Remember all I said about WK’s school situtation looking up? I may have jinxed it (when will I ever learn). He is still having ‘issues’ with one teacher. He even claims she swore in class one day. I can understand her feeling like she wanted to, but if the kids have a code of conduct, teachers should adhere to that too… just saying. I also am aware that WK and his friends are not little angels and are saying words that I would object to when I’m not around. But, if he said one out loud in class his butt would be in the office so fast, his head would spin.

The end of the first grading period was last week. I sent an e-mail to his guidance counselor asking to meet with her regarding WK’s class that he is having the most trouble with ~ English Honors. I was wanting to find out whether we could move him into a regular class. The honors class is proving to be more than he could handle right now.

I get a auto-response to forward all mail to a different counselor. I wasn’t too concerned about this since it was a long weekend for teachers and students. I was assuming she was just out of the office. The first clue to trouble should have been that she didn’t include a link to the other counselor’s e-mail. This was Monday.

Tuesday, WK had an ortho appointment and instead of re-sending my e-mail, I took the opportunity to check in the guidance office when I went to the school to pick him up. When I asked the front desk ladies if Ms. So-n-so was in, I was politely told that she had quietly retired. WTF?!

A little heads up would have been nice.

I walked back to the guidance office to chat with the secretary, and to make an appointment with WK’s new counselor. I set up a ‘get to know you’ meeting for Thursday.

Suffice it to say that the meeting did not go well. Not only had this new counselor neglected to read or even scan WK’s school file, she proceeded to talk to me… ME… like I was five years old.

When I broached the subject of moving WK out of his English class, she began hemming and hawing, telling me that that was an administrative decision and she would have to talk with the teacher first. MMMOkaaaay. I was fine with that. I was fine when she said that other requests to change classes have been summarily denied so far and that the earliest possible change date would probably be mid-year. MMMMOkaaaay.

What got me was when she began lecturing me, telling me there was a difference between not being able to do the work and just not doing it. No shit, Sherlock. That English classes would only get more difficult and especially in college… again, no shit.

I think she got the hint that I was not happy… perhaps the disgusted expression on my face was a give away.

I left with a promise from her that she would talk with teacher and call me before the end of the week. That’s today, I’m not holding my breath.

We had finally found an advocate for WK and she leaves. Leaves and we get a new counselor who couldn’t be bothered to get up to speed with his case. I’m feeling a little sick right now.

GOOD
Despite his struggles, WK had a decent report card. A couple Bs, a couple Cs (but high Cs), an A and one D. I expected the D. That’s in the class we’re trying to move him from. I hope that will be a huge consideration, that and the fact that he really does not know what he is doing in there.

That brings me to something WK said to me a few weeks ago. He told me he didn’t think he would want to go to college. Looking back at his experience with public schools so far, I really can’t blame him for not wanting to add four more ~ at a minimum ~ years of rigidly structured schooling to his schedule.

He was quick to add that he didn’t mean to stop his education, only that maybe a trade school or something similar would be a better match.

When we moms first find out we are having a baby, I think we start building expectations for what we hope for our child. We think about what sort of personality will blossom, whether we have an early walker or talker, whether we have a sports star or academic genius.

We may have dreams of our child following in our professional footsteps, or at least attending our own collegiate alma mater.

I have those expectations for my children. I hope that they both find a path to a career, a profession that they will enjoy, that they will succeed at. But, now I’m faced with the realization that one expectation ~ that both of my children would be college graduates ~ may have to be re-examined.

Do I insist that WK attend college, knowing that it may be a total failure? I don’t think so. Do I instead encourage him to train in a trade that I know he would enjoy and most likely succeed in? Encourage him to strive to do his best in whatever he does choose to do? I’m thinking this may be what is best for him.

I think I would better serve him if I help him find a vocational or trade school where he can learn to do what he wants to do. Encourage him to continue to learn and train, but maybe in a different way than his college sophomore sister.

I think for my son college may not be the best path. And I’m okay with that.

He has dreams of working on cars. I’m okay with that too.

While college was a dream I had for my children, it may not be their dream.