A Fun-Filled Day!
08/25. I have edited two sentences out of this post to avoid being recognized. Sorry, I've been a little paranoid since this blog started getting hits from the mothering.com forum.
I had an extremely serious post prepared for today, but so much happened yesterday, that I decided against it.
So that’s what they call “inclusion”?
Last year, at a parents conference, K9’s teacher accidentally leaked out an interesting detail about how their placement works. Actually, since my oldest son is an AEP (aka “gifted”) kid, I already knew that all AEP kids are, at all times, placed in the same class (on the same team in middle school). What I didn’t know that the same approach is used with severely LD, borderline Special Ed kids. Usually, there are four or five of them, and they are always put in the same class. The reason for this is that a) the teacher can give them her full attention, and b) the other three teachers are not being distracted, as all LD kids are concentrated in one room.
Good so far, but I have a question. What happens to the other twenty kids that also happen to be in the same room? What are they supposed to do while their teacher gives the LD kids her full attention – make themselves scarce and stare out the window?! Bottom line, I didn’t like this idea at all. From my layman’s point of view, you should either put these kids in special ed, or add a second teacher to that classroom, or something, but make sure that their non-LD classmates are being taken care of, too!
I was worried sick that, in fourth grade, K9 would end up in the LD class, being a troublemaker and all. That’s why I really wanted him to make AEP. Then he’d be invincible. He took the WISC, and didn’t make it. He was ten points short. I tried not to show it to him, but I was devastated. I was sure that now, the school would have their way with my poor K9. Well, guess what! We got lucky! They didn’t!!
The class lists were out yesterday, and I stopped by to check. Over the last four years, I have pretty much figured out who the LD kids are. (edited)K9 had this boy in his class once. I would say that socially, it was good for K9 and he learned a lot. (edited) Which I think is highly beneficial for all involved. Except it was on class time, so, while they learned something socially, they fell behind academically. Anyway, all LD kids that I know of, are in the same class, and K9 is not in it. But guess who is? Come on, guess? Little Joey from my previous post. Granted how much time Joey’s parents have probably spent asking the school to separate their son from K9… I found this turn of events ironic!
In other news, it seems like K9’s old girlfriend has transferred to his school (yes, I actually remember the girl's name… I know, I’m pathetic, I don’t have a life, and am living vicariously through my children). This is going to be interesting!
Piss Your Salesperson Off Day
I don’t know why, but yesterday, I kept running into issues with salespeople. First, I went to KOHL’s because they had a back-to-school sale. You know, when they mail you a scratch-off, and it shows if you get fifteen, twenty, or thirty percent off. Mine said twenty. They also give out scratch-offs at checkout. So, I went there with I12, and at the register, I asked for a scratch-off, in case it would say thirty percent. It said fifteen, so I produced my copy that said twenty. The lady at the checkout found it amusing. We paid, I dropped I12 off at home, and came back, because I had to get stuff for K9. I go to pay again and there is a young kid at the register. I ask for a scratch-off; it says fifteen; I show him my twenty; the kid goes,
“You’re cheating. You’re playing the odds. That’s not cool.”
I didn’t even say anything. I was too busy picking my jaw off the floor!
Fast forward ten hours, it’s late in the evening and I am coming home from church with a very tired and hungry K9. I went to church to help set up for this weekend’s festival, and K9 tagged along because he hoped there would be pizza… there wasn’t. So K9 convinces me to stop by a local pizza place and get one for him, because he worked hard and he deserves it. I decided to check out this new joint that, as I was told, had a five-dollar special on a large pizza.
So we come in. There’s a lot of teenage kids working in the place. One of them is at the counter. K9 walks up to him and rattles off: “One large, extra pepperoni, extra cheese”. The guy tells us it’s $8.99. Okay, maybe the special is over. I pay up, and we sit down to wait. While we’re waiting, I look around and find out that there is, indeed, a special – five dollars for a large one-topping pizza, unlimited pepperoni. The guy that took our order is already gone. I walk up to the counter and have this memorable conversation with one of the teenagers.
“Excuse me, this is our first time here, I don’t understand. If you have a 4.99 special, then how come ours is $8.99?”
“Because you ordered three toppings. Pepperoni, extra pepperoni, and extra cheese.”
“But your special says unlimited pepperoni, does that mean we paid four dollars for extra cheese?”
“That’s how it works. It counts as three toppings.”
“That’s how it works? Four dollars for extra cheese?”
“Yes.”
“Can we cancel the order?”
“No.”
“He should have told us.”
“You’re lucky he only charged you $8.99. He used a coupon, see? If he hadn’t, it would have cost you twelve dollars.”
I don’t think this girl said sorry to me once.
I get seriously pissed, and at the same time about to give up.
“This better be a lot of cheese,” I tell her.
At this point, she miraculously gives us our money back. I thank her very nicely and turn to leave. But now I’ve got a very mad, crying K9 on my hands. I spend all the way home explaining to him how we almost got ripped off, and how I hate being ripped off, and how Dad would never let us hear the end of it if we paid four bucks for extra cheese, and how I swear I’ll make it up to him in the future. At home, I get a pat on the back from Mr. Goldie for “doing the right thing.” K9 calms down; everybody’s happy.
But, four bucks for extra cheese? Sheesh!
One very busy weekend, coming up!
So, the Greek festival at our church starts today at noon! I’ll be there tonight, unless I get called from work (yes, I’m on call this weekend… just my luck). I promise it will be fun. Kim, will you be there or what? It’s only a twenty minute drive, but it’s totally worth it!
Turns out, I will have to stop by the jewelry stall, because our friends are having their baby baptised in two weeks, and (get this!) I will be the godmother, and a friend of ours will be godfather, so we’re all chipping in to buy a gold cross for the baby… here’s to hoping I don’t buy anything else gold for myself!
Also coming up this weekend, our city’s annual carnival… I’m taking K9 on Saturday, all of his friends will probably be there… fireworks at dusk, parade on Sunday!
I hope I’m still alive by the time this weekend is over… there is such a thing as too much fun!
Wishing everybody an equally great weekend.
Over and out.
I had an extremely serious post prepared for today, but so much happened yesterday, that I decided against it.
So that’s what they call “inclusion”?
Last year, at a parents conference, K9’s teacher accidentally leaked out an interesting detail about how their placement works. Actually, since my oldest son is an AEP (aka “gifted”) kid, I already knew that all AEP kids are, at all times, placed in the same class (on the same team in middle school). What I didn’t know that the same approach is used with severely LD, borderline Special Ed kids. Usually, there are four or five of them, and they are always put in the same class. The reason for this is that a) the teacher can give them her full attention, and b) the other three teachers are not being distracted, as all LD kids are concentrated in one room.
Good so far, but I have a question. What happens to the other twenty kids that also happen to be in the same room? What are they supposed to do while their teacher gives the LD kids her full attention – make themselves scarce and stare out the window?! Bottom line, I didn’t like this idea at all. From my layman’s point of view, you should either put these kids in special ed, or add a second teacher to that classroom, or something, but make sure that their non-LD classmates are being taken care of, too!
I was worried sick that, in fourth grade, K9 would end up in the LD class, being a troublemaker and all. That’s why I really wanted him to make AEP. Then he’d be invincible. He took the WISC, and didn’t make it. He was ten points short. I tried not to show it to him, but I was devastated. I was sure that now, the school would have their way with my poor K9. Well, guess what! We got lucky! They didn’t!!
The class lists were out yesterday, and I stopped by to check. Over the last four years, I have pretty much figured out who the LD kids are. (edited)
In other news, it seems like K9’s old girlfriend has transferred to his school (yes, I actually remember the girl's name… I know, I’m pathetic, I don’t have a life, and am living vicariously through my children). This is going to be interesting!
Piss Your Salesperson Off Day
I don’t know why, but yesterday, I kept running into issues with salespeople. First, I went to KOHL’s because they had a back-to-school sale. You know, when they mail you a scratch-off, and it shows if you get fifteen, twenty, or thirty percent off. Mine said twenty. They also give out scratch-offs at checkout. So, I went there with I12, and at the register, I asked for a scratch-off, in case it would say thirty percent. It said fifteen, so I produced my copy that said twenty. The lady at the checkout found it amusing. We paid, I dropped I12 off at home, and came back, because I had to get stuff for K9. I go to pay again and there is a young kid at the register. I ask for a scratch-off; it says fifteen; I show him my twenty; the kid goes,
“You’re cheating. You’re playing the odds. That’s not cool.”
I didn’t even say anything. I was too busy picking my jaw off the floor!
Fast forward ten hours, it’s late in the evening and I am coming home from church with a very tired and hungry K9. I went to church to help set up for this weekend’s festival, and K9 tagged along because he hoped there would be pizza… there wasn’t. So K9 convinces me to stop by a local pizza place and get one for him, because he worked hard and he deserves it. I decided to check out this new joint that, as I was told, had a five-dollar special on a large pizza.
So we come in. There’s a lot of teenage kids working in the place. One of them is at the counter. K9 walks up to him and rattles off: “One large, extra pepperoni, extra cheese”. The guy tells us it’s $8.99. Okay, maybe the special is over. I pay up, and we sit down to wait. While we’re waiting, I look around and find out that there is, indeed, a special – five dollars for a large one-topping pizza, unlimited pepperoni. The guy that took our order is already gone. I walk up to the counter and have this memorable conversation with one of the teenagers.
“Excuse me, this is our first time here, I don’t understand. If you have a 4.99 special, then how come ours is $8.99?”
“Because you ordered three toppings. Pepperoni, extra pepperoni, and extra cheese.”
“But your special says unlimited pepperoni, does that mean we paid four dollars for extra cheese?”
“That’s how it works. It counts as three toppings.”
“That’s how it works? Four dollars for extra cheese?”
“Yes.”
“Can we cancel the order?”
“No.”
“He should have told us.”
“You’re lucky he only charged you $8.99. He used a coupon, see? If he hadn’t, it would have cost you twelve dollars.”
I don’t think this girl said sorry to me once.
I get seriously pissed, and at the same time about to give up.
“This better be a lot of cheese,” I tell her.
At this point, she miraculously gives us our money back. I thank her very nicely and turn to leave. But now I’ve got a very mad, crying K9 on my hands. I spend all the way home explaining to him how we almost got ripped off, and how I hate being ripped off, and how Dad would never let us hear the end of it if we paid four bucks for extra cheese, and how I swear I’ll make it up to him in the future. At home, I get a pat on the back from Mr. Goldie for “doing the right thing.” K9 calms down; everybody’s happy.
But, four bucks for extra cheese? Sheesh!
One very busy weekend, coming up!
So, the Greek festival at our church starts today at noon! I’ll be there tonight, unless I get called from work (yes, I’m on call this weekend… just my luck). I promise it will be fun. Kim, will you be there or what? It’s only a twenty minute drive, but it’s totally worth it!
Turns out, I will have to stop by the jewelry stall, because our friends are having their baby baptised in two weeks, and (get this!) I will be the godmother, and a friend of ours will be godfather, so we’re all chipping in to buy a gold cross for the baby… here’s to hoping I don’t buy anything else gold for myself!
Also coming up this weekend, our city’s annual carnival… I’m taking K9 on Saturday, all of his friends will probably be there… fireworks at dusk, parade on Sunday!
I hope I’m still alive by the time this weekend is over… there is such a thing as too much fun!
Wishing everybody an equally great weekend.
Over and out.
