I HATE SCHOOL!

Okay - anyone who knows me knows that I haven't been in school in a VERY long time.  Of course, like all kids, my two hate school with a passion.  And I'm right there with them hating it, too.  

I don't remember working as hard as I do with them when I was the one in school!  They have so much homework...so many papers...so many projects....  It never stops!  Even over the summer, they will both have summer reading assignments!

I love summers.  I still have to work - I wish I could stay up all night and sleep all day like they will do.  But the good thing is that I only have to get one person up and ready - me!  No waking kids - and husband - multiple times.  No yelling to hurry up.   No worrying that they don't have a clean uniform in the closet.  No making breakfasts or packing lunches.  No remembering to sign permission slips or send checks for anything.  Just me...getting ready in the quiet house...with the only other ones awake being the cats.  It is almost like a holiday...almost....


Thank goodness that this is the last year of the science fair.  Just those two words strike fear into the heart of most mothers I know.  The entire first half of the year is taken up by researching the topic, getting it approved, researching the subject, conducting the experiment, graphing the results, making the display board - whew!  And I don't think either of my kids learned much from the projects.

Don't get me wrong - I know how important school is and I want my kids to do well.  I just hate to see them stressing over things they hate - and that they'll most likely never use again!  I haven't measured the circumference of anything in many years.  I haven't tried to find the value of "n."  I Don't have fond memories of The Red Badge of Courage or Dante's Inferno - in fact, I am still grateful for Cliff Notes!  Shhh!

I do appreciate how hard teachers work.  And like any profession, there are good ones and not so good ones - and even a few great ones!  Thank you to my daughter's 4th grade teacher who recognized that her learning difficulty was undiagnosed ADD.  Thank you to my daughter's middle school math teachers who changed the subject from one she despised to one that she's doing pretty good in.  Thank you to her 6th grade Social Studies teacher who refused to make a terrified child get in front of the class to do her report.  Thank you to all of my son's band teachers who awoke his talent and his love for music - which may play a part in his major in college and his career.  And shame on the teachers who truly seem to dislike their students, and who see my childrens' education as a nuisance....  Thank goodness they were in the minority.


Well, let me get ready to try to enjoy the abbreviated summer.  At least when I get home from work, I don't have to nag the kids to get off the computer and do their homework or to try to get to bed at a decent hour.  I just have to get me to bed at a decent hour!  Yeah...that'll happen!