#we survived

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J had ‘boot camp’ at his new MIDDLE SCHOOL. I’m sorry WHAT?!!! frigging middle schooler man.

He LOVES IT. He was so excited every day. Actually was disappointed that the program was only Tuesday-Thursday.

It is less than a mile from our house and he wants to start biking to school. He has a buddy that is going to bike with him. They are a little club. Guys, he’s grown.

He met some new friends. Caught up with some that transferred from Elementary. He loves the band director, the science teachers/programs and the math professor.

It felt really amazing to hear his positivity and excitement. Lean into more of him cultivating his own interests and passions. I love this growing guy. He’s so nifty.

Lils bestie from pre-k transferred into her elementary school for this year and they are actually going to be in the same class. Isn’t that incredible? The teacher she really wanted is doing specials this year and is not in a classroom, so she was a bit bummed about that, and this buddy luck really shined that up.

I never posted about the absolute nightmare of experience we had with one of J’s teachers last year. She actively DID NOT like him. Her son even started a fight with him and this teacher tried to say J made all these threats and suddenly all these other incidents ‘had happened’ that we were never made aware of.

It was horrific. In fact, if his other teachers hadn’t liked him so much, and really vouched for him, it could have ended poorly. Thankfully, after that happened, the other little boy confessed that he instigated the whole ordeal.

I’m actually glad it worked out that way because I’m not sure she would have passed Jamis if the VP hadn’t had to be pulled into it. It was such a mess. The VP interviewed J and called me. She was impressed with his demeanor, manners and communication. She really reassured me and it felt protected from then on.

I’m telling you guys, J received all As in his other subjects, hers Cs. She even gave him 2 D’s for one semester. I was trying so hard with her. After that happened, she slackened off big time. She graded him HARD. Even his homeroom teacher said the same and started working with him on the side for her classes to help us. It was a calamity.

I remember having a shit 5th grade teacher too. I told him some people are like that, and we can still learn something from the experience, that in life you may work with folks you don’t like and don’t like you, this isn’t the last time he will have to navigate a situation like this. That this is why we treat everyone the same, and with respect. You can still be professional and do what needs to be done and, not like the person and deal with them succinctly.

Even at that, still glad we made the change last year for the kids. Glad they had a year at this elementary together and that we transitioned before the jump from elementary school to middle - at the old school it was prek-8th. It would have been a hard shift otherwise for him.

Wrapping around, I was signing up for all the new classes app communications and going through the check off lists in emails and I finally deleted all the crap from last year. He made it through, it’s over. Really put that to bed and behind us. It felt cathartic to do so.

Work was bonkers over the last couple weeks. I’m so glad to be off to finish out the summer with kids and get them back to school.

Peep the birds of the week -

- Crows out front

- Vulture

- Mississippi kite (identification by @theunstuffedpepper xx)

- great heron perched in a damn tree 🤘