Story #1: A couple weeks ago, a student of mine came to school after a long weekend and had done NONE of her homework. I was more than a little irritated and wanted to know the reason why. She told me it was a "long story." I told her a still wanted to hear it. She told me it was a "really long story." I told her I was listening. And so she related how her family had confronted her mother about her excessive drinking the Friday night before, and my student found out that her mom was going to be charged with stealing narcotics from the nursing home she worked at and could possibly face jail time. I was absolutely floored, having known - and liked - this family for years. Since then, my student has related that she may be going to live with an aunt and uncle in another town until her mother can get herself straightened out, how her mother would drive her around town while under the influence, and how my student was sometimes put into the role of watchdog with her mother to keep unsavory friends from having contact. This student is only 12 years old.
Story #2: A ten-year-old student has had a horrible past two weeks. Although he's a bright kid, he's often off-task, disorganized, and even defiant in the classroom. The past two weeks have been particularly bad, culminating with an in-school suspension for doing some play "stabbing" with a pencil with another student. Turns out this student, who lives with his mom and her boyfriend, overheard his mom, who is in the National Guard, talking about how she might be deployed to Iraq. My student doesn't know who he will live with if this happens - his dad lives in Virginia. As he told his teacher, he just doesn't care about school anymore.
Life just should NOT be this hard for kids who haven't even reached their teenage years.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
My life as a single mom
So, Jeff went on a camping trip up North for a few days. No problem, huh? Maybe... or maybe not. Here's what my life has been like the last couple of nights:
Monday afternoon: Pick up Caleb at high school after cc practice, pick up Maren and Chase at Kid's Club and get home at 5:15. Hustle Chase into his soccer clothes and turn around and leave for soccer practice, which starts at 5:30. Get home from soccer practice at 6:40, start dinner and eat. Try to help Maren with her homework but she gets mad and I tell her she's going to bed. Put Maren and Chase to bed, hound Caleb to get to bed. No, he can't watch the rest of the Vikings-Saints game. Try to watch a taped show. Fall asleep immediately on the couch. Eventually wake up and stumble upstairs to bed.
Tuesday morning: Maren cries about a missing folder. Maren cries about the possiblity of her teacher yelling at her. Maren cries because she wants cold lunch and I "wasn't listening to her." Maren cries because I'm yelling at her. It's pouring rain out so I drive the kids to school. Maren and Chase barely get there before the bell rings. Drop off Caleb and drive to work in the pouring rain. Slog through my work day in the pouring rain. It doesn't stop, not once, all day.
Tuesday evening: Pick up the kids at their respective schools. Get home at 5:30. Send an email to the sub basketball coach that Caleb is not going to practice because he has too much homework. Check work email that I didn't get a chance to read during the day and respond. Check home email and find a message from Chase's teacher that he was being naughty during gym. Talk to Chase about his behavior. Cook dinner and eat. Tell Maren and Chase multiple times to stop wrestling. Tell Chase he's going to bed because he's not listening. Set Maren up on the computer practicing her spelling words. Try to give Caleb some help with homework before reading story to Chase. Put Chase in bed. Sit down briefly with Caleb. See Chase, who needs to poop again, come down to sit on the potty. Listen to Chase cry because it hurts when he poops (caveat here: he's actually been pretty good about pooping the last month or so, but the stomach flu last weekend threw off his whole digestive system). Sit with Chase in the bathroom and try to console him, then finally send him back to bed with minimal success in the bathroom. Read stories to Maren. Sit with Caleb for an hour plus helping him study for his algebra test.
It's now 11:00 p.m. Time for bed, so I can start all over in the morning.
Monday afternoon: Pick up Caleb at high school after cc practice, pick up Maren and Chase at Kid's Club and get home at 5:15. Hustle Chase into his soccer clothes and turn around and leave for soccer practice, which starts at 5:30. Get home from soccer practice at 6:40, start dinner and eat. Try to help Maren with her homework but she gets mad and I tell her she's going to bed. Put Maren and Chase to bed, hound Caleb to get to bed. No, he can't watch the rest of the Vikings-Saints game. Try to watch a taped show. Fall asleep immediately on the couch. Eventually wake up and stumble upstairs to bed.
Tuesday morning: Maren cries about a missing folder. Maren cries about the possiblity of her teacher yelling at her. Maren cries because she wants cold lunch and I "wasn't listening to her." Maren cries because I'm yelling at her. It's pouring rain out so I drive the kids to school. Maren and Chase barely get there before the bell rings. Drop off Caleb and drive to work in the pouring rain. Slog through my work day in the pouring rain. It doesn't stop, not once, all day.
Tuesday evening: Pick up the kids at their respective schools. Get home at 5:30. Send an email to the sub basketball coach that Caleb is not going to practice because he has too much homework. Check work email that I didn't get a chance to read during the day and respond. Check home email and find a message from Chase's teacher that he was being naughty during gym. Talk to Chase about his behavior. Cook dinner and eat. Tell Maren and Chase multiple times to stop wrestling. Tell Chase he's going to bed because he's not listening. Set Maren up on the computer practicing her spelling words. Try to give Caleb some help with homework before reading story to Chase. Put Chase in bed. Sit down briefly with Caleb. See Chase, who needs to poop again, come down to sit on the potty. Listen to Chase cry because it hurts when he poops (caveat here: he's actually been pretty good about pooping the last month or so, but the stomach flu last weekend threw off his whole digestive system). Sit with Chase in the bathroom and try to console him, then finally send him back to bed with minimal success in the bathroom. Read stories to Maren. Sit with Caleb for an hour plus helping him study for his algebra test.
It's now 11:00 p.m. Time for bed, so I can start all over in the morning.
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