What I REALLY Said - My ABC15 Interview...

While I don't fancy myself a political activist; if you've ever read "The Bumpy Ride" before, then you know that I'm all about the (say it with me), "GREATER GOOD"; and that first and foremost, I am ALWAYS an advocate for my children, and what is in the best interest of their greater good as well as that of children in general. If you're new to the "The Ride" then  you just received a master class in where the name was derived from.  (Short cuts are rarely taken and I tend to over explain - but I thank you for indulging me and I hope that you'll enjoy it.)  I'll also quickly explain for those new "Riders",  that while I consider most of my writing to be observational humor, I also feel compelled to write about ANYTHING that I believe will promote the "GREATER GOOD".  So here we go...

Now, I've been known to voice my opinion here before, in regard to certain political candidates; I'm not going to pretend that I haven't.  And while I could easily get on my soapbox and rally on about how despicable I find our new Governor, (Doug Ducey) to be; or how appalled I am that someone as inexperienced as Diane Douglas could be elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction when she has never even taught a day of school in her life; THIS post is not about that. No, this post is about the Four day school week that the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) proposed and what exactly I said during my interview with Channel 15 yesterday.

So let me back this up a bit...  In anticipation of the drastic cuts that would be made to the Arizona education budget, the PUSD put out a survey to ask parents what they thought about a Four day school week. My immediate reaction was "NO!", but when I responded in kind on the survey, it then presented the options of:  Four day school week OR cut nurses, librarians, cafeteria workers, security, buses, extracurricular activities, administrators etc. etc. etc.  The list seemed endless and I was perplexed.  I couldn't imagine our schools doing without all of the services that were mentioned, and so Luis and I discussed it and agreed that the four day week was the lesser of the evils.  We still had grave concerns about it, but we also felt that there was no choice.

I kept the survey and the possibility of the four day week in the back of my mind, as more and more I saw Facebook posts about an effort to Recall Diane Douglas, (and I jumped on that bandwagon). Then more recently, I saw my very own friends Brooke Kistner and Lisa Best start a grassroots effort to protest the proposed Education budget cuts at the capitol.  I was inspired by their dedication and commitment to inform Arizona's parents about the dangers of the budget cuts; and I felt very guilty that I wasn't able to join them at either protest due to work and scheduling conflicts.  So, when Lisa sent me a text on Wednesday and asked me how I felt about the four day school week proposal and if I would be willing to speak with a reporter from channel 15,  I responded and told her that I didn't like the idea of the four day week, and that while I was a pretty good public speaker when given the opportunity to rehearse, I didn't believe that I did very well on the fly.  Lisa called me and we discussed our points of view and she told me that she thought I would be fine to do the interview, so although I was very nervous about it; I felt that the time had come for me to do my part, and I said "yes."

Justin  Pazera called me on Wednesday afternoon and asked me if I was in favor of the four day week and I said "no"; but our conversation was so brief that I didn't have time to clarify my position.  So as soon as we met in person on Thursday morning, I told him not to take his equipment out of the car until I was able to explain my point of view, as perhaps it was not what he was really looking for.  I told Justin that while I don't like the idea of the four day week, I thought it was the lesser of the evils. He went on to take out his equipment (now that almost sounds like another kinda blog right there...) but I digress; and we spoke on film and off, for over a half hour.  Justin asked if I was happy with the PUSD aside from the proposal and I told him that I was thrilled.  I explained that I have three children that attend three different schools in the PUSD and that I was so grateful that they each had the opportunity to get their individual educational needs met.  Nicky is a straight A, honors student at Peoria High School and he participates in MESA (Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement) in addition to being a Varsity swimmer.  Lyndzi is a great student and an award winning artist who attends Foothills Fine Arts Academy for their Visual Arts program and Kelsie an equally great student, attends Apache Gifted Academy.  He asked why I was opposed to the four day week and I went on to say, that I know there are a lot of children who already have difficulty making it through the school day, so lengthening it concerned me.  I thought that it may be unfair to students and teachers alike in terms of their daily workloads; because Nicky typically comes home with several hours worth of homework as it is.  I explained that while childcare wouldn't be an issue for me, I recognize that their are many parents with young children who may be faced with a dilemma about who would watch their children and how they would pay for it; and ultimately that could effect the economy.  Lastly, I expressed concern for the children whose only meals are the ones that they receive at school, and how missing a day may mean an extra day that they go unfed.

I then explained that although my concerns about the four day week are many; I fear the cuts that would have to be made more.  For children who take medication at school, how could their be no nurses?  How would schools run without administrators?  I want my children to receive a quality education that equals those from other states, and I worry that if extracurricular activities are cut, my son will fall short on his college applications when he is competing for spots with students who appear to be more well rounded.  I mean what is he supposed to say in an essay... "I would have continued to participate in MESA and swim team but the state of Arizona cut the funding."  That's heartbreaking to me!  My children are dedicated students who already have plans for their future and I don't want to see their dreams shattered, because we reside in Arizona and our government is showing us that they don't value public education.  Justin said "So what do you do?"  And my initial response actually surprised me a little... I said "Pray", but then I KNEW that was my opportunity to REALLY talk about what can be done, so I added, and VOTE, and make phone calls and sign petitions and make sure that you help to get the word out that this state is in big trouble and that our children's future depends on people making informed decisions when they vote, and not just choosing a candidate because of the party initial next to their name, as that person's interests might not represent your own at all.

I made it VERY clear to Justin that I applauded the PUSD for coming up with an alternative to the extreme budget cuts, but my bigger concern was that Arizona is in this position to begin with.

Justin asked me to show him photos of my children.  He asked me to flip through them and he assured me that it wouldn't look silly (but I beg to differ.)   I asked Justin to make sure to edit out the part where I used the word "thrilled" three different times to describe the PUSD as I was embarrassed to use the same word repeatedly; and not only did he oblige me there, but he edited out almost everything that I said and added in something that I didn't; which was that I was concerned that my kids would continue to get good grades, if the four day week went into effect.  I said I was concerned about the workload, and scheduling but rest assured, I have every faith that my kids will continue to be good students regardless of if they are in school four days a week or five.

I think my family and I have learned several valuable lessons through this experience:
1.  You have to stand up for what you believe in and not just complain.
2.  You have to do your part when something matters to you - even if it's scary to do so.
3.  You need to be informed, because ignorance may cost you and those you love more than anyone  can afford.
4. You need to share your knowledge, so AZ friends if you haven't already joined the following Facebook communities, please do:  Recall Diane Douglas, Recall Doug Ducey,  and FundAZFuture
5.  The media shows you what they want to show you.  They slant things to fit the story that they're trying to tell.

Here's my very brief  abc15 interview , if you'd like to watch it.   I'm just gratified that I was able to use "The Bumpy Ride" as my vehicle to share ALL of my points of view on this matter, with you.

Till next time...
Paige

(43-356) Arizona Rain

Quite some time ago, I posted "A Lil Bit About Arizona" and I explained that Luis and I had moved from Florida to Arizona, sight unseen in January, 1997.  January was a good time of year to move here because it wasn't hot at all.  In fact I was super, surprised to experience rain almost every day that month. And if you've never been to Arizona then this is probably news to you too.

Just because we live in the desert doesn't mean that we never get rain, nor does it mean that the temperature doesn't cool down.  The truth of the matter is that typically from mid-October through mid-May our weather is delightful; and we do experience a rain storm from time to time.  The summer months and September are usually when we endure our highest temperatures; but it is true that it's a dryer heat, so it's not usually as uncomfortable as a high temp accompanied by humidity.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not gonna try and convince you that at 118 it's not HOT, cause IT IS; but at least we're not sweating profusely.

Anywho, this afternoon Kelsie and I went to Super Wal-mart for a couple of things, and as I was checking out I heard this unfamiliar, loud sound, pounding on the roof.  I asked the checker what was going on and he said "rain," to which I replied "if the rain sounds like that, it must be pouring."  I finished my transaction and went to look at the door and sure enough, it was torrential.  Kels and I decided to wait the storm out a bit in the McDonald's that's in the store.  After I thought the rain had subsided, we decided to head to the car.  We walked through the cool rain, commenting that despite the wind it really wasn't so bad.  We reached our minivan and I let Kelsie into the car.  Then just as I was about to put a bag in, she yelled "Mommy look, there's a tree on our car!"  And this is what I saw:

The tree ran the spans of our windshield. The wind had been so strong that the tree snapped and fell onto our minivan.

Kelsie asked how we were going to get the tree off of our car, and I'll admit, I wondered the same thing.  I was hoping that I could just back out slowly and that the tree would slip off.  But being that things don't always work out the way I think they will (ie "An Accident Waiting To Happen"); I wasn't certain that I was right in my thinking.  Nonetheless, not feeling like I had many options, and with the rain persisting, I decided to give my plan a try - and thankfully it worked like a charm.  Our car suffered a bent antenna, but no other damage that I could see.  As we were pulling out I snapped another pic just so I'd have more to share with you and Luis.  My minivan was under where the tree is lying in the parking spot; but what you see here was only a portion of it.

Kelsie and I drove still in shock over what happened, but proud that we'd gotten out of it as well as we did.  The worst part of all is that as we drove home, I realized that our Disney soccer antenna ball was missing.  I loved that antenna ball because it always helped me locate my car in a parking lot.  Oh well, something tells me I'm gonna be in for a bunch more parking lot related incidents until I replace that antenna ball.

So for those of you who thought it doesn't rain in Arizona; now you've seen proof.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-332) A GREAT Staycation Rate

Today's blog is being written while I'm poolside at Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I'm not sure that I ever mentioned the name of Luis' hotel before, but there you have it.  Luis is the Front Office Manager and Manager on Duty at the lovely, Chaparral Suites Resort.

We've been fortunate it enough to stay at Chaparral on a number of occasions and we always have a terrific experience.  Once upon a time, The Chaparral was an Embassy Suites, and they still follow their model by offering a Manager's cocktail reception from 530 to 730 every evening and a cooked to order breakfast.  Breakfast is all you can eat and they'll prepare whatever you choose from eggs, to breakfast burritos, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, etc. etc.  They have a selection of cereals and fruit, danish and muffins, coffee, tea and juices.  All of the rooms are suites; hence the name; and they all come equipped with either two double beds or a king in the bedroom, and a pullout sleeper sofa in the living room.  There is a door that closes between the bedroom and the living room, and each suite also has a microwave and refrigerator. (Not a full size of course, but not quite a mini.)

The Chaparral Suites Resort occupies more than two acres of  beautifully landscaped property, with two large fountains situated throughout.  Although I'm only 45 minutes from home; whenever I'm here I always feel as if I'm on vacation because of the ambiance.

The Fourth Floor Grille is Chaparral's restaurant and I highly recommend it any day of the week.  They have amazing burgers, delicious pizza and scrumptious salads.  They have an extensive menu with everything from salmon to ribs and they even make their own salad dressings.  You can't go wrong with anything that you order; and as if the quality of their food wasn't enough, the portions are always very generous.  By the way, if you wanna check them out and NOT stay overnight, you can purchase a Restaurant.com gift certificate and have a fabulous meal at the fraction of the regular cost.

Chaparral Suites Resort has been offering a reasonable summer rate for several years, but this year they have a deal that can't be beat.  $109 (plus tax) for a night and you receive a $50 food credit which can be used towards food or drinks.  Now is that a GREAT Staycation rate or what?

The Chaparral has two refreshing, pools, a gym, and tennis courts.  They offer a complimentary airport shuttle, free Wi-Fi,  and dogs (under 50 lbs) are welcome to stay for just a $25 non-refundable deposit.

Being the Queen of  LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR (say it with me) "GREATER GOOD", I'd be remiss if I didn't share this outrageous opportunity with you.  And because I'm always curious to know who takes me up on my tips, please leave me a comment (here or on Facebook) or email me and let me know how your stay was.   For now, I'm going to go enjoy my complimentary margarita.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

                                                                                                            

(43-281) Only In Arizona...

I had to go and look at more yearbooks today, but I needed to trek out to Mesa to do it.  Now if yer not from round these parts, I can tell you that from my house (dependin on where you're going to in Mesa)  it can take 45 minutes to an hour to get there; when there's not traffic.  As all of the highways in my area are totally under construction at this time; I knew that it was more than likely that I'd have myself a bit of a wait; and since I was already nervous about travelling somewhere that I'm unfamiliar with, I  asked my friend Kailene to take a lil road trip with me.

Arizona just seems to be one of those places, where you stay round what you know.  Everything is conveniently located, so there's not a whole lotta reason to venture out of your little town; unless you have something specific to do in another.  With this being said, I can tell you that in the 14 years that I've lived in Arizona, I've probably been to Mesa ten times max, and each time for a specific purpose like visiting the Scrapbooks etc. store, going to Ruffler's Roost (the ribbon store,) or going to the Scrapbook Convention.  Clearly, Mesa is a scrapbooking mecca.  But I digress.  My visit to Mesa today had nothing at all to do with scrapbooking.  It was entirely about yearbooking; and I was so glad that my friend Kailene came along with me, since I was definitely chartering through unknown territory and I always enjoy spending time with her.

I had carefully mapped out directions from my house to the Mesa school district office (did I forget to mention that I don't own a GPS,) and from there to another high school, should time allow.  Kailene and I reviewed nine yearbooks during my appointment, and over two hours later we were on our way to our next stop.  As we were driving down the road, a sign for an event hall caught our attention.  The name of the catering hall was "Salt and Pepper."  Yes, Salt and Pepper Event Hall to be exact.  Kailene and I laughed and laughed about this, because we were picturing a wedding invitation and what it might say, "Please join us for the blessed union of jack and Jill on may 4, 2011 at the salt and Pepper Event hall."  Need I say more?  Hmm, yes, I 'd better.  Dear owners of the Salt and Pepper Event Hall, if you happen to be reading this, I apologize for making fun of your perfectly good name.  I'm sure that you arrange world class events  and you chose this name for some reason that's near and dear to you.  I wish you nothing but continued success.

Moving right along... As we continued on our journey, we passed several lil unsanitary lookin motels.  But none made an impression on us as much as this one:

That's right folks.  You read that correctly.  It says Buckhorn Baths Motel.  Stop the presses!  I've seen it all now.  Where else would one want to go after having their nuptial celebration at Salt and Pepper but to Buckhorn baths, Hot mineral spa and wildlife museum?  That's right, I said wildlife museum.  Now sadly I can't apologize to the owner of this fine establishment, Alice Sliger, and have it mean anything; because she passed away last year at the uncommon age of 103.  Now you may ask yourself how I've come to know this, and I'll tell ya.  I did my research.  YES, research.  I found out that "The Buckhorn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and in 2007 the Arizona Preservation Foundation included the property on the Arizona’s Most Endangered Historic Places list.

The baths were instrumental in Mesa getting its first spring training team, which was the beginning of the Cactus League. Some of baseball’s greatest players soothed their injuries in the baths during the Buckhorn’s heyday. Sliger amassed a large collection of photos and other memorabilia from running the Buckhorn since the 1930s."

The property is also important because it is the quintessential example of early roadside lodges.  Alice’s husband Ted was a part-time taxidermist who amassed more than 400 preserved animals, which were on display on the site."  Only in Arizona I tell ya.  Well maybe not...                                                                        

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-190) Weather Or Not

As I told you in "A Lil Bit about Arizona;"  Luis and I had moved here sight unseen.  Neither of us had ever been to Arizona before; but an opportunity presented itself; so we packed up, and moved.  We knew that it would be hot; but since we were moving FROM Florida; and Luis had lived most of his life in Puerto Vallarta; we thought that we'd be able to endure the high temps.  Interestingly enough, because we moved here in January; it wasn't hot at all.  In fact, it was downright chilly; and it rained almost every day for the first few weeks; which had me quite confused.

Once it started to warm up; the weather was ideal.  The skies were blue (like EVERY day;) and I couldn't imagine a better place to live.  I remember asking people about this "dry heat," because I had no idea what they were talking about.  But then that first spring, Luis and I went to Puerto Vallarta and as we stepped off the plane; the humidity smacked me in the face; and it was right then and there that I knew what was meant by dry heat; and I was grateful for it.  The summer temps didn't bother us; because we'd had an opportunity to ease into them; and just when you thought that it couldn't get any hotter; fall rolled around the weather got cooler; and again Arizona seemed ideal.

I think that Arizonans are well prepared for our high temperature days; it's just the cold temps and rain, that really seem to throw us for a loop.  If it gets down to 65, I think I'm cold, which is just shameful for a New Yorker; but hey, when you're used to 115 degrees and the temperature drops 50 degrees; you'd be cold too.

Now trust me; I am NOT complaining about the cold.  I wouldn't dare, when I know about the temperatures and the snow that the rest of the country is receiving.  BUT,  I thought I'd share a picture that was taken at Luis' hotel, so that people who've never been to Arizona can see what we're capable of.  

You never know where opportunity is going to take you.
When I was living in New York, I always thought that I would move out of state; but if anyone would have told me that I'd be living in Arizona, I don't think I would have believed them; since it wasn't a place that I'd ever been to or had a reason to go.  Well, for the most part living in Arizona has worked out very well for us; and I think we'll stay until the next opportunity presents itself. Weather or not.
Till Next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

A Lil Bit about Arizona

When it comes to living in Arizona I go through phases. There are times that I can't wait to venture out and try something new and others when I think that we are really lucky to live here. Lately it seems that I have been in "really lucky to live here" mode; and I recognize this because as I'm driving down the street I notably appreciate the most often blue sky as it contrasts with our flourishing landscapes. I relish the picturesque views and the overall friendliness of the local residents. I am thankful for the cost of living and the affordability of my kids chosen activities and when I talk to non-Arizonians I find myself promoting the state and all that it has to offer.

Luis and I moved to Arizona VERY unexpectedly. We had been living in Orlando for about two and a half years and we were finding it extremely difficult to make trips home to Puerto Vallarta since that wasn't a place that people were really travelling to from Florida and we started thinking about moving West. I called my friend Hollie, who had moved to Phoenix at the same time that we had moved to Orlando. Hollie had been attending Thunderbird (Graduate school for Global Management) and as a side project, she and two friends decided to open a coffeehouse. (I refer to my list of 100 things ~ # 82. Hollie Castro is the most ambitious person I know; and I think she is truly awe inspiring.) The year was 1996 and Starbucks hadn't come to town yet; so their business was doing quite well (they were voted Best Coffeehouse & Best Cup of Coffee, by both the "New Times" and "Arizona Republic" shortly after opening) and as upon her graduation in December Hollie was moving to Italy to work for GE and her partner Julie was moving to Houston, this was going to leave her partner Bobbi looking for a manager. I thought that managing a coffeehouse would be a welcome change from being a social worker so Hollie told me to call Bobbi. After speaking to Bobbi for a half hour, I got the job and Luis and I moved to Phoenix, sight unseen.

People always ask if I miss New York and the truth is that I miss my friends ands I miss the food but that's about it. I LOVE food! And though you could probably guess that just by looking at me, I firmly believe that not ALL overweight people LOVE food. Some are just overweight because they eat (whatever) to fill a void, or because they have poor metabolisms, or don't exercise enough, or because they eat the wrong foods; I however, LOVE food. I love to watch Food Network shows of all kinds

(especially $40 a Day.) I like to read restaurant reviews and menus even if I know that it is for a restaurant that I will never go to. When I'm in a hotel, one of the first things that I do is read about the local eateries and whenever Rachel K is going to a new restaurant she always emails me the menu so I can check it out; because we share a love of food.

Now, because I love food, you have to understand that moving from New York to any other state presents a culinary culture shock like no other. Upon the transition from NY to Florida I recognized the absence of the "Mom and Pop"

style restaurants and the non-existence of Diners ( I refer to my list #7 ~I totally miss New York Diners. Seriously, if there is anyone with some restaurant savvy, and you're looking to strike it rich ~ move to Arizona and open a Good, Old Fashioned, everything from Omelets to Crab stuffed flounder diner, and you will make a Gold Mine.) Aahh the Diner; where you could go any time of the day or night and ALWAYS get anything on the menu. The Diner, with its rotating cake cases with slices as big as your head. The Diner, where I first learned to love french fries and brown gravy and first tasted Baklava (that one was for you Judy; who ALWAYS asked EVERY waiter or waitress at WHICHEVER Diner; "How's the Baklava?") The Diner, where I spent countless hours after a school concert, or having a family dinner or an early morning snack after leaving a club. Aahh the Diner - choices were unlimited and yet I always got the same couple of things ~ BUT alas the chain was the thing in Orlando and the home cooked meals from Italian restaurants were no where to be found. The lack of dining diversity in Orlando somewhat prepared me for the gastronomic deficiency that I first encountered in Phoenix; the land of "Erto." Yes, the Phoenix area is overrun by 24 hour Mexican drive thru joints that frequently have a name that end in "erto." We have Filiberto's, Heriberto's, Hilberto's,Humberto's, Poliberto's Roberto's, and Roliberto's, (just to name a few,) and I'm sure there must be a Berto's too. Now Michelle K has been living in Phoenix a lot longer than me and she had informed me that Erto means meat of the cat; but I have developed my own theory. I hadn't had much exposure to Mexican food prior to moving to Phoenix, and YES, I know that I am married to a Mexican man; but his mom's cooking is not the type of fare that be offered in a Mexican restaurant; although it is DELICIOUS! No, growing up in New City, the only encounter that I had with Mexican food was Tacos at Jack In the Box (a few towns over; ) AND that Jack closed down within a few years. No Mexican food was not prevalent in Rockland County in the 70's and 80's and I offer further proof by explaining that in the 8th grade my Spanish teacher actually planned a field trip to the one and only Mexican restaurant in the county. Now I ask you, if Mexican food was commonplace would our class have been taking a field trip there? Probably not; but I digress...
The "Erto's" are not exactly purveyor's of Mexican cuisine; they are sellers of what I have come to call "ASS BURRITO." Yes, you read that right. Now you can decide for yourself what type of ass I am referring to; but basically I dubbed the popular Carne Asada burrito (from ANY of the "Erto's) ass burrito because it is meat that is typically overcooked and void of taste, (in my opinion) and subsequently not only did the Carne Asada burrito come to be know as ass burrito in my house, but now ALL of the "Erto's" are just generically and affectionately referred to as ass burrito; so, ass burrito is now not only a meal, but a place; or several places. "Aahh, the diner;" she said longingly...

Ass burrito is extremely popular in Phoenix and especially with my family. I honestly think that Luis could eat EVERY meal there and my kids would be righ tbehind him because they love the Quesadillas and beans.

A couple of months ago a brand new Filiberto's was getting ready to open in my neighborhood and to say that Luis and Nicky were waiting for the opening with baited breath would not be an understatement; so the day that I drove by and saw the balloons outside, I knew EXACTLY what we were having for dinner. I told my guys that Filiberto's had opened and they literally could not get there quick enough and because I am the Queen of FAIR; I will admit that the ass burrito was actually good. It had flavor and everything. Now does this mean that I'm a fan? Absolutely NOT, but I will give credit where credit is due and I will eat it out of necessity, although I order a shredded beef taco salad without beans and NOT a Carne Asada anything. Well, last week Luis was at work and time had gotten away from me, so I went to the A.B drive thru. I got the food home and discovered that I now had an additional reason to call them ass burrito because although my receipt said "a pint of beans" these payasos (Spanish word for clowns) sent me home with a pint of rice. Now I ask you, what choice did I have? I loaded the kids into the car and went back to A.B. I requested my beans and asked that they remake my order because I didn't want the kids to eat cold Quesadilla; AND I am now boycotting Filiberto's (not like that's such a hardship for me really.)

Now, although my disclaimers usually appear at the beginning of a post, let me say this: There is A LOT of fabulous food in Phoenix despite the excess of the "Erto's" and if you're visiting, even those are worth a try. A lot has changed food wise since we moved her 12 and a half years ago and the choices now abound. I hope to see ya here sometime because it really is a beautiful place to visit, a great place to live and a wonderful place to eat.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Educating Arizona

Two weeks ago; after much anticipation I registered Kelsie for Kindergarten. It was a little bittersweet as due to impending budget cuts, full day Kindergarten may be discontinued; and there is no way that a half a day of Kindergarten will cut it for Kelsie; as SHE is a sponge who is READY to learn. I've been trying to make arrangements to insure that her educational needs are met, just in case a half day kindergarten is unavoidable; so the budget cuts are certainly a HOT topic in my home.

When I got home from work last Friday, I checked my email and found the following from Lyndzi's teacher:

I am sorry for the short notice on this, but I felt you as parents may want to know about this.
As many of you know, the state of Arizona is scheduling MANY educational budget cuts for the 2009-2010 school year. Some of these cuts may mean the loss of over 400 teachers in the Peoria district alone. In addition, it means an increase in class sizes, the loss of junior high sports, and a possible loss of our specials classes (music, art and P.E.). Please join Sky View Staff this Saturday to distribute information to all Sky View parents and community members. Please bring your children to walk with us and show that education is important to Sky View!

Dear Friends,
This Saturday, March 7th, we, as a Sky View Staff and Community will be meeting at 8:30 a.m. Our agenda is to hand out flyers in the neighborhood, door-to-door, informing our parents and neighbors about the budget concerns. We will gather in the parking lot at Sky View.
Please plan to be there and donate one hour of your time for the sake of our Sky View children and Sky View staff who will suffer as a result of these potential cuts.

Well you know me; I can't say no when it comes to volunteering for a worthy cause ~ and WHAT could possibly be more worthy than my children's education? So on Saturday morning I woke Nicky and Lyndzi and we went over to their school. We were greeted by Ms. Berg, Sky View's Political Action liaison. Ms. Berg shared the news of all the proposed budget cuts and they were just staggering; so rather than repeat all that she shared; I'm going to post the letter that I emailed to all 3 of my district legislators.

Hello (fill in name here);
My name is Paige Ramos and I am a voter in your district. I am contacting you today as I am EXTREMELY concerned about the proposed budget cuts for education as I have 3 school age children.

At this time I would like to URGE you to allocate all of the money that we receive from President Obama's stimulus plan and apply it towards eduction; as I believe that the proposed budget cuts would be detrimental to my children's education; as well as to our economy, the future of educators and the future of our country. I myself have witnessed first hand the benefits of a full day kindergarten program as I spent time in both my 9 1/2 year old son's class when he attended a half day Kindergarten and my 7 year old daughter's class when she attended a full day last year. I can say factually that the difference in the class performance as a whole was astounding. My son was able to read when he finished kindergarten, but he was an exception; whereas, EVERY student in my daughter's class was reading by the end of the year. I also have a 5 year old daughter who due to a late birthday will attend Kindergarten next year, and I can tell you that a half a day program would be a great injustice to her. Unfortunately I am not in a financial position to afford the additional $250 a month that it would cost me to have her attend full day; and I'm certain that I am not alone in this situation.

I feel very fortunate to have my children attend Sky View elementary even though people say that schools in Arizona are not the best. I believe that my children have been receiving an excellent education from teacher's who care about them and serve each and every one. I fear that the proposed cuts will increase my children's class size which would have a profound effect on the teacher's ability to function as effectively as they have been.

If you ask ANYONE in this country, they will tell you that teacher's are underpaid. We should be insuring that people who choose to serve our children and our community are not penalized for this choice but rewarded. They should be making a lot more money than what they do; not be threatened with making less money and possibly losing their jobs.
Just as we have spent money to install all those photo radars; which in addition to saving lives, generate a lot of revenue for our city; we should be investing in education; as the children ARE our future, but they need to be thought of RIGHT NOW!

I implore you (fill in name here,) when you are voting on budget cuts to education, think of the children whose lives you are effecting. Think of the long term effects that limiting educational services will have on our state, and our country. If there is a legislator out there who is not convinced that all day kindergarten is a necessity or a worthwhile program; then I suggest that they spend some time with the children whose lives you will be changing forever. I encourage you to sit in on a first grade class that has eighteen students, and then visit another that has 26 and tell me that you don't recognize a great disparity in the progress of the children in the smaller class. . I invite you to attend a class with Project Ideal students; and see for yourselves what our gifted children are capable of; as one day they might cure cancer, or find a way to establish world peace or balance the budget. Our gifted children (my son included) look forward to attending Project Ideal; where they're being taught critical thinking skills and have studied subject matter that would never have been offered to them in a traditional 3rd or 4th grade class.

Yesterday I walked door to door with my daughter's first grade teacher, and attended a meeting with our school's political action representative. I was moved to tears over their concern for our children, their concern for their co-workers and the LACK of concern of our Legislators. I implore you (fill in name here,) contact me if you have NO doubts about voting to cut the budget; because I welcome the opportunity to change your mind.
Respectfully;
Paige Ramos
Mother of Nicolas (9 1/2,) Lyndzi (7) and Kelsie (5)

OK, so I wrote to my legislators, and thus far I have received exactly what I expected ~ NOTHING! So, I have agreed to go to the State Capitol on March 25th to present them with the petitions that we had signed when we went door to door; and to try and impress upon them, that education is valued and necessary. As I often try to use "TBR" as a catalyst for change, I want to implore you to get involved. You don't have to write a letter; (although you may feel free to copy mine if you're so inclined - just sign your name;) you can call your reps, or even just send a postcard; as they have to count EVERY piece of mail that is received. Although it's possible that my efforts may ultimately cause no change whatsoever, one thing is for certain; if we do nothing, we guarantee that there will be no change. If you are at all concerned that 40-45 children in an upper grade is TOO much, or that your school may be losing some of its best teachers because they are only a first or second year employee, or simply that the children will NOT be getting the education that they deserve; then I encourage you to let someone know. And of course this is not just limited to Arizona; I'm sure that every district in every state will be facing some type of proposal to cut something in the educational budget, even if it's not as much as is proposed in bright and sunny Arizona.

It's absolutely amazing to me how people can bury their heads and pretend that this won't effect them. When Lyndzi's teacher and I went door to door we came upon a lovely home with a metal carrot on the wall. YES, I said metal carrot on the wall. (It was actually quite adorable.) It was serrated and painted, and it just seemed like a whimsical thing to have. Both Sarah and I actually commented to each other about how cute it was; and then it's owner came to the door. The woman was probably 35-38 and she had her daughter with her, who was probably 6 or 7. They leaned against the door jam and the woman had a VERY disinterested look upon her face as Sarah expertly explained about the proposed budget cuts. When Sarah finished speaking, the woman informed us that her daughter didn't go to Sky View, but to a charter school (about a 1/2 hour away) and that there were already 35 kids in her class. Sarah said "The budget cuts are going to effect charter schools too; although I don't have all of those details; but if you'd like to get on our email list, we could certainly get you more information;" and the woman said "No, I don't think so;" and shut the door. Sarah and I were shocked. I mean OK, it's your prerogative NOT to sign a petition or email list, but we didn't understand how someone with a school age child could just turn a blind eye. No one was home at the next house; and then we came upon another very cute home with lots of seasonal decorations. The garage door happened to be open and on the wall there hung a sign that said "Distributor of Sweetness and Light." I very enthusiastically said "Oh look Sarah; she's a distributor of sweetness and light," to which Sarah replied "Great! So what do you think that means?" And I said "I think she should be kind." Optimistically we strode to the door, and as soon as we approached; the door opened and through the screen the Distributor of Sweetness and light firmly announced "NO SOLICITORS," and shut the door in our faces. So much for signs. Yes, Yes, I completely understand that solicitors can be a pain in the neck; lord knows I get my fair share; I just thought her sign did not coincide with her actions; and you know that's the kind of irony that I enjoy.

So what more can I say? Get ready Governor Brewer, the Queen is coming to the Capitol; and I'm NOT happy! Stay tuned riders; it's once again time for me to put my money where my mouth is; and if anyone would like to join me, just let me know.

Sending SWEETNESS and LIGHT your way.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING