Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Would that be the definition of a fun-over?

Return home, day 1, youngest is in full on panic mode about school.  Things have been getting worse and worse and worse since September and I have had three meetings with the teacher now, with no improvement and something has got to change before the kid snaps.

Holy geez is she ever stressed.  I am not sure I have been that stressed.

You know that feeling when all you really want to do is rip someone's head off and p*ss down the holes in their neck?

Yup.

My boss came in like that today...holy jeez...R.A.N.T.I.N.G!!!!  It was actually kind of amusing, probably partially because I didn't understand every last word of it and also because I knew it wasn't aimed at me....

She was laughing about it herself.....later.

I went into this meeting today with the teacher after managing youngest's complete HYSTERICS at lunch....so incredibly frustrated it is difficult to explain....I also knew that I was going to cry.  You see, all that emotion that I really want to expend by breaking large heavy things and flinging them around viciously has to come out somewhere.  As a well brought up woman, I rarely attack animate or inanimate objects...instead I find myself crying sometimes.  Kinda hate that....then again, I probably won't get ulcers, or go to jail.  Both good I guess.

We are managing now, (I just finished not one, but two chocolate bars, life always seems a little better then, no?)  I came to the conclusion, none too brilliant but original for here, that part of the problem is that, despite Youngest's flawless Catalan accent and her easy use of all grammatical forms, in fact (holy hell this is a crap sentence.) wait, I'll start again.

I have to restart in Catalan too but I have a better excuse.  Maybe it's the chocolate talking.

OK, I think that part of the problem is that youngest, of the flawless accent and effortless use of complex grammatical structures, in fact does not understand the difference between a subjunctive and an imperative.

Imperative would be something along the lines of *hear a srgt major about now* GIVE ME THE HOMEWORK NOW (WORTHLESS SCUM)!!!!

Subjuctive (in translation as, for all intents and purposes, subjunctive doesn't exist in English),  *imgine the Canadian Ambassador to somewhere dangerous here*  "If you could, it would be great if you could give me the homework when you get a chance."

That entire difference hinges on a few syllables..less in fact, usually one vowel, sometimes two.  It is further complicated by the fact that the negative imperative, such as DON'T YOU DARE!!! uses the subjunctive form...and still sounds like a srgt major....you may imagine that youngest is confused by this....I am.

If you were always hearing example one (the sgnt), and the teacher was in fact always saying example two (Canadian ambassador to Islamabad), you might see how some confusion and stress might emerge.

I think there are more problems than that..but this is a start anyway.

Bless the girl's teacher, he set a meeting for two weeks hence.  We certainly need this resolved.

There is only so much chocolate that is good for a girl, ya know?


Lordy lordy am I ever babbling today.

6 comments:

Beth said...

Babble, cry, eat chocolate – whatever gets you through – but ALWAYS remember how important laughter is – NO MATTER WHAT!
And, thankfully, you have managed to retain your sense of humour. ;)

Best of luck to both you and that gorgeous little girl of yours.

MaR said...

Subjunctive is mean... I remember my little (now not so little!) one being confused because subjunctive isn't used in German and the subjunctive phrases in Spanish translate in imperative form in German... He still often uses the imperative form (derived from his German mind structure) when he means to use the subjunctive in oral Spanish...Grammar was made to confuse us all!

MaR said...

I got confused myself: where it says:imperative it should read: conditional
Pft!

J.G. said...

Ah, the old Suggestion That Sounds Like a Command trap. I remember it well . . . .

Sometimes I think it's a miracle we can speak to each other at all without misunderstanding.

Good for you for intervening and choosing chocolate over violence.

Hula Girl at Heart said...

Well goodness, it is tense city in your corner these days isn't it? I guess grammar is a global pain in the patootey. When you tire of chocolate, I recommend cheesecake.

oreneta said...

Beth, yes indeed....whatever it takes, as long as it's not TOO bad for you....

Mar...subjunctives are killer, maybe I should set that as an objective, haig de dominar-los, no?

JG, sometimes it is truly a wonder....

Hula, it has it's moments, we're all working to hard and it is nearing the end of a long long term.