Maybe it's because I've watched the "Wizard of Oz" too many times, but I can't write the word "tigers" without also whispering under my breath "lions and bears, oh my". As luck would have it, this is B week in my little guy's class and they will be having a day about bears. And no nation is more closely identified with bears than the country of his birth, Russia.

A Russian circus wouldn't be a Russian circus without a bear act. You'll find bears on some of the regional emblems around the country, and... more

On the Russian adoption forum right now there is a thread that both enlightens and infuriates me. It's about telling a teacher that your child was adopted and those elementary school family tree projects. If you bear with me, I'll explain both reactions.

I've written before that I have told the teachers at my childrens' preschools and schools that they were born in Russia (see "Hello... more

Every month at my kids' elementary school they have a Red, White & Blue Day assembly. They were started in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which claimed two lives in town, but civics has always been a strong focus of the school's curriculum.

Each Red, White & Blue Day assembly has a theme--the military's role for Veteran's Day, civil rights for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, the history of America's flag and the writing of the national anthem for Flag Day this past week. The lessons are simplified, as I suppose they must... more

There is some very insightful writing on the Russian adoption blogs this month and I wanted to pass it on.

Jenni writes about the two children she adopted from Murmansk in December 2005 at "Four Feet More". In a post early this month entitled "Vika And The Bear" she relates what happened when her daughter's kindergarten class read Nikolai, the Only Bear. If you haven't read this book, it is a good one to have on hand... more

It's Monday night, which means it is finally time for me to read the Sunday paper. And what do I find in the Sunday magazine that accompanies The New York Times but an article on the very issue I addressed Saturday night: Holding a child back before kindergarten.

I had, ironically, opened up the magazine to read a piece called "Boys Gone Mild", about grownups now having to teach children how... more

I've asked my kids' elementary school to give my little guy another year of kindergarten.

It was not an easy choice. He has come amazingly far--physically, socially and developmentally--since coming home from Sakhalin Island less than two years ago. Just being in an educational setting for several hours a day was a big leap for him. Remember that children in Russia--in orphanages or out--don't start school until they are seven. And I learned in April that there are no major problems that would qualify him for an individualized... more

There's a recent thread on the Russian Adoption Forum that touches on the school and preschool topic I have started exploring: Do you tell the school that your child was adopted from Russia?

It seems that the mother who started the thread was afraid that the school... more

There are challenges to adopting an older child from Russia. And even though they will be offset by plenty of rewards (plenty, trust me), some of the challenges will definitely leave you scratching your head. Many of the early ones will occur in school, so I thought I'd take a few posts to look at some of the issues that parents--and the children they have adopted from Russia--have experienced at school, and how they have handled them.

First up, preschool.

Back in February, Rhonda, who blogs at "Worth... more

I got a bit of good news about my younger son last week. It's just strange how long it took me to feel good about it.

My little guy, who came here from Sakhalin Island just short of his fifth birthday, has been going through a series of evaluations to see if he qualifies for an individualized education plan. The verdict last week: He doesn't.

I should have been jumping up and down, right? No disabilities that affect his ability to learn. I probably should have expected this from all that he has piled into his head since arriving here... more

It's spring musical time at the local elementary schools, and that means the classics: Sound of Music, The King and I, Peter Pan, Annie and Oliver! And someone from my household is working hard to audition for a solo in the latter.

What does this have to do with adoption from Russia? Well, every so often, the debate bubbles up on adoption chat boards about whether to allow children who were adopted to watch Annie and Oliver! The first time I saw the threads on this topic, I was... more