of some schools drilling their students on the test for weeks, even months prior to the test. There are books and websites available to help parents coach their child for the tests. I have heard that some selective high schools are using the results to choose their students. The results are used to create ‘league tables’ in the Newspapers.  I don’t think the NAPLAN should be used for these purposes at all.

Getting good results in one test should not be the measure of a good education. The test does not measure things like the school community, a love of learning, art, science, music or sport. I hope that the all students are able to experience these wonderful aspects of schools as well as the NAPLAN.

In my experience with my daughter this year, I can say that the school has prepared her for the NAPLAN. They have had several practices and the children have been shown what is expected of them in the test.  I am thankful for this because it would be awful to be comforted with the NAPLAN with out any preparation. However, My daughter has also had a rich education in that she is learning Indonesian, taking part in music and art lessons, she has joined the school choir and of course participated highly in school sport.

Today I am thankful for the school that my children attend think they have managed the NAPLAN well. I am thankful for the rich and diverse education they are receiving and I can see that it is vastly superior to the education I received in year three.

Personally, I have not liked sending my daughter off to school this week knowing she has the NAPLAN waiting for her. I think the NAPLAN as been abused and is not being used for the purpose in which it was intended.  I believe there is so much more to education.

However, since I do not really have a choice…the NAPLAN is here weather I like it or not, I hope that some good can come form the NAPLAN. I hope that resources can be given to schools that will be identified as really needing support so that all children have a chance at fulfilling their potential.

I'm sharing this post over at  Thankful Thursday on the Kate Says Stuff Blog. You can head over there to read some inspiring posts!

A Ride Around 'Our' Pond

Can you pick the odd one out??  ;)

I'm joining in with  My Little Drummer Boys, Sakura Haruka,  and Tina's for Wordless Wednesday. Pop over and see some great Wordless Wednesday photos!