An Exceedingly Long Post Regarding Washington Gifted (Puke) School.

My neighbor's fourth grade son recently found out that he got into Washington Gifted Middle School. Jordan and his parents have been graciously low key about it. I wouldn't have known had I not noticed that Jordan has taken on the appearance of a true tween as of late, no longer willing to wear the well coordinated and clean attire that his mother previously picked for him. Lately, I would guess that Jordan picks his clothes out of the garbage dumpster located behind Goodwill. Poor hygiene and tattered clothes... key ingredients of a healthy heterosexual American male. Jordan is only ten, and thus a bit ahead of schedule.

Anyhoo, a couple of weeks back I was pulling weeds in my yard and watching Jordan shooting baskets in his driveway. It dawned on me that Jordie was no longer a cute puffy cheek little kid that could be bought off with a slightly burnt chocolate chip cookie. Instead, Jordan has become a sloppy, slouchy, sullen pre-teen. Angst without a cause. Cool without a clue. What fond memories. My mother is still in therapy.

"Hey Jordy!" I say with a smile and the sin of enthusiasm.

"Um, Ms. Polly? Like, nobody calls me that."

"They don't? Not even your mom?"

"Especially not my mom. Jeeze!"

"So, what do you go by these days?"

Ew. Polly made the mistake of trying too hard with a tween. I am screwed. This kid will definitely be throwing reams of toilet paper in my trees sooner rather than later. It was an honest mistake. I really thought the boy was going to tell me he had a street name to accessorize his recently acquired swagger.

The boy tilted his head back, sighs as if the world's problems rested on his shoulders alone, and gave me an eye roll before muttering a disgusted reply. "My name, Ms Polly. I go by my name. You know, Jordan?"

Polly can speak tween. Really, I can. One merely need to pretend that enunciating and projecting one's voice in a polite manner is as irritating and inconvenient as, say, plucking one's nose hairs.

"Yeah. Right. Jordan. Whatever. Middle school next year?"

"Yup."

"Which one?"

"Washington."

Polly is able to stop herself before saying something tragically uncool. You know, something to the effect of a perky "Congratulations!" or worse, "Your parents must be so proud!"

Instead, I opted for, "No surprise there." Perfect. Now the pre-pube has no idea how to respond in a hip manner.

After a brief pause Jordan shrugs and mutters, "Guess."

"Christy going too?" Christy is Jordan's twin sister who recently fell in love with her hair. Every time I see her, Christy has a hair brush in hand, pulling it through her mane. Yesterday I witnessed Christy brushing her hair while dragging a bag of garbage to the curb.

"Nope. Chris wouldn't even take the tests. She says Washington is a dank nerd hole."

"Is it?"

"I dunno. Orientation is tonight."

"Going?"

"I dunno. My dad's plane got delayed in Chicago. Mom has to work."

Polly has deep sympathy for anyone who must travel for a living. Lately, airports have come to resemble corporate cattle ranches. Substitute cattle for exhausted ticket holding business travelers and ranchers for airline employees who couldn't give a rat's ass about the people they are paid to serve and you'll get the picture. Except that I imagine ranchers actually care more about the well being of cows they are about to kill. But I digress...

"I could drop you off if your Dad doesn't get back in time."

"Um. That'd be okay."

Polly's good deed was really just an excuse to give up on exterminating my dandelions, plus I saw a rare opportunity to actually acquire a little knowledge on a topic -Peoria Public Schools- that I blog about rather often.

Say what you will about District 150. Poor schools, poor test scores, under achieving students, dilapidated buildings, etc. The very best middle school in the state is a District 150 school. Right here in little old Piddly Peoria. Washington Gifted Middle School. This fact made me proud until I attended to the orientation.

I imagined that Washington would consist of students that lived throughout the City, including the Southside and East Bluff of every color and socio-economic level. Ha! I saw two black kids in attendance. There were no kids from Loucks or Harrison. One from Whittier. Just about every kid hailed from Kellar, Charter Oak, or Northmoor Edison. It would seem that Washington Gifted could be more aptly named NORTH Peoria Gifted.

I learned that a combination of scores and factors are used to deem a child worthy of acceptance to Washington Gifted. The ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills), Cognitive Abilities Test, as well as the Weschler Intelligence Scale test (an I.Q. test) as well as grades and teacher recommendation are required. I find it odd that one needs to do well on an I.Q. test to get into Washington, but not to get into Harvard University. It would seem District 150 doesn't just want hard working, high achieving performers, but those who are organically intelligent as well. In other words, DNA gets the nod. Puke.

Think I'm over blowing it? Consider this. Principal Joan Wojcikewych opening remarks included the statement, "Children, you should thank your parents for being here and admitted to Washington. Studies have proven time and again that gifted children come from gifted parents." I thought this was a joke, until I noticed that I was the only one in the room chuckling. Why would it be a joke? Ms. Wojcikewych felt the need to inform us that she had birthed and raised five gifted children herself. Puke.

It was an evening of gifted this and gifted that. Gifted. Gifted. Gifted. Got really sick of the word after about five minutes. I imagined that Washington would be the a place where kids who loved school and academics would have a place to shine and pursue their interests. More experiments and projects instead of pop quizzes and tests. Less need for discipline and greater freedom to explore. Forget that.

We were informed that a Washington eighth grader received one point short of a perfect score on the ACT test this year. ACT test? The scores used when applying for college? Why would an eight grader be taking the ACTs?! We heard how well Washington prepares kids for honors high school courses, ACTs, SATs and college. High school? College? Hello! THESE KIDS ARE TEN!!! Let them be kids for Pete's sake!

As for discipline, we were informed that five students were boot kicked out of Washington for poor performance last year. Not even a veiled threat. Gosh, so if your DNA doesn't live up to expectations they remove you from the better stock? THESE KIDS ARE TEN!!! Why would anyone want to put that kind of pressure on fifth graders? Puke. Puke. Puke.

Think I'm misinterpreting? Consider the following handout that was included in the orientation packet. Remember, this handout was given to those who had already been ACCEPTED to Washington Gifted.

HOW CAN YOU IDENTIFY A GIFTED CHILD? (Note: The Principal called special attention to this flyer. She wanted us to know that there is a difference between being gifted and "just being bright." Puke.)

The Bright Child...........................................The Gifted Child

Knows the answers.................................................Asks the questions.
Is interested......................................................Is highly curious.
Is attentive.....................................Is mentally and physically involved.
Has good ideas.................................................Has wild, silly ideas.
Works hard..............................................Plays around, yet tests well.
Answers the questions................................Discusses in detail, elaborates.
Is in top group..................................................Is beyond the group.
Listens with interest.............................Shows strong feelings and opinions.
Learns with ease.......................................................Already knows.
Needs 6-8 repetitions for mastery................Needs 1-2 repetitions for mastery.
Understands ideas............................................Constructs abstractions.
Enjoys peers..........................................................Prefers adults.
Grasps the meaning..................................................Draws inferences.
Completes assignments.............................................Initiates projects.
Is receptive..............................................................Is intense.
Copies accurately...............................................Creates a new design.
Enjoys school........................................................Enjoys learning.
Absorbs information..........................................Manipulates information.
Is a technician.......................................................Is an inventor.
Is a good memorizer................................................Is a good guesser.
Enjoys straightforward sequential presentation.............Thrives on complexity.
Is alert.........................................................Is keenly observant.
Is pleased with own learning.................................Is highly self-critical.

If you believe the above and your child is hard working, well adjusted, has good sense of self worth and is a top student... well, your offspring is simply not good enough for Washington Gifted.

On the other hand, if your kid is a genius due to biology, is socially retarded and highly self critical, and is one who "plays around, yet tests well...." Your kid is in the right place.

Puke. Puke. Puke. Biology over hard work? What are these people thinking?! Eugenics? Moreover, in this era of Bush's No Child Left Behind, how is it fair to take the best and the brightest out of schools like Lindberg and Mark Bills and place them in Washington? Doesn't that hurt "regular" schools which must show improvement every year on test scores in order to remain off the watch list?

I was a proud fan of Washington Gifted before I went to the orientation. Now I'm rather horrified. We don't live in a gifted world. Are we doing these kids any favors by having them off by themselves, alone with their "own kind" for four years? If these kids "prefer adults to peers" and spend their days with those who do as well, don't they run the risk of being social outcasts when they reach high school? Using these standards to determine who is and isn't gifted might really be setting these kids up for a lot of pain and disappointment rather than providing an enlightened education.

The orientation packet contained an enrollment form. The very first word on the form in uppercase bold letters "Washington", followed by the words "State" and "Background" were all spelled incorrectly. No. I'm not kidding. Apparently District 150's spellcheck isn't gifted.

Painful Cramping? Bloating? Stomach Discomfort?

Nah. It isn't gas. It's just Polly's already swollen ego inflating even further. PollyPeoria got a nice write up in the Peoria Times North Observer today. Page 3. I wasn't even edited. I take back all the mean things I've ever written about you DeWayne Bartels!

My poor, poor significant other... I'm going to be SO hard to live with now. Er, as if I wasn't before. Yo! Babe, peel me a grape would cha? Also, I could really use a foot massage. Steak for dinner tonight, right?

Ah, glory and glamour of the wannabe famous/pseudoanonymous. Eat your heart out Vonster.

Kiss My Crown, Peoria!!!

To my thirteen devoted readers: Don't worry- Polly will be deflated and put in her proper place tonight by her beloved family, friends and co-workers. By tomorrow I anticipate I will return to my humble yet, know-it-all self.

Insight Cable Blows.

It blows chunks, in fact.

My broadband was down for two days, because Insight is "upgrading." Now that I can once again receive the internet, I cannot find any discernible changes let alone upgrades. I did receive an urgent e-mail from Insight informing me that my service would be disrupted shorterm for yet even more upgrades in the next few days.

And I thought SBC sucked.

Anyway, Polly is seriously considering moving to the Peoria Airport. I can sleep on the benches. Watch sports on big screen t.v., and my laptop never has a problem receiving their FREE wi-fi. Hey! C.J! I finally found Utopia!

Upgrade the Airport? Why?!

WEEK TV reports that our main airport guru is fighting for upgrades. You know what I think? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Okay, I know we lost our direct flights to Denver and Orlando, but I still like the Peoria Airport. Free parking! Try finding that at any other airport. I feel safe at PIA, even late at night. The furnishings aren't modern, but they are spotlessly clean. PIA's bathrooms are the cleanest in town. The wi-fi works, works well, and is free. When my broadband is down, I've been known to go to PIA to suck up the free wi-fi. Frankly, what's not to like? The airport is rarely crowded, the staff is friendly. If you arrive with only a few minutes to spare before your flight, they still have time for the post 9/11 body cavity search without bitterness.

I know, I know, it costs quite a bit more to fly in and out of a smaller market like Peoria. When I'm not traveling on my bosses dime, I fly out of Chicago or St. Louis. However, even if they upgrade the airport, that won't change. A new terminal? Lots of huge airports have added palatial terminals for not. Unlike a new school building, a new terminal will not bring more people to Peoria. Airlines can't afford to locate hubs or add flights simply because a particular airport has plush surroundings. They go where the travelers go. They go where the money goes. Ever fly in or out of Chicago's Midway Airport? It is a cess pool. A busy, profitable cess pool.

The Peoria Airport is a blast from the past. A retro experience. I say recover the gate chairs in burnt orange, harvest gold, avocado green, and sea foam green vinyl, add a Starbucks to go along with the wi-fi, and call it a day.

This Just In From Councilman Bob Manning...

Okay, it isn't "just" in. It came in awhile back, last Monday, April 17th to be exact. I work for a living -well, kinda- and I don't check my blog e-mail as often as I should. My apologies to the Councilman.

Anyhoo, a few posts back I accused Bob of not playing nice by giving snarky e-mails exchanged between himself and School Board members regarding the proposed new Glen Oak Park School to Jen Davis at the Journal Star. I thought it was tacky and went against Mayor Ardis' kinder, gentler, at-least-pretend-to-be-an-adult version of government. Polly stands humbly corrected:

Polly --
As was noted in the Word on the Street column, Jennifer Davis FOIA'd my emails with the School Board members. I did not volunteer them to her. When this whole story originally broke, she asked me if I had spoken with any School Board members about it. I said that I had emailed a couple of them with my concerns, but I did not name the board members. That was the end of it. Big questions remain. Why are School Board members, Peoria Park District trustees, and PHA officials planning in secret? Why do their timelines keep changing? Why have they failed, to this day, to share their comprehensive plans with the public and the City Council? Those who have already built model community schools elsewhere have stated that public dialogue, neighborhood input/support, and community participation were critical to the schools' success. None of this is being done in Peoria. These decisions will affect generations to come and will affect much more than just the East Bluff. I believe that we should get it right the first time around.
Bob Manning

Polly has never been so elegantly put in her place. Got to admit. I rather enjoyed it. What Bob is ever so politely trying to convey is that Polly should remove her head from her arse and read the entire article (not just every fifth word) before posting snide inaccuracies. Point taken. Bad blogger. Bad, bad blogger.

I still favor the idea of a new school. It seems to me that Glen Oak Park would be the perfect place for a community "B thru 8" school. Moreover, I think Glen Oak Park is a yet another beautiful but decaying Peoria landmark. A new school at the proposed location could do a lot for the park as well as the surrounding neighborhood and the East Bluff.

However, I readily admit that the School Board could not have come up with a more idiotic, controversial, dorkwad way of going about selling this idea to the Public.

BTW, isn't Manning cute?

This just in...

THE GRANDVIEW HOTEL IS TO BE DEMOLISHED!!! The new owner of Junction City has closed on the property. Sometime this summer the dump is coming down. They are still debating as what to put up in its place. Anyone wanting to take a swing at the crime ridden cess pool may do so if they are willing to write a check for $500 to charity.

So, it is true. Chase has gone away. Rejoice Peoria. Rejoice.

Insight Sucks

Sorry for the lack of posts. Could not get on the internet yesterday. All day. Some sort of maintenance issues that were not supposed to interrupt service but did, ALL DAY AND NIGHT. Called Insight and asked for a credit. My ears are still bleeding from the high pitched wails of laughter. Jerk wads.

I'm back!

Sorry. It seems I brought San Francisco's gloomy weather back with me. Seriously, were it not for the incredible food at every turn, I would have felt my vacation sucked. We got rained out except for the last day, so I didn't get to do much of the San Francisco touristy stuff, which I admit I enjoy. San Francisco is such a pretty city, and not just because of its ocean view. People take a lot of pride in the appearance of their homes, property, and public parks. From what I witnessed, litter is rare, even in the less affluent neighborhoods. Wish we could import some of that pride and attitude to Peoria.

I ended my news blackout yesterday and I wish I hadn't. Iran is training 40,000 suicide bombers to react if the U.S. is successful in halting its nuke progress?! Welcome to the new Cold War, people.

Today's Word on the Street column echoes a familiar theme. What is with secret meetings and local government? The School Board and Park District stole a page or two from the Ran$burg/Nixon book of politics and quietly decided where the new school should be located without public or, worse, City Council input. Third District Councilman Bob Manning is peeved, and glibly shared private e-mails proving as much with the Journal Star. Cute, but remember paybacks are a bitch, Bob. I seriously doubt publishing those e-mails are going to do anything for the much bragged about new and improved City Council and District 150 School Board relations. Methinks Mayor Ardis needs to sit Manning down and sing a round or two of "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore."

If the public doesn't want the new school to be located in Glen Oak Park in won't happen. If home owners don't want to sell to the District, they won't. Emanate domain, you say? Lawsuits, I say. Plenty of them. Really expensive ones too. Polly's prediction: The School will happen in the proposed space or not at all. The idea of a new school is more controversial than the location. I would be willing to wager that most of the homeowners along that strip of Propsect would be happy to sell for a halfway decent price. Based on 30 million dollar toilet seats, and Government's general tendency to overpay, District 150 will pay more than homeowners could ever get on the open market and they know it. Did anyone else hear East Bluff homeowners jumping up and down, joyfully rejoicing after OSF's grand expansion announcement? Commonsense would lead one to believe that people who live in crummy, high crime neighborhoods would likely leave them if they had the funds to do so.

Concerns about traffic on Prospect are bogus. People don't let their kids walk to school anymore. Check the state police website. There are almost a thousand registered sexual perverts in the East Bluff zip code alone. Even if kids did walk, safety could be addressed by building pedestrian bridges or overpasses. Moreover, the state's best middle school, Washington Gifted, is located on War Memorial, which is far busier and dangerous than piddly Prospect any day.

While munching Dim Sum in China Town, I caught a snippet of the Oprah Show. She did a special on American public schools in crisis. Oprah interviewed an expert who, I thought, made a valid point. Habitat matters. Kids who attend crummy, crumbling schools don't feel valued by society. The message Society sends, and what these kids hear is, "We don't value you. We don't expect you to succeed. We aren't going to waste our time or energy making an investment in your future."

Is there anything more dangerous than low expectations? I keep reading on my and other blogs comments like, "Glen Oak School was good enough for me 'back in the day', why isn't it good enough now?" Well, Pops, Glen Oak School and institutions like it were still nice "back in the day." Back in the day, society cared enough to build and maintain institutions that were good enough for and worthy of you. Times have changes. Codes have changed. Standards have changed. Buildings have decayed. Kids need to learn much, much, much more than readin, 'ritin, 'rithmetic to succeed in the modern world. "Back in the day" a high school education was more than adequate. Today, my plumber uses a computer, and my car mechanic requires more technical knowledge than the biggest science geek alive "back in the day."

I am gulping Pepto by the gallon after writing a check in the five digits to Uncle Sam yesterday. No, I'm not rich. This year the NYSE was kind to me, and, thus, I must be kind Uncle Sam. Nonetheless, I still have a budget. I still work to make ends meet. I hate taxes, mostly because I can't shake the feeling that most of my tax money goes towards government waste and not basic services. Regardless, I would be willing to pay significantly more if we could do right by properly educating today's kids.

After all, do you want an educated accountant or a disgruntled thug picking out your nursing home?

Polly is here:

But if it makes anyone feel better, I left my heart in Peoria. Well, a bit of it anyway. Actually, what really might bring joy, comfort and a hearty "Nah, Nah, Nah Nah!" to my thirteen devoted fans -That's twelve more than Luciano and ten more than Mike Bailey, by the way- is the fact that it is warmer in Peoria than northern California. It's sweatshirt weather here.

I checked the Journal Star on line this morning, it seems that you all have found plenty of trouble without my help. Note to self. No more Downtown bar hopping.

Can I tell you? The food they have in this town is incredible! And the coffee is to die for. It is a blessing that the weather is not swimsuit worthy. After yesterday's numerous meals and chocolate truffles, I don't think I can fit my arse into a swimming suit ever again. Totally worth it.

I will post when I can. Try to be good. And if anyone sees Chase, someone give him a good smack for me, will ya? His comments on the proposed new school are as vile as ever. (I would censor the jerk, but this IS America and you can be wrong/a racist asswipe if you wanna. Then again, it is MY blog...)

Off to eat pasta in North Beach.

Love,

Polly

Polly's Reply

Sean,

Thanks for replying. Your answers provide some comfort. However, I take issue with your contention:

"There has been only one decision by the District, and that is where
the school will be located. We feel that is solely our call based on
what we believe is best for the children who will attend the school."

Solely the Board's call? Not likely. Kind of begging to be put in your place on that one, Sean. The sole commandment and most important element of real estate is, of course, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. The location of this proposed school will remain the most controversial element of the entire plan and therefore the Public should have been privy to it before said decision was cast. Polly predicts "the one decision [made] by the District" will be the first one vetoed by the public. Considering the location would require homes to be demolished and that the proposed property trade with the Housing Authority could result in public subsidized housing built on the old Glen Oak School site, it amazes me that the School Board didn't predict public outrage on its location "decision."

I appreciate and admire the District's relatively low debt. However, the District still has seven years until its current debt is paid. It is too early to celebrate by acquiring more debt, which is what a bond represents. Moreover, the District needs to come up with a plan to reign its personnel costs before the Public will embrace any new construction. You could build the public school B-8 equivalent of Harvard, but unless and until The Board solves its "annual spending problem", the best new school will solve nothing. In fact, you will ruin the one thing the District may have going for it- it's comparable low debt. No person, business, or institution with a serious "cash flow problem" would be well advised to solve the situation with yet more debt.

As I see it, The Board has four options:

1. Cut waste and/or expenses, (Think Edison)

2. Re-negotiate contracts/benefits with Unions, (Think strike)

3. Raise taxes, (Think bodyguard)

4. Combination of the above. (Think riots)

I think number four is the most responsible alternative, although it won't be popular. I'd rather chew glass than take your job. If your goal is to make Peoria Public Schools the place where parents want to have their kids get an education LONG TERM, The Board must admit and respond to all of its financial problems/mistakes. Otherwise a new school, regardless of its location, is simply frosting on a manure cake.

God speed,

Polly