Tales From My House: School Drama

Luke is smart. He is in the gifted program, reads around a 6th grade level, and always tests in the 99th percentile for both math and reading (in fairness, that is on iReady, which I think is artificially inflated). Last year he was in an accelerated class. His school had one for each grade beginning in 2nd. Then, a new principal came and got rid of the classes. She believed it created a system of haves and have nots. The teachers also didn't like it. According to the new principal there was "no joy" in the school when she arrived. But, she failed to communicate this to any of the parents, who then arrived at open house to find their kids had been split into different classes (except for 5th, since they had been together the longest they allowed them to finish their elementary school career together). It didn't make as much difference to us since Luke had only been with the kids in his class for one year, it was the same as any other year. Although, we were a little disappointed as we liked the pacing of the accelerated class and it was a good group of kids. But, some parents were very angry. And, it lead to a whole thing. There were meetings at the school and the associate superintendent was called in. Lots of drama. I went to the meetings, but it was very frustrating. I actually left the second one early, because I couldn't take listening anymore. It was two sides who really didn't care to hear the opposing view.

My perspective is that there is very little incentive to ensure students like Luke are challenged. Schools (and teachers) get judged on student growth, at least in Florida. If a student is already maxing out the test, they really can't show much growth. I know that (most) teachers are doing their best for their students, but they are human and their time is limited. I also know that none of our older kids were in an accelerated class and I don't believe their academic growth has been stunted. It is another topic that has taken up more mental space than it deserves. That seems to be a theme for me this year. I don't know if there will be any more meetings, but I have decided I am out. No more meetings, no more getting involved in this debate.

In other news, and a topic that truly matters and deserves mental space--my niece is back in the hospital. Her experience has really made me lose a lot of faith in the medical profession. She has been sick since January and in and out of hospitals since May. I am really hopeful that she is finally on a path to recovery. But, every doctor seems to have a different idea of the best path forward and none of them seem to really communicate with each other. It is sad and frustrating and disappointing. Some of the doctors decided early on that an eating disorder was the root cause of all her issues. They ignored any evidence that didn't fit that theory, ignored what my niece and her family were telling them and literally wasted months. I don't feel like this is my story to tell, so I don't want to delve too far into the details. I just want to say that I am sad for what they are going through and I really hope the current path leads to good results.

In other, better news. Kara had her monologue and a group act selected for the thespians competition. She is really excited about it. All the kids had straight A's on their interim reports.

I feel like we are all super busy. Almost every day somebody has something going on, frequently multiple people have different activities. It can be hectic, but most days I don't mind. With two kids in high school, time is going by faster than ever and I know the years with all 6 of us living under the same roof are limited. But, we still have enough time left that I don't have to feel stressed about it. It is actually a good position to be in.

To conclude: a few pictures from the past week.