...we are *this close* to pulling DS out of public school/starting home/unschooling:
yesterday i picked DS up from school and he seemed even more sluggish and grumpy than usual after a long day of classes. i figured it was maybe b/c usually, by the time i see him it's been an hour or 2 since he left school (he normally takes the school bus home) and he's a little 'revived'. well, when i asked him how his day was/what was wrong, i find out that they did not go to class b/c the 10th graders are taking the HSA's this week.
that didn't make much sense to me, so i asked more questions...like, "what did you do all day?" he says, "we stayed in the gym. we had to stay in there all day and were only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom. my butt hurts from sitting on the bleachers for so long. i don't want to go back tomorrow." so now, i'm like:
: ...and still trying to make some sense of this. i say, "that's it? you didn't do any work? activities? ANYTHING?!" he replies, "oh, well, we watched superman 3, and had lunch. and the movie was really clear! i don't know how they got a bootleg copy so early and so clear. that JUST came out like a week ago. we actually went to 8th period, but it was too late to do anything by the time we got there."
at this point i'm trying to control myself b/c i am like:
. they have the nerve...no audacity to show a movie that is a bootleg copy to a bunch of CHILDREN. no one took into consideration the horrible example that sets?! and they don't have these kids doing ANYTHING just b/c they are not the 10th graders taking the HSA's? the HSA's last a WEEK! what, so the 9th, 11th and 12th graders just skate/waste away during this time period? this CANNOT be normal/o-k. DS interrupts my ranting thoughts with "do i have to go to school this week? i'm not going to learn anything sitting in the gym all day, and it HURTS. my body's sore, and there's nothing in my brain." i tell him i'll call the school and find out if this is in fact the schedule for the week.
so, off he went to school today, and i called when i got to work. they tell me that yes, this is basically the schedule w/ the exception of wednesday [which will be a regular day], and the other days will have 1 or 2 periods of class at the end of the day, but different ones so not 8th like DS had yesterday. the woman on the phone is telling me this like it's the most normal thing in the world. i am:
: and 
and 
and 
! but talking to these people is like: 
so i just tell her thank you and get off the phone. i will send DS to school tomorrow, but let him stay home thurs and fri.
*sigh* i'm just so aggravated/frustrated/disappointed/etc in this school, and the school system overall. i really think this will be his last year in traditional school. it's going to kick my a** trying to guide him through an education while working FT, but he's more and more open to home/unschooling, and i don't see how leaving him in PS is going to help him at all...it seems more like it will just harm him/keep him from learning.
thanks for listening if you got this far!
yesterday i picked DS up from school and he seemed even more sluggish and grumpy than usual after a long day of classes. i figured it was maybe b/c usually, by the time i see him it's been an hour or 2 since he left school (he normally takes the school bus home) and he's a little 'revived'. well, when i asked him how his day was/what was wrong, i find out that they did not go to class b/c the 10th graders are taking the HSA's this week.
that didn't make much sense to me, so i asked more questions...like, "what did you do all day?" he says, "we stayed in the gym. we had to stay in there all day and were only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom. my butt hurts from sitting on the bleachers for so long. i don't want to go back tomorrow." so now, i'm like:
: ...and still trying to make some sense of this. i say, "that's it? you didn't do any work? activities? ANYTHING?!" he replies, "oh, well, we watched superman 3, and had lunch. and the movie was really clear! i don't know how they got a bootleg copy so early and so clear. that JUST came out like a week ago. we actually went to 8th period, but it was too late to do anything by the time we got there."at this point i'm trying to control myself b/c i am like:
. they have the nerve...no audacity to show a movie that is a bootleg copy to a bunch of CHILDREN. no one took into consideration the horrible example that sets?! and they don't have these kids doing ANYTHING just b/c they are not the 10th graders taking the HSA's? the HSA's last a WEEK! what, so the 9th, 11th and 12th graders just skate/waste away during this time period? this CANNOT be normal/o-k. DS interrupts my ranting thoughts with "do i have to go to school this week? i'm not going to learn anything sitting in the gym all day, and it HURTS. my body's sore, and there's nothing in my brain." i tell him i'll call the school and find out if this is in fact the schedule for the week.so, off he went to school today, and i called when i got to work. they tell me that yes, this is basically the schedule w/ the exception of wednesday [which will be a regular day], and the other days will have 1 or 2 periods of class at the end of the day, but different ones so not 8th like DS had yesterday. the woman on the phone is telling me this like it's the most normal thing in the world. i am:
: and and and ! but talking to these people is like: so i just tell her thank you and get off the phone. i will send DS to school tomorrow, but let him stay home thurs and fri.*sigh* i'm just so aggravated/frustrated/disappointed/etc in this school, and the school system overall. i really think this will be his last year in traditional school. it's going to kick my a** trying to guide him through an education while working FT, but he's more and more open to home/unschooling, and i don't see how leaving him in PS is going to help him at all...it seems more like it will just harm him/keep him from learning.
thanks for listening if you got this far!
: That, or why not test the 10th graders in their classrooms? Or at least send home notices ahead of time to let the parents know what's going on before it happens?
- but I don't think many in the community would be outraged or even upset about this. I've come to understand that I (and probably y'all too) sometimes live in a universe parallel, but completely separate from the mainstream. I swear sometimes it feels like everyone but me believes the earth is the center of the universe, that 1 +1=3, and that children should be seen and not heard.
to calm my nerves.
i've been very tempted to just let him quit now, but apparently it's required that we give the state (MD) 30 days notice and file a letter of intent (or something similarly named). there's not even 30 days of school left, so, we'll just do it over the summer and not have him go back.
