School is out as of this past Wednesday. A will be in the 8th grade next year and will still be spending half his time with me and the other half with dad. As I have done for the past several years, I obtain info about books, order them well in advance, including an extra set of textbooks for my home (since dad keeps the ones school sends by default....see my other blog about those issues!). I have had the experience, several times, of teachers seeming suspicious of what I am up to, which is quite frustrating. This year is no exception!! :-(
There are a few reasons why I do this. First, to be able to deal with the two homes issue (important for a school with no lockers where everything is carried....so need some of the books at home to lighten the load).
Second, I want to read some of the books this summer so that I can coherently discuss them with A. For example I have a vague recollection of what A Separate Peace was about, and a bit more about To Kill a Mockingbird, but reading them is probably a good idea! I like to read the books, put together a set of materials, links, etc. on my son's wiki (will blog more about that later) and then he has a nice structure. This year I will be having him do more of this prep work, so that he can rely less on me for it.
Third, the school year is intense. We all have our burdens to bear, and As include a dad who is not supportive of his school work, who overburdens him with outside activities, but then is harsh on him when he does not receive all As (which he usually does....with the occasional B!). So....I am teaching him how to deal with these challenges by planning. This planning to deal with irrationalities of his situation will also help him in the future in general.
Although gifted, A has a 504 plan that allows him extra time for writing. I will blog more on this in the future, but related to this topic, knowing what is coming can help me to advocate for A come 504 plan meeting time in the Fall and throughout the year. For example, only by reading the web page of one of the 8th grade science teachers do I find out that a hand written report on a science article is required each week. A loves to read science and talk about it, but knowing this info will help me to develop some ideas about how to suggest approaches for writing for next year. But this was not and I suspect would never be proactively given to me. I have to poke around and find it. Ugh!
Finally, knowing what is coming can just make learning more fun and engaging generally. So much of what I have seen in elementary and middle school is a blur because students and parents are told so little in advance about what is to come. Schools want us engaged, we want to be engaged, but that is difficult to do when you don't know what is coming.
What are your experiences with getting advance info for your child so that you can plan and prepare, the school's reaction, responsivity, etc.
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