This may be off topic, but I really gotta let off some steam.

My 5 year old is rebelling and refuses to return to kindergarten
unless I
sit with him in class all day.  So, after one week of having him home,
doing
some home school, I put him in the car, and said I'd let him eat hot
lunch
today if he stuck it out in his class.  Sooooo, off to school he and I
went.
  It gave me a good excuse to see what exactly was going on in his
class,
and maybe some clues as to why he doesn't want to go back.  He's a
really
strong, well rounded kid, and has separated from me on many occassions
and
enjoyed being around all sorts of social groups.  In fact, in
September,  he
couldn't wait to go to school, loves riding the bus, etc.....  So I
was
really perplexed as to why the dramatic turn off from school, six
weeks into
it....

Well folks, I think we are headed for hell in a hand basket if what I
saw
was representative of American kindergarten.  Every natural instinct
of
children is continually suppressed all day.  They must not talk out of
line,
walk out of line, sing out of line, draw out of line, cut out of
line...
All natural creativity is squashed, and they are asked to conform to
automotons doing monotonous, flat worksheets until the bell rings for
the
next monotonous activity.  My kid even got TIME OUT in Music Class.
How the
heck can you screw up, I ask him, in Music???????  Turns out he spun
around
3 times rather than 2 times during the Hokey Pokey song.  SOOOOO off
to the
Time Out Chair for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Good thing the electric
chair
is not legal in my county....

Then it was LUNCH TIME.  If you want to get so depressed that even the
highest dose of Prozac won't help, come on down!  Here was today's
menu -
Hot Ham and Melted Cheese on White Bun, French Fries, Wilted Iceburg
Lettuce
with Institution Dressing, Sugared Peaches in Institution plastic
containers, Chocolate Milk, White Milk  - OR - Pudgies Pizza (fast
food
chain) OR 2 Slices Wonder White Bread with plastic container with
Skippy
Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly.

I sat there next to my beautiful son, who was raised on my milk, our
organic
veggies from our garden, deer from our hill and eggs from our
chickens, and
looked around the sickening cafeteria and the  children who were being
treated like cattle, and wanted to puke all over the disgusting food I
let
him eat because it was the only way I could  cajole him into going to
school.  And I when I decided not to make a scene, and realized
something is
terribly AMISS with our so called "civilization" and thought to
myself, "Is
this the best we can do". I also realized my kid is not missing
something
here.  "School Really Sucked", to quote him.  I heartily
concur!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to rant, but I am at a real crossroad.

Judy Genova, cavegirl