Life with Jock

Ok, I started this on Saturday, will hopefully get it posted TODAY sometime!

I will attempt to do a bit of an update on our Jock before Stud and I go out on a belated birthday date.

His first hockey game of the season was today. They played a team of all girls, who range in age from 12-16. Even the 12 year olds were clearly larger than the boys on Jock's team, since girls hit puberty sooner and all that jazz. Jock is average sized for his age, possibly leaning toward the smaller side. Many of his team mates are quite a bit larger than him, but most of these girls just seemed HUGE comparatively.

They won anyway! These little boys totally beat the big girls! It was AWESOME! Especially since Jock scored one of the four goals:) I love that! He gets SO EXCITED every time he scores and skates around with his stick high in the air. It is so fun to see how happy he is.

His first year playing hockey ('02-'03) he scored 8 out of 11 goals in one game. The kid was truly born to play this game. Last year near the end of the season, another team needed him to help. I wrote about it here if you have any desire to read about it. There is also a video clip in that one.

I learned today that apparently, if girls want to play hockey, but not check, they join an all girls team. There are two girls on Jock's team and that is what you do if you don't care about checking. Be on a Co-ed team. The team Jock's team played today do not want to check or be checked, but they seemed pretty aggressive to me. Jock got a penalty for slashing a girl on the head. He honestly didn't mean to, however I am not sure what his stick was up that high for in the first place. I was glad he got put in the penalty box. At one point he was mad cause he was in a pile with all these girls and as they struggled to get up on their feet again, one was hindering him. The little turd actually kicked at her, to get her out of the way!?!? He was anxious to get into play again and I can understand that. The problem is, he has SKATES on. Even with all the equipment on, you could really hurt someone with the blade of your skate, I need to talk to him about that. Oh, I just told Stud and he said he did not see that from where he was, he will talk to him. He is one of the coaches, so that is cool.

So that was very fun to go and watch. We dragged Brain with us and I did not notice that he had a book with him, until we got settled in the rink. He always has a book on his person somewhere. I meant to remind him not to bring books or anything and focus on watching his brother in ONE game, but things were hectic and I forgot. He despises any of this sports stuff and was quite irritated at having to go support this brother, but he hid it fairly well and I am hoping Jock was none the wiser.

That is the hockey update. Now I will talk about his schooling.

He is really enjoying grade six. As in, LOVING IT. Like gets up before his alarm can even go off. Eats his breakfast, does his inhaler, brushes his teeth, has everything ready and then paces anxiously until he is allowed to leave the house. He wants to be up there at least half an hour before classes start, and is irritated that Stud and I won't allow it. There is no telling what trouble he could get himself into hanging around outside the locked school. What is the point???

He is pretty bored with the classes so far, but loves the socializing aspect. He finishes his assignments before most of his classmates, hands them in and then spends much of his time running errands for the teachers while his classmates do their work during class time. Some of the teachers are great for keeping in contact with me through e-mail. They have made comments about not having any idea that he had been home-schooled, how they enjoy that he is a free thinker and has such a great work ethic. It is kind of funny to me, because we have been "unschooling" for the past three years. If any of you are not sure what that is, feel free to read a bit about it here and see what you think.

I was leery (is that how you spell that word??) of it at first. I had to get out of the mind set that I grew up with, where you need to sit in some rooms all day long, being fed things from books and not taught to question or think for yourself. When I first started Homeschooling, I had a little school room, desks, a schedule, etc etc. As I read and discovered and watched my kids, I saw how that doesn't work very well. My kids are proof that unschooling works just fine. What does anyone think people did hundreds of years ago?? They learned what they needed to, when they needed to. I feel like people need to relax and not think that someone needs to know a certain thing at a certain age. Look at how the education system is in this country anyway. It obviously doesn't work! Kids learn to walk and talk and all kinds of other things on their own, they need our support and guidance, they don't need to sit in some room day in and day out. That is not "real life".

Oooopsss, sorry. Maybe I will save my feelings on that for another post:)


Clown has never had any type of curriculum and is far ahead in many areas of where kids his age in public school are. More importantly, he has time to be a kid and feel relaxed and peaceful, not stressed or scared or bullied. I am talking being bullied by teachers, as well as kids. I was more concerned sending my three who are in PS this year because of how their teachers would treat them, than their peers. I was right to be concerned.

Here is a perfect example. Jock's band teacher does not seem to be "teaching" anything. He spends all of his time talking about his personal life, what he did on the weekend, and telling stories from his life. I have met the man, he doesn't shut up. When we went to the open house thing to meet the teachers, I finally had to walk out of the class to get to my next one and meet another teacher. Once I did it, other parents followed. It took me to be the one to stand up and leave. Jock is not being taught how to read music or play the Sax. Apparently, the teacher says that is up to him to figure out and seek help from the grade 7 and 8 kids. Well, how is he supposed to do that, I wonder?? Why does he even have to bother going to class??

Jock has just said some things over the past few weeks that made me want to contact the teacher and get some things clarified. Wow! I am not doing THAT again!

Instead of just replying to my e-mail like the other teachers do, he decided to humiliate Jock in the middle of class!?!?!? I asked him what Stud and I can be doing at home to help Jock with the Sax. So the next class Jock had, he asked the kids if they needed help. No one said anything. He looked Jock in the eye and asked again, "Are you sure you don't need help?" Keep in mind, Jock had NO IDEA that I had contacted this guy. Jock and the other kids insisted they do not need help.

So the guy decided to say to Jock, "Are you absolutely positive, Jock?? I got an e-mail from your mother saying you needed help."

GREAT! Way to totally mortify an 11 year old, you IDIOT. First of all, I never said he needed help. I asked how he was doing in class and WHAT we can do to help him, if anything. BIG difference, in my mind.

What is the need in that, I ask you?? Why not reply to the mother's e-mail and answer the question ~ Jock is doing just fine. Or perhaps, Now that you mention it, here are a few things you can be doing at home to help him. And then give me suggestions. What is the need in humiliating him that way, right!?!? ARG!!

I wanted to update some more and talk about Jock's horrid attitude and what Stud and I are thinking we may need to do about it. However, Princess turns 6 tomorrow and I have gifts to wrap and things to ready and prepare. I hate so much that this STUPID MRI I have is scheduled for tomorrow morning, it messes up her birthday plans. At least her Dad will be helping in her class and taking birthday cupcakes! She is pleased about that. Seems odd that six years ago today I was still pregnant and have not been since then. I was either pregnant or nursing for so long, still seems weird (but blissfully wonderful in many ways!) not to be!