Mom, Mom, Mom #6

(Publish date: July 27, 2006)

Bye, Bye Ms. American Pie

My daughters once asked me where I would be if I didn’t have them. I hadn’t ever considered this. Before I could answer, one of them jumped up and said, “You’d be drinking whiskey and rye…” and then they all joined in the rousing chorus of the old song, “American Pie”: “Singing this will be the day that I die.” Then all three collapsed into heaps of laughter, proud of the joke they had played on me. As I sat watching them in their silliness, I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or read between the lines.

My mother moved 29 times before she turned 21. Yes, the number is mind-boggling and it was difficult, but it gave my mother a certain wanderlust that I must have inherited. Although I lived in the same town for the first 18 years of my life, I moved 12 times during the time period between graduating from college and giving birth the first time. That doesn’t count the year I spent in Ireland as a student, but it does include the (school) year I moved to three different cities on the East coast working as a traveling teacher. In comparison, I have only moved three times in nearly the same timeframe since I have been blessed with having my three beautiful girls.

My daughters ground me. I know for a fact that I would not be living here if it were not for them. Like George Bailey in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, I would have shaken the dust of this little town off my feet and gone off to see the world. But now I can’t and wouldn’t and I don’t seem to mind at all. In all of its Mayberry-ness, Alameda is a great place for them to call home. There is a deep sense of the familiar and familial here, with multiple generations of Alamedans building a strong community. After my mother’s grueling experiences, I believe it’s good to establish one place as home for your kids—a place for them to want to shake the dust off their feet to go explore.

Maybe in singing the song, they deflected an answer they didn’t want to know, afraid to hear that I would prefer to be anyplace but with them. Parents and experts certainly agree that children need to know that they are loved and wanted, that they have security and a caring authority figure to watch over them.

But maybe, in all of the stories of all of the places both their mother and grandmother have been and lived, my children have a sense of the wandering women in their lives. My kids are rooted in California right now. At their age, I was beginning to inform my parents of all the places I would go and things I would do when I grew up. Until recently, my children have only talked about venturing as far as “Cal” in Berkeley for college.

The other day, one asked me where I would live after they all went off to college. I told them that I was hoping they would go far, so I could follow them around for a while. My oldest then announced that maybe USC in Los Angeles could be a good place to go, having the seedling dreams of working in film.

The news gives me some hope for my future travels. Considerations of L.A. this week could lead to thoughts of Boston, New York or London next! That wanderer is still in me somewhere.

Burrito Survey

Here’s another piece you can read in the July/August issue of Alameda Magazine. Unfortunately, Burritos on Wheels closed for the summer (!) but signs and the Web site indicate that they will be back soon. I couldn’t say it in the story, but my chicken burrito from Burritos on Wheels was the tastiest of all the burritos I ate.

“Under Wraps”

If all it takes is to love eating burritos to be considered a burrito connoisseur, then count me as one. I traveled far and wide in Alameda in search of a great burrito and found many. I didn’t cover all of the Mexican joints in this crazy town, but I certainly had fun in the process.

360° Gourmet Burritos
360° Gourmet Burritos is a national chain, and the only one in this burrito survey. But Alameda’s 360° Gourmet Burritos is noteworthy for offering the least traditional burritos in town. There’s an eclectic (and excellent) selection of choices from the 360° World Burrito menu, including Cajun, Thai, teriyaki or curry burritos. The latter three come with jasmine rice, vegetables and special sauces.
360° Burritos also provides customers with traditional fare, using marinated meats, Spanish rice, black beans, salsa and romaine lettuce in a choice of spinach, flour, tomato or low-fat tortillas. A yummy vegetarian burrito is filled to overflowing with zucchini, chayote, bell pepper, eggplant, tomato, onion and herbs.
Bring your kids any night after 5 p.m., and they’ll get a free meal with the purchase of a regular meal. There is a small seating area where you can watch the chefs prepare your burrito in minutes. 853 Marina Village Parkway, (510) 814-9003, www.360gb.com/index.html.

Acapulco
If a pitcher of Sangria and a large plate filled with a traditional Mexican burrito are your version of comfort food, then Acapulco is the place to go. Family-owned and operated since 1953, Acapulco is a long-standing tradition in Alameda.
The Momma Rose burrito carries the honor of being one of the restaurant’s most popular and is often described as “mammoth.” According to manager Lydia Quintero, it is a recipe of her mother’s, the original Momma Rose, and it’s a specialty of the house. “It’s definitely big enough for two people to share,” she says. The beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, olives, onions and cheese that are wrapped in big flour tortilla is a vegetarian burrito, but you can order it with meat, too, and another house favorite is the chile verde (pork) burrito.
Burritos are just one aspect of Acapulco’s large menu. It’s a great place to bring the family, with a bustling atmosphere and lots of food at a great value. The dining experience is well worth the battle for parking and long lines on the weekend. 2104 Lincoln Ave., (510) 523-4935.

Alameda Taqueria
First, walk into Alameda Taqueria and enjoy the beautiful wall mural created by students from Saint Joseph’s many years ago and then order yourself a Burrito Mojado, a “wet burrito with enchilada sauce” that’s the most popular with the regulars, according to Minnie Patino. She should know, since she’s owned the place for 18 years.
Other favorites with the packed lunch crowd include the super burrito and the chiles rellanos, both sumptuous feasts at a great price. Alameda Tacqueria offers quick service, a nice, small eating area and beer for quaffing. The restaurant is closed Sundays. 1513 Park St., (510) 865-9380.

Burritos on Wheels
When you walk past Burritos on Wheels, it looks empty.
“We’re actually packed,” says owner Raymond Diaz, explaining that the restaurant workers are scrambling to fill the lickety-split electronic orders that come in.
Burritos on Wheels is the only Mexican restaurant that offers delivery service in Alameda. Visit the Web site, www.burritosonwheels.com, order your choices online and 45 minutes later, you have a homemade Mexican meal at your doorstep. Burritos on Wheels delivers all over Alameda, including Bay Farm Island (and to some parts of Oakland). Delivery hours are during lunch and dinner on weekdays, and only dinner delivery is available on weekends. There is a $15 minimum order for delivery. Just think of this as an alternative to pizza.
And what an alternative it is. The most popular request is the pollo asado (grilled chicken) burrito that comes with whole beans, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and cheese. (It is excellent, and the “super” is truly super-sized.) There are nine other varieties of burritos, in regular or super versions. Choose a flour, spinach or tomato tortilla, thank you very much. Burritos on Wheels is not open Mondays. 1330 Park St., (510) 521-8964, www.burritosonwheels.com.

Juanita’s
Patrons of Juanita’s have three versions of the Tapia family homemade salsa to accompany the basket of chips that greets them: a traditional spicy variety, pico de gallo and a recently debuted, less spicy, chunkier version of the traditional style. Homemade fresh daily for 32 years, the salsa is a welcome addition to Juanita’s most popular burrito, the Burrito Famoso, a giant that’s wrapped and smothered in enchilada sauce and melted cheese.
Lilia Tapia, the owners’ daughter and Juanita’s manager, says the restaurant switched from cooking in corn oil to soybean oil last year and whips up tasty carne asada (steak) and chile verde burritos regularly. All chicken dishes incorporate breast meat, she says.
Juanita’s is busy at dinnertime, but it’s a great place to bring the whole family, especially children. The restaurant offers a full bar with a selection of Margaritas to, as Tapia puts it, “wash down those burritos.” 1324 Park St., (510) 865-2230.

La Pinata No. 3
The best place to go in town at 2 a.m.—maybe the only place to go in town then—La Piñata offers an excellent and popular burrito, the Burrito Famoso. You can eat this enormous delicacy of a wet burrito filled with rice, beans and meat covered in an enchilada sauce at just about any other time, since La Piñata is open from 7 a.m. until 3 a.m. every day of the week. The adjoining tequila bar offers some 800 tequilas for accompaniment.
Alameda’s La Piñata is one of six located around the Bay Area and offers customers a triplet of eating experiences, from the main restaurant to the Tequila Bar to the Taco Bar Café next door. There is also a take-out station for easy customer access. 1440 Park St., (510) 769-9110, www.lapinata.com.

Taqueria Ramiro & Sons
Some Alamedans claim the burritos from this little Mexican eatery are the best in town. Stand in line on any given night or day and see why. Run by Mr. Ramiro and his sons for the past 21 years, the restaurant provides an inexpensive respite from cooking dinner. The child burritos are just the right size for many adults, while larger appetites will enjoy the wildly popular super carnitas (pork) burrito, which is chock full of your choice of refried, black or pinto beans, cheese, rice, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole and Ramiro & Sons special hot sauce.
Taqueria Ramiro & Sons food preparers take in multiple orders at a time, and they seem to always get them right. The taqueria is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner and has a tiny dining area for those who just can’t wait to dig in. 2321 Alameda Ave., (510) 523-5071.

Back to School Feature

For anyone who is interested in the editing process, here is a story…

I wrote this BTS feature and many sidebars for Alameda Magazine’s July/August issue. I wrote one lead (lede), but for a slightly different tone, the editor–the fabulous Judy Gallman–edited it slightly. (I think hers is better; less rambling, more to the point.) Here’s the version of the opening paragraph I wrote, followed by the final version that you can read in hard copy available at newsstands across Alameda:

“School Days
Simplifying the Return to the Classroom”

A brand new school (in a really cool building) named after a heroic student who confronted segregation, charter schools that challenge old-school ways and the age-old fight of getting to class before the bell after the freedom of summer—Alameda students and parents have much to look forward to this school year ahead.

While 2006 started off with the dismal prospects of school closings and declining enrollment, the news took a turn for the better in the spring, and Alameda enters fall with a promising academic term. The new school, successful test results and API scores, burgeoning charter school programs and strong private and parochial offerings create an overall healthy educational outlook.

“School Days
Simplifying the Return to the Classroom”

While the 2006 Alameda school year started off with the dismal prospects of school closings and declining enrollment, the news took a turn for the better in the spring, and Alameda enters the fall under promising academic terms.
A new public school (in a really cool building), charter schools challenging old-school ways, successful test results, solid API scores and strong private and parochial offerings make for the Island’s overall healthy educational outlook.
“For me, there has never been a more exciting time in our school district than right now,” says Ardella Dailey, the superintendent of Alameda Unified School District. “How far we have come as a school district.”
The brightest news is the opening of the Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Bayport at 351 Jack London Ave. Ruby Bridges was the first African-American child to desegregate an elementary school in New Orleans in 1960, and she spent that school year alone in her classroom with the only teacher who would teach her.
“The promise of our future is symbolized by our new school, Ruby Bridges, named after a brave child who took a stand for her free public education,” Dailey says.
The new school building boasts three wings—one for kindergarten, one for first through third grades and one for fourth and fifth grades—plus a multi-purpose room and a media center for the community. Ruby Bridges consolidates three former schools and puts those students under one roof—somewhat of a daring move, because it unites divergent communities, bringing together low-income, immigrant, transitional military, moderate- and high-income families, says Rosalind Davenport, Ruby Bridges principal.
“It will be a challenge, but when you are challenged, you grow,” she says.
The diverse parents, teachers and staff, Dailey says, share the same goal of presenting safe, engaging and challenging education to their charges to improve their future.

Solid Improvement
This fall the district is still soaring on the results of the school rankings of the state’s 2005 Academic Performance Index Base Report, released by the California Department of Education in March. State rankings include an academic ranking that numbers schools from 1 to 10 statewide and a ranking of similar schools comparing a school’s performance with other state schools of similar size and demographic characteristics. Alameda public schools showed significant increases in their scores.
“This just illustrates the fact that Alameda schools are continuing to improve every year. It’s a solid, steady improvement,” reports Donna Toutjian Fletcher, the district’s public information officer.

New Frontiers
Alameda’s secondary schools are undergoing some significant changes, says Sean McPhetridge. He’s the acting director of secondary education and acting director of the Regional Occupational Program for the district. McPhetridge is also the principal of the Alameda Science and Technology Institute, a small new high school at the College of Alameda and one of the first “early college high schools” in California.
“High school reform is on everyone’s mind, and an early college high school addresses the crisis that’s happening in America,” McPhetridge says, who believes the college access Alameda students receive will help them be well prepped for higher education and career success.
A partnership between the district and the College of Alameda, ASTI graduates receive a four-year high school diploma and earn up to two years of college credit in the four years they complete their high school coursework. ASTI receives part of its funding from a grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Other noteworthy nontraditional learning options on the Island are the Alameda Community Learning Center, Bay Area School of Enterprise and Island High School.

Beyond Public
Alamedans have education choices besides public schools, with four Catholic schools (three elementary schools and one high school), two private Christian schools, a handful of Montessori schools and an academy within the city limits.
The Chinese Christian School on Bay Farm Island enters its fourth year with an Alameda campus. Development director Debbie Leong says administrators anticipate an enrollment of 200 for kindergarten through eighth grade, with parents attracted by the school’s reputation for academics and a protective environment.
“We work hard to create a nurturing and caring environment with teachers who really work to make sure that the students succeed,” Leong says.
On the east end, Saint Philip Neri Catholic Elementary School is one of three parochial grammar schools. Principal Marilyn Marchi says that the Saint Philip Neri approach stresses high achievement, safety and “core values that challenge our kids, providing a foundation that supports another 10 to 15 years of further education.” The school debuts a new science center this fall to coincide with a program that integrates science concepts throughout the curriculum.
No matter where your kids go to school, they have plenty to get excited about this year. It just takes a new start, some shiny new buildings and spiffy new school clothes to get and keep them motivated—at least, let’s hope, until Thanksgiving.

BOX WITH ABOVE STORY
Web Sites
AUSD: www.alameda.k12.ca.us
ASTI: www.astischool.com
ACLC: http://aclc.almeda.k12.ca.us/
Chinese Christian School: www.ccs-ramgs.org
Saint Philip Neri: www.spnalameda.org/school/indes.htm

STORY 2:
Enrollment Check List
Enrolling your child in the Alameda Unified School District isn’t too tricky, but here are few specifics to make sure it’s a cinch.
Know your zone. Find yours based on your address on the district’s zone map.
Pick up a package. Pick up an enrollment package from your school.
Prove it. When you visit your school, you must prove your residency with three documents, including a lease or mortgage document and two bills posted to your street address. Also, bring along a copy of your child’s birth certificate.
Visit the doctor’s office. Make sure your child’s immunizations are up to date.
Beat the deadline. As a resident, your child is guaranteed a spot in an Alameda school, but it may not be the one in your neighborhood if the school is full, so act early.
—M.L.S.

STORY 3:
Must-Know Dates
Aug. 28: First day of school
Sept. 4: Labor Day Holiday
Oct. 13: Non-student day (no school)
Oct. 30: Staff Development Day (no school)
Nov. 10: Veteran’s Day Holiday
Nov. 22–24: Fall Recess
Dec. 18-Jan. 1: Winter Recess
Jan. 1: New Year’s Day Holiday
Jan. 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday
Feb. 16: Lincoln’s Day Holiday
Feb. 18: President’s Day Holiday
March 16: Non-student Day-Trimester Break (no school)
March 19: Non-student Day-Trimester Day
April 9-13: Spring Recess
May 28: Memorial Day Holiday
June 14: Last Student and Teaching Day

STORY 4:
Dog or Cat?
Sharmaine Moody knows junior high school kids. She’s been teaching them at Lincoln Middle for 17 years and has an eighth-grader of her own. When she gives advice, parents listen.
“Elementary school kids are dogs and junior high school kids are cats,” she says. Think about it, she challenges; how would you characterize a dog? “Loyal, loving, affectionate, kind, responsive, happy. These are all adjectives that also describe most elementary school kids.”
Junior high school kids are a different matter. “They are cats, and like cats, they are aloof, unresponsive, only want to have anything to do with you when there is food involved and are affectionate only on their own terms.”
But Moody says that “your dogs will come back to you one day.” Just don’t take it personally and understand their junior high schoolers have a busy and physically exhausting day.

STORY 5:
Time Savers
Kathy Hennigh, a mother of three young children, is a fifth-grade teacher in Alameda with some practical and timely tips:
• Re-set their clocks. Start kids on the morning routine a week or so before school starts. • Get into the routine. Plan a field trip or outing a week before the first day to help practice getting up at the designated time and going through the morning routine: dress, brush teeth, eat breakfast, get out the door.
• Pack it up at night. Get in the habit of doing as much as possible—picking clothes, packing nonperishable lunch items, making sandwiches—the night before.
• Post it. Display a poster that outlines both the morning and after-school routines: Wake, Dress, Brush, Eat, Leave, Snack, Homework, Chores, Prepare for the Morning.
Talk about it. The week before school starts, sit down with your child and discuss going back to school.

STORY 6:
You Are What You Eat
It’s tough to get your kids to make healthy choices when it comes to food, especially when you’re not there to guide them. You might send a lunch with them every day, but what they do with can be a mystery. Smart Alameda moms sneak healthy foods like these listed into their kids’ backpacks.
Fresh fruit
Peanut butter on a bagel
Yogurt
String cheese
Pasta
Hard-boiled eggs
Sushi
Trail mix
Dried fruit
Tortilla wraps
Pork buns
Mini-bagel sandwiches
Mini carrots and low-fat dip

STORY 7:
Gotta Have It
IPod
Razor or Slivver cell phone with built-in iPod
Laptop computer with high-speed Internet connection
Messenger bag
Organizer/binder
Scientific calculator