new school

Yesterday, my oldest son, Alex, started high school at an alternative high school. It just happens to be the same school that I spent three years going to about a year after I had my daughter. I went there for two reasons.

I skipped too much of middle school and was behind because of it.

After losing my daughter and surviving the first year, I was emotionally drained and I had nothing else to give at a regular school setting. I just didn't have anymore in me to get past the craziness of how mean people could be and I needed to be in a more comfortable environment. This is where I found Pam who is a retired Math teacher who I am in contact with even now as I am 35 years old. She fills a lot of my Mom void. I just love her.

Back to my son. Luckily, for me, the person who was my business teacher and he actually came to my first wedding is over seeing the operations of the school. There is at least two other staff members that are still working there after all these years.

My agreement is that Alex will spend Sunday thru Wednesdays here every week because this gets him closer to the school. A down side of an alternative school is that there isn't busing. He is only is school about five or six hours a day. It's too early to do the math. The first couple days, I am driving him but after that I expect him to take the bus. I may blog more on that another day.

The rest of the week he will be at his Dad's and have a longer bus ride unless his Dad or fiance (hate that word and her too :) ) drives him to school.

I told my son to catch the bus home but his Dad gave him an out to get a ride if they could come get him and she did. So, we will see what happens today.

It's our goal that Alex will get a job after school because he has fines to pay from skipping school and going joy riding. This new school gives him plenty of time for a job because they don't issue homework. The only time they may need outside hours to do school work would maybe to study for a test. His living situation may make it harder to find a job but anything is possible if we are willing to work around it.

Alex is in the diploma department right now but that could change because he needs three years to earn it and there is a chance the school won't be allowed to issue them giving us no other choice but to go for a GED.

Alex got sick yesterday right after school which seems to be something that happens when he has to to school. Also, I am seeing habits that make a little more sense on why he would miss a bus. Today, he stayed downstairs, in his bedroom, until five minutes before it was time for me to drive him and started making sandwiches to eat.

I am really hoping the arrangement of Alex staying with us more works and he starts to take school seriously. This school has classroom sizes of about ten and if he can't make it there then he can't make it anywhere. This is his last stop for an education and he is running the risk of being kicked from his Dad's when he is of age if he doesn't get the grades.