Next Wednesday I will walk to the bus to see Bip and Bop off to school.
When I gave my job up at the beginning of summer to enter into therapeutic parenting I have great expectations of grandeur.
My minds eye saw two children who would have moved on in their life and would be handling situations so much better than they where before school ended.
I knew that nothing would happen over night, I knew that by the end of summer we would still have work to do, but I did think we would be further along than this.
I'm not even sure where I thought we would be.
As much as I'm happy to see school start I'm also ...... would be be correct to say scared out my mind ..... yes it would be correct to say that.
I can imagine chairs flying across classrooms, and the refusal to do work, the stealing and the temper tantrums.
I can see it like history repeating its self all over again.
I find myself planning how to keep my kids calm before they go of to school.. almost like treading on the egg shells of life.
Praying through out the day they are coping.... that I wont get a phone call from school telling me that one of them or both are raging and out of control.
Holding my breath as I opening their homework folders praying there is no letter home.... and then the fight over homework.
Having these feelings is no fun.....
Doubting the school system ....wondering if they will cope with my children.... and knowing that I don't feel equipped enough to home school...... and knowing I REALLY don't want to home school....
Maybe homeschooling would be better for them than the public school system, but would it better for me.
On saying all this and being so negative, Bip did go up 80% in Math this summer just by attending summer school, but its weather he can hold it together in school.
We where told to expect A's and B's on his next report card as thats what he is capable of .... but he still thinks every minute of the day is playtime.
Bop has gone backwards so it would seem, either that or the bed wetting again is in protest of going back to school, I'm not quite sure Ive not worked it out.
Either way there will be no putting Wednesday off ......
*Imagine found on the product blog
Sounds unkind...but I don't "DO" homework if I have a child who doesn't function well under pressure (read between the lines :D). I let the teacher know that ahead of time and won't allow consequences like having to stay in from recess if the homework isn't turned in. It might be wrong but our afternoons are so much calmer :)
ReplyDeleteOnly time will tell, Rach. Good luck with the start of the school year. They may do you proud, you never know!!
ReplyDeletePS - love the new outfit. Looks lovely over here!
ReplyDeleteLove the new website!
ReplyDeleteI homeschooled my kids for 8 years, so I know how difficult it can be, but in the long term it is rewarding. Are there any alternatives available? The Catholic school that my children attended had a "special needs" child in each classroom with an EA worker for that child which helped focus on their academic and other needs while keeping them associated with kids their own age. It also teaches all the kids to accept people as they are.