Hairspray... as desecrated by the students of my daughter's middle school.

So I asked for tonight off because Olivia was in a school play... err. musical.. uhm... yeah

I didn't have high hopes because it's a middle schoo production and Charlotte middle schools pretend on a regular basis that they're broke as a joke.

But man, I didn't expect it to be THAT bad.

The girl who played Tracy Turnblad.  She was an okay singer. BUt I have the STRONG STRONG feeling that she got the part because she was well... a big girl.

Most of the cast didn't come close to knowing their lines.  Mind you Tracy was 90% more on point than anyone else who had more than five lines.  For that she gets mad props.

They seemed to mix the old movie, with the new movie, with the broadway play and the result was something that made a DIEHARD Hairspray fanatic like me want to cry.

Of course my baby was awesome.  Yes.  Yes I did just become that mom for a second.

It was bad y'all.

When Olivia came home early in the year saying that they were doing Hairspray, I was like well there are only like four roles she can play, Motormouth Mama Maybelle, LIttle Inez, or one of the dreamettes or whatever those girls were called.  There was the off but likely chance that she could also be random black dancer #2.  Olivia asked me why were those the only roles she could play and I looked at my child like I didn't give birth to and raise her.  Liek she was high and lost her mind.

Uhm, I replied... Because you're black...

To which she asked what that had to do with anything.

To those of you that have not for some reason unknown to anyone but God not seen any version of Hairspray, let me break it down to you.  It's a play/musical about race relations in the 60's in Baltimore.  As in Black and whites and segregation. So being that my child is black and she most definitely is black... there were only four or so roles she could play.

Now imagine my shock when she came home and said she'd gotten the part of Prudy Pingleton.

Let's recap shall we??

<---- 1988="" in="" p="" prudy="">
Prudy in 2007--->















What about this says "Let's give this role to a little black girl"??

I will tell you exactly what says that.  My child goes to a school where whites are the minority.  Blacks had primarily ALL of the roles both black and white.  Those that weren't black were Latino or in the case of Penny Pingleton (technically my daughter's daughter) Asian.

The only white child in the ENTIRE musical was in the chorus.

The Chorus.  As in couldn't get a role in a musical that was about blacks and whites in the 60's.

But I went.  And I clapped.  I grimaced, I talked smack about it, but I supported the babies.  With all my heart.  They did their best but next year see if I don't try to volunteer to help out and see if next years play isn't way better if I can.  No more of this practicing one day a week BS.  Nah sweetie we will practice from september to June twice a week and when we go on the stage will be more than a riser and people will talk about how decent it was if not even good.

I guess what I'm saying is no matter how bad it might be always go out and support the babies.  They mean well.  They really do and at the end of the day when they stand up to take their bow and see you clapping because unlike their damn daddy who couldn't even request tonight off work or their Stepmother who'd rather take your brother and go to a function at Elevation freaking wanna be a church but it's really a tv viewing every Sunday instead of supporting the "Stepdaughter that they love so much" you were there and they will love you just a little more for it.

Support the babies man.  Just support them.

Goodnight bloggers!  Love you!

Do not stand between a mother and her child's welfare.

...It is quite possibly the deadliest place to be...

So I haven't blogged in a while because two things have been all consuming on my mind and neither of which are things I WANT on my mind.  To that end I have been knitting and watching Downton Abbey incessantly.

But I think, perhaps, now I must blog about at least one of the things that has worn me down to a shell of my former conscious.

LAst Monday, 2/10/14, my daughter, Kayla was suspended from school for fighting.  To say I was upset is probably the understatement of the year but what will come at a shock was that I was upset at the school and not my daughter.

For four years, I have been going through this.  When my son was in Ranson, bullies picked on him and he told teachers, and I wrote letters and made calls and nothing was ever done.  My son never snapped  because he made friends with a thug that afforded him a measure of protection.  Did I like it, no?  Was I happy my son wasn't picked on anymore? Yes.  But it started again when Kayla started school.  She comes home, she talks to me, she goes to school and talks to teachers, I made calls and got sent to answering machines, I send notes that got sent to the place where notes they don't want to read go to die.  They haven't done a damn thing ever, but suddenly they want to do something the one moment that one of my children has finally had enough and snaps?

On top of this, The kids have been out of school since Tuesday afternoon.  According to the Zone Coordinator, the school day has to be in session for the suspension day to count.  With the last three days being called out, her suspension hasn't counted.  Tuesday counted as the first day but no other day has as yet counted.  If they go back to having school on Monday, which not saying anything against my fair city may not happen because they refuse to waste snow plows on the side streets that 40% of the children live on, Kayla can't go back to school until Wednesday.  IF they don't go back until Tuesday, she can't go back until Thursday.

My child is NOT going to get her 180 days and I will be damned if they try to make her go to summer school because of this.  I fired off a letter to the CMS school facebook as I don't know who runs the page but I have a feeling that they will see that it gets to the proper people.

I got a reply back from the web administrator who gave me the principal at Ransons Email. and I sent a letter off to her.  CMS is about to learn that the most dangerous place to be is between a mother and anything that concerns her child.  I may go down.  But I'm going down swinging...

The letter I sent to the principal:

I have a question and I hope that if you can't answer it, you can point me towards someone that can or forward it to whom it needs to be addressed.

My daughter was suspended last Monday from Ranson IB Middle for fighting a boy who called her, for lack of a better phrase and not to be crass, an "obese dog" if you get my meaning. Tuesday was the first day of said suspension but then there was no school Wednesday, Thursday or Today. I understand the "Rules" say that she can't now go back until next Wednesday because the school day has to be in session in order for the suspension day to count but I disagree.

For the first, as it stands, she will not get her 180 days of school. For the second, the child whom my daughter fought was given no recourse other than being taken off the bus that day for his slanderous remark towards my child. I know this for a fact because one, he lives across the street from me, I witnessed him getting on the bus in the morning, and several of the neighborhood children made it a point to come to me and tell me that he was on the bus telling everyone that the "obese dog" (again, I am trying to be tactful but please note that he was STILL calling my daughter out of her name) Got suspended for hitting him but he got nothing because he didn't fight back.

For the second, the exact same situation happened to my next door neighbors child during the first snow days we had. The days days the children missed then were the final two days of her suspension and when she went back on the very next school day, no one batted an eye.

Now I know that you cannot discuss the punishments of children not my own but I don't think that My child should have to face the possibility of summer school because she wasn't able to get her 180 days. I have spoken to the zone coordinator for Ranson and I do not think that my daughter should miss any more days. The fact is, that her problems with bullies at Ranson has gone on since 2012 and the school has done absolutely nothing about it. Whether this is by choice I don't know but I do know that my daughter has been trying to tell adults at Ranson as have I for over a year now and it is only now, when my daughter got tired of being bullied and ignored that they are choosing to do something. As I explained to Ms. Green, Since 2012 Kayla has been telling teachers to no avail, I have written notes that go wherever notes that no one wants to read in Ranson go to die. I have been put on hold when I call or given my name and number for someone to call me back and no one ever does. I understand that CMS has rules but CMS has to understand that as a mother I must look out for my child and when the place that I trust with her safety, welfare, and education for seven hours a day isn't caring whether or not she is one of the "unfortunate children who sometimes slip through the cracks" then maybe I should find a school district that will. I have the bullying and intimidation form from the handbook and have saved it for Kayla and myself to fill out, so there's no need to send it.

Also, and please understand, I am not meaning to be rude when I say this, but when you contact me, I don't need to hear CMS speak or what THEY want you to say. I want to speak to you not the rulebook. IF you aren't allowed to speak to me without quoting the student handbook, then I really don't think I can listen as I have grown up behind the scenes of a school district and know the CMS as well as other schools handbook by heart.

What I need to know is, Will my child be allowed back in school on the next school day and if she is not, who else do I bring this up with because my first inclination is to find the superintendent's office and sit there until he will see me personally. I don't like having to go straight to the top but I am fighting for my childs safety, welfare, and education none more important than the other.

If needs be Someone may call me on my home or cell phone both numbers I am putting at the bottom of this letter.

Claudette Wilson

I hope this works....

Shit list...

So everyone has a shit list.  You know the list of people who have done you so wrong that they end up on a list of people and places that you never want to associate with again.  Ya that list.  Everyone has one they may not call of shit list but everyone has one.

My sons music teacher is officially on said list now.

A couple of months back he sent home a form asking parents what they wanted their child to play in band.  I checked flute and piccolo.  I also checked saxophone because Randy said he would get the boy a sax if he wanted to play it.  I scratched out trumpet, trombone, and whatever else was there for two reasons.  One, I can't stand the sound of them on their own and two I know that parents have to pay for them and I own on a very fixed income and couldn't afford it.

Well imagine my sunrise when the boy comes home and announces that he now plays the trumpet in the school band.  I immediately wrote to the band director asking him what was the point of asking patents what they wanted their kids to play if is was going to ignore them and do what he wanted.  Is did not respond.  So them Jovaughn came home and said that I needed to buy him a mouth piece for the trumpet.  I politely wrote the band director another note telling him that since he had ignored my wishes, I was not going to acquiesce and buy the mouth piece.  He chose to ignore me and so of was all on him.  No response.

About a week ago the boy comes home and says that the band director has now told him that if he doesn't get the mouthpiece soon, he will fail.  Now I'm mad.

So the boy gets on the phone and calls his father and randy does the good thing and sends forty dollars so that I can buy the mouthpiece. I figured that if he could give me the money for the mouthpiece, I could atleast go and get the mouthpiece. Imagine my surprise when I got there and found out that the mouthpiece cost 50 dollars.  Yes! Fifty damn dollars.

Fortunately my mom had it on her. I now owe her twenty as she requested I put the other twenty in the tank.  But I'm still floored over how much a rigging mouthpiece costs.

Then they guy behind the counter dropped a little knowledge in me.  If the school provides the instrument they should also supply the mouthpiece.  He said that if multiple students use the mouthpiece, then they should sterilize them between uses.

I called the school and requested he call me back today.  I also let them know that if he doesn't call me back, I will be sitting there in the office until I see him.  If they try to have me escorted off the property then I will go to the board of education.

This has gone too far and I'm pretty sure that its going to go to levels that I've never had to go to with a teacher before.

BTW this also the same teacher that has now gone on three weeks to fill out a recommendation for for the boy to get into Northwest.  He'll be giving that back blank or filled out when I see him.  Enough is enough and I'm done with this.

People if you move to Charlotte, don't ever let your kids go to Ranson Middle school.. they suck ass and I am dining myself busting balls to keep my kids out of there next year....

Oi!!