I went to 2 different high schools and when it came to driving....sm
Posted By: My 2 cents on 2008-02-20
In Reply to: Nephew and car -- sorry it is long - Patti
the 1st high school a lot of the parents gave their kids brand new cars for their 16th birthday and paid for everything. A lot of those kids would wreck their cars and didn't care because they had no true repercussions.
The 2nd high school I went to after we moved was in a more economically depressed area. The kids that did have cars, generally had older used cars, had to work part-time to pay for the expenses of it and rarely got into accidents.
I drove a family car and while I was a senior in high school I took a full load of high school classes, 12 hours of college classes, worked 15 hours a week to pay for gas, insurance, upkeep, and was in marching/concert band, and made straight A's because I was determined to do all of this.
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None of my high schools because sm
I don't have a clue where any of them are, haven't gone to a reunion, although this year is 30 years and I STILL won't go!
My life took a very different track from many of them. I was and am the Earth Mother, vegetarian, animal lover, big family gal and they were money-oriented yuppie types. NOTHING in common.
I recently connected with a friend from elementary school. We were not really friends then, but we are now. The other 2 friends I had from elementary school also went on different paths. One married and had a career, and her real full time job was managing the doofus she married AND the kids they had. The other never married, never had children and has been a bartender for 25 years at a couple of bars her brothers own. Again, nothing in common.
My most enduring and treasured friendship is an MT friend I met online in 2001. We have talked nearly daily since, but have never met in person. We will be spending a week together in June, the plans for which dropped into our laps unexpectedly. We had decided we might never meet face to face and that was okay. She is no less dear. We have used a webcam in recent months and connected that way, which was a gas.
Our high schools here all have a no cell
phone policy. First time, the parent comes to pick it up. After that the school keeps it until the end of the year. No reason for them to have cell phones turned on during classes is the way I see it. Before and after school is fine, but not during. My daughter's middle school also has no cell phone policy. Even if they are in their lockers and ring, they are taken away.
One school in a neighboring county was confiscating them and giving them away. The parents there filed a law suit and they now keep them, but the student loses it until the end of the year.
Our high schools require it also, they want
to know who is coming in, I think mainly because if there is any trouble from someone from another school, it can be handled by that school.
you have to realize too that a private schools also get those who are kicked out of public schools t
have a friend who is a teacher at private school who passed along this info so don't flame me,LOL.
driving
I'm the last dinosaur - I don't think teenagers should be driving their own cars. She needs to be spending her time on school and music, maybe working 8 or 10 hours a week at a job if she can handle that as well.
A car is a tremendous responsibility and she will have her entire life to paying ins., gas, etc. Give her a couple more years without that responsibility.
Frankly, unless she has to drive to school or work, I wouldn't let her have her own ccar. Not because she isn't mature enough, but because the roads are filled with angry, distracted drivers and I would be afraid everytime she was gone.
Senior year is early enough for her to have her own car.
I know no one else will agree with this, but I wanted to say it. As a former teacher, I believe this is part of the reason the rest of the world does a better job educating their young people. No one else in the world expects their high school students to work for money for a car - their kids are in school as full-time students. Look at their test scores compared to ours and look at who is populating our graduate and professional schools.
Driving to NYC
I'm leaving Saturday morning to go to NYC to see an off-broadway play with my daughter and her friend (my daughter's 13th birthday), and I was wondering if there was anyone in the areas between Upstate NY/Pennsylvania/New Jersey (my route) here that might be able to tell me how the roads are and how the weather in general is. We have a lot of snow here (some places have over 6 feet) and I'm a little worried. I've never driven to NYC before so I'm a little worried about the weather. TIA.
TEEN DRIVING
I just dropped you an email.
These floaters are driving me ...
crazy!! Have any of you had these and if so were they able to be treated and how? Seems like today in my right eye they are worse (I know they can go back and forth). I hope someone out there maybe has an answer to this irritating problem. Thanks.
I hope he is not driving because if he is -sm
it is only a matter of time before he is in an accident, hopefully only a 1 car accident. If is is driving he is not only endangering those in the car, but those on the road driving around him. Point that out if you have not already, very irresponsible and foolish of him IF that is the case. My DH is similar with docs, though he will go the eye doctor, but anything else he has to be dying, I am surprised he is not dead (Had a horrible case of pneumonia a few months before I met him, was out of work for 3 week, temps of 104/105, hallucinations, horrible sweats, etc, crawled in to see the doc at their office a few times, the only thing that saved his life was his girlfriend of the time, though why she never called 911 or took him to the ER is beyond me, he needed hospitalization, total miracle he lived). Mine acts like a big baby most of the time too. If you don't have life insurance on him, get it now while you can, then you will be okay if needed. As for SS disability, it will take a while to get that if he gets to that point, and even then he needs to see doctors and get doctor reports to have that submitted to SS so they can approved disability--but if he has a fixable problem then there is no way he will ever get it. Try to guilt him into to or else just get him in the car somehow and get him to the ER.
Tell him that his criticizing you is driving you away!
My DH has issues with my weight, too. Well, he's not perfect either. He's just as overweight as I am, so why the double standard? I told him if I didn't have to work so much and handle EVERYTHING else that I do (and then I listed everything for him), maybe I'd have time to exercise. He's doing more around the house, and I am making an effort to increase my activity level and eat better. He also had to stop pushing food on me, which I think he equates feeding me as an expression of love. Don't worry about the weight. You can still curl your hair, put on some makeup and wear a little slinky something. Cripes, this is the only time I've actually had boobs! It's not so much the weight that bothers them as the attitude. When you get in a rut wearing elastic waistband pants and a ponytail to work at home in, and you stay in them all the time, you don't feel as feminine as you can. Know what I mean? Forget about the underwear and give him a real woman!
I am not alone! The news is driving
me nuts! But I am like a person with a sore tooth and your tongue can't leave it alone. I should just quit watching. They throw out these headlines and never follow up. The reports involving children are really getting to me. How many times have you seen a missing child story only to have the camera pan to the cross street signs, the block number of the house and then, of all things, "here's her best friend, Ginny, who lives right next door, and says she is really missing her friend tonight", and then they post the child's name on the screen. If the parents don't have anymore sense, you would think the TV station would. They have practically made themselves the pedophile home shopping network. And yes, I have actually written to all the major Houston stations and only one bothered to write me back, the NBC affiliate. I don't know if they stopped doing this, but I just saw one yesterday on ABC, so that had no effect on them. Oh, well, enough of my soap box.
Went to the schools to eat
Several times. Nothing like we had when we were kids. There was No quality to their meals. I was not pleased.
Same at our schools
The kids can have them in school, but they have to be turned off and kept in their lockers. They found that the students were actually using the cell phones to cheat on tests. My daughter is probably one of the only teens that doesn't have a cell phone. If she goes out and absolutely needs one then she borrows either mine or her father's. We never had cell phones. I think most of us turned out okay.
Schools
Wondering if you can help me with this.
Due to many problems within the school district I have decided to start a special parents group to address the situations that were not handled properly, teacher/student relationships, and on.
What questions/and concerns would you ask of your school if you were not satisfied with them,;
Thanks for your time.
haha! My 5 year old wants to know: Who's driving and what are ALL the
,
Mine also, and I go very fast driving over them
and hold my breath or pray pretty much. Years ago my sister had gone over a bridge traveling to Tennessee just before it collapsed and I never forgot it.
On the news today they said something like 70,000 bridges in the country are in disrepair. I say put our taxes to better use! Do something constructive for a change.
Scary stuff.
I was driving home from work..sm
got the tail end of the report, mostly just that he'd been taken to the hospital, but the somber tone of voice made me realize pretty quickly that he had died. VERY sad day for me, I've always been a fan.
This mother saying too big a town for driving through yet
I honestly can understand this as when my children first started driving we were living in a huge city and all the freeways around, not some small town where everyone knows everyone and I bit my nails to the quick. The mother probably just wants the child to get more experience under his belt before he tries such a trip and the son is lying to her and making this trip regardless. He and the girl both sound like they are too much into each other for things like school right now. It happened to me- son just did not want school after high school. Sad when it is handed to you on a silver platter.
i stopped night driving when I was 48....
I live in a huge metropolis where everyone on the road is nasty.....gave up night driving at 48 due to problems seeing with the red, green, orange-yellow traffic lights PLUS headlights and rear lights.
I also have just given up driving all together...people are too nasty on the road.......I never did like driving, let my permit expire when I was 16 - never had a huge interest in driving.....just me is all.......
My children drive and all my friends drive so there's no problem whatsoever *lol*
Those low-mounted driving lights that - (sm)
illuminate both sides of the road are really helpful on dark country roads at night, and in the rain, too. They help me see puddles of deeper water, especially those along the side of the road that can get you spun around if just one front tire hits them. They're also good if you're watching for deer, pedestrians, etc.
I've learned a few tricks that help improve night driving vision:
First, if your windshield is pitted, replace it. The pits diffuse bright lights and make it hard to see.
Keep your headlights, tail-lights & turn-indicator lights clean so they'll be as bright as possible.
If I've been doing a long drive from daylight into night, especially if headed into the sunset, I'll wear sunglasses that are as dark as possible during bright daylight. Once the sun sets, I'll switch to more lightly tinted ones and wear them for as long as I can to help get my eyes better adjusted to the dark.
Once it's pretty dark, I usually take a break at a service station, and in addition to the slight rest I get from topping off the tank, I also take that opportunity to get my windshield as clean as possible - inside and out.
Next I'll wipe off my driving glasses, and finally, use some "Clear Eyes" eye drops in my eyes.
Finally, a sort of "last resort" trick I use to improve my vision right after passing an oncoming car with very bright headlights is to close one eye for a few seconds as the on coming car is within a certain distance. That way the iris in that eye doesn't have to readjust as much as the one that was blinded by the oncoming headlights.
All of those things make driving at night a little easier.
I must be the only one who LOVES driving at night.
When I was a kid, I did a lot of long-distance driving with my dad, and we were on the road a lot at night. I always loved that. It seemed so cool to be out on the roads at night when most of the world was tucked into their houses. It always seemed like an adventure. And then, I'm an avid backpacker and have been known to solo. I love the woods at night and the sounds of owls. It's lovely at night when it's quiet and dark.
Within the last 30 minutes I walked in the door following a 3-hour ride, mostly on the PA turnpike. It's not late, but the days are short now. I purposely left as the sun was going down, because I love watching the pinks and oranges of sunset. The moon is full tonight, and I saw the moon rise tonight, too. Che bella luna! It was just beautiful.
I have a dependable car, and if I were in trouble, I know basic mechanics, have a cell phone and AAA. I also know that most people are good people, and so that's how I choose to live my life ... counting on the good and appreciating the beautiful things. It makes me happy, and I'm well aware that the time is approaching when my eyesight, joints and muscles might not allow me to enjoy the simple things like driving at night or setting up my tent along a trail somewhere. So I'm doing it while I can!
While driving, some guy got really mad at me one time - I guess I cut him off? (sm)
I have no idea - but he followed me for miles on a busy road and kept pulling in front of me and slamming on the brakes, pulling up beside me and flipping me off, running up at the back of my car - scared me to death. No cell phone back then to call the police!
One day a few years back I was driving
to work (when I actually left the house to work) and I saw a man shoveling snow in his driveway, dressed like a normal man, but wearing a pair of red pumps. I almost crashed into a parked car doing a double take. He was tall and husky, built like a man, so I know it wasn't a woman. I got to work and told everyone and I don't think they believed me.
No way...driving cross country just as..
we do every year. DH and I take the month of May off for vacation and drive a Ford Explorer. Yes I have a large vehicle and no I don't feel guilty about having it It comes down to being economical in other ways. We use a credit card for the whole trip for gas and hotels, etc and get a 5% rebate. The vacation money is already put away in the bank so when we get back I just write a check for the bill. We have some of the highest gas prices here in the west and always figure it is a treat to head east and watch the prices drop a bit.
husband driving you crazy
Well, you could be like me and a lot of other women...no husband...all alone. I have all the time to myself I want and care to have. I was married once, and we worked together on the ranch and loved it. I like the suggestion that you go on a weekly date, or biweekly. Men do not know how to set these kinds of things up, so I will be on your shoulders to do this. Be creative and include things you both like to do. Wish I had that option.
I have two teens of driving age who both have their own cars. sm
My older teen is 19. She pays for her own insurance, but is on my policy. I will pay for my 17 year old until he is 19. I got them both used cars, and now if they want to sell them and get another one, that's up to them.
I am randomly tested for my bus driving - sm
duties. I get one day notice then have to show up at the testing place with a few other drivers and we either get alcohol testing (breathalizer) or a drug (pee) test, or both. If you test positive, you are immediately fired. I don't have a problem with that as I am responsible for other people's children and certainly would not want some alcholic or stoner driving my kids.
private schools
No, it's not fair that you should have to pay for a private school, but that might just be what is best for your daughter. We decided 16 years ago that our 3 children would not go to public schools. We have spent a fortune over the years, but I do not regret it for an instant.
but he did not go to Korean schools
the other poster may be correct about what they teach in Korea, but that was not the cause of this person going ballistic. and it should not be made to seem like it was.
The schools have enough to take care of
besides crap like this. Kids, source, name calling SO? You are grown, supposed to know better, do not stoop to their level by retaliation, nothing gained as hubs would say.
It is not only in schools. It can be anywhere. On the news here
in SC last night, a little boy 3 or 4 years of age has it and is at MUSC in Charleston but doing good. He was not in day care anywhere. He stayed at home all the time.
Our schools do the same thing
Having kids from 7 up to 19 in our district, I've had this happen a few times. But the difference is, our school district sends home on the very first day of school, a form that tells you if there is an emergency and kids have to be dismissed early, what you want to happen. I elect for my kids to get on the bus and if no one is home, they will be sent to Latchkey. When they take the bus, the bus driver will not let them off until an adult appears. She will sit there and honk for a few minutes and then go. Working with headphones on makes that difficult too, but I normally get someone calling telling me they heard about the school, etc. as a warning. They don't have time to call parents and I understand that. Not to mention, if the power is out at our schools, the phones go out as well.
Now we have had practice evacuations in case of fire, bomb threats, etc at the lower age and the teacher has to get them to our local fire dept, which is a very short walk away. They wait there until the buses can get there and take them home. They had to do this one time and it was a mess. Of course parents heard about the bomb threats (blanket threat over the whole district so everyone was evacuated), so they showed up to get their kids or sent friends, but they would not release kids to no one but parents. No grandparents, nothing. Reason being, if a true emergency like 9/11 happened, would they honestly have time to get those emergency forms? No one knew that they were not going to release the kids to parents only. Now that they've experienced it and people wrote letters complaining etc, it is now documented on the same form as mentioned above about parents only picking up their kids during a situation like this.
I know its hard, but I would at least write a letter explaining your situation, but be compassionate to what they are experiencing as well and come up with a compromise. They shouldn't have released your kids to your brother without any emergency forms for sure. I'm in a very small district where everybody knows everyone and they still would not release kids that day. They knew they were liable.
What's happening to Schools
Everytime I pick up a newspaper, watch the news or read stuff off the internet I hear about schools being in lockdown. Why is this happening? It wasn't heard of way back when. Don't the schools today lock their doors any when school is in session and use a buzzer to let people in and out? This is really scary. Schools today need to put more security in place. I can't imagine being a student, parent or school official and having to deal with this.
They see someone driving a nice car who paid for food sm
with food stamps, and this is where we began. They have no knowledge of income, housing, if that person owns that car or not, etc, etc. It is all jealousy and rage against a system they do not understand. As I said in the beginning, if you want to change it, then start by trying to change the regulations.
It depends on your vehicle and driving conditions...sm
In most cases you do not need to change it every 3000 miles unless you do a lot of strenuous driving (i.e. mountains or towing things). Your manufacturer of your vehicle can tell you what they recommend. A lot of the newer vehicles have sensors that advise when the oil needs changing based on how dirty it senses it is. The sensor on my Saturn usually alerts me between 6000-7000 miles that the oil needs changing. On our Kia they recommend changing it only every 7500 miles unless rigorous driving has been done, in which case they recommend changing between 3000-5000. Our Ford recommends changing the oil every 3000-5000 miles but it's also the oldest vehicle in our driveway.
How long are my hot flashes going to last? Driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!!
Not wanting to stop for gas and then driving on fumes SM
in hopes of reaching the pumps in time! 
Well, my significant other and I went away today and I was driving. Now he is a very aggressive
driver and I am much more cautious so it did not go well. I just dont pass everything in site with one foot on the gas and one on the brake. What a pain to have a passenger like that in the car telling you this and that and I would have been way up there by nowetc. Not much fun. I dont like to drive by the seat of my pants.
Unemployed husband driving me crazy sm
If my chair so much as squeaks, he has to open the bedroom door and see if I am really working. If the phone rings, he picks up the phone in the bedroom to listen in. This is getting way out of hand.
I asked him to stop doing this but he got really mad and said I should have nothing to hide. I don't have anything to hide but he is really really working my last nerve!
I am about ready to flip out. 
We cut back on driving, and the demand dropped.
Goes to show there is no reason for it to be that high anyway. If they think they can charge that much and get it, they will.
My battle with public schools
I will try not to get to long-winded here, but I wanted to let you know my experience with public schools. My youngest of 3 boys has extreme expressive language delay. His first word was at 4.5 and was Mama. No autism, no physical reasons. In every other aspect, he was normal.
After he was no longer eligible for state intervention after 3 years of age, we paid for private speech therapy but that was killing us and our insurance did not cover it. So we decided to enroll him in the preschool 4 year old program the following year.
It was a nightmare two weeks experience. The principal of the school would not let parents walk their kids to class. I was expected to bring my 4 year old nonverbal scared child to the front door and some teacher would escort him. In that two weeks, we had many meetings trying to resolve the problems. In addition, my son began to act out in extreme ways, peeing, screaming, hitting, kicking. It was not normal for him at all.
Finally, that Friday of the second week, it all came to an head for me. My son was screaming and hiding under the steering wheel that morning. I was crying. It had been a nightmare dealing with an insane school bureaucracy to get help, my husband being no help and saying we just needed to give it more time, and my little formerly sweet son acting out so savagely.
I decided that was it. He was only 4 for goodness sake. I went in to remove him from school. I was met in the office (the only place parents could go in the building - I swear this is true!) by the principal and told that I was to leave my child there, leave, or she would call the police!
This woman was something else. She refused to listen to any of my concerns, and refused at all to let me go into the classroom! I literally begged in tears in her office to **allow** me to go to my son's class to help so I could see what was going on. Parents were not allowed to help out in school unless on special days, like field day.
A shouting match ensued - and I mean my mama bear came roaring out. My son was there with me, clinging to my leg for all he was worth, listening to the principal and I scream at each other. Because the principal literally screamed at me back. It was without a doubt one of the worst experiences in my life. Teachers came running to see what was going on...my son's teacher was there trying to calm me down. I left that building with my son and have never been back.
My husband came racing home from work, I was so hysterical when I called, fearing they would take our child away from us. There were phone calls the next couple days from the school superintendent - Oh, we're so sorry. She's a new principal. She will be talked to about this. Come back, etc.
By that time, I was in battle fatigue and scared to death of my child being taken away. Fast forward now 5 years...He is talking up a storm, reading, very good in math, and is back to his sweet and gentle self. We chose homeschooling. We didn't want to really but couldn't afford private schools.
We got swept up in a great co-op that has become our pseudo-school. He takes classes there and has made very good friends. The kids were all very accepting of him from the first and did not tease at all about his speech. Last year, at graduation ceremonies, he read a booklet so clear and perfectly pronounced. One of the mom's put her arm around me because she knew what a long journey it has been for him.
So, that's my story. Sorry so long. For my other two sons, my eldest is in high school public school. My middle son couldn't stand being in school with his younger brother having so much fun in co-op and we homeschool him too.
I worked in the schools with them for years.
Try raising them for their entire lives. These kids have LOTS of other problems, just ADHD as an example because there are so many kids on this stuff. They are on LOTS of medications which do cause a lot of GI upset. You're grandchildren are lucky if they didn't get stuck on these drugs...unfortunately, the kids I'm talking about aren't so lucky.. they are court mandated to be put on these drugs without a thought of what it is doing to them.
You obviously assume I don't know what I'm talking about...being sick to your stomach has nothing to do with being disrespectful. I've seen disrespectful up close.
I think it's a great idea and that all schools should do it.
Just my opinion...but we all see the way some of these kids dress today, especially the girls.
Lunchables are better than what most schools serve.
today our elementary school served cinnamon rolls and chili *!*!gross*!*!* and the option was PBJ sandwiches.
I say Lunchables rule. I am sure if mom is worried about keeping them cold she is concientious(sp?) enough to make sure they eat a good breakfast and an excellent dinner. Welcome to 2007
I will climb off my soapbox now and finish eating my lunchable :)
Not all schools have a waiting list - sm
where I am the local teaching hospital does not use them at all. So fresh crop each time. I have been thinking about it too. I am 42. I need to do 3 classes first to qualify for the program. It is full-time though 5 straight semesters and I would be done, though would probably go for the more advanced degree once I had the basic one, have to get that one first though. Money is also an issue, guess I would have to hope for a full scholarship as I have no money to go to school, and of course childcare during the summer would be the other issue. Just wish the program was not "accellerated" so I didn't have to do school in the summer. A job is basically guaranteed when done too, though I am sure you don't get to offered 9-5!
ESL students in elementary schools
They probably bought the store from a cousin.
I grew up in public schools where about 1/3 of my fellow students in elementary school were SE asian refugee children and some spanish speaking children and some who spoke other things. My teachers did not know what to do with classes of 33 students (5 over limit) where they had students speaking Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Spanish, and who knows what else, and little to no English. These kids spent an hour a day in ESL but they never caught up (maybe by senior year in high school, some of them) . There is another method where they spend their first year in intensive ESL study before going into the regular classroom. Since kids learn languages better the younger they are, this makes a lot more sense. I know that I and other students were slowed down by this problem in the classroom (as well as the fact that the school could not keep up with the numbers and our classes were overcrowded).
That is what stinks about private schools - sm
my kids used to attend private school, one reason I pulled them out was this one girl who bullied everyone, she was allowed to hurt kids, over and over again because the school wanted the tuition money and the father donated thousands of dollars in money, time, and construction labor to the school, and they were constantly "giving" things just so their daughter would not get kicked out. After trying to stangle someone the parents were finally told they had to get the girl some help and now she is on medication, but it took 4 years before the school did anything. The girl is still there, friendless basically, all the kids in her class cannot stand her, and she is just a pain in general. It is very sad in a way, if the parents had gotten her help a lot sooner she probably would not have allienated all the kids in her class (20 or so).
cutting funding for schools....sm
My sunday paper today had an article about possible cuts for funding to schools. I cannot believe how friggin ignorant the government is!!! (well, actually yes I can) But it angers me to no end!! They need to start thinking about cutting funding WITHIN the government! But schools???? come on now! Of all the possible things they could cut and they come up with children's education??? Don't they realize that these kids are the people who are going to be taking care of them one day, whether it be their doctor or lawyer, the president, lawmakers, or Transcriptionist or whatever. They are OUR future in one way or another whether they're serving us food or wiping our butts! We need them to be as educated as they possibly can be. Besides, we need them to get a good education so they'll be able to get us out of this economical hell hole the government has got us into right now! This has just been ticking me off for a long time but today seeing it in print really got to me. Oh, and they're always cutting funding for mental health, too. Um...hello????....I think maybe they're the ones who need the mental health care if they don't see what's wrong with THAT picture, either. Children and mental health. I just don't get it. Anyone else agree with me?
Our schools do that and I called to complain
I have 3 kids in elementary school. When they come home and tell me they owe money, I immediately send a check the next day. However, several times, my youngest who is in kindergarten would forget to tell me. I never got a note from the school. One day, I got a phone call from the district office saying that if his balance wasn't brought current immediately, he would receive PB&J. I was very indignant as I had never been notified. Their response was -- you should know how much your child has in his account from whether or not he packs his lunch. That's all well and good in a perfect world, but sometimes my kids eat breakfast without telling me and sometimes they buy extras (milk, bottled water, etc). I can't keep up and the school district hasn't upgraded the computer system to allow us access to our kids' accounts.
I have no problem with these rules, but the parents should be given ample notification before applying the PB&J rule.
There is no more home ec in schools anymore,
x
Our schools are required to perform
visual and hearing tests at certain ages. Really don't understand why you are so upset. These tests catch problems some parents are not aware of. They are not invasive, so don't see the problem.
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