Some of the calls I've received from Corey's schools over the years have begun like this:
Is Corey's mom there, please? Yes, this is the aide in his (kindergarten) class. Corey won't behave. We've tried EHverything. You'll need to pick him up. Result = roughly 10 days off from school just to give the teacher a break.
Mrs. Corey'sMom? Corey was behaving very badly in chapel today. You need to pick him up. Result = three day suspension (from kindergarten), plus he was disinvited to participate in the Christmas pageant.
Uh, Mrs. Corey'sMom? Yes, this is the school nurse. Um... we've stopped the bleeding... (WTF? He wasn't bleeding when I left him with you!). Result = One (kindergartner) head stapled back together.
Mrs. Corey'sMom? Yes, this is the school principal, Sherry Rice. Corey brought a knife to school. Totally normal for first graders, HAHAHA, but we'll have to suspend him as a matter of protocol.
Shannon? Yeah, it's Sherry. Corey:
*refused to give the teacher her pencil back and he told her, "Listen here, Missy!"
*has been caught ditching... he told his (first grade) teacher he had an appointment with the counselor, who's not even here today, and he was found playing tetherball instead.
*pushed another kid down because he didn't like the rules the other kids were playing by.
*has the teacher so stressed out that she was in here crying today.
Results: 10-15 days out of school for bad behavior... oh, and the teacher quit to "go back to school" at the end of the year.
Mrs. Corey'sMom? This is Mrs. Jones... the new principal? Corey keeps going out to the field to play in the mud and pick up things. Result = "Okay? He's a third grade boy. What do you expect?"
You get the picture. These calls came with more and less frequency over the years, depending on how poorly or well Corey handled various aspects of life. When I had a job that was more office-based (and before I had a cell phone), even the receptionist felt sick when I'd get a call. Sometimes I got three calls in one day.
I moved him to an independent study program at the end of sixth grade. He did 7th and 8th in one year and 9th last year. Since I'd held him back for maturity/social reasons, this put him back on schedule. In the past two years, I've had two teacher-initiated calls regarding Corey not doing enough work. The rest of our contact with the school showed Corey to be a great student with whom the teacher enjoyed working.
In August he went back to a comprehensive high school. Three weeks later, I got the call:
Mrs. Corey'sMom? Yes, Mr. Soandso, Assistant Principal. Corey was in a fight. He didn't do anything physically, but he provoked the fight. Result = 2 day suspension and a return to feeling nauseated whenever the school calls me.
And today? I'm at the office talking with two coworkers when my cell rings. Caller ID says it's his school.
Oh crap!
(To my coworkers) This can't be good. It's Corey's school.
This is Shannon.
Mrs. Corey'sMom?
Yes.
Mrs. Corey'sMom, this is Mrs. Whatshername, Assistant Principal from your son's high school.
How many freaking assistants does this principal need and why are they always calling me?!
Corey was in PE this morning...
I swear, if he didn't dress out for PE...
and they were playing hockey.
"Playing hockey"... sounds like he dressed out!
They had hockey sticks and...
Oh gawd... did he smash someone in the face? Neck? Anywhere? On purpose?
...
What is taking this woman so long to finish her freaking sentence?! WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?
we're not sure what happened, but Corey hurt his neck.
Is he okay?
He seems to be. We're just calling as a precaution. Do you want to talk to him?
Yes, please.
(To my coworkers) It's okay. He's just injured.
Yes, my friends, that is how you single-handedly lose the Mom of the Year award. On the other hand, maybe I still have time to be the Worst Mom of the Year! Let's not ask Corey what he thinks, m'kay?
'Kay.
***Corey is fine. He didn't need to be picked up right away... made it through the school day and just asked to have me pick him up after school instead of staying late for band practice... something he doesn't enjoy anyway. He has declined a trip to the chiropractor and is now upstairs sleeping it off.
Showing posts with label suspension. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suspension. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
Mixed Bag
Well the rest of this Labor Day weekend was aptly named. Between yesterday and today we managed to complete three projects on our list.
***Out of 55 projects, seven are complete; five are semi-complete.
Two of the three that were wrapped up included elevating our air conditioning units and organizing the pantry. Neither was earth-shattering, but they are done. I have a list on the computer. It's nice when I can double-strikethrough something. The third involved pulling out a bunch of slag concrete that was dumped when the house was built. The previous owners never did anything to the backyard, so it's on us.
Corey and Tom have spent time over the past few months busting up the concrete with a sledgehammer. We let it take that long because we didn't know what we'd do with it once it was out, but now we have a couple of options. One is to have someone come pick it up for $51/ton. A freaking bargain as far as I'm concerned. The other is to load it into my Escape and unload it somewhere else (a concrete recycler, not just... you know... somewhere). Although we're pretty sure it's not a ton, there is enough that we'd probably have to make three trips. In my car.
Aside from that, serious progress was made on a couple of other big projects. Our table is nearly ready for clear-coating. Sure, I thought so last weekend, but once I got to see it in the light of day... not so much. Before I can get to the clear coat, however, I've got to finish staining the underside. Why? Because I have a son who almost never finishes anything, and I'm preparing to break that cycle with my daughter. I picture her in a couple of years asking why it was stained where no one will ever see.
"Because we do our tasks to completion," will be my response.
Yeah, I'm a planner.
Three out of eight chairs may also be ready for clear coats, but I won't know until next weekend.
In our backyard there is a slope. It's not huge, maybe three feet tall. It used to have a 5-6 foot level top with the incline taking another 3-4 feet. The line has been drawn and a significant portion of that slope no longer exists. Maisy's a little confused by the whole thing, but she'll be fine in... oh... three years or so when we finally complete the backyard. (Please, oh, please don't let it take that long!!!)
I feel like I've made up for the extremely lazy Saturday. Not sure if I'll ever make up for going out front without a bra, but whatever.
In Corey news, he still doesn't get why he was suspended. I am not harping on it, but I agree with the school. Even when we weren't working our tails off, he was. He will be doing the same tomorrow at Grammy's house. (I assume he will. She said that was fine three days ago, but I'm awaiting confirmation.) Not surprisingly, he is anxious to get back to school.
Mad has learned two new words today. For Corey, she says, "Co." There's a hint of R at the end. When I had her show Corey, the expression on his face was absolutely priceless. She's been saying some multi-syllabic form of brother for months, but this really got him in the heart. And tonight she said, "Du!" which is short for dude. Unfortunately, that's been how I've started out any exclamation when I'm annoyed, surprised or overly dramatic for the past few months. She spent a few minutes saying it as she climbed up on new pieces of furniture (as in ones she can newly get atop). In addition to a trunk, the couch and a cooler (furniture? well... for now), she can also get into her wagon.
In neighbor news, the first guy to come along and greet us when we moved in stopped by yesterday. He's a nice enough guy, but seriously... I just don't think he understands life. Or relationships. Or the fact that everybody does not need to hear what race a person is to decide whether they are good or bad.
On his dating life: It's not bad, but could be better. I, who try not to give advice (okay, sure... it is mainly because I mostly don't want to hear too much advice from others), gave him a few key pointers. One, figure out what you really want. Write it down and make it clear to yourself. Then you can look at a woman and know if she meets your needs and desires or not. And two, you'd better wear a condom with that one. (Standard advice for anyone dating a woman with three kids from multiple dads, I think.) Not bad for our third conversation.
For the third time, he has identified someone by race first. In this case it had to do with some new neighbors. When they moved in, the people next to them apparently decided to move out. To me, it shouldn't have anything to with their race. The fact that they have pitbulls, play loud offensive music, drive loud cars and completely ignore any attempts at friendliness is enough.
On a side note (yeah, like this whole blog hasn't been one big side note from the start), I've switched to the new editor. It seems okay except for one thing. The colors are different. For that alone I may switch back. If anyone knows how to get a better selection of colors, please pass along the tip!
***Out of 55 projects, seven are complete; five are semi-complete.
Two of the three that were wrapped up included elevating our air conditioning units and organizing the pantry. Neither was earth-shattering, but they are done. I have a list on the computer. It's nice when I can double-strikethrough something. The third involved pulling out a bunch of slag concrete that was dumped when the house was built. The previous owners never did anything to the backyard, so it's on us.
Corey and Tom have spent time over the past few months busting up the concrete with a sledgehammer. We let it take that long because we didn't know what we'd do with it once it was out, but now we have a couple of options. One is to have someone come pick it up for $51/ton. A freaking bargain as far as I'm concerned. The other is to load it into my Escape and unload it somewhere else (a concrete recycler, not just... you know... somewhere). Although we're pretty sure it's not a ton, there is enough that we'd probably have to make three trips. In my car.
Aside from that, serious progress was made on a couple of other big projects. Our table is nearly ready for clear-coating. Sure, I thought so last weekend, but once I got to see it in the light of day... not so much. Before I can get to the clear coat, however, I've got to finish staining the underside. Why? Because I have a son who almost never finishes anything, and I'm preparing to break that cycle with my daughter. I picture her in a couple of years asking why it was stained where no one will ever see.
"Because we do our tasks to completion," will be my response.
Yeah, I'm a planner.
Three out of eight chairs may also be ready for clear coats, but I won't know until next weekend.
In our backyard there is a slope. It's not huge, maybe three feet tall. It used to have a 5-6 foot level top with the incline taking another 3-4 feet. The line has been drawn and a significant portion of that slope no longer exists. Maisy's a little confused by the whole thing, but she'll be fine in... oh... three years or so when we finally complete the backyard. (Please, oh, please don't let it take that long!!!)
I feel like I've made up for the extremely lazy Saturday. Not sure if I'll ever make up for going out front without a bra, but whatever.
In Corey news, he still doesn't get why he was suspended. I am not harping on it, but I agree with the school. Even when we weren't working our tails off, he was. He will be doing the same tomorrow at Grammy's house. (I assume he will. She said that was fine three days ago, but I'm awaiting confirmation.) Not surprisingly, he is anxious to get back to school.
Mad has learned two new words today. For Corey, she says, "Co." There's a hint of R at the end. When I had her show Corey, the expression on his face was absolutely priceless. She's been saying some multi-syllabic form of brother for months, but this really got him in the heart. And tonight she said, "Du!" which is short for dude. Unfortunately, that's been how I've started out any exclamation when I'm annoyed, surprised or overly dramatic for the past few months. She spent a few minutes saying it as she climbed up on new pieces of furniture (as in ones she can newly get atop). In addition to a trunk, the couch and a cooler (furniture? well... for now), she can also get into her wagon.
In neighbor news, the first guy to come along and greet us when we moved in stopped by yesterday. He's a nice enough guy, but seriously... I just don't think he understands life. Or relationships. Or the fact that everybody does not need to hear what race a person is to decide whether they are good or bad.
On his dating life: It's not bad, but could be better. I, who try not to give advice (okay, sure... it is mainly because I mostly don't want to hear too much advice from others), gave him a few key pointers. One, figure out what you really want. Write it down and make it clear to yourself. Then you can look at a woman and know if she meets your needs and desires or not. And two, you'd better wear a condom with that one. (Standard advice for anyone dating a woman with three kids from multiple dads, I think.) Not bad for our third conversation.
For the third time, he has identified someone by race first. In this case it had to do with some new neighbors. When they moved in, the people next to them apparently decided to move out. To me, it shouldn't have anything to with their race. The fact that they have pitbulls, play loud offensive music, drive loud cars and completely ignore any attempts at friendliness is enough.
On a side note (yeah, like this whole blog hasn't been one big side note from the start), I've switched to the new editor. It seems okay except for one thing. The colors are different. For that alone I may switch back. If anyone knows how to get a better selection of colors, please pass along the tip!
Friday, September 04, 2009
Following Up
You ever have one of these weeks:
*Daughter falls and gets a concussion.
*You miss a day of work because you can't find your keys.
*Your son gets suspended for causing a fight. (Some girl said something obnoxious so he flipped her off. Her boxer boyfriend laid him out. Everyone's suspended.)
*During what was supposed to be a calm, rational discussion your son discloses, among other things, that he thinks his nose is broken. You don't think it is, but seek advice from his counselor while you've got him on the phone. Doc suggests making an appointment with the pediatrician in the morning (this may sound harsh, but he knows Corey's tendency to seek out attention). Just in case it really is broken, you call your insurance to find out where you can take him. His pediatrician is 50 miles away and it's after hours. Nearest urgent care? Well, your medical group doesn't have one up here. You can take him to the emergency room as long as you follow up with his physician.
"... follow up with her doctor..."
Crap. So today I was able to take Mad to the kids' doctor. I didn't take Corey because he no longer thinks his nose is broken and I agree. Aside from a bloodied lip and sore face, he's physically fine.
Doc was perturbed that a CT scan wasn't done last Sunday. So we're being referred to a neurologist.
And last but not least:
*Despite having talked with your mom for about 10 minutes immediately following Mad's appointment today, she emails you tonight to find out how it went. (And yes, I'm keeping track. This is the second time in a week she's forgotten part of a conversation we had. The other involved a story about a turtle she had as a child. I had vague recollections of hearing the story and asked her about it.
"Yes. We took those turtles to the zoo. Blah blah blah (maybe 5 minutes of turtle talk). Did I ever tell you we took them to the zoo?"
She also may have forgotten a conversation with Corey about having him stay at her place last weekend. I can't be sure about that one because it could have just been a difference in wording between her and Corey. Still, it's disconcerting.) Her birth father and his mother both had Alzheimer's. I'm hoping it's just stress. I mean, she's over 60, unemployed, does not qualify for unemployment because her last employer was a church (they're not required to contribute to unemployment insurance) and her health insurance is about to run out (the church has been kind enough to cover her since she was laid off in February). So it could definitely be stress, right?
Anyway, back to my original question. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
*Daughter falls and gets a concussion.
*You miss a day of work because you can't find your keys.
*Your son gets suspended for causing a fight. (Some girl said something obnoxious so he flipped her off. Her boxer boyfriend laid him out. Everyone's suspended.)
*During what was supposed to be a calm, rational discussion your son discloses, among other things, that he thinks his nose is broken. You don't think it is, but seek advice from his counselor while you've got him on the phone. Doc suggests making an appointment with the pediatrician in the morning (this may sound harsh, but he knows Corey's tendency to seek out attention). Just in case it really is broken, you call your insurance to find out where you can take him. His pediatrician is 50 miles away and it's after hours. Nearest urgent care? Well, your medical group doesn't have one up here. You can take him to the emergency room as long as you follow up with his physician.
"... follow up with her doctor..."
Crap. So today I was able to take Mad to the kids' doctor. I didn't take Corey because he no longer thinks his nose is broken and I agree. Aside from a bloodied lip and sore face, he's physically fine.
Doc was perturbed that a CT scan wasn't done last Sunday. So we're being referred to a neurologist.
And last but not least:
*Despite having talked with your mom for about 10 minutes immediately following Mad's appointment today, she emails you tonight to find out how it went. (And yes, I'm keeping track. This is the second time in a week she's forgotten part of a conversation we had. The other involved a story about a turtle she had as a child. I had vague recollections of hearing the story and asked her about it.
"Yes. We took those turtles to the zoo. Blah blah blah (maybe 5 minutes of turtle talk). Did I ever tell you we took them to the zoo?"
She also may have forgotten a conversation with Corey about having him stay at her place last weekend. I can't be sure about that one because it could have just been a difference in wording between her and Corey. Still, it's disconcerting.) Her birth father and his mother both had Alzheimer's. I'm hoping it's just stress. I mean, she's over 60, unemployed, does not qualify for unemployment because her last employer was a church (they're not required to contribute to unemployment insurance) and her health insurance is about to run out (the church has been kind enough to cover her since she was laid off in February). So it could definitely be stress, right?
Anyway, back to my original question. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
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