A lot of the stuff Kat is talking about we try and begin to address with our preschool story times at the library. Free.

LOVE storytime and at our public library, they have a great senior/preschool program where seniors read to kids. And, yes, kids make HUGE strides. But again, storytime is once or twice a week. What are the kids doing the other 166 hours?

The truth is, I find most of my students totally amazing because they are resilient and smart and motivated. Many overcome some overwhelming obstacles just to be in a seat. They all overcome some level of peer indifference to education. So they amaze me.

And then I despair because (many started college this week or last) I realize I taught them the same stuff I was teaching to the 7th and 8th graders I had who ended up at USC on a full ride. So those 7/8th graders had so many more years to practice than the seniors who have been dumped into college without enough time to master the skills they should have mastered 5 years before.

The upside of my day? Noah had a blast at the San Diego Zoo. We've been reading Not the Hippopotamus and we got to see Hippos at the zoo (along with polar bears, the new elephant exhibit which kind of rocks, koalas who were actually awake, lions (and the backstage area of the lion enclosure), monkeys, apes, and, his favorite flamingos! The zoo exhausts me. I'm glad we have a membership because it means we can go back.

Part of what I do with my story time is a craft - which can be as simple as a coloring page. yes is creative, but it is fun, yes it also it is something that goes home with them . And then they tell dad, or grandma, or big brother about a story. or sing them a song. It works. Still not enough, but it is amazng how a little effort can make a difference. and I try to get the moms to be invovled. so now two people are singing 5 little monkeys ...

best thing about zoo memberships - some days you can just go watch the gorillas.

Maybe just that knowledge is valued and available.

Also that books are pretty. And to be coveted.

I'm glad we have a membership because it means we can go back.

Absolutely! That membership was one of my best purchases.

They still send me something every so often asking if I want to renew. I'd like to. Even though I live in OREGON now.

I wonder if my parents are paying them for the guilt trip.

best thing about zoo memberships - some days you can just go watch the gorillas.

And the otters. Bad days can be cheered up immensely with some otter watching.

And the otters. Bad days can be cheered up immensely with some otter watching.

This is very true, and is why I wish we had a zoo membership. Hmm, maybe once Pete is done with the current art deadline, I will suggest a zoo trip. Otters!

Jilli, you can always borrow my Prime Card and go Zooing with me... (I think I've used up my guest passes, or else I'd just drag you.)

Jilli, you can always borrow my Prime Card and go Zooing with me... (I think I've used up my guest passes, or else I'd just drag you.)

Oooh, okay! Because I really do like going to the zoo. Just, um, not as early as you usually do.

One of the interesting things in the Freakanomics books was that having books in the house was a good indicator of how educated and successful the kid would be. But you didn't have to actually read them to the kid, or have regular story time or anything like that. There just needed to be books in the house for the statistical correlation. I'm not sure why. Maybe just that knowledge is valued and available.

It's quite possible. It may also be correlated with some other relevant factor, though as I recall, the study made a decent effort to control for the obvious ones like income and parents' education. Ryan, incidentally, isn't so interested in being read to yet, but he loves looking at the books on the shelves. (I'm ready for when he does want to be read to. We bought a collection of 20 Dr Seuss books a month or so ago, to go with the other books we've picked up along the way.

The upside of my day? Noah had a blast at the San Diego Zoo. We've been reading Not the Hippopotamus and we got to see Hippos at the zoo (along with polar bears, the new elephant exhibit which kind of rocks, koalas who were actually awake, lions (and the backstage area of the lion enclosure), monkeys, apes, and, his favorite flamingos! The zoo exhausts me. I'm glad we have a membership because it means we can go back.

I love hearing about San Diego Zoo visits. If you count the Wild Animal Park too, it is easily my favourite tourist attraction in - well, the entire United States. (Go on, act surprised.) It has mole rats! And Andean condors, that was just awesome.

At the Melbourne Zoo I saw koalas who were not only awake, but active. As in leaping from tree to tree. This is not something they often do. (It may be just as well the S.D. koalas weren't too active while I was there, because I managed to drop my camera battery into their enclosure. not sorry they left it alone until I could get a keeper's attention. I suspect they were rather more cavalier about retrieving it than if I'd dropped it in with the polar bears.)

I'm rather looking forward to taking Ryan to the Melbourne Zoo. First we'll be hitting the Healesville Sanctuary, an affiliated establishment that caters to Australian wildlife.

This is very true, and is why I wish we had a zoo membership. Hmm, maybe once Pete is done with the current art deadline, I will suggest a zoo trip. Otters!

Otters are always good value. One of the main attractions (for me) at the Philly Zoo was that they had giant otters. Otters longer than I am, quite something to see. Philly Zoo is also where the oldest echidna in captivity lived, reaching an age of 48 years.

In my (very limited) experience in Casper's school, which is Title 1 (receives federal funding due to 80+% of the students being poor) and heavily minority (85% last year, closer to 75% this year due to a zoning change), I totally cosign everything Kat says. Our school is well-funded, has great teachers, a small but involved PTO made up of university professors and similar income folks that raises money for extras like a community garden, and many of the poor kids in K are already struggling in school. (Kids like Casper are doing just fine.) What got me the most was the kid who wanted to hug me and hold my hand all morning - he clearly was just DYING for attention in his life. He was 3 years older than Dillo and only marginally more sophisticated to talk to. Georgia is well aware of the importance of universal PreK and funds it and 80% of kids in our town attend (it's not mandatory) but home means so much.