Dear Bloggie,
Today is going to be full of "Doings" and "Ohhh I want to Do that's!!" I am UP, and about to take my son to test at Gateway. I really AM procrastinating about doing this because I despise going up there. In case you don't know dearest Bloggie, Gateway is a school. You can actually GO to school there, Campus school, you can use them as an Umbrella School to do home school, or you can do what we do, The Extension Program, where we do all the work at home, but we go to the school to test and tutor.
The best thing about doing The Extension Program is that if you feel you are not "smart enough" to home school your kids, you have teachers there to help you out. Most of the time we are smart enough, we just don't have any faith in ourselves.
So, I really really REALLY hate going up there. Many people choose it so they are in control of what their kids learn... others choose it because their children have been kicked out of regular school and have no choice but to take them there... (NOTE: I saved this as a draft to finish when I got home, and got distracted, *imagine that*, and just now picked back up...however - please note how the tone starts to change as something happened to alter my opinion.)
Like I was saying... Some kids have been kicked out of any/all public school by the courts, and by law they have to attend school, so they go to Gateway. So, I get hives just thinking about going up there. Why you wonder? Well, because so many of these kids are up there doing everything they can to prove to the other kids that they CAN and WILL push every single limit they can. I watch these kids talk to adults like shit! (pardon my potty mouth!) They break every rule they can so they can show the other kids how tough they really are.
My daddy used to have this saying: "They make me so mad it makes my hand itch to slap them." *sigh* I know just what he's talking about! I look over at my kids, and I can read their minds. Nathan's thinking: Shoooot... mom would kill me. Ellen's thinking: She would even know if I was THINKING about doing something like that.
So... as I went yesterday prepared to sit in judgement on all these kids that act so bad, I took my knitting to keep me busy. I was knitting a hat for my God-Bean who's due in December. I am sitting with the SB in the very last row... dead center and there are a group of girls right down the row from us talking about where they went to when they ran away. How bad they cussed their parents, etc. And I am sitting there knitting. Taking it all in... wondering if they would be so tough if mom and dad were sitting there. Thinking, uh huh.... If they were mine I woul.. Wait, one spoke to me. What did she say??? I said, "Im sorry??" She said, what are you making?? A hat??" I smiled and said, "I sure am" I am knitting in the round, and making a hat that will roll up instead of having an elastic like edge." She looked at the "mean girls" and said, "hey look what shes doing!"
Now, I got ready to go up there for once. I did the whole hair and makeup thing, I dressed like I am a professional stylist, and this is what I got for taking the time to look the part.. (which I hardly ever do btw when I am off work) I heard, "Wow, I love your hair. Is that a tatoo?? What does it say?? Man I would love to do that!"
In the next few moments I was giving the girls my number and telling them if they wanted to learn to knit I would teach them. We could meet on Tuesdays after they test for like an hour somewhere there at the school. I realized that I am NOT their mom or dad, I am NOT anyone but someone they thought seemed cool, looked cool and IS cool. That means, I can have an influence on these girls. And if they will let me in to their little world for an hour a week, I plan to make the most of it.
Its funny how I sat in judgement about things that I had forgotten I had done myself. How many times did I talk big about how I acted at home, but in reality, I knew better. My parents believed in the art of Foot2ass, and they were proficient in it!
Its another one of those times when I am glad the good Lord allowed my eyes to be opened to whats really going on, and instead of sticking my nose in the air and being holier than thou.. I planted a seed.
Now, I am going to sit back and wait to see if any of them call or text me. We will see!
Until later...
MB
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