well, hello…

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 @ 11:13 pm
Filed under stuff n nonsense, those crazy kids

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hello again - I told you I’d be back!

This is me, wearing the thrifted scarf from last week. I don’t often like photos of myself these days but this one I don’t mind. I took this using my new pink flip phone and it takes decent photos, unlike my old phone. One good thing about not upgrading your phone very often is that you always get a nice surprise about the changes in technology and how many little handy things have been included or made simpler.

Yesterday, I had Jack home from school with a bit of a cough (he’s fine and well on the mend) so I resigned myself to getting nothing done. I say that, but what I mean is nothing creative, nothing in my studio, nothing for me. I did do a bunch of housework yesterday but that’s boring so it doesn’t count.

Anyway I had high hopes for today - Wednesday is my kid-free day. For one precious day a week, Emma goes to a lovely Family Day Care lady, Jack goes to school then After School Care, and Sam sees his mum on Wednesdays after school - and I get a quiet day to do whatever I like. I try to sew and make things, or at least give my studio a thorough clean-up, maybe do some planning or admin things. Some days I just feel like chilling out with a magazine and the quiet of the house around me. Some days I have a little Nanna Nap (I love naps!) and some days, yes I even get stuck in and make stuff!

Today, however, wasn’t one of those days. Paul and I had to go to Sam’s school for one of our regular meetings with the teachers and it is always hard to hear what is happening at school for him. I think we sometimes forget, or like to forget, or paint a pretty picture to ourselves, or something. I think we see a better side to Sam than his teachers are treated to - at least he knows his boundaries here at home, within our family, I suppose.

Sam is almost 15 and has Aspergers so we have a bit to deal with, and his teachers are, as always, having a very hard time motivating him. Some of them are apparently just shy of completely fed up, though we have been given assurances that nobody will be giving up on him - it’s just so hard to find that magic and elusive way to make the curriculum match up with something that he will be interested in.

If he is not interested, he will just flatly refuse. We were shown some of his written work and heard about some of the things that have been going on, unkind things he has been saying to the teachers and it just breaks your heart.

Conversely, this is the kid who is teaching himself Japanese (speaking and writing) and draws with an astounding ability, the kid who is writing a novel and working on ideas for several movies, etc etc.

He is so brilliant in so many ways but such a “square peg in a round hole” when it comes to the education system. I know Sam doesn’t get much of a look-in here at the blog, but that’s only because he’s a teenager who wants a bit of space and separation. He’s entitled to his privacy, of course. Today, I just needed to vent.