This morning I had school conferences. I couldn’t help but remember past conferences … this was the same school that brought me to my knees a decade ago. While I don’t remember specific conversations in specific conferences, I do remember the overall experience. Kyle and Stephanie were stellar students and their teachers couldn’t say enough good about them. Of course, the other two kids were not so academically and socially delightful, and those conferences were usually about me trying to explain the big picture and the school making excuses for my poor little kiddos.


This morning I talked to the music teacher after I conferenced on Beth and Dora. The music teacher has been there forever and knew the older kids. She wanted to know how Kyle and Steph were doing. I told her about Kyle (and Marie’s) impending graduation, and about Steph’s success in school. The teacher then wanted to know about Amy and Tommy. After I told her Amy’s status, she said, “Well, you know, Nancy, you can only offer the opportunities; you can’t make your kids take advantage of the opportunities.” And then she proceeded to exclaim how much the school staff enjoyed Beth, and how well she was doing.


The 5th grade teachers handle things differently than I remember them doing a decade ago. Now they team teach, much like middle school. Therefore, I met with all three 5th grade teachers. Because Dora had spilled the beans a couple of weeks ago about our consideration of homeschooling, I knew I had to address this “elephant in the conference room.” So I plunged in and told them how I had learned of the Lawrence Virtual School when I was researching options for Dora. I said I was strongly considering pulling Beth out and completing her fifth grade year at home.


I explained my reasoning and my concerns about Beth’s social pressures, and to my delight they were completely on board and commented how not all kids fit in public schools for all grades. They wished all parents were as attuned to their child’s individual needs. They enjoyed Beth immensely and appreciated her diligence in academics and her polite and enjoyable demeanor. It was really a nice discussion and I am glad it left me with such a favorable impression. I will know more tomorrow if I will be able to do what I want to do in terms of completing the school year at home with Beth. I told her teachers I would let them know as soon as I knew what we were going to do.


My conference with Dora’s teacher went as expected. Dora has been struggling mightily at home, and school is apparently no different. I love her teacher and she is doing exactly what she needs to do. I am really not too interested in Dora’s academic performance at this time; there are far too many other areas of her life that are more problematic. Dora's teacher had heard the rumor that we might be homeschooling, and I hastened to assure her she was Dora's teacher the rest of the year! At the rate Dora is going, she might have the same teacher next year as well!


I was very, very grateful that my experience at school this morning was not a stressful one. It is funny what we learn to appreciate, isn’t it? Not being daggered and demonized by school personnel makes us happy. How pathetic is that?


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