His teacher doesn't communicate with us at all, so I have no idea what book it is. I sent a note with Jock last week and he said he gave it to his teacher, his teacher read it and then said "Hmmm...ok." and put the note away and that was that. I had asked him to let us know precisely WHAT book to purchase. Only reason I even know he needs a book is because Jock keeps saying he is the only one without one and he needs to keep looking over the shoulder of his friend to look at his. So he still hasn't told me what one it is, but Jock says he will know it if he sees it. We have to do that tomorrow! ARG!!
There is so much to tell. We had quite a fiasco on Friday. Brain refuses to buy "hot lunch" at school, because he is unsure of how to go about it. He makes his own lunch and one morning last week we were running late and he didn't have time so I gave him money. I told him to ask people and they will help him. He came home that day and said he didn't eat anything, because he doesn't really understand what the people mean and what all the rules are and he feels like a "dork". I was so sad to think of him having no food all day! Doesn't phase him, the kids seldom eats anyway. But still. I am a mother, mothers have some freaky need to make sure their kids have food in them, right???
So on Friday, I was driving past their school with Clown and Princess on our way to run errands and I thought maybe I should go in and make sure Brain has eaten. The same thing had happened that day, he had to go to school with no lunch. So I went into the office and signed in and got my badge and everything. I asked when the grade eight's eat and she said right now. Each grade eats at a separate time, of course. Ten minutes was left in their lunch time, so I had to hurry. I was concerned it would embarrass him, but I had to go in and find out how to get this done, once and for all.
This woman was walking me over there and talking a mile a minute. Very nice lady, but I always get annoyed when people talk to me at the same time my kids are already talking. They interrupt and yap away when my kids were talking to me first. I find it very rude. If kids do that, they get corrected. Why do adults do it?? Anyway, Princess kept on trying to say something and I could tell she was trying not to be rude and it seemed very important. I was putting my finger up (thus the signal to wait a minute while we let the lady with no respect for children get her say in and the five year old can be more patient and polite than her) and smiling down at her, as I listened to this woman go on and on about something. I thought I had seen Brain's big puff of hair through the glass in the door. We got in there, the woman was still going on and on about something and finally I grasped that Princess was saying that she saw Brain go out another door and back outside, where we had just come from. I was trying to let the lady know that, but she just would not be quiet. So I finally said, "My daughter said she saw her brother over there, thanks for your help!" and the kids and I went out and found Brain all alone and looking sad, setting his backpack on a bench under a tree. The woman was still yapping at me about who knows what, she followed us out there. Clown had run over to Brain and by the time the woman had wandered away, Brain was walking over with his hand on Clown's shoulder, bending down so he could hear what Clown was saying. He was looking pleased to see us, yet very concerned.
I did not want him to panic and think anything was wrong, so quickly let him know that we were there to get him some food and figure this out once and for all. I asked him if he was mortified with us there and he said no, it was fine. Seemed pretty relieved, actually. We walked in to the cafeteria and right away, the people were very rude. I went to where the food was and said that I was there to help my son get some lunch, he was not clear on what all it entailed. He had on a bunny hug and the hood was up on his head. This woman immediately looked at him and snapped VERY meanly, "HOOD OFF! NOW!!!"
I kind of jumped and looked behind me to where he was standing and made a face like, "Wow! Guess you better take your hood off!" Then she saw he had his back-pack on (he is having trouble getting his locker to work and just carries everything with him all day, poor thing!) and snapped "you are not supposed to have back-packs in here! Take it over there, to that section, QUICK!"
I am not sure if she thought something was in it that was going to blow up, or what on earth. She seemed pretty scared of a backpack and a small kid with a hood on, that is for sure.
So I asked again, "What do we need to do to get him some food??? I have money here, is that all we need or do we need to do something else????"
Lady said "He needs his ASB card."
"He doesn't have one yet. They have not been issued."
"They have temporary ones. He needs it to get his food. Or at least his #."
As she was saying all this, Brain was TRYING to tell me that his temp card was in another pair of pants at home. She was so busy yelling about hoods and backpacks, she did not hear him. So I told her that and she repeated, that he needs that to get food.
I was mad now. So I said, in not the most pleasant tone, "You mean you won't give him any food, even though we have money right here, because he doesn't have some card??"
Lady- "I never said that."
Me - (thinking,"Sure seemed to me like you did.") but SAYING out loud "Hmmmm..." and looking confused.
Lady (REALLY rude now) "It is easier if they have the card, but he can still get food. We just like to keep track of it on the computer."
Me- "I can totally understand that. Fact is, he doesn't have one right now and he has been led to believe that he cannot get food unless he has it. Now you are telling me that he can still have food, it is just preferred that he have a card??" (I found out that he had tried to get food soon before I got there and that they had told him if he had no card, he could not get food. So he had just gone outside to sit and look through his things, to make sure he didn't have the card and was just not finding it fast enough or something)
Lady- "Yes. If he doesn't have a card or his #, he can give us his name and we can look it up."
Me- "That may have been something that would have been helpful to just mention in the first place. We are in a hurry here, his next class starts in about five minutes. He was under the impression that he could not eat lunch today because he had no card with him and does not know his student #!"
By now, another woman from the kitchen had come out and was very nice and asking Brain what he wanted. We got him food and paid and I left him sitting there. He told me one of his teachers threw a stool across the room one day. I tell you, this is going to be an interesting year. Now if we can just get the locker thing worked out and get Jock's ever increasing-in-nastiness-attitude in check, we will be good to go! That is a post for another day. And I REALLY will do it, I promise!
Apparently many girls come and sit with Brain at lunch and try to figure out if his hair is dyed or naturally black. They touch it and pull on it and rave about the curls and how jealous they are. He sits and eats, smirking to himself (I can just picture him) and they talk all about how his eyelashes and eyebrows are black, so his hair must be naturally black. He finds it all very amusing. He has given up on the straightening and is back to the curls, so I am sure it is ok to post a photo of him. I feel bad that the look he was going for did not work for him:( Maybe one day!
He drew a pretty weeping willow for his art class. I will post a photo of him holding it. You can't tell how good it is from the picture. I will also post what he wrote about it in the book. I will do that in a separate one.
I felt so bad for Princess on Friday. She put together this whole look on her own and it was all planned around this pink hat she loves to wear. It is close to her head and looks cute, keeps her hair out of her eyes, etc. She was told to take it off right when she got to school. I was still there, talking to some friends. She came out into the hall and put it back in her backpack and she looked like she was trying not to cry. I felt SO BAD for her. Sure is a different world, this public school. My kids are used to doing math and science inside the fort they built from cardboard boxes, or hanging upside down from the couch. All the while eating fresh cookies or popcorn and wearing Power Ranger or Fairy costumes. This is quite the different experience for them!!! No hoods, hats, backpacks in certain rooms. Clown was even reprimanded for bringing his new toy plastic axe with him to wait outside the school for his sister. I wondered about that one, and I was right. NOT a good idea. Apparently it is s state law or something?? A $3 plastic axe. What is he going to do with it?? I was right there, the thing weighs 4 oz!?!? I don't get it, but we have to play the game, I guess. *sigh*
3 comments:
I hate it when adults treat children in a way that the children would get disciplined for. It's so hypocritical. Might be worth a call to the school, as it is not acceptable that the lunch people are rude to your son while he's trying to get food. Angry for him!
We have a similar system here with lunch (it's kind of cool actually cause we pre-paid for the boys to have money in thier "account") but damn they don't act so snotty about it. They can pay cash or not, it doesn't matter. They aren't even expected to know thier student number, just try to remember it. And a teacher throwing a stool? What the hell is that? I'm suprised parents haven't gone ballistic over it. Cause let me tell you, if enough parents complain loudly enough, something will change. Don't be afraid to make demands of the school, both teachers and the principle. Cause your taxes pay their salary so they work FOR YOU.
Meno- I know it! I am angry and don't want to have an "attitude" but must speak up for my kids, ya know??? I tend to have what most people view as a very negative attitude about the education system anyway. Although, when you compare me with a lot of my friends who home school and refuse to put their kids in public school, I am pretty sweet and calm about things:) LOL
Sydwynd- Very true. I guess it won't hurt to speak up more, I just don't want anyone to take out their annoyance with me on my kids, ya know??
Get this. Brain came home today and told me that he was called out in the middle of Spanish class and told to go to the cafeteria. They told him he owes them $5.90 for some lunches. He told them he only bought it once, this past Friday and had paid cash at the time. They asked if it could be from last year. He told them this is his first time at this school, he has been homeschooled for the past five years. They insist he pay them?? What on earth is that? And why call him out of a class over something so ridiculous?? Both boys have told me they have been called out for silly reasons a few times already and they often see fellow students working in the offices and wandering hallways when they are going to where they have been called to. Assemblies most days. People ask how I have time to educate the kids at home, how much time to we spend a day doing it?? A lot more than they are apparently doing in there, I can tell you that much!
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