My girls go to High School at a public school but one that has three tracks for education. Their school is very small, about half the size of the other local High School. Their school has no sports and kids come from all over our town. For sports they have to play at the local high school in their zone. Meanwhile, kids that live on the other side of town have to play sports at the high school one town over. It is a very strange and frustrating setup. So your English class could have athletes from either high school sitting side by side. Football teams are rivals, but as yet there have been no issues. This School is full of the kids that are looking for another type of education experience. Classes are smaller, and your relationships with your teachers are more one on one. I am still mixed on the experience. Where the girls are: there appears to be some oversight, let the kids have their opinions without censorship...disagreeing is not a cause for bullying. So I guess that’s a win. Makes it easier for the girls to choose who they want to spend their time with, give their opinions, grow into who they want and hopefully, are meant to be. I’ve got pretty strong willed kids, they are less likely to follow into something they feel is not good for them. That’s a relief. Even as they go and enjoy the sporting events: football, probably basketball, then baseball and volleyball later on this year...they tell me what they hear and what they see in terms of the kids and their drugs and their pressure for troubling behavior. They know their way and they don’t need my guidance when their own moral compasses are so completely in control and leading the way. So yeah, we let them go and have fun with their friends.
Bradley is slated to go from this special program situated on an Elementary campus to a middle school, but not the one the girls went too. And when he is old enough for High School, he isn’t going to go to the same High School as the girls. A smaller school would be great for him, but so far the school seems to definitely not have the programming for what Bradley would need. So it looks like he will be sent to school at the High School that the girls play Volleyball for, but won’t Graduate from. Right now, the girls are dual enrolled in two schools; meanwhile, Bradley is also dual enrolled in two schools: A district program and the Elementary school that houses it. My kids are going to four schools at once. That’s keeping track of four school calendars even though two of my kids are at the same school. Good grief!!! ;-).
So my girls went from these bigger schools into this smaller school, and Bradley is going to keep getting into bigger and bigger schools. And I honestly don’t have any idea how that’s going to work for him. By the time he gets there, both of his sisters will be out of High School and nowhere around to look out for him. It’s not that they really look out for each other at school, but I mean they could in theory if they had too. So that’s a bummer. At the same time, we watch as this town keeps making changes to the schools here, and we’ve seen a school intended for those on the spectrum that have extreme behavioral issues and can’t be successful in a special education class at a regular high school, get moved from the center of town, to an isolated site away from the center of town. Disturbing. We are watching and taking notes, wondering when the school district is going to come to us trying to push Bradley into this school rather than a main high school. Between funding and test scores - which affect funding...my little guy is not the kind of student the high school is no walks through their door for registration day.
I have a senior, a sophomore, a fourth grader, and a clock set on fast. The school has already taken the Senior pictures for the yearbook, sold the cap and gown, and the announcements. The only thing not early is the class ring. For some reason, that’s no longer sold at the end of Junior year so the kids can enjoy them - now, a month into Senior year. When did that change? Anyway, the only positive to all the early purchases - other than a discount, is to let my brain slowly get used to the idea that I have a Senior so my brain can break it to my heart. And if this isn’t hard enough...once she graduates...I’ll have a Junior. Huh? Oh and worse? Yeah, it gets worse. When my Sophomore becomes a Senior, my little guy will be transitioning to Middle School. If he weren’t on so many medications the idea of my having a stiff drink might be appealing; however, my desire to keep him
safe, just means copious amounts of chocolate will be required.
We still try to keep us on the one day at a time pace, but that’s a pace on a fast forward one day at a time. We already know the date and time for her graduation, so it’s on the calendar. We’ll make life work around that one, some events are not missable. The picture are in, “Just WOW!” Who is that Lady? And once the class ring comes in we should be able to settle back into a subdued - not quite yet feeling for the next few months...until the countdown begins and then we’ll just hold on for the ride til the end. Time flies folks, whether you want it to or not. Today it’s the Madison, when I blink it’ll be Sydney and one good night’s sleep later it’ll be Bradley. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that he doesn't sleep...some things are just worth a small delay. Sigh....
Happy Tuesday! 31 For 21 Blog Challenge complete. Different timelines, different schools, but I the end: the babies all grow up.
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