The working week sapped the living life out of me. Coming home at night I found myself with the laptop and floor plans, and writing some support documentation because we've totally moved from one platform to another and I was the only one who knew how to use it, 'cept for C who I taught a little bitty bit to at one point.
I know I didn't work nearly as hard as G and her husband did this week, I wouldn't trade places with them for anything... but I still had a long, rough week and I am relieved it is over.
By the way -- you know life is getting weird when you're eating your lunch at your desk, surfing your daily reads for updates and you hit two of the people sitting right behind you. I have never worked with other people who keep blogs... so it's kind of funny to read someone's update when you could just yell over the cube farm to them.
So, leave comments -- this harried mom needs some advice.
Thanks.
Today the elementary school posted the teacher classroom assignments for next year. I'm not thoroughly pleased with the teacher my son has been assigned to. K's (Jessie's friend) mom told me her son had this teacher last year and that she is "nice but easily overwhelmed."
And that is the last kind of person I need with my son. We just went through that. I sense a conference before the school year even begins.
I don't think I'm being aggressive or out of line. I am learning from experience here... and I'm not going to let what we went through last year happen again.
For those of you who recall, my five long-term readers who have been with me for five years, last year I was unbelievably dissatisfied with the teacher Geoff had assigned to him. Two days before school started, the teacher Geoff was assigned to was promoted to Assistant Principal, so we got this new assignment and I freaked out.
Not because she's a bad teacher or a bad person. Jessie had her in fifth grade and liked her. I just knew that she lacked the kind of knowledge and experience needed to work with a kid like Geoff. I knew from what Jessica told me. "Geoff is going to eat her alive, mom." I knew from K's mom's experience that fifth grade year that this teacher was not equipped with knowledge in special needs.
I went to the principal, I asked if Geoff could be reassigned. He said no. I argued with him. He told me that he had "the fullest confidence" in this teacher. I don't know how he could possibly have because he was new and she was coming back from maternity leave with great reluctance. He didn't know her except on paper.
She had a pulse, so what -- that gives great confidence?
His first grade teacher got wind of this sudden change and went and argued with him. He told her she was out of line.
We both tried. The first grade teacher was the only one who pegged Geoff's problems the first week of school, told us what she believed was wrong with him, and gave us great guidance and was a fabulous teacher to him. I was sad to move on to second grade, and then to have this particular woman assigned to him just blew my mind. But. We tried.
The year sucked.
It took until February for things to be okay between the two of them. She didn't really know how to respond to him and his personality and needs. By the end of the year, she finally had a good routine with him, and they ended the year on a good note but guess what -- she's not returning to teaching next year, and I don't think it is because she's expecting. I think her experience last year was just as negative as Geoff's. And that is a shame. She's a good woman with the right kids.
Problem is, you can't always have the kinds of kids you want to teach in a classroom. Sometimes a curve ball is thrown and you have to dive into the web or books or something to learn about someone's special needs. If a parent sits across from you and offers a book he or she finds helpful, take it. Read it, learn it. Don't just sit there and sigh and say "I really don't have time to read a book on this."
So the little tiny tidbit of info I have on this next teacher kind of makes me groan little Marge Simpson worried noises.
Pray for Geoff and his teacher.
Another thing that has me concerned is that there isn't a single boy in his class that he is friends with. Not. One. There is a boy from his Cub Scout den, one of the boys who went hiking with us on the world's hottest day this past June. He's an okay kid. A little weird, a little way too smart, and inappropriately silly and very domineering. I like for Geoff to be apart from him when we're at cub scouts because he brings the worst out in Geoff. And that's his classmate.
All of his good friends, all four or five of them, have the same teacher. And he isn't in that class. He looked at the list and turned around and walked back to the car, somewhat shocked, somewhat stunned, positively dejected. He didn't cry. He said it was good that M was in his class, but he was nowhere near as excited as I'd hoped he'd be.
I tried to let him know it was okay, they'd see each other at recess, and perhaps it is good that he has a whole bunch of new boys to make new friends with. But my words rang hollow and weak in the car over a sad Ben Folds song. Geoff said nothing in return to me. Normally, he'd enthusiastically argue or agree... this time he said nothing.
I want to stay home and homeschool him. I don't want public school any more. I don't know what these people are thinking over there... I'm really sad for him right now.
Anyway -- not the sunniest of entries. But hey, I wrote. Heh.
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