My School woes

SO I take 2 classes this semester, 1 is an online computers class not so tough but gets annoying. The other is Accounting 120 the first ever accounting class. Well this week it seems like I am realizing how not fun this can be. We have 1 week to do a full set of finacials going into a portfolio, and now I have to write and Ethics Paper. Ok English was not a requirement for this class, uggg I am dreading this and it is due in 2 weeks. Yay me!

Volunteer-Anti Social

So many people may not know but I don't do people well. I prefer to stay holed up in my house I feel comfortable there, so if at all possible I avoid going places and doing things.

So Amanda is in band and they are always begging for volunteers and my guilt was eating at me. So last Friday I offered to help, my condition were I needed to be away from the crowds and needed to be able to do the job with my 8 year old tagging along.

Of course as luck would have it Mark was home so Haley didn't need to come. So I got to the school at 6 and got set up doing split the pot on the away side. Basically a raffle ticket sale. I sat for about an hour and sold nothing people avoided me like the plague and I was happy. Then this little old lady with a cane comes up and says I am suppose to be working here. I said ok got up and left. So I was in a dilemma I could go home and say I tried right? Or I could go offer to help in concessions. Oh yeah I went into the concessions.

And truthfully it was pretty painless until the health department showed up. Oh yeah they come to high school concession stands too. I really thought it was a joke but once he started talking about hairnets I realized he was not. So we passed all except the hair nets so I think this was my one and only night working in concession, but I did it and I guess that is a thing to be proud of.

School issues #2

So lets see, Amanda's teacher said she thought Amanda's email was telling her she owed Amanda to let her go to competition. Umm I read the email and it in no way said anything like that but whatever. She told Amanda she would watch her at practice until 5 and as long as she knew the steps she could go to the competition. So of course she did. But why not just tell her that on Wednesday night instead of trying to frighten her into coming home and fighting with her parents to come up with another option.

I am proud of Amanda because she said my family comes first and was willing to walk away from bad because of this nazi lady. But thankfully it didn't come to that.

Now onto Haley, so Mark and I both went to the meeting felt it was important we be there to hear what is going on. Appointment was at 5:15 we didn't go in until 5:50 she was that behind. She said Haley tested very high above the class at the beginning of the year, but recently retested and dropped a lot and is below the class average now. She was also concerned about her behavior. She tells me Haley left the class with another child without permission then came in and told her a lie about another teacher.

Now Haley has been known to tell lies, but this doesn't sound right, and then why did my kid leave the class and no one notice. We talked to her about the little girl sitting next to Haley is distracting to Haley and we think they should be moved apart. She agreed to do this, but all in all I didn't feel ike she understaood our frustration with the grades.

So I go home and talk to Haley and find out that the little girl beside her has been sending her dirty notes in class, and Haley doesn't want to tell anyone because she is embarrassed and ashamed. Ok at this point my momma bear comes out and I am like there is not a chance in hell my kid will go back to that class.

Friday I emailed the principal with my concerns, so this morning Haley started in a new class. Yes she is talkative and we still need to work on these things but I think seperating her from this other child will make a big difference. I am happy that the pricipal saw how important this was as well.

Why people homeschool?

I guess as my kids are getting older and get further in school the whole homeschool thing starts making more since to me. Every teacher you deal with is different and you just never know how they are going to click with your child.

Amanda is in the 10th grade and with the exception of 1 really bitchy teacher I had to deal with in 4th grade she has done fine. She is a great student very quiet gets great grades. But since getting to High School Amanda's passion has been band, marching band mostly. She loved it her freshman year. I personally though wow this teacher is asking alot. I mean in August they practiced for a week 8AM to 6PM at night, seemed like a long time for 14 year olds, but she did it. I accepted my kid staying after school Tuesday and Thursday until 6PM and accepted that I would have to sit in the parking lot for an extra 15 to 25 minutes because the teacher never lets them go on time, I set even knowing dinner was in the oven and most likely burning but I waited.

I accepted my daughter staying after to school to set up for the band yard sale, I donated, Amanda stayed until 9PM then turns around comes home and goes back at 4AM to help more. Then at 2:30 after I have decided my kid has been there way too long I find Amanda in the band room looking almost comatose due to lack of sleep. No one called and said she needs to come home, no one noticed.

I accepted the paying her band dues $75.00 wind suit and shoes $75.00 along with everything else she needed. Then for concert season I bought her a $50.00 dress for her to wear 2 times. I also watched my beautiful short haired daughter stress on how to put her hair up because it is required, only to get to the concert and see almost every other girl there had their long hair hanging down? But not Amanda she doesn't break the rules.

We were so proud last year when Amanda won the Best Freshman award in band, because we knew how hard she works for this teacher. She didn't get flute lead as she wanted, she didn't get any lead position and she was bummed. But she asked the teacher if she could still come to leadership camp in August so she could learn how to help the freshman coming in. So not only did she do the normal band camp of 5 days 8 to 6 she did an extra week just to learn. And it paid off she got a lead position after school started and a girl dropped out.

But it breaks my heart to watch this amazing child suffer at the hands of a selfish bitch of a teacher. You see we are having some serious behavior and academic issues with Haley and today I have a meeting with her teacher, originally I planned to take Haley with me, but decided I really need to talk to her alone. Mark is working nights at a new job so he can not miss time, my step father is in the hospital so my mom can't watch her. So I told Amanda I need to pick her up from practice 1 hour early so she can watch Haley. She told her teacher yesterday and was informed that 1 we as her parents shouldn't expect her to babysit on a practice day, and 2 if she misses any practice she can not be in the competition on Saturday.

Amanda is hearbroke and angry, she works way harder than most kids, heck they have a cheer leader who only comes to 1 practice a week and she gets to compete, but because of a family emergency she will penalize Amanda. It is ridiculous. Amanda has emailed her and tried to ask to go to the competetion, she is talking to her this morning, but if when I pick Amanda up at 5 that lady has told her No I am going to the principal and school board if need, this teacher needs a serious attitude adjustment.

Then onto Haley's teacher, this year Haley is not doing well, last year she was the youngest kid in class and yet the highest in everything. When she is home doing her homework I always check it and out of 30 problems she may get 2 wrong. But when she does work at school or test she is bringing home horrible grades, She is also pulling several cards a day. Last year maybe 2 a week, last week she pulled 9 this week we are already at 7. She seems to hate school this year and I plan to talk to this teacher today to get to the bottom of things.

But yesterday when I got Haley off the bus she tells me she threw up at school, and then when she got on the bus her bus driver handed her a trash bag to hold. Poor Haley was mortified all her friends saw this. Now I work less than 3 minutes from the school a call and I could have been right there. I just don't think anyone ever takes into consideration kids feeling and self esteem anymore. But after today I hope they will start.

My baby is 8

So October 10th 2001 I had Haley at 7:30AM via planned C-Section. She was so beautiful and a handful from day 1. We couldn't get any milk to stay in her. I had wanted to breastfeed but after every feeding she promptly threw everything up, she was dropping weight fast it was scary. We ended up staying in the hospital and extra day until we could get things straight.

She was diagnosed with Reflux and put on some meds to help. We took her home and she literally slept 23 hours a day, she never opened both eyes at the same time, it was frustrating we were at the doctors every other day to weigh her. Every doctor we talked to had a different idea of reflux. I finally took her off the meds and she woke up, we learned to feed her in car seat so we didn't have to move her. She did fine until about 3 month she was always crying went back to the doctor and had her put on a different med for the pain. It seemed to help.

Haley has been my loud and wild child from the start, everytime we left the house you never knew what she might do. She talks to everyone, would invite cashiers from Walmart over to dinner, tell them all about our family. It was pretty embarrassing at times. Once at Walmart I went to pick something off a shelf and hear. "Moses let my people free!!!!!" Yep it was my pretty little thing mimicking The Prince of Egypt. She really does need to be in the movies.

So Saturday she turned 8 and took her first ride in a car without a booster seat, she feels so grown up now, LOL I can't wait to see what the next 8 years have in store for us.