So much to blog...so little time.

My oldest son is supposed to be graduating today, but the high school screwed him over so he doesn't get to walk w/ his class.  I'm not going to go into detail, because I'm so mad I could spit nails...yes he has some fault in it, but it's not completely his fault, and it's ridiculous.  So he will be getting his diploma on June 30th.

 About 3 years ago our school district decided to give trimesters a try as apposed to the age old semester system.  Over those last 3 years they've discovered that MORE students failed classes(including my son) because the classes were too short and rushed and the kids weren't getting the instruction they needed.  They then decided to switch back because it was obviously not working.  This then being the last year of the trimester system they changed the rule for graduation.  If a senior is missing 1 or more credits as of final grades they can't walk in the graduation ceremony.  So on the last year of a system they know to be inferior they make it so a BUNCH of seniors can't participate in graduation.  Great idea.

Summer is so close, thank God I'm overly irritated w/ all four of the schools I have to deal w/ on a daily basis.  What used to be a good school district has gotten too big and they are NOT coping well.  The high school has 10, 11, and 12th grade there are 1348 students in those three classes.  The current 9th grade class has 548 students.  This is NOT a big school district, and it was never meant to handle that many students.  Holt is not even a city or a village it's a corporation.  Michigan has what is called "Schools of Choice"  that means you can enroll your kids in ANY public school you want IN Michigan as long as you can get them there.  You have to apply to that school ,but there is no fee, and since they make money based on how many students they have, you're not likely to be turned away.  This is not a bad thing, that's how my children were enrolled in Holt schools, I live a 1/4 of a mile from the edge of the district, and the schools they would go to are not that great, so I thought I was doing the right thing taking them to a better district.  I guess the grass really isn't greener.   I think it's probably still better than where they would go, but the differences are evening out faster than I like.

The whole "Zero tolerance" for bullies policy is the biggest load of bullshit they've ever come up with.  They preach it , the teach it, and they don't enforce it. Three out of four of my kids have been bullied at least once each in the last year, and nothing was done to the bullying child besides a talk w/ the principle.  The principle can do absolutely NOTHING but TALK to the opposing child, wow, big deal.   They don't do detention anymore, there's no staying after school cleaning chalk board, there's not In school suspension, they do nothing.  The high school used to have Saturday school if you had more than 3 tardy's in a trimester...no more.  The 'middle' school my youngest son goes to has anti-bullying posters on every wall MADE by the students.  So when he tells me that a GIRL told him she was going to POISON HIS FOOD in his lunch bag, I was LIVID.  I called the principal who didn't even KNOW about the incident.  WHAT?!  The girl didn't even have to go to the principals office?  What. The. Hell.  Why put the posters all over the school if no one is going to do anything about it?   What a crock.

I'm strongly considering homeschooling if things don't improve.

Public school is like fighting with the government!

Grrrr!

Awww...what?  You pissed off Momma Bear?

  I have four kids, they are all in different grades and different schools according to their grade.   My oldest son is a Senior this year, so...logically...he'll be graduating.  Or not.  He better be!  My sons all seem to suffer from the same illness, "REALLY smart, pleasure to have in class, doesn't turn in his work...passes tests".  I hate hearing these words from teachers.  I have tried everything on the planet, punishment, rewards, begging...nothing I do has worked.  Now my oldest son is in the last Trimester(Yes you read that right, our idiotic school district switched from Semesters to Trimesters, thinking it would save money, or be easier on the kids, or end world hunger or some shit...Guess what?  It didn't, now they are switching back next year because too many kids are failing. WTG!) of his Senior year he's realizing that this could be a problem.  He's limped his way through school, only getting a good enough grade to pass, or not in some cases.  He's done summer school, and online catch-up courses so I thought he was good.   At the beginning of this year, I was under the impression that he only had 1 credit to make up.  Then I found out he was in AP Calculus.  WHY?!  Why on Earth would his counselor let him take that class?  Why when they know the kid doesn't turn in homework..would that be acceptable?  I thought you had to get some kind of approval to take an honors class?  Apparently I was wrong.  He's now failed it for first and second trimester.  After the first trimester I asked the counselor to get him out of the class, didn't happen.  Now after second trimester I'm not asking, I'm telling.  I'm still getting the run around..."well Mrs. B...we have to have a committee meeting, and then a parent meeting and a meeting w/ the principal..." Yada yada yada.  I DON'T CARE JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN!  I don't understand why it takes more than one brain to make this a reality.  

Also my middle son is having an issue w/ his geometry teacher.  Same song different school.  I met with them today.  They try to placate me, "Well Mrs. B we can have his seat moved in the class, would that be OK?"  NO I want him OUT of the class, the teacher is singling him out and picking on him, how is that acceptable?  Why is changing his seat going to fix that?  What. The. Hell!  If it was your kid would it be acceptable?  Then I get "well you know it's four weeks into the trimester...why do you want him switched now?"  Well it took you IDIOTS TWO WEEKS to send me his report card, I had no idea he failed geometry til then, then it took you a week to get back w/ me on the situation and then it was spring break, so that's why!!!  I'm so fucking sick of this damn school district I'm ready to pull all four of my kids out and do online charter school w/ them. I feel like I'm drowning in piles of bureaucratic red tape and there's no end in sight.   I gave them a choice, either get him OUT of the class, or give me the papers to transfer him somewhere else...then they start back peddling. "Oh...well...Mrs. B, we'll look into this and see what we can do, we'll work on it today and get back with you".  That's better, of course I still have yet to hear from them today, it better happen.

Oh By the way, they just changed the policy on graduation this year (OF COURSE@!) if you don't have ALL your credits by graduation, you can't walk w/ your class and participate in the ceremony.  Now they are telling me that he's 1.5 credits short and this IF he passes EVERYTHING for this trimester.  So somehow he's got to make up those credits in the meantime AND pass everything else.   So disgusted I could scream, at all involved!  I have screamed at my kids, but I don't know what good it will do, hopefully he finally gets the desire to participate in graduation because I've got nothing left for incentive or discipline or anything, I'm spent.