School starts tomorrow...

School starts tomorrow. I'm still trying to figure out where the summer went. Although looking back, we had summer, it just wasn't the summer I was used to, or the summer I needed, but for better or worse, it was summer. I'm hoping for some mellow months weather-wise before we travel headlong back into winter.

Last night was my oldest lamblet's orientation for middle school. She's excited. She feels she's finally going to be taking *real* classes. Something about a separate room and teacher for each class lends to their credibility. She nearly exploded with glee when she saw her science room and the lab tables!

Orientation was blessedly short. There were hundreds of people packed into a steamy gymnasium. The principal kept it to a brief 10-15 minutes and then let the people roam. The real point of the evening was to let the kids run through their schedules and see where their classes were. It was also to let the parents know what their children would be going through and while I appreciate the sentiment, I can't help, but wonder, did not most of us go through middle school and high school? I don't mind easing my child's way through transitions, but I kept wondering why so much is set up to let the parents know what school is like. I went through school. I remember school. I'm hip to the fact that you have approximately 5 minutes to get from one class to the next and somehow, you miraculously do it even though your classes may be a building apart and you have to pee on top of it. I know that. I want my child to learn that. And yet there were the parents who were giggling and saying how hard it was and how would their children do it?!?!

This reminded me of a mother I know who is still very much a part of her child's school experience. Aside from spending a lot of time each day hanging out at school, she often meets her child to eat lunch with him in the cafeteria or to take him out to lunch. She's pretty much done this since he started school. He's now going into the 7th grade. He has no extenuating circumstances that demand her presence. She merely states that she doesn't want to miss out on his school experience which leads me to the question, is it not HIS school experience? I love my lamblets and will do most anything for them, but plopping down at their lunch table so I don't miss their school experience is not on my list or theirs. I can help, I can ease, but this experience is theirs. They need to wade in and navigate a certain amount of it on their own.

So yes, tomorrow starts another school year. My eldest lamblet will be in middle school which happens to be close enough to our house so she can walk (no more stinky bus!!!). My youngest lamblet will now have her school to herself and will be able to chart her own path and not feel pressured to follow the path of her older sister.

Tomorrow is the start of school and while I am in so many ways ready for this summer to be over, I can't help but wonder where it went.

Comments

[Chuckles]

You know what else 7th grade has? Sex Ed. Dear lord, the embarassing situations to be used as fodder for jokes ten years later.

[blue girl]

I know women like that one you describe above. Always going in for lunch and stuff. Good God. Get a life. I hate to sound so mean, but I truly don't get that. It's one thing when they're in 2nd grade and maybe *want* you to drop by every now and then. (And that was probably overindulging.) But, 6th grade? Her kid's going to be neurotic.

Switching classes is *definitely* way cooler. A milestone, for sure. And now she's a walker? I was always jealous of the walkers.

Good luck to both lamblets this year. And to you, too -- in case you have to speak to that one woman this school year!

[blue girl]

Wonder if UC will comment on this post? Or run screaming away because you mommy blogged.

At least there's a sciency thing in it. Maybe he'll be able to relate to that.

:)

[Jennifer]

BG- I almost posted a *mommy alert*, but figured I wouldn't beat a dead horse. I also thought the sciency aspect might negate any overarching momminess.

As I said, I'm all for helping my lamblets, but I truly believe they need to tackle a lot of this themselves. I won't be as *sink or swim* as my parents were, but I certainly try not to hover as much as some I see nowadays. All I can say is, would you have wanted your parents sitting at your school lunch table??? :)

[Jennifer]

Chuckles- the fodder doesn't end after a mere 10 years... :)

[blue girl]

My parents definitely were "sink or swim." Great way to put it. In hindsight, I wish they would've been a little more involved. Maybe I wouldn't have fallen asleep so much in science class! (Sorry, UC, PP and all you sciency types out there...)

[Jennifer]

BG- I took science every year for the fun of it and look what it did for me! Ha! I, of course, turned my back on science, thinking I couldn't be serious for 8 hours straight... if only I had been able to look into my crystal ball and see the future and 3B's!!

If I could have taken a specific class that would have truly altered my destiny, it would have been:

Rules 101: When to Follow, When to Not!

Join us as we explore the history and validity of rules! Learn how to judge a rule's importance! Learn the various classifications of rules: haphazard, set in stone, serves my purpose not yours, and many many more!

We all need to follow rules, but we don't need to follow all rules! Learn the difference and set yourself free!!!

[Shayera]

Okay, I totally do not even remember having orientation before I got to either middle or high school.
Heck, we'd have to look in the paper to see what homeroom we were in. And then get our schedules on the first day of school.

And that Mom who comes in to have lunch with her child every day? Yeah, she's depriving him of his school experience. Lunch was pretty much the only time of day people got to meet with their friends. No one wants Mom to be hanging around. Harsh but true.

[snag]

My favorite class was study hall, during which I learned how to avoid showing up without getting in trouble. It was great practice for becoming an employee.

Incidentally, I'm a big fan of the sink or swim style of parenting. I often tie a brick to my children just to make it more of a challenge.

[Kathleen]

Happy belated birthday Jennifer!!

I am kind of amazed that the school even had orientation with the parents!! For my middle school orientation (what I can vaguely remember) I just got dropped off in front and had to make my own way. Good luck to Eldest Lamblet.

(ps. I AM ALREADY PLANNING MY COOKIE)

[Jennifer]

Kathleen- I hear you on the middle school drop-off.

As for your cookie... You GO GIRL!!!

[Adorable Girlfriend]

First day of school! First day of school!

Suckers!!

AG took all the science courses and look at AG. Actually funny story. I was always the top choice for science partner. I scored in the 95% percentile and top 1% of chemistry students in America in my junior year of high school. I know, shit lot of good that did!!

Anyhow, in chem classes the rule was male and female partners. They were assigned and we didn't get to pick. Of course one of my good friends got the only guy I ever crushed on in my own school. So, I got this guy that was nice, but never seemed all that with it. I told him upfront that he could copy my lab reports if he basically wore his goggles and stood back and out of the way. He agreed and we did fine.

About five years after HS graduation I am talking to my mother who informs me of the following:

Crush boy lives near BG now and he's gay, gay, gay! Yup, AG hearts another gay one.

Lab partner apparently knew his stuff. He was arrested shortly after I went off to college for making home bombs with chloride and was caught because his mother was putting them out on the sidewalk for trash one day and they burned down their home and another home.

Nice.

Moral of the story: I still got my 108 out of 100 in the course and was teacher's pet. I consider that a major success. AG hearts gay boys.

Eat it, science cobags! AG is so much better at chemistry than you tools will ever be.

[Kathleen]

AG tells the greatest stories ever.

[Adorable Girlfriend]

K-Unit, whaddya say? You and me and Oaktown? AG could totally destory the Bay Area one town at a time with her stories. We can fight crime with stories. We could be Special K and her sidekick AG Woman.