Monday, May 18, 2009

State of Education

Being home; caring for and nurturing my family is my bliss.
In January, it was beyond a matter of choice that I needed to supplement our family's income. I managed to be hired as a one-on-one with a boy that has Aspergers Syndrome at the high school. Aspergers is a high functioning form of autism. My main task is making sure he doesn't stare at or touch girls. He is right on target hormonally for a high school boy. Since I go class to class with him, I get a good education on the state of education in a public high school. Since it is the end of the year, it is as if the teachers have cabin fever as bad as the students. The first three periods, there was absolutely nothing planned. The students just killed time in class until the bell rang. Three solid hours of NOTHING. Not a good plan for any student but especially my student who needs to be engaged in a lesson or things can go poorly as fast as a college age snowboarder at Keystone. Oh, these kids. Do their parents know how their time is spent? Maybe. Do they care? Hopefully. Time flies by so quickly. Time is so short with our children and high schoolers are finishing up their childhood getting their minds filled up with all kinds of teacher/administrator/peer /worldly ideas and views.
Since when is funny for the math teacher to point out a cute girl's Abercrombie & Fitch shirt by calling it Abercrombie & Bitch? Since when is it ok for a teacher to tell a boy the just vocalized the "F" word to "shut the hell up; you can't say the "F" word in the classroom?" Could the teachers in my department see in my face how horrified I was to hear them tell the newly sexually active girl that she doesn't have to tell her mother; just take the bus south to the Target store and Planned Parenthood is right there. "You need to be responsible".
I had not been in public schools in many years.
Our hearts hurt when our children do something to disappoint us. We can remind them the we love them and God has a plan for their lives . We can share the Biblical truth and our faith bears witness. Home schoolers be encouraged that you are giving your children the best possible education and values in your Christ and love-filled home.

1 comment:

Homecraft Framing & Gifts said...

I am so happy to have found your blog. Although my son is 27 and not diagnosed, I truly believe from all that I have learned over the years, he has Aspergers syndrome. He may not have as many signs as others have but I seen Charle Gibson's report on Aspergers and I am the one who raised him and boy oh boy my son hit all the marks. I believe the doctors and even the therapist are not sure what Aspergers truly is and writes these kids off as a behavior disorder.

I pulled my son out of a private school when he was in the middle of the 6th grade, because the nun said the boys beating up my son will help him mature. I brought my son home and we started teaching him ourselves. What we learned was the school was dumbing him down. We ended up sending him to Covington Latin High School. This is the school for the gifted and he went from being a 6th grader to being a Freshman. As for the home schooling, we would have continued to teach him but he was far above what I knew and my husband said he needed to be where he can learn what he needs to get to college.

He won a full paid scholarship to Transylvania University then crashed and burned. Again he was singled out as a target. We brought him home and put him in therapy but that did not work as well. So on the recommendation of his therapist he said if he does not go to college then he needs to move out. We followed the advice and put him out and again he crashed and burned. He has been back home now for 3 years and is now in college and getting straight A.

I guess I am writing to thank you for taking these souls under your wing and assisting them in the social skills they desperately need. Just so you know, things do get better as they get older but watch out for the hormone years. LOL!!!