Gearing Up for Back to School...

As I’ve already mentioned, Sons #1 and #2 return to school on Friday, August 10th. In my opinion, that’s just too early. Even though they get out at the end of May, I think they should wait until at least the 3rd week of August to go back. Don’t even get me started about the fact that they start on a Friday. Sheesh!

Son #3 – the BABY – starts on Monday, August 20th. Now that’s a bit more like it. During the week prior, he and I will be invited to meet his teacher, visit his classroom, tour the school, etc. The teacher will also do an informal assessment of what Son #3 knows. He can count to 100. He can spell his nickname and visually recognize his full first and last name. Although, he still goofs when reciting the alphabet, he can identify every letter of the alphabet and in most cases, he can tell you what sound each letter makes (even those letters, such as G, C, the vowels, etc. that make more than one sound). He’s a pretty sharp cookie – our homeschooling has certainly paid off. I suspect that he may initially be a little ahead of the game academically, but that’s okay. That’ll give him time to focus on developing those much needed social skills. Ahem.

Son #1 is apprehensive. He’ll be starting Junior High (7th grade) at a new school. His social circle is very small and the few friends he hangs out with are going on to different schools. This arch nemesis (Son #1’s words), however, will not only attend the same school, but has the identical schedule. Yikes. To learn more about the arch nemesis – also known as The Bully (my words) – click here and here.

I called the school to set up a tour, hoping that might increase Son #1’s enthusiasm, and I ended up speaking with the principal about the situation between Son #1 and The Bully. She was going to look at their IEPs (Individualized Education Plan – they’re both in the Inclusion Program, hence the identical schedules) and see whether they can be separated for at least a few classes. No guarantees, but I appreciated it. I sent the principal a hand-written thank you note letting her know how much I appreciate her sensitivity to the situation. I can be a kiss up, can’t I? Anyway, the tour is Friday morning.

We’re all set for school. All of the supplies were bought and labeled weeks ago. I have all of their school uniforms in order. The only one who isn’t ready is ME. Especially come August. 20th and which point I’ll probably curl up into a fetal position and sob for two days.

What’s a stay-home mom to do when she has no one to stay home with?