Found on the counter today

I checked W.'s grades online again and blew another gasket. It'll be bad when I just stop caring, right? His grades are completely mediocre again and he's sporting another "D" in the admittedly boring elective. But boredom aside, he is definitely smart enough to be getting far better grades with very little effort. SO I wrote out a list of the assignments (and one quiz) for which he has earned a zero (ie didn't ever turn them in--and whether he did them at all is debatable). He was not happy with my pronouncement from on high that he's not playing with friends again until the grades improve. He sat down and did one of the assignments, all the while protesting that he'd already done it once. Then, to show just how put upon he is, he wrote me a note and left it on the counter next to the homework for me to see this morning. It says: "I just want to be loved --W. K. brother son underapricated [underappreciated]" There was also an arrow pointing to the contested homework and the comment "my Homework thats been done twice." All I can say is that this is going into his baby book and it's a good thing he wasn't awake to hear me belly laugh. Me, my unrealistic expectations, and my lack of appreciation for my oldest, very aggrieved boy--child. ;-)

One step forward, two steps back

W. is failing science. He has C's in two other classes. His only A is in gym. He is far too smart to be getting grades like this. As Charles Schultz said, "There is no greater burden than great potential." (Thanks for the quote, Barbara!) And he's clearly bogged down by his burden. I somehow suspect that this means I am failing as a parent. I tried very hard to have a calm and reasonable discussion with him about his grades this morning. He cried; I repressed righteous anger as hard as I could. I used the parent trump card: "I'm so disappointed in you." I never raised my voice (if you know me and my temper, you know that I darn near threw a blood clot keeping an even temper and a soft voice). I even complimented him on actually turning in *all* of his homework without my nagging, which is something we've worked very hard at the past 2 years. Only the best parents can throw a compliment into a scolding lecture, right? But for that step forward, we are now dealing with sloppy and substandard work. Letting him figure this out on his own is killing me (provided his sister the budding pyromaniac doesn't do me in in a blaze of glory). Doing homework is definitely a step forward but the unconcern about the quality he's turning in is at least two steps backwards. Why didn't these kids come with a manual? Without some clue, I am definitely never going to get mom of the year. At this rate, I won't ever even be nominated. :-P

Mom the pedant

And I'm using the word in the sense of the "a formalist or precisionist in teaching" definition at merriam-webster.com. Two of my three children will be going to school tomorrow with notes appended to their homework pointing out the errors on their worksheets (ingrained rather than child-created errors, the latter of which I must admit it pains me to leave as well). T.'s math worksheet asked the children to fill in the number of certain things in a picture of a scarecrow. Correctly counting the patches, eyes, cheeks, etc. was supposed to then equal the number of yet more items in the picture. This was simplistic and stupid anyway but when the number of eyes (2 for the scarecrow and 1 for the bird on his arm was really intended to only be 2 so that it, plus the scarecrow's 1 nose would equal the 3 patches) I had to write a note explaining why I was fine with 3 eyes + 1 nose = 3 patches. Grumbling my little heart out about faulty worksheets, I then turned to helping R. spell the answers on her worksheet. (She can't spell her way out of a paper bag.) She had to complete a Revolutionary War crossword that needed "neccessities" [sic] in order to be correct. At first we were just leaving the final space blank in protest but it turns out that the creator of the crossword really did need that second "C" in order to make the word colony. Argh!!!! Another note on another worksheet. I'm certain worksheets when I was small were just as faulty but this makes me nuts (as if there had ever been any doubt). I wonder if the teachers have used these before, vetted them before using them, have had other complaints and continue to use them anyway, what? And yes, I realize I'm going to be the mom no teacher wants from now on so my children will probably draw the worst teachers in the schools from here on out. But if inane homework must come home, at least let it be error-free. Rant over.