High School so far...

I figured I can use this blog as a public service for anyone who is planning to send a child to school after a period of homeschooling.

I'll try to remember to write about things as they happen.

So far, it's been a mostly positive experience. Of course as of this writing, she has not attended any classes. :)

We went to the school in June and signed her up for a full class load. The counselor was helpful, friendly, non-judgmental (at least externally, who knows what he actually thought?) and everyone I've spoken to on the telephone has been friendly and professional.

Of course, we haven't come across any differences of opinion yet. I'm sure that will happen eventually, because their goals for my daughter, her goals for herself and my goals for her are all different. Hers and mine trump theirs. They just don't know it yet. :)

She's going to school because of the dreaded 's' word.

Socialization.

Put simply, she wants more kids her age to hang out with. When she was younger, the activities we did and the people we hung out with were enough for her.

She's 15 now. She's lonely. I don't think it's healthy for her to sit here alone as much as she has, and I've been concerned for some time about it. I just haven't been sure what to do.

The homeschooled teen group she went out with one day was not what she wanted. She was embarrassed by their loud profanities in public and the fact that one of them was constantly smoking. It bothered her on several levels.

She was disappointed. "I thought homeschoolers wouldn't act like that, Mom." I explained to her that homeschoolers are just regular people... some are not as polite or worried about their public behavior as others. I guess having her hang out with only nice kids had skewed her perceptions.

She went to activities with other homeschoolers, but often said to me that although everyone was really nice and she likes them, she was tired of seeing only the same people all the time.

She wanted more. She said occasionally that she did not want to go to school, but was curious about it all the same.

After more thinking and more being alone, and more chatting with high school aged internet friends, she started to change her mind a bit.

She wanted to take a couple classes at the high school.

We went to check it out. One look inside the building and one tour later, she wanted it all. She was just... enchanted.

The desks, the lockers, the crowded hallways, the noise, the chaos, the PEOPLE.

I want to be willing to listen to her. To back her up on her decisions. To do all I can for her experience to be successful.

She has hyperflexion of her joints. An orthopedic doctor who saw her about a year ago told me that she can take physical therapy to help strengthen her joints, but that there really isn't much that can be done beyond that. Her ankles look funny and hurt a lot. Running is painful, walking slightly less. Her wrists and elbows bother her, too. It sucks, and I hate that she has this.

So when we went to the school, I made sure to add that to her health form. I was told to make sure she had health class for the first part of the school year to allow time for her to take her physical therapy.

That means I need to get that scheduled, too. In my spare time. And hey! Now that her braces are off, I have a little money to pay for it. I will have to, because our lovely insurance (remember them? The DCS company? DCS is an acronym for Doesn't Cover Shit) won't actually pay anything for any reason. They just collect our money every month, pile it up and sit on it.

I called the school Monday morning to ask about the bus schedule (there wasn't one in our packet) and neglected to ask them about school supplies. I don't want to be calling them every day and asking more questions, so I planned to send her on the first day with a couple notebooks and a pencil and a pen.

Monday afternoon, I got a newsletter from the school. In it were a nearly incomprehensible bus schedule (shit, I have to make another phone call to find out what the hell) and a paragraph stating that each teacher will provide a list to the student about what he or she will need for the class. So I predict some shopping in the next couple weeks.

We'll be doing a little shopping today for something new to wear to school, too. New as in not from Goodwill.