Posted on 08/31/2010 10:56:15 PM PDT by Entrepreneur
I simply sent a very tersely worded and factual email stating that I was sure it is all a misunderstanding, while quoting the school district’s own booster club guidelines. I’ll see if they back down.
They will not take it out on your child usually. They will just be thankful that it goes away without much damage.
The best way to raise funds is to offer rewards for participating rather than strong-arming. Let your best fund-raisers do their job.
Then run for school board, and give them HELL!!!!!
Serving on the school board would be hell. I served on the school board for a charter school for three years. That's enough.
Competition always makes you better. My experience has been that the most important position is head principal. Put the right person in place, who's dedicated to excellence and the good teachers will be attracted while the poor ones flee for an easier situation. The reverse is also true.
No, I'm afraid not.
obama was president then?
My HS was in the mid-70s when the states (especially California) were under financial pressure.
As I said -- you participated in fund raising or you didn't participate. EXTRA-curricular activities are that way.
I would love to see a summary of your tenure on the Board. What was bad and what was frustrating? Any good spots?
Actually, IMHO, an opera singer has a better chance for success than a budding actor. Think about it: How many wannabe opera singers are there vs. how many wannabe actors? If — and I mean IF — he has the voice, plus the will to work, plus some luck, he might do quite well, as long as he doesn’t stake all his happiness on singing at La Scala or the Met. The opera/entrepreneurship thing could work out well, if he is creative. For one thing, if his voice doesn’t quite pan out but he still loves opera, there are always executive directors and all the other bureaucrats and sales directors and so forth that opera companies need. Another avenue would be to put together something like all the tiny opera companies that travel around and do shows for kids at schools. I’m sure there are lots of other ideas too, if he puts his mind to it.
A word about the singing, if I may.... I’m assuming he’s about 17 or so. As you may already be aware, a serious male singer’s voice typically does not “bloom” until his mid 20’s. OTOH, a male singer’s voice may *never* really bloom. You just don’t know in advance. So while I personally love opera and think that could be a great career, if he was my kid, I would remind him many, many times that he needs to keep many strings to his bow, and be aware that his physicality simply may not support his ambition. However, the only way it will *ever* support his ambition is for him to train diligently. (Sort of like the Zen archer, who aims without aiming. :) In addition to his vocal work, he needs to study languages (at least Italian or French — it should vary depending on his repertoire — for instance, a heldentenor should probably study German), and more importantly, he needs to work on his physique. Lots and lots of cardio (to increase his lung capacity), plus moderate weight lifting is good. Opera singers are often a little hefty, but they tend to have solid muscle under that fat, and there’s a reason for that. If he has allergies that affect his nose, larynx, lungs, etc., he should see an allergist ASAP and start therapy for that, since the sinus passages should be as clear as possible for maximum resonance, and it can take 3 or 4 years for allergy shots to complete their work.
So IMHO, if he loves opera and has talent, then he should work hard, have fun — and be really aware that it might not work out and therefore he needs a backup plan that he can also be happy with.
Best of luck!
Please let us know how this worked out!
Best of luck to you and yours.
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