Better School Days?

This morning bright and early I had an appointment with an assistant principal at Bug's high school. So, I get dressed and Dude and Buddy to school (late since I couldn't just drive in pjs today). Since I hurt my back the other day (another story...) I left Bear at home to watch Seuss. I just didn't have it in me to have the type of discussion needed with the school administration and deal with a toddler at the same time.



It didn't start off well. I get to the school and the lady I was to meet was not there! ARGH! Can the school do nothing right?! Apparently she had been called to attend a meeting at the board at the last minute. The district seems to like last minute. (On Wednesday they cancelled school at 6:45 for snow - kids were already on their way since school starts at 7:30.) So, upset, I asked if I could speak with the interim principal since our actual principal is on administrative leave for alledgedly propositioning a parent. She was willing to see me after she attended an IEP meeting. Since I have to attend those fairly regularly for Bear and Dude, I completely understood and was willing to wait.



Finally I was called back to her office and told that I had about 15 minutes before she had to leave for a board meeting. So, I went into my tale of woe and how Bug has an incompetant teacher that doesn't review the tests once they're taken and that multiple tests should be written if the teacher is using a test bank to write the test. I said how we'd been having issues since the beginning of the year from the geometry teacher appearing to dislike Bug, the typos being missed on a test bank test for FOUR years (who gives the SAME test four years and DOESN'T catch that type of an error?), and that this teacher only reviews a limited amount of homework, has gone over a couple of quizes, and NO tests once the work is completed. It's truly an outrage to me. I don't understand why the board changed policy about three years ago and allows students with unexcused absences to make-up their work and merely being docked a letter grade. In my day we got zeros and then the english teacher goes and tells my mom that he misses me in class so Mom realizes that I've been ditching class. Luckily I don't have THAT problem with Bug. According to her teacher, "She's ALWAYS here."



The interim principal listened politely and informed me that the board had changed the policy about the unexcused absences and make-up work due to pressure from PARENTS. Who heard of such a thing? Whatever happened to making the kid face the consequences for ditching school by getting a zero and getting car keys taken away like happened when I was in school. That's something that needs to be reversed. Anyway, back to the point, the principal changed Bug's schedule so that she no longer has the "teacher from @#%^" and just flip flopped her biology and geometry courses. That way she stays in an honors class, which Bug wanted, and still gets away from that particular teacher. One of Bug's friend's at school described a teacher (not Bug's) as "Satan on Earth." Obviously he had a similar experience at that school which is why he is now home schooled.



Bug's been in counseling for three weeks now and is doing better. Hopefully this doesn't send her over the deep end since she does have friends in the geometry class she was just transferred out of. I didn't request the change, the interim principal just did it. But, I'm satisfied, kind of. I'd like to see some policies changed anyway. I can see that Bug may be in a different class, but if the fundamental policies don't change, the boys are in a world of hurt in a few years.



Right now Bug's looking at doing an online high school, either Keystone or Maeser Academy, and telling her friends that her days in the high school are numbered. Our problem right now is that we can't keep her in orchestra doing that. I'm still taking that issue up with the superintendent of schools. That office is going to take the issue up with the board. Since there is a bill in front of the legislature in Nashville, it could be something that the board is willing to look at since they'd get additional federal funding for allowing home schooled students to attend a few classes at the public schools. I've decided that's a fight I'm willing to wage. Even if it's too late for Bug, I still have four boys to send through the system. Speaking with the superintendent's office yesterday was a good start. The gentleman I've spoken with is going to go to the deputy superintendent and then the school board to see if they will change the ruling about allowing partial enrollment. As he, and my mom, pointed out, if the home school students come for a few classes, the school gets more federal money. The superintendent would LOVE to have more money to run his schools.

Taxing Teens

Who knows how to get through to a teenage daughter? I certainly can't. Today, Bug dropped out of her youth orchestra. Since it was starting to interfere with our church schedule now that we meet at a different time, Joe and I weren't overly concerned about her decision. Truthfully, with early morning seminary and the load of classes Bug has at school, it probably was for the best. She simply doesn't have the time to practice as much as she needs to for that level of music. I told her that she could look at other options in the area for next year, but I wanted her to maintain her music at school at the very least.

Then she blind-sides me and tells me that s has something she'd like to do, but it's not very close. I'm thinking that I'd have to drive a ways to do something with music, but, no, she wants to go live with her grandmother in Alaska and feels that that's something God wants her to do. Well, God hasn't told ME that, so I'm a bit perturbed at Bug at the moment. She still thinks that I don't care if she stays or go since she threatened to leave about a year ago (a few months ago to her) and I just called Joe and said that she was leaving. He talked her out of it then. Now, she's breaking his heart since she seems to be of the opinion that she can just leave and have no consequences for her actions. It makes me want to say she'll never drive, pull her out of the school that is giving her such a negative attitude, and tell her there's no way she's going to Alaska even for a VISIT now.

Helen has taken in foster children for awhile now. I think that it may be her way of trying to make up for the fact that she gave me up for adoption. I told Bug, though, that God gave Joe and Me the responsibility to raise her, that we didn't feel that we'd been released from that call yet. It certainly wasn't a call that he gave to any of our parents, biological or adoptive. She's OUR daughter, and it's OUR responsibility to raise her. There are days I'd love to ship her off for a while and show her that she really does have a good life with us even though she won't admit it.

As for the other kids, we don't have problems for the most part with any of them. Bear is getting active in his scout troop and enjoys passing the sacrament at church. Dude enjoys cub scouts now that Joe and I are doing it and we meet weekly. Buddy just likes to hang out with his brothers and take the occassional day off of school to spend with mom and Seuss. Seuss is just cute and has about four words now, Mama, hot, wow, and choo (his word for train). Hopefully he'll be starting some OT soon for oral motor sensory.

For now, our biggest challenge seems to be getting a teenage daughter through high school. It's changed so much from when I was that age. Part of it I'm sure is that we aren't in the sheltered culture of Utah where most people are LDS. Here, she's lucky to know others in the school that are. "Bi-curious" is a word that is flung around along with kids claiming to be gay or "bi." Frankly, I think I worry about this potential spiritual fall than with the gang violence that can permeate schools so much today. It's actually the biggest temptation for me to look at online high schools or home-schooling. I can see both the benefits and challenges of home-school, and hesitate to make the plunge. Plus, I think Bug will hate me more than she already does if I pull her out of school. The other problem I have is that she wouldn't have her music classes since the high school has already said that she must be enrolled there to take orchestra. The dilemas of having teens in the world of today...