Friday, September 7, 2007

Drier lint

Sorry for the long delay...by the time we got here on Thursday, we were pretty thoroughly destroyed. Yesterday was spent running errands, and I discovered where all the dryer lint in the universe had gone...it was inhabiting my brain pan and jiggling gently. I swear to you that was all that was up there, and Catalan, what the hell is that? Could not understand a single freaking word. Well, one or two but Honest to God...

And the space bar on this computer has mysteriously gotten sticky...boy oh boy is that making me happy. Half of this post is coming out as one big fat sentence. Anyone out there know what to do about this? Don't tell me to take the key off though, I had a problem with a control key, looked it upon line, they told me to take another key off to see how they are assembled, and then replace them both. NEVER DO THIS. I now am missing both the control key and the alt key next to it. I hate this space bar really really badly.

Anyway, the kids are fine, they got their new school books, boy was that ever pricey. Youngest has a different teacher, the old English teacher. Our only challenge will be to make sure that she doesn't just talk to her in English. That said, she had a buddy over yesterday, and she was chattering away in appalling Catalan, even lint-head here could have done better, but she was having fun and making herself understood, so there is hope, and I don't have to shift her to another school.

I have been debating what to do about eldest's approaching debut at the high school in town. Next year. This is a full on 12 through 18 years old high school, population around 2500 which is making my toes curl under and my belly wobble to think about. The plus for this place, her friends will go there, and it will all be local kids.

That's it. It is big, even by my city standards, and the thought of my baby walking in the door there makes me go weak. Eeeeekkkkk. Her language skills will not be up to the mark, and from what I have heard, the teachers accept what the kids give them without pushing for more. Not quite as supportive an environment as maybe I would hope for.

There is however also another private (semi-subsidised) school in the town that goes through to 16. Advantages? Smaller and she would get more attention, plus there is a stronger emphasis on academics. Negative, none of her friends go there, and the kids there have been together since kindergarten, although I teach a bunch of them English and I think that they would be as nice as the kids at the current school. Good group of kids. The other disadvantage is that some of them come from neighbouring communities, not all local. This makes getting together with your buddies tricky. We'll look into the school and see, but next year she has to move on.

Just want to do the best we can for her.

Coming soon, the flight from H-E-double-hockey sticks.........

4 comments:

Boo and Trev said...

Glad to see you got home safe and sound. Can I just say in defence of large schools that my two went to a school of a similar size and I had exactly the same qualms as you before they went. I fully expected that I would need to remind the teacher what my son looked like on the first parents evening. However, they divided each year up in to forms and they kept their form teacher for 5 years until they were in 6th form so they got to know those 20 something people well. A big school means that they can go into sets so they will tend to mix in class time with children of a similar ability. Also being that big meant that there is usually the scope for lots of clubs etc. Kieran was in a dungeon and dragons club! So it meant because it was so big that there is a large chance that they will find like minded children. Obviously, you need to get a feeling for the ethos of the school but big isn't necessarily bad.

Beth said...

Welcome back, "lint-brain!"
Missed you - despite it being only a short absence from the blog world.

kate said...

Hmm, big decision re: schools, but it may become clearer as this year progresses. Good luck!

oreneta said...

Boo: Thank you for the imput I have been pondering it for some time....my twin concerns are the personal ones you addressed, and which are one issue, the other is that her language skills will not be up to par, and a smaller school may be more benificial for her there.

Beth: Well thank you very much, it is weird when someone isn't there...

Kate: I will keep working it out over the year, we will make an appointment with the private school, and I may as well with the public and see what they say. I will almost certainly also talk to the teachers at the current school as well. Any imput you have from your studies would also be valuable as I work through this process....