February

So it's February.

I hate February.   I just spent $200 on teacher gifts for Christmas and now I'm expected to at least come up with a box of candy?  That was all fine and good when I had one kid in school, but now three and one with multiple teachers puts a huge dent in the funds.

Then there's the re-enrollment fees.  Yeah.  If I want my kids to go to private school another year I have to fork over $85 each by the end of the month.  Again.  No problem with one kid, huge problem with three.

I work in the preschool on the other side of said school so there really is no question about kid two and kid three attending next year.  There is no way I could get them to their neighborhood school and still be at work on time and I still don't feel comfortable leaving them for ten minutes after I leave to wait on the bus.  Yes I could quit my job, but I love it and I don't want to so there.

Kid one, though, is another story.    I don't think I want him to go there next year.

I have never gotten a good vibe from the teachers this year.  I get the distinct impression that they would actually love it if Jacob were absent a lot more.    They display big "No Bully Zone" posters, yet they don't follow through with that.  When a kid was throwing rocks at Jake's head back in December it was ME who had to call the mother who had no idea her kid had been a huge a#$ for three months.  (Although, seriously, I think she did, but didn't want to admit it, but that's another story).  When Jacob missed four days of school due to his grandmother's funeral, they gave him one day to make it all up and then slapped him with zeros on the rest and he failed all make-up tests from that week because none of them took the time to actually teach the material to him.  Never mind they have a one hour study hall in which they could've helped him.  No.  That might have cut into their important texting time.

Oh, and then there's the whole locker thing.  The whole reason I kept him there in the first place.  Remember how I wanted him to learn how to get his books, move through his classes, figure it all out? Well, he doesn't go to his dang locker.  See.  He has a bottom locker and the huge 200 pound oaf student above him won't let him get to it.  The teachers are out there monitoring the hall but they don't see this as a problem.  Oh sure, he'll get a demerit for being late because he couldn't get to said locker, but, no, those kids shoving him out of the way is normal behavior in Christian school because boys will be boys you know?  That child is going to have a permanent humpback from dragging every one of his books around all day long.  But it's not a problem, oh no.

You think it'd be easy to say, SEE YA!  and yank that file right out of the office on the way to middle school, but it's not.

If he's getting treated this badly at CHRISTIAN school, how much worse is it going to be in public school?  You know, where God doesn't exist and no one cares about what Jesus would do with six times as many bullies students.

As much as I'd like to, homeschooling is NOT an option.  I can't get this child to take a dish to the sink or write ten spelling words one time each without a two hour fight.  I cannot be solely responsible for his education, I just can't.

So now I have 24 more days to weigh my options.  I have called the administration at the middle school and also the private school and haven't heard back from either one.   I am not sleeping well and nyquil isn't helping.

I hate February.