Jamie Wilson's comments

Post Memorial Day Gripe for Military Spouses - Blog Entry

05 Jun 2006 09:03 PM

Who in the military structure does have a clue about the spouse's life? I've only been a MS for two and a half years, but I have found one officer who really understood -- and he was a Catholic priest! You'd think these guys would talk to their wives occasionally.

Libby, my husband is in it for the long haul, so I'm sure I'll get to do the recruiting thing too. Thanks for the heads up on that -- it should be an experience!

Homeschooling on a Public School Schedule - Blog Entry

30 May 2006 11:28 AM

I'm only exploring homeschooling right now for my two younger boys, neither of whom seem to fit really well into a traditional school environment, but it would seem that the flexibility is one of the best parts of homeschooling -- and that you could simply run a reduced schedule through summer to maintain knowledge, maybe with special trips as rewards for completing summer projects.

Do You Support A School Wide Cell Phone Ban? - Blog Entry

30 May 2006 08:27 AM

It's a discipline problem, not a phone problem. The problem isn't that kids have a new toy to distract them from being on time, to cheat with, or to take obscene pictures with; the problem is that they are being late, cheating, and infringing on personal privacy.

Yet again, instead of addressing the core behavioral issues, our educational system is addressing a symptom. It is a futile and ultimately harmful rule. And at some point, it's going to cost a kid's life -- one who might have been able to dial 911 with a cell phone will instead be alone and vulnerable.

Do You Support A School Wide Cell Phone Ban? - Blog Entry

30 May 2006 08:27 AM

It's a discipline problem, not a phone problem. The problem isn't that kids have a new toy to distract them from being on time, to cheat with, or to take obscene pictures with; the problem is that they are being late, cheating, and infringing on personal privacy.

Yet again, instead of addressing the core behavioral issues, our educational system is addressing a symptom. It is a futile and ultimately harmful rule. And at some point, it's going to cost a kid's life -- one who might have been able to dial 911 with a cell phone will instead be alone and vulnerable.

Jobs Information for Military Spouses - Blog Entry

28 May 2006 11:21 AM

I have to say that my experience with the Military Spouse Career Center has not been good at all. I tried every military spouse program supposedly helping us get a job, and the ones I finally found, I found in the way I always had before: temp agencies, newspaper clippings, and word of mouth. The military does not take the problems of the spouse seriously, and from what I can tell, they never have.

"What Will My Child's Future Be?" - Blog Entry

27 May 2006 10:21 PM

My son, too, has been diagnosed as on the autism spectrum; he has a lot more in common with children who have Aspergers. But I have an advantage: through the years I've researched his problems, I've come to realize that my geekishness and nerdishness as a child was mostly because I have the same problems -- and I still think with the same patterns he has.

And that's the critical link for our autistic children. They are not damaged or abnormal or broken in any way. They are, rather, very unique and often gifted individuals who can teach us so much about how the human mind works! My son has taught me more than I ever dreamed about how my own mind works, and has made me aware of things I never noticed before. And in return, I am teaching him how to translate the things in his head into the reality others see. Sometimes his brothers think I'm just going easy on him, and I have to explain to them what I'm doing -- and as soon as they understand, they join me. Other times, I give him the tools he needs to cope with an overstimulating world -- once as simple as just leaving him my big black coat at school, so he could wrap himself in it and block everything out.

We started working with him about two years ago. He's gone from being almost like a wild animal at times -- to being an utterly charming, elfish little boy. It gets better with patience and understanding.

Jamie