My oldest child is in first grade, so I'm new at this, but I think I understand pretty well the term zero tolerance. It means that schools take guns and weapons super seriously. No second chances. You bring one, you're out. Seems fair enough.

I didn't realize that zero tolerance was the result of a 1994 law in which public schools accepted money from the federal government in exchange for automatically expelling all students who brought guns on the property.

As we know, schools have taken things to the extreme. Kids who are involved in non-gun offenses that were once considered normal childhood behavior or simply the result of bad judgement are wrongly getting suspended, expelled and even arrested in the name of the policy.

Remember the 6 year old suspended for bringing the Boy Scout fork to school?

Crazy things like this happen all the time. Which is why all eyes are on a better system that's currently being used in a school district in Georgia ...

Photo by  RAZmom88

It's hard enough raising one teen -- but three?! Welcome to RAZmom88's wild and wonderful life. Check back every Thursday to find out what drama or joy she encountered this week.

Best Buddies

It has been rather quiet around our house in terms of the childrens' behavior and activities, not the actual noise level in our home. This is the house that never sleeps, meaning someone is awake and up in our house at all times.

Ryan was home from college last weekend and it made me think of the relationship between brothers. Ryan, 18, and Zack, 15, spent every night -- all night -- playing video games, watching football, and going on late-night snack runs. The bond between the two of them has been there for as long as I can remember.

Photo by ainamama

At a time when President Obama is pushing for a longer school year, at least one state in the country is making its students spend less time at the books. Starting this week students in Hawaii -- Obama's home state -- will have a four-day school week, every Friday off.

Lizzysapices posted about this in the private group Moms UNCENSORED.

It's over budgets, of course. The school district can't afford to pay the teachers more, and in fact they have reduced their pay. Teachers wouldn't sign a contract that gave them less pay for the same amount of work, so 17 furlough days throughout the year was the compromise. That's a 163 days school year instead of the standard 180.

Photo by Momof3cuties

I'm so lucky that my son loves his teacher and seems to be doing well in her class, but that's not the case for all moms. ajzuell in the Newcomer's Club wants to request her second-grade son get a new teacher but wonders what her chances are.

"Next to impossible," one mom said. "Principals always defend their teachers and you will be looked at as the problem."

So I went straight to the sources in Teacher Mommies (a private group that requires joining) to find out if that's really true. Several teachers gave their perspective of the issue to help you decide if and how you should pursue this course:

Photo by Lynette

It's an understatement to say that homeschooling is often misunderstood.

We've got some amazingly smart homeschooling moms here on CafeMom that will set the critics straight and patiently answer any question about educating children in a home setting. But I also uncovered this list of gripes from the Secular Homeschooling website.

Okay, so it's a little sarcastic, but I found it funny and certainly true.

The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List

1. Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?

2. Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.

Photo by LIV2TCH

My husband and I went to Parent's Night last week to meet my son's first grade teacher. I sat at my son's desk and wrote a note (I'm proud of you! Please eat your lunch.") in his journal for him to see the next morning. He was so excited! The teacher made sure all the parents left notes or pictures in the books before they left because the children were so looking forward to it.

It broke my heart to think of the child who would come in the next morning and find nothing in his book because his parents weren't there.

Our particular event was packed, but I know from reading in The Cafe that many parents -- especially dads -- do not attend Parents Night.

Photo from Mother Jones

I just came across the Mother Jones Mini College Guide via the NYT. Mother Jones has put together a list of "Ten cool schools that will blow your mind, not your budget."

This is a great read for families who are pinching pennies and seriously sweating the future college tuition bill. 

President Obama might not be the most popular guy among school kids these days. Not after he's proposed that schools shorten summer vacation, add extra time to the school day, and have schools stay open later during the week and open on the weekends so students will have a safe place to go.

What's the reasoning behind his controversial proposal?

Photo by Maya*Made

Need a fun weekend project with the kids? Let the fall weather be your inspiration. Collect an assortments of colorful autumn leaves and flowers to make these darling nature crowns. Bloesem Kids shows you how...

Got a favorite fall crafts project to share?

Related Posts:

Make Your Own Autumn Potpourri

Repurpose Old Mail Into Pretty Crafts & More

Photo by Curveymama

One of the most popular journal posts on CafeMom this week is from a teacher, Amileegirl. She offers some straight-forward advice to parents who don't think the school's rules should apply to their child. I love it. Here are some highlights:

"If you do your child's homework for them, they don't get the benefit of practice and likely miss important lessons. You already graduated, so put down the worksheet."