I agree with you that it is a horrible situation. I have experienced a lot of what you are going through as well. In third grade they suspended my son because I sent him to school with basitracin (sp) because he was having a wart removed on his toe. The dr said not to use neosporin. First off it was my fault not his, I really had no idea I was doing anything wrong. REALLY.... Then they told me they were going to call CPS because my son had poison ivy. Let's see what else, oh in math class they were using blocks and there was a girl laying on the floor and my son started building blocks on her, again suspended. The list goes on and on. Oh, the best one is he got suspended for plugging his ears when he was getting yelled at, he got scared and plugged his ears and started humming, they suspended him. Just perfect way to handle it. But, anyway why I am sharing this. You would have thought he was a criminal by the record he had in 3rd grade. I took some parents advocate training classes. I was hooked up with a discipline lawyer. What I found out is there are many laws they have to follow in order to follow through a discipline, but what happens is they catch parents off guard and "bully" them. Believe it or not our ps didn't follow the proper procedures for the discipline. I talked to the lawyer at length (she didn't charge a penny) most don't if you are just getting information. She even sent me a letter she had written to another school board and just crossed out the names. I used the letter to get my sons records expunged. I had to stay on it but they had to do it. The unfortunate part of the whole thing is the embarrassment the child endures at what ever the age. My parents took my kids on a field trip yesterday. When they walked into the Senate chambers my son said, "Oh, I know where I am I was suppose to go here with school and they suspended me" Just about broke my heart. Public school talks about bullying but I think that the kids are learning it from the schools. I agree that a child needs to be disciplined, but in the right way. I have seen my child shunned by teachers therefore the students follow along. The school is so afraid of being sued that they jump so fast at a discipline and it doesn't matter who it affects in the process. Then they can say, see we did something. urgh
Just think, ladies. All of us who brought home our precious, suspension-prone boys are now raising the men who will lead in wonderful ways the bullied and bullying masses the current education system is producing. Praise the Lord for His divine wisdom. Enduring that kind of ridicule for a short time will reap huge rewards as they mature.
Oh wow. My goodness. I want to type a long reply, but until y'all know me a bit better, I'll refrain.
Mommix can you get him set up with a co op class or something? Then he can hang with his 'friends' still and solve his own delima lol, but for your sake check into several of the online school things, AOP has one , Simple Schooling does interactive learning too, its really cool not sure but I think your ds is a 9th grader? Or is he 10th? My ds is in 9th this year so we are in the same boat with that.
I love this. In fact I teared up a bit reading it. I spoke with a dear friend yesterday that was so sad when I moved away. However, yesterday, she said "maybe that's why you were supposed to move back. to give him back his confidence academically and most importantly to teach him about Jesus." It's something that's been floating in the back of my head since I began this journey, but hadn't really materialized for me until these two conversations. I just pray he sticks with me all 4 years. I don't believe he'll go back to ps because the only reason he wants to do that is to be in his friends' grade level and the ps won't allow him to do that. I just have to convince him a diploma is better than a GED.
Unfortunatly we have NO co-ops anywhere near us. We have a small homeschool group consisting of mostly elementary age kids. Our group is so spread out some people come from 20-30 miles away to do the meetings which are only 2x a month at the most. So we really get NOTHING out of it. BUT we do have some new homeschool friends who have a 16 year old boy so that's a plus. We are joining the GRACE group in Lubbock in Dec or Jan whenever they start enrollment for the next semester. We have to drive almost 2 hours to get to that but I HAVE to get my kids involved in something. They meet for first 3 Fridays of the month with classes for 2 hours. I'm really excited about it! We've been trying to get out and do more things this year. But it's still not the same as them having their peers around them... We are probably going to start a co-op for the older kids though because now we have My 2,a friend of mines 2, and the new homeschool families 2 (1 is a girl). These families are new as of the last month. Maybe another answer to my prayers??
Don't be shy... jump right in like everyone else does. It's through communicating that you learn about everyone on here. Awesome group of ladies and gentlemen here, open to the things said.
I feel so badly for him. OK, so he blew it on one little thing, but should he really be punished forever? We've talked with our boys a lot about toeing the line at school. One of my sons loves having a pocket knife with him and he carried one on his belt for three years as we cycled from Alaska to Argentina. It went on first thing in the morning and came off just before he went to sleep. He carried it everywhere. We talked with him before he went to school and let him know that he would be suspended if he was caught with it so he couldn't take it at all. He's opted to not carry it at all rather than risk leaving it on his belt. I would say maybe talk with the school and find out what they'll do before yanking him altogether. They may relent and allow him back in class/football.
I am so glad that you are looking to the older kids. I joined co op for my kids to have friends "like them". Ours has a lot of older kids now but not really at ds age, so he really enjoyed his band class because of that. fortunately he is content to wait for the next semester when I will hopefully get him back in band class jut for the fellowship. Our hs group fizzled this year as the boys all reached 9th grade that he hung with and parents have put in private or ps, so once again alone eh? But there are othe rfriends his age at church to hang out with and he has really good friends there so thats okay. I think its just important to get them involved someplace to have a really good friend.
We prayed in ds15's best friend. We knew that he needed to be away from ps, private school was not an option, and we have no homeschool group available for older kids. God is in the business of providing friendship with fellow believers. Ds15 is active in two youth groups now. Amazing transformation from a kid who walked with his head down trying to be unseen. I'll be praying for you ds to see Divine intervention in his life.
Once, I had a fortune cookie read "Common sense is not so common." I have used this statement with my teenage boys several times & I think it applies to these CRAZY adults @ that school. However, their reaction does not surprise me. One day several years ago, 5 or 6 years ago, I was picking my boys up from school early for their drs. appt. This was Friday. While waiting for them to arrive in the front office, my alarm on my phone alerted me it was time to take my medicine. Since I had my bottled water with me & my medicine in my purse I went to the nurses office and took my medicine. The Asst. Principal tried have my sons suspended for 3 days because I took my medicine on school property. No where in the school policy did it state that parents of students could not take medicine on school property & because I was in the nurses office, behind closed doors, didn't seem to make a different. Well, while on my way to the drs. appt. I was on the phone with the school superintendent getting everything straightened out. The Superintendent didn't have an issue & called the Asst. Principal promptly letting her know that what she did was not acceptable & that the referrals that she had written up would be removed from my sons files. The Asst. Principal and I never did seem to get along again after that but that was fine by me.
Wow! That's just crazy!! I'm glad to have ds15 home though.. So it all worked out for the best in our case. My son is smiling again and he is happily doing his schoolwork. WOW this has NEVER happened in our 5 years of homeschooling.. Maybe it's just the "honeymoon" period and will pass. I sure hope not because I'm enjoying my son so much these days!! So much easier to get along with someone who is willing to work with you than one who wants to fight..
MommiX3: Glad to hear things are going well. Maybe it really hit home with your son all the baloney he's avoiding while homeschooling. CrystalM: That's CRAZY what happened to you! The statement about common sense being not so common is sooooo true.
