School

I thought I was going to write a peotic reflection on sending children into public school for a new school year. I thought I was going to reflect on the deliberate choice to move away from homeschooling, to change the fundamental structure of our family, and to consider that the end of a season is within my sight now.

Except, life overwhelms such plans. It is very odd to find myself sending children off to school not because I am broken and unable to school them, but because I have made a concious decision that this is what is the best choice for them. I once thought I would homeschool all of these children until they were ready for college. I know now that the only homeschooling I will continue in the future is establishing a strong foundation of learning for my children. The one who will never conform and yeild to brick and mortar school will always homeschool. The others will build their foundations at home, and when they are ready, I will send them out one by one to the school system to finish the work I have begun with them.

Instead of prose, I find myself in chaos. Its the standard chaos of living in a household of ten people. Its the insanity that comes with cordinating special needs, special accomodations, special school programs, and simply the uniqueness of eight children.

Three children began a new school year in the public schools this year. One went to the district middle school until she can be admitted to the Fine Arts Academy for next fall. One returned to the ESL campus where he is being integrated into regular classes this year. One has been moved to a moderate classroom where he will focus on life and functional skills. His academic goals for the year involve learning numbers 1-20 and the first 10 letters of the alphabet. He's struggling with the new, reinforced requirement that he simply must EAT. We have one who is driven to school and two who are supposed to have door to door bus service. That would work better if the transportation department had assigned them the correct bus number and someone told the bus driver they were supposed to pick up and drop off.

Two days into this school year for the public schoolers, and the phone only stops ringing in the middle of the day. Once afternoon arrives, the chaos returns. One is taking standardized testing this week in his homeschool program, requiring accomodations for dsylexia. And, I'm frantically trying to organize the fall school schedule for the homeschoolers, the childcare sharing between II and I, and our own full coursework at the University which begins next week.

The toddlers are both recuporating from signficant illness and have choosen to scream and wail most of the time this week. I'm exhausted, stressed and chasing my own tail.

There's no time for prose and poetry. I'm too busy chasing leads for my own future that have left me shifting my entire fall course schedule twice now. I sincerely hope things are on the verge of settling down. I'm hope just as sincerely that my current class schedule is the last. The campus bookstore is going to grow weary of seeing me and my wild toddlers constantly if I have to keep shifting my books and supplies as I shift my choices for the future.

I'm excited. I see good things bearing fruit for all of my children. I see good things bearing fruit for my own career and future. I see II having the opportunity to embrace his dreams, while recognizing that doing so is ultimately his choice and responsibility. I'm deeply relieved to see my current career choices which will leave my future path flexible but independent of his future if necessary.