About Charlie Mas

That's him! That's the guy!

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  Where can my teen can find truly "cool" used clothes at bargain prices?

  0 0 If you don't mind really digging, there is the Goodwill outlet store on 6th Avenue South in SoDo. Charlie Mas answered in Teens & Tweens 10 months ago Answer, comment & read 6 more answers »

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  How much freedom should a 15-year-old get?

  0 0 Your goal, as a parent, is to bring your child to adulthood. You can't hold them in infancy until they are 18 and then flick a switch and expect them to act like adults. You have to cede them adult rights and responsibilities bit by bit over time. Let out the leash a couple inches at a time so that when they turn eighteen you will have let go of the end of it. We expect our independent, smart 15-year-old daughter to be home by 6:00pm and to contact us by 5:00pm if she makes other plans. When she is out we expect her to contact us any time her plans change or she changes location (downtown is one location, Capitol Hill is another). On school nights we expect her to be home by 8:30pm. On weekends and during the summer the curfew is 11:00pm. There can, of course, be exceptions for special events. None of this is arbitrary. We can give real, practical reasons for each of these times - we have dinner together as a family, we have to plan dinner, we need to know where she is, she needs to be in bed before school and we need to be in bed before work. As far as school goes, we allow her to be self-managing, but we monitor her progress on the Source. When her grades slipped due to incomplete assignments, we stepped in and asked her if she needed some support and we asked her for a timeline for turning in the missing work. She set the timeline and she kept to it. And we keep to these standards ourselves. We call if we are going to be late. We keep in touch. We don't stay out late. We want her to be another adult in our house, and, to the extent it is practical, we treat her as one. Charlie Mas answered in Teens & Tweens 10 months ago Answer, comment & read 8 more answers »

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  My 14 year old brother is a Republican, Help!

  1 0 Look for common ground first. There is a lot of it. Charlie Mas answered in Teens & Tweens 10 months ago Answer, comment & read 9 more answers »

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  Is TOPS tops?

  0 0 TOPS is an excellent school by nearly every measure. Is there something about your attendance area school that is making you look for an alternative? Charlie Mas answered in Other - Jobs & Education about 1 year ago Answer and comment »

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  Question about enrollment in Seattle Schools?

  1 0 If you move within the Seattle school district, a seat will be reserved for your child at the attendance area school for your new neighborhood - no matter how crowded that school may already be. Transportation, if you live outside the walk zone, is also assured. If, however, you want your child to continue to attend his or her current attendance area school, you will have to request it at Open Enrollment and your bid for the seat will be put in the lottery with every other request for a seat at that school from families living outside the attendance area. Transportation may not be available. If your child attends an Option school, that assignment will continue regardless of your new address but transportation may or may not be provided. If you prefer the attendance area school in your new neighborhood you may choose it at Open Enrollment and you will be assured of access to the school. Charlie Mas answered in Schools about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  What rules should we set for keeping an independent teen safe in the free-wheeling weeks of summer?

  4 0 We have a responsible, independent teen and did very well last summer with these rules: 1. Let us know what your plans are, and inform us (by text or phone) every time the plan changes or you change location. 2. Either you are home by 6:00 for dinner or you call by 5:00 to let us know that you won't be. 3. Definitely home by 11:00 every night. Call if you're going to be late. Our job is to raise an adult. That means ceding responsibility and autonomy to our kids as they near adulthood - not withholding it until the day they turn 18 and then suddenly dropping it all on them at once. We don't give them enough freedom to do anything that would result in long-term damage, but we do allow them to make mistakes they can learn from. Charlie Mas answered in Teens & Tweens about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  What/where in Seattle is there a decent place to get fitted for a road bike?

  0 0 You can get a fitting at a Physical Therapy clinic - I know that Sound Physical Therapy in Delridge does them. Also R+E Cycles in the University District does fittings. Charlie Mas answered in Fitness & Exercise about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

• Comment on Dr. Susan Enfield's answer…

  1 0 Dr. Enfield's evasiveness, ambiguity, and general lack of candor in these answers has been a grave disappointment. This whole exercise has harmed her credibility, and the belief that there will be any sincere effort to restore public trust in Seattle Public Schools. She could have done a lot of good here if she had simply been candid instead of guarded. Pity. Charlie Mas commented about 1 year ago

• Comment on Dr. Susan Enfield's answer…

  2 0 The PTA needs to buy them. Only schools with the money to buy their own materials have the privilege of using something other than the Board-adopted materials. That includes the Singapore Math materials that the superintendent claims the Board adopted - the District won't pay for it. Charlie Mas commented about 1 year ago

• Comment on Dr. Susan Enfield's answer…

  1 0 Summer school is cut due to lack of funds, but the District is moving forward with a $700,000 web site upgrade, buying brand new Dell laptops for every student at STEM, six-figure contracts for Education Consultants, and $400,000 next year for New Technology Networks to show the teachers at STEM how to do what the teachers at NOVA have been doing for thirty years. Charlie Mas commented about 1 year ago

• See all of my 2 Questions , 12 Answers and 14 Comments