Why do we still act like Jesus was white and the search for diverse toys

Last week there was heavy media coverage of two more Black men shot by police  and an attack at a Washington mall.  Last night, the first presidential debate.

There are some big issues and hot topics in our country.  They are often painful issues.

A friend once told me that people care about the things they consider "life and death."  For me, right now, there are very few political, global, or national issues that are "life and death." My life consists mostly of caring for our 10 month old son.  So while I absolutely CARE about so many things that are going on in the country and the world and they are definitely weighing on my heart, there is very little that falls into that "life or death" category for me.

So, what do I care about as a mom?  Do I throw my passions behind baby wearing, cloth diapering, or breastfeeding?  Nope.  I really don't care about those things*.  You do you, mama.  Rock on.

While motherhood has definitely shifted my focus, it is difficult for me to jump on most of the "mommy wars" topics when my heart isn't in it.  Instead, what I really care about (right now) is providing my son with toys and books that expose him to diversity and multiculturalism.  Seems kinda like a weird thing to care about.  But I think that the best way for me to make even the smallest difference in the world (with what my life is right now), is to actively pursue non-white toys and books for our son.  I promise, it doesn't happen on its own.

Whiteness is often the default.  Yes, being white still puts me in the majority in America** but far from the majority in the world.  It is challenging to find books that adequately represent many ethnicities and cultures, especially ones that don't also feel antiquated and stereotypical.  It is also challenging to find toys with people that are not overwhelmingly white.

Thankfully, the books do exist.  I have found quite a few which I'll be posting later, thanks to some awesome blogging children's librarians.  (I'm just talking about picture books with white and/or non-white characters/illustrations.  If every book I check out is a mirror to my child as opposed to a window, I feel like I am doing him a disservice.   

Diverse toys are harder to find.  I was looking at adding Duplo Legos and Fisher Price Little People on my son's Christmas list.  Duplos are overwhelmingly white.  He already has many of my old Duplo sets, so I was simply looking for a people add-on set with other-colored people.  The 21 piece DIVERSE (about half the people are still white) community people set... $59.95 and only available through educational supply companies or Amazon.  This should be sold everywhere that Duplos are sold!

Source

Little People were a little better in that I can buy specific non-white people individually (but then I feel like I'm adding in the token minority and that's not my goal either).  However, I was looking at the Christmas set- seems cute.  But WHY is Jesus white?  Y'all.  Jesus wasn't white.  The shepherd and wise men do add in a little color, but the issue is still the same.  Jesus was not a little blonde-headed white baby.  He just wasn't.

Source

I put out a question on the Facebook parenting group I am in, asking for multicultural toy suggestions, explaining the dilemma I had encountered.  Hape dolls and the Lakeshore people sets were the only two suggestions I got.

Source

This. Is. A. Problem. Multi-ethnic toys should be the norm.  Available at Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart.  Why can they only be found online and in "educational" toy stores?

We have got to stop whitewashing in America.  It does a disservice to non-white children, but it does a disservice to white children too.  Toys and books have to be mirrors AND windows.  We have to quit sending the message that white is the norm, the default, the best.  We can't hope to improve race relations or eliminate systemic racism when we aren't teaching our toddlers that people come in all colors... and they are all PEOPLE.  

We have to start having difficult conversations about race and bias and representation.

And we have to start changing the messages we send our children through their toys.




In my searching I did find this great post with five awesome toy ideas if you are looking for other ways to incorporate diverse toys.  I also found "My Family Builders" which was started by a KickStarter campaign and definitely a product I hope to get when Little Man is older.

*Anti-vaccine people though are dumb.  And I cannot be neutral on that topic.
**About 62% of Americans identify as white, non-Hispanic as of 2014.

Baby Gear Suggestions 6-9 months

Baby Gear Suggestions 6-9 months by rachelblackmon featuring umbrellas

Wow!  Another three months done!  It is hard to believe that in just three more months we will be celebrating Little Man's first birthday.  I can officially say that these three months have been my favorite (and I'm sure it will continue to get even better).  The first three months are hard, the next three were manageable, and the next three were fun.  I know that we have an "easy baby" so I am certainly not suggesting that our "hard" is equal to anyone else's but those first 6 months it is hard to adjust into new roles and to adapt to a new member of the family.  (Plus, Little man has been sleeping all night for the last three months which obviously helps a ton!)

Make sure you check out the 3 previous posts in this series:
Baby Gear 0-3 Months
Baby Gear 3-6 Months
Baby Toys 0-6 Months

1. Convertible Car Seat: Now that Little Man can sit up and is packing on the pounds, using the infant carrier as more than a car seat is a challenge.  We figured that now would be a good time to go ahead and make the switch to the next car seat.  The one we got can stay rear-facing forever until 50 pounds.

2. Bath Book: This is easily his favorite part of bath time.  He can stare at those pages seemingly forever.

3. Wipeable Changing Pad Cover: Once Little Man mastered rolling and reaching, diaper changes got a little more complicated.  We have relocated upstairs to the changing table since it is much harder for him to get away.  This cover is a wipeable material in the middle so it is easy to keep clean- and it is washable too!

4. Baby Pool: When we went to the beach last month we discovered that Little Man is a sand eater!  This made for a difficult beach adventure.  However, using the baby pool made it much easier.  We have since used it several times at home as well.  It is lots of fun and an easy afternoon activity.

5. Umbrella Stroller: Now that we aren't using the infant carrier anymore, it makes sense not to lug the giant stroller around all the time.  This umbrella stroller makes for quick and easy trips to the library, our recent family reunion, and other smaller places.

6. Tuckaroo Bibs: I thought I had hit the jackpot with the socks find, but these are definitely a close second.  Partly because Little Man is tiny and partly because of the nature of bibs, when we started solids I decided that bibs weren't doing a whole lot to cover the first 2 inches or so of his collar.  These bibs have an extra flap that tuck in, guaranteeing his entire top stays clean.

7. Baby Utensils: We have started solids (mostly a BLW approach).  If I put food on this fork, he can take it and put it in his mouth.  Pretty cool to see!  We also do spoon feed some and these Munchkin spoons are easy to clean and use.

8. Diaper Bag: By 6 months it was time to upgrade to a real diaper bag.  This one has all the pockets I need and is actually big enough to hold everything without being completely hideous.

9. Mesh Feeder: Some of the first fruits we gave Little Man were difficult to chew.  This mesh feeder allowed him to eat without the fear he would choke.  It was a little messy sometimes, but he loves using it.

10. Shape Sorter: The only toy we have really added to his collection since 6 months.  Right now he just chews on the blocks/lid or knocks down stacks of them, but it is still a hit.


What other baby items were must haves for you at this stage?

The Average NC Teacher Salary: Understanding Masters Pay

After an overwhelming response to my last post about the Average Teacher Salary, I am following up with information about masters pay. Several NC politicians (including McCrory) are now in ads claiming to have raised average NC teacher pay to $50,000.     As I explained previously, the "average teacher salary" is calculated is based on combining each of the 8 pay scales.   Two of the pay scales are for teachers with a bachelors degree; the other six are for teachers with a graduate/advanced degree of some kind.

There are positions in public education that are paid using the teacher pay scale that the general public would not consider teachers.  While still educators and absolutely part of the team that provides public education for our children, they are not who you would meet on "Meet the Teacher Night" with a class of children assigned to them.  These are people like school counselors, curriculum specialists, or technology directors.  A masters degree is required for many of these positions.  Since the degree is required, these people are paid using the masters pay scale. 

Teachers in NC are not required to have a masters or advanced degree.

After 2013, teachers cannot earn additional pay for a graduate or advanced degree unless their job requires it (which means they aren't a classroom teacher) or they have been grandfathered in (which means they were already earning additional pay for an advanced degree or were enrolled in a masters program prior to July 1, 2013). 

There are 3 ways a teacher in NC can increase their yearly salary:

1. Keep teaching.  A brand new teacher will earn $35,000 and is eligible to earn up to $51,000 on the current scale if they continue teaching for 25 years.  $51,000 is currently the most they can earn.

2.  Leave the classroom.  If a teacher gets an advanced degree now they will not be compensated for it in their salary unless they take a position outside of the classroom (or obviously out of education altogether).

3. Earn their National Boards certification. There are currently about 112,000 NBPTS certified teachers in the United States with about 18% of those in NC.  This certification costs teachers almost $2000 (this is just to apply; it doesn't guarantee they will get it) and once completed must be renewed every 10 years.  If you know someone (or are someone) who has completed this process you know it is not an easy one and is very time consuming.  A teacher can then earn a 12% salary increase with the maximum salary (for 25+ years of experience) $57,120. 

Some school systems/school have additional funding for additional responsibilities.  This is why some teachers choose to coach.  However, assistant coaches often do not get paid, only head coaches.  Club sponsors, mentors, lead teachers, etc. are usually not compensated for their time. 

Based on the information I could find, the way that the average teacher pay was calculated isn't new.  However, since phasing out increased salaries for advanced degrees, this method no longer gives the full picture.  Since some teachers were grandfathered in, yes they could be making as much as $64,750 (according to the pay scale) but most teachers (especially moving forward) will always be stuck on the scale for pay with a bachelors degree.  It will take teachers 15-25 years of service to ever earn $50,000. 

The average classroom teacher does not make over $50,000.

The Average NC Teacher Salary

If you have been watching the Olympics the last few weeks, you probably noticed the dozens of commercials that the Carolina Partnership for Reform put out in a media blitz, drilling home that NC teachers now make $50,000 per year thanks to several specific NC law makers (who are running for re-election).

"Great!" you might think, "Let's pay those teachers what they are worth!  $50,000 is a respectable wage; way to go NC!"

Or if you are a teacher you might think, "50,000!?! Where in the world is this number coming from?  I know what I make and it is nowhere close to that! In fact, I'll probably never make that much!"

So where does that number come from?  Honestly, I'm not entirely sure (I did contact CPRNC; they did not respond), but I do have a pretty good idea...

Each year the NC legislature votes on and approves the salary schedule for NC teachers.  The salary schedule is based on years of experience and degrees.

There are 8 salary schedules published:
1. Teachers with a bachelor's degree
2. Teachers with a bachelor's degree and National Board Certification
3. Teachers with a Master's degree
4. Teachers with a Master's degree and National Board Certification
5. Teachers with an Advanced (sixth year) degree
6. Teachers with an Advanced (sixth year) degree and National Board Certification
7. Teachers with a Doctoral degree
8. Teachers with a Doctoral degree and National Board Certification

Each of those 8 categories listed above is shown on the salary schedule as a separate column.  Then there are 23 or 26 salaries listed for 0-25+ years of experience (teachers cannot earn their NBPTS Certification until their 4th year of teaching) in each column.  All in all, this means there are 196 salaries listed on the document for licensed teachers.  When you average these 196 salaries, guess what you get?

$49, 685.87

Well, there you go!  Teachers do basically make an average of $50,000.
(Many school systems choose to supplement their teachers' salaries using local funds.  If I understand correctly, once you add in the supplements the average raises to $50,150, like the commercials said. I did not do the math to verify this.)

But, wait.  There are a couple of things to consider...

• The average salary might be almost $50,000 but that doesn't mean the average teacher makes that.  They clearly did not calculate that number by averaging the salary of every public school teacher in NC.
• Very few public school teachers fit into the last four categories (having advanced or doctoral degrees).  Educators that fit those categories have often left the classroom and work in a school system position or in school administration. So if you look at just the first four categories (bachelors and masters degrees with and without NBPTS certification) the average salary becomes $47,648.36.  If you take out NBPTS certification, the average salary is $45,193.54.
• If you just look at the salary schedule for a teacher with a bachelor's degree, the average salary is  $41,769.23 with the maximum salary being $51,000 (for 25+ years of experience).
• So while the commercials are technically correct, odds are that your child's teacher is probably not making $50,000 and if they are, they almost certainly aren't making much more than $50,000.

Final note:
In 1999, the average teacher salary in NC was $39,404 and the national average was $41,807, ranking NC 22nd in the nation.
In 2014, the average teacher salary in NC was $47,783 and the national average was $57,389, ranking NC 42nd in the nation.

Adjusting for inflation, the average NC teacher salary decreased 13% from 1999 to 2014.




There's a lot more I could say about how the NC legislature pays (and treats) teachers, but I think this is enough for now. 


Now read the follow up post concerning pay for advanced degrees: Click here.

“Until the very end.”

July 31st is a big date in any millennial reader's literary calendar.  Especially this year.

(Wait. You don't know? Oh, sorry... it is J.K. Rowling's birthday and thus Harry Potter's birthday and thus the release date for the new book)

This new "8th Harry Potter book" is really hard NOT to get excited about.  I mean for those of us who grew up on Harry Potter this is it- the next chapter, the story continuing, all the excitement, all the feels.  But I'm scared of getting my hopes up too high and being SOOOOO disappointed.  I mean it's the script to a play... different format, different characters, different time.


I have such vivid memories of the world basically stopping when the next Harry Potter book came out.  Kids sitting at the pool, completely engrossed.  I remember a summer at camp when the book came out and parents were driving out to camp to drop off a copy for their daughter.  Social media wasn't really much a thing so there weren't concerns about #spoilers.  It was just fun to see so many people caught up in one thing (kinda like how Pokemon is this summer).

When I was a freshman in high school I had to read a book "for fun" as part of an assignment for my English class.  I chose the first Harry Potter book, hated it, and never finished.  My brother and mom had both read it (and I'm pretty sure all of books 1-4, which were out at that point) and were fans.  When the first movie came out that following November we all went to see it.  Annnnd I was officially hooked.  I quickly caught up on my reading (starting with book 2 of course) and stayed a loyal fan since.  I have vivid memories of the summer of 2007 when the final book and the 5th movie both were released.  I waited until my work as a camp counselor ended and read the book on our beach vacation.  Mom even let me keep reading during dinner because of the part I was at.  We went as a family to go see that movie at the beach* (and we never go to the movies at the beach).  Harry Potter is part of our family culture.

When Husband and I started dating, he had not bought in to the HP phenomenon yet.  (#dealbreaker) He told me that he wouldn't start them until he finished reading Narnia.  Needless to say, we kept dating, he finished HP in record time (a self-proclaimed slow reader) and Narnia didn't get finished until after we were married.

As a teacher, I clearly remember a girl my second year who always had a HP book with her (and was ALWAYS reading it).  I also met a parent who was extremely opposed to HP (a type of person I had heard about but never really met until then) and wanted their son to have no part these books. By the time I finally starting allowing kids choice and really pushing independent reading, it was several years later and HP was often one of my first suggestions (except for one kid- the younger brother of the boy from my second year... his parents never got on board).  

I made teacher friends who had a shared love of HP.  For months I got together with several of them (+ spouses) every week for dinner and we would watch something together- often the HP movies.  I went with 5 of them to HP World in Orlando for a bachelorette party.  (And yes, it was epic)

My 6th year of teaching I finally got a whole group of students who were already big fans.  I was working hard at that point to read lots of new (to me) YA fiction in an effort to help guide and encourage my independent readers.  But by December, I gave up and joined this group in re-reading HP together.  We listened to the HP soundtrack Pandora station frequently in my second block class that year**.  They used to guess which movie particular songs were from (and were usually right). 

The Harry Potter Book Club started that year.  Six boys- 2 of whom were already fans and four reluctant converts, read through the books together, "met" with me during our library time to discuss them, and stayed after school to watch the movies together.  Oh the power of peer pressure. 

A few of the girls from that group, who were not already fans, also became converts, under the pressure of their soccer coach.  One girl went home that summer with the first few books (as a total HP hater) and showed up at Open House a few months later ransacking our classrooms looking for the next book.  

One of the last things we did as a grade level before I left teaching was have a HP day (as a way to assess their knowledge of reading signposts, obviously).  The kids got sorted into their houses (I'm a Ravenclaw), wore HP related clothes (which was a huge bummer for me as I didn't fit in to any of my HP shirts being so pregnant), and watched one of the movies.  Siblings of students from my 6th year were in my class by then and it felt like a full-circle thing.


Little Man is obviously too young (at only 8 months) to care anything about this new book (or the movie that comes out near his birthday).  But I hope (and fully expect) that one day we will be able to share it as well.  It will become part of our own family culture.  After all, the only thing I bought for my future child (before I even conceived) was a complete set of HP books. 
They are already in his room. 
Waiting. 
Until Hogwarts can welcome him home. 

And let the magic live on.



*that was the worst movie theater experience I can remember. Half of the screen/film was shaking for the first half of the movie.  Then the other half of the screen/film was shaking for the rest of the movie.  People were furious, demanding refunds... it was crazy.
**not HP related, but I have a great picture of them doing the Hunger Games salute during class when a HG song came on one day

10 Favorite Picture Books for Babies

Hey there!

First up- a big announcement!  The LittleMamaBee Etsy shop is now open!  Currently, I'm just clearing out some of the old Pink Birdie merchandise but keep an eye out in the coming weeks for lots of new stuff!  Ok now on to today's post...

I think the one thing that most people can agree on when it comes to parenting, is that reading is important.  (All the nitty-gritty details are another issue.)  I could spout lots of statistics for you about the importance of reading after being a middle school teacher.  But I truly believe that developing a love for reading begins early.  We started reading a very short bedtime story to Little Man by the time he was 3 months old.  When Baby Storytime started up again at the library in May we started going.  Now, Wednesdays are library days.  We get there early, check out some books, go to story time, and head home in time for his morning nap.

Finding books for babies isn't easy.  Board books are great, but I like to make sure we get a healthy mix of board books and picture books.  I had a really hard time finding suggestions for babies (mostly because I imagine most people start with board books or wait all together).  The suggestions I did find were short lists (which we quickly exhausted).  Also, unlike YA, I feel very out of the loop with picture books.  I have no idea who the "good" authors are.  Plus illustrations are key with picture books (duh) so books by an author may not look the same if they have different illustrators.  It is also hard to separate the book from the pictures so both really have to be taken into account.

When looking for great books for babies I tried to find ones that met some of the following criteria:
-easy to follow story, told with words (books that need the pictures to understand the story and require more interaction I assume will be great in another year or so)
-bold pictures
-diverse (every picture book we read does not need to be about people that look like us)
-teaches something (colors, animals, numbers, shapes, etc.)
-doesn't make me want to pull my hair out

[All of the links in this post are affiliate links (which means I get a tiny commission if you click on them and buy something.) As always, I only represent brands/companies I truly use and love, and I SO appreciate your support!]

So... (drum roll please) here is the first edition in Little Mama Bee's Favorite Picture Books for Babies!

1. Hurry, Hurry! by Eve Bunting
A short repeating story that shows the farm animals gathering for the birth of a chick.

2. Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Shapes, colors, and puns... oh my!

3. Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle
You are probably familiar with the classic Brown Bear by the same people but this variation is great too with North American woodland animals.
4. Book! by Kristine O'Connell George and illustrated by Maggie Smith
A darling little introduction to handling/reading/using books.

5. Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora
Babies love to play peek-a-boo!

6. Little Bitty Friends by Elizabeth McPike and Patrice Barton
Short lyrical story. Varied races of children in the illustrations.  Points out every day things (many that we could find in our neighborhood).

7. Blocks by Irene Dickson
Cute story of sharing.  Also focuses on colors. Plus has diverse characters!

8. Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
Quirky and adorable but not annoying.  Great for pointing out relationships (up, down, etc.).

9. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
One of many Bear stories by Karma Wilson.  Bear is asleep and many woodland animals gather in his den for a party, which he sleeps through. 
                                                                                                                                                                                  
10. Jack by Tomie dePaola
In this traditional "Jack" story, Jack makes his way to the king picking up different animals on the way.  Great for animals and their sounds.

Our Guest Room

Today I'm linking up with KellysKorner for her house tour link up.  Today's post is on guest rooms so here is ours!

The furniture is Husband's childhood furniture.  The quilt on the bed was made by my grandmother when I was growing up.  She made a quilt for each of her six grandchildren.  This is the wedding ring pattern.  She hand quilted it.  The blue throw on the end folds into a matching pillow.

The black rocking chair is child sized and just got pulled out of my mother's attic.  I will probably be repainting it at some point.  The

The bookcase and desk have lots of the books I collected from my childhood and the scrapbooks of my early years.  Several of the smaller items are from Husbands' childhood.  You can also see my Molly American Girl doll on top!

We haven't done much in this room yet (including hanging anything on the walls) because I figure at some point (as our family grows) this room will have a different purpose and look.

Hope you've enjoyed!