I am starting this on paper during our student support block—or half hour “study hall.” During this time, students are meant to be quiet and to work. This doesn’t always work…
The school year has begun. For me, this has possibly been the smoothest start to a school year in a long, long time. There was a schedule already in place before the first day of school, and I’ve had only one easy change to my class lists. It’s been easy to manage. That’s not to say that it has been smooth sailing, but it hasn’t been too bad. Unfortunately for some, it hasn’t been so relaxed.
Jack has settled into first grade. He loves it! His teacher was really lovely when we met her at open house—and clearly an early elementary school teacher. I’m a little worried about whether or not he’s being challenged. I scanned through the first reading text and didn’t like it. It was too easy for him. He also whizzes through his math homework. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s only first grade, and that it’s only the first month of school. He did have some anxiety issues for a couple of days. He snapped right out of it when his dad threatened to take away the Wii if he continued to cry before going into school in the morning.
Anna has returned to school seamlessly. I shouldn’t say seamlessly. Jack and I started a week before she did, and she was angry that she couldn’t go to school, too. She also had school last Friday. I had been told that she would follow last year’s schedule which was Monday through Thursday. I didn’t send her to school on Friday. Apparently she was meant to be there. Whoops. No one told me. There was another parent who was out of the loop, too, so I don’t feel so bad. Anna will be thrilled that she’ll get another day of school. Communication with BPS in general, and with this school in particular, has not impressed me at all during the last school year. This is frustrating, but not annoying.
We have a meeting on Monday at Anna’s school. Her teacher last year recommended that Anna attend a full-day, full-time program for this school year. John and I agreed. We couldn’t put it into place for the start of the school year because we would have to reconvene the team and couldn’t get it done before the end of the last school year. So Anna started on a part time schedule and hopefully either next week or the week after, she’ll start whole day, five days a week. It sounds intense as I am typing this up now, but I think it will be in her best interest.
There are a couple of other things I’d like to address when we reconvene. The first is that I would like to have the psych evaluation redone. I didn’t like the way it was done and I didn’t like the results. I do not think they’re indicative of her ability and it puts a label on her that will only cause her harm or hold her back. The other thing I would like to talk about is the fact that the child has ADHD. I don’t really need a doctor to tell me this one, but it’s there. I have to address it. It interferes with everything we do.
I had started writing while we were at dance class Wednesday afternoon, but a woman started talking to me about her obnoxious grandchildren. It was a nice little story because one of her grandsons had been born pre-mature and, now, at the age of 5 was in the first grade. He was walking at 7 months. This miracle child is a complete brat and a half, though, as a five year old.
I’m not quite sold on dance class. We’re not allowed to watch the kids inside the classrooms. I can understand that for older kids who are very serious about their dancing or for kids whose parents are very serious about their kids’ dancing. But for the little kids who are really just running around? Couldn’t I just have been there to watch Anna play “on the train”? They do have black and white monitors of each class that’s going on. I couldn’t really tell from where I was sitting, but it was good to watch. There was a little girl there who was going mental, but I knew she wasn’t my little girl because she had dark hair and Anna is blond. All the parents and siblings sit around this room that isn’t really all that big and they talk. The grandmother watches her grandsons run around like lunatics. It was uncomfortable for me, and it was even more uncomfortable for Jack. He actually winced when one of the grandsons got a little too close to him.
We have a cat now. Her name is Tyrone. It used to be Tyler, but John thought Tyrone was a better name. Whatever. It used to be my sister-in-law’s cat. They’d had it for years, but suddenly her son developed allergies to the cat and one of them had to move. She was more attached to her son, so Tyler was sent packing. We took Tyler/Tyrone because we have an over-active mouse population. Since the cat has moved in, there has been a dramatic decrease in the amount of mouse activity. Yippee. It is a lot of work though. I mean, it’s really not a big deal to change the litter and feed the thing. She also prefers to drink out of the dogs’ water bowel, so all of that stuff is easy. It’s the managing part that’s tricky. Brian (the dog) wants to eat her. Junior (the dog) has just now taken notice of her (we’ve had her for a few weeks now…a bit slow, that one), so she’ll want to eat the kitty, too, when she realizes what’s going on. So we have to do the doggy-kitty shuffle every morning and every afternoon and every night. Cat in the bedroom, dogs in the rest of the house. Dogs in the bedroom or outside while kitty is in the house. We can’t let Tyrone out because despite her name, she’s a little tiny cat and our neighborhood is a little kitty tough town. And then there are the children. Jack can be calm and gentle. In fact, Tyrone has crawled into bed more than one night with him. Anna is a little different. She thinks it’s absolutely hysterical to chase Tyrone through the kitchen, through the dining room, through the living room, through the hall, and back through the kitchen. This will go on until the cat smartens up and runs upstairs to hide under someone’s bed. The cat will growl and meow. Anna will giggle like a little maniac. Right now, it’s all worth it because the only mice I have seen have been on the porch. Once we fix the screen, we can let kitty out there and then I will see no mice at all.
I’m hesitant to report the next tidbit. John bought me treadmill. I don’t think he really wanted to do it because I’m sure he thinks that I will quit being fascinated by it quickly, but as usual, I wanted something and he got it for me. He’s a good man, and I’m lucky to have that. I spent 30 minutes on it last night and hope to do the same tonight. We’ll see. It would be nice not to have such a big butt. I hope I do keep it up and that my attention doesn’t wane. We shall see.
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