Yesterday was a school day. I'm taking two classes, one from 9am to 11:45am and then one from 1:30pm to 4:15pm. Frazzled from doing morning chores, I left a little late and had to park FAR AWAY in the back parking lot. Oh well, that's part of my exercise program, right?
Class was uneventful, Sociology 101, but he did let us go early, so I left to go to my next class at another campus.
Along the way, I stopped at the oil change place I'd visited over the weekend. You see, my little Hyundai was leaking oil all over my driveway! My oldest son, Ross, checked it for me and said they hadn't tightened the bolt underneath when I got the oil changed. Ooops! Anyway, they checked it out and said they would give me a free oil change. I said "why? I just had one!" The guy told me that they had placed the wrong gasket and to replace it they had to empty out the oil. Gasket? I didn't even know there was one involved in oil changes?? So, I got my 3 1/2 quarts of oil changed. That's not much, is it? My other car uses 5 or 6 quarts. It's a good thing I went back and got it checked out.
Then I drove over to school. Along the way, I stopped at a Circle K convenience store and got a free fountain Coke with my filled punch card. :) It tasted really good with my homemade PB & J sandwich.
Parking is precious at this campus just like the other campus, but sometimes you just get lucky! I got a space right by my class! So I studied some more for my History test. The test was hard, 2 long essay questions and 3 short essay questions along with a matching section and a multiple choice section. He allowed us 1 hour and 15 minutes for the test and then we could go home. I finished in about 45 minutes even though I am not a fast test taker. I like to take my time, check my answers. So, I know I passed because I felt pretty good about most of my answers.
After class, I stopped at the library and found a book for my book report that is due in a few weeks. The list of books he gave us to choose from are the most depressing, longwinded books you'll ever read. I originally chose Since Yesterday; The 1930's in America by Frederick Lewis Allen. It's interesting, but it is very fine print and slow reading. I spent one night reading and only got through 16 pages. Sooo, I decided to look for something a bit faster since I have other, better things to do (ride! blog!). I had to read The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, for this class. I also read Southern Horrors by Ida B. Wells, all about the lynching of southern blacks, and A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo, all about Viet Nam. Fun stuff, right? Anyway, I found Far From Home by Lillian Schlissel, Byrd Gibbens, and Elizabeth Hampsten. I started reading it and got 50 pages down already (1/5th). It's about 3 different families and their moves to the west. One family moved to Oregon territory, another moved to mining towns of Colorado and New Mexico (yes!!) and the third went to farm the "coyote land" in North Dakota. Although it is depressing, it reads fast and I am finding it interesting. I also checked out the book The Spell of New Mexico edited by Tony Hillerman, which is a collection of essays by famous authors including Conrad Richter, Mary Austin, D H Lawrence, C G Jung, and many others. It's fun to read what others say about places you've been. Now why couldn't that be on my reading list??
While I was at the library, I picked up some music cds: Pink Floyd, Relics; Rush, Grace Under Pressure; Santogold, Santogold; and A Perfect Circle, Thirteenth Step.
Then I stopped to pay my propane bill. I'd had my 500 gallon tank filled last month and owed almost $900. If I had paid it on October 31st, I would have gotten a 10% discount (about 40 dollars). However, I was out having fun letterboxing (!!) and didn't get there. Such is life. So, I went to pay it yesterday. I had the check already written for the discounted amount and I told the lady I needed to pay the difference. She said never mind, that I could still have the discount! YAY!!! That so made my day!
Then, when I got home, my daughter was there. I got to visit with her a while before she went out again. I don't get to see her very much these days. She spends most of her time in town with friends. She's twenty and doesn't want to be "home" if she can help it. I can't wait for the day when she grows up a bit and becomes 'friends' with me.
My youngest son, Trevor, was also home. He showed me a progress report from yesterday. Term grades had come out a few weeks ago and he had D's in almost EVERYTHING! But on this progress report he had 4 A's, a C, a D, and an unknown grade. SO MUCH BETTER!! He has such a hard time at school. He is the underachiever of the year. I really hate getting the teacher's reports that say "a pleasure to have in class" when he is scoring 20's and 30's for grades. I know he's not stupid; I just don't understand how he can fail everything! I blame the counselors for letting him just slide along. He has never had a behavor problem (sometimes I wished he would have- then he'd get help) so he just gets ignored. I also blame myself. But, I don't know what to do to motivate him. I believe that only he can truly achieve for himself. He has already been reclassified as a Junior this year and I pray and hope that he will realize that to graduate he must play by their rules. Just "do as the teacher asks, turn in homework, study for tests, and you will pass." I keep thinking that my children would learn by my example, I've been going to classes for years and studying at night. But it just doesn't seem to make a difference. I have often wished that my life had been different. If I could have been a stay-at-home mother and taught my children myself, would they have become better students? Would they have learned more? A big part of school is socialization, but I wonder what happened to the learning part?
And if you ever have to go to school
Remember how they messed up this old fool...
And if the homework brings you down
Then we'll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown
Remember how they messed up this old fool...
And if the homework brings you down
Then we'll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown
And if you ever have to go to school - song: Kooks, artist: David Bowie, album: Hunky Dory
4 comments:
That second picture looks like a smiling face in the sunset. That's pretty amazing.
Don't beat yourself up wondering about the what-ifs regarding your children's education. Sometimes it is just a matter of the student coming to some realization that prompts him to value his performance. I was all over the map in my grades and even my IQ scores based upon the phases I went through. My son is the same way, while my daughter has always been an over-achiever. It's part personality, part opportunity (good teachers), part parenting, and partly dozens of other factors we can't even see.
I'm contemplating going back to school and taking night classes to help me change careers. There's no way I'd have time now with my current job, as you know. You got a lot of nice breaks throughout your day. When Jiffy Lube caused an oil leak on my truck, they just went into denial and I ended up having to pay the Ford Dealership several hundred dollars to fix it. It thinks it's amazing when someone actually takes responsibility for his mistakes now-a-days.
thanks for the support. I often say that if any of my children are going to be famous it will be Trevor because he walks to the beat of a different drum than the rest of us. He is sweet and charming but stubborn!! You know how in the biographies of the famous they are always "trouble" as children.
I began my post to say what a GOOD day I had but it ended up a rant about my son's schoolwork. Overall, it WAS a good day and I so need those!
I wish I could take credit for the photo, but I found it somewhere on the net. Isn't it awesome?
Is that a birdnest in the first photo? Jenna loves the smiling flying bird photo at the bottom. :)
What a chatty post you've got here, my friend. This may be a record for you!
Far From Home sounds like a book I'd be interested in. I enjoy books about homesteading and exploration, especially if there's some real history mixed in. The Spell of New Mexico sounds like a book I'd curl up with for sure. Anything at all involving Tony Hillerman must be good! And D H Lawrence is another of my favorite authors, as well.
Sounds like the gods were smiling on you that day, what with the free drink and the propane bill discount. (Sure makes me feel better, too knowing as how I've corrupted you with this letterboxing and blogging stuff. lol!)
And Woot Woot for Trevor! That's such great new, Val :)
And you can't blame yourself for any choices your kids choose. What you said, "I believe that only he can truly achieve for himself."
He's gotta want it. Only thing you can do is be there for him to support and help guide. But he has to 'drive' :)
And don't feel bad about not being a stay at home either. Every one of us has their own paths to take. We just make the best of it and do all we can to make that journey fun, exciting and purposeful.
I think you're doing a pretty darn good job :)
I hope you don't mind that I copied this song lyric, because as you know, we are homeschoolers, and this song is quite appropriate for our lives, too. Like my sons love to say, "The World is our Classroom". They've learned more about real life and the world by jumping in the car and going on adventures and field trips then they most kids learn in a classroom.
"And if you ever have to go to school
Remember how they messed up this old fool...
And if the homework brings you down
Then we'll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown."
~Lisa
Yes, there is a birdnest in the sun face. It's hanging at the back of my house. See, I have birds everywhere!!
No problem, with the lyrics. I love that song. Bowie wrote it for his newborn son. Here's the full song. I actually left out two lines of that stanza when I posted it.
Will you stay in our lovers' story
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing
We bought a lot of things to keep you warm and dry
And a funny old crib on which the paint won't dry
I bought you a pair of shoes
A trumpet you can blow
And a book of rules
And what to say to people when they pick on you
'Cause if you stay with us you're gonna be pretty Kookie too
Will you stay in my lovers' story
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing
And if you ever have to go to school
Remember how they messed up this old fool
Don't pick fights with the bullies or the cads
'Cause I'm not much cop at punching other people's Dads
And if the homework brings you down
Then we'll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown
Will you stay in our lovers' story
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing
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