School Christmas Programs

Last night my 10-year-old had her Christmas program for school. Now, this is how I remember doing it...the school's music teacher would spend a month teaching each class the song's they were going to sing. About a week before the program, she would start having all the students from one grade practice together in the gym. A day or two before, the whole school would have practices together in the gym. The program would consist of every student in the school standing on those bleacher things at one end of the gym and the parents sitting in chairs lined up in rows throughout the rest of the gym. And it was fun.

Here's how they do it here. Only the 3rd thru 5th graders are involved in the Christmas program. (K thru 2nd have a Spring program.) The kids practice for a month, then the day of the program, they go to the place where it will be held (a building at the local university) and practice all day with all the other 3rd thru 5th graders in the city. That night, they have one HUGE 2 1/2 long program with every 3rd, 4th and 5th grader in the city and all their families. This is crazy, long, and horrible for all of us who have more than one child. Why do I want to sit and watch kids from 10 other schools who I don't know for 2 1/2 hours? Let's be honest, the best part of these programs is seeing your own kid, not the quality of entertainment. Besides, I'd rather watch my 2nd grader, & my 5th grader, and all the other kids I know from OUR school give a 1 hour program twice a year than watch all these stranger's kids for 2 1/2 hours twice a year. (I'll have to go to the Spring concert set up the same way but with all the city's K thru 2nd graders.) Besides, I know my 2nd grader would have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Christmas program as well, she loves holiday music!!

Let me tell you how much my 2, 3, 4, and 5 year olds enjoyed this whole thing. They didn't. They spent most of the time in the lobby with many many other frustrated parents with little ones. This city is not huge, but it is much too large for this type of venture. It's time to rethink school programs. Oh, and to even further my confidence in the school district's event planning abilities, my 17-year-old had her choir concert last night same time, different place. Ridiculous! (Although, I guess they don't expect families to have children in just about every grade, do they. :-) I can't help it, I'm a foster parent, I don't have control over the age range of my kids.)

Well, that's my observation for today. Remember to give of your heart...donate to my site to give a wonderful Christmas to foster kids!!