Summer so far: running around, camp, plays, movies, report cards
I guess I haven't done a proper post in awhile. Oops.
Second week of summer vacation for the kids. They started summer daycamps this week, through the community college where Will works; this past week MiniPlu had the first of her two-week pottery class, and Two had "Sled Dogs," which he also took last year. MiniPlu has been frustrated by her (self-perceived) inability to make a decent bowl on the wheel this year. Two loved Sled Dogs, which mostly seems to consist of playing with the huskies, with a bit of learning doggie first aid, grooming, and learning how to make your own dog biscuits thrown in. The kids also get a ride in a (wheeled) sled behind the dogs. Next week is the rest of the pottery class and Two has Ancient Egyptian Art.
The first day of camp I had an insanely busy day, until early-mid afternoon. Part of the complication was that MiniPlu had altar server duty at 8:45a mass on Monday. I tried - twice - to get someone to trade shifts with her, but nobody stepped forward. So, Will only took Two with him, while I took MiniPlu to church. I stayed for mass, then took her straight to camp after that, but we didn't get in the car until 9:20a. There was mild construction traffic on the way, nothing too awful but enough to delay us another 5 mins. Then I discovered, to my dismay, that two thirds of the main parking lot is being resurfaced this summer, and is thus out of commission. It took FOREVER to find a parking spot - out in the boonies, of course - so it was about 9:40-9:45a by the time I finally got MiniPlu to class.
I raced back to the car and zoomed back across town to a doctor's appointment I had. The appointment was originally scheduled for last Thurs morning (the 12th) but when I showed up, it was only to learn that someone had mysteriously deleted my appointment without telling me. Anyway, I did make it in time - well, mostly. I was 2 mins late, close enough. The appointment was thankfully short enough that I had a whole 20 mins to relax and take a super-short nap at home. However, then I had to pack three lunches, gather three swimsuits/towels, my book, an afternoon snack, etc, and race back to the college to pick up MiniPlu, allowing extra time to a) take back roads and avoid the traffic issues on the highway and b) get decent parking before all the other camp parents arrived and hogged the few remaining spots. I also headed to the smaller lot on the other side of campus, by the gym, hoping fewer camp parents parked there, as well - this tactic seems to have worked, and it's where I parked the rest of the week.
Although daycamp classes end at noon, the dog sled class isn't actually held on campus (because of the dogs), so that class ends at 12:30p, allowing an extra 15 mins each way for the kids to be bussed to another location. MiniPlu and I spent the half hour eating our lunches, and I helped her review for her imminent (and final) PREP test before we picked up Two and went back to church so MiniPlu could take her test. (Two ate in the car on the way.) While MiniPlu took her test, I spoke with my former 2nd-grade PREP co-teacher, R, as she also teaches 7th/8th grade PREP, to get a better idea of whether or not I really wanted to do this. (Did I mention that I was asked to teach 7th grade PREP this coming year? If not, let me know and I'll go into that in another post.) Two changed into his suit, as did MiniPlu once she was finished; Two was also incredibly impatient and pesty, clearly believing every minute he wasn't at the pool was a minute wasted, and it was hard to finish my conversation with R, but eventually I did (MiniPlu's test was graded by then - she got a 95% officially, with only one mistake, although I did later spot a 2nd mistake. Still, that's a 90%, perfectly respectable) and we got to the pool at 1:30p, an hour after they opened.
The ice cream truck was there when we pulled up, so before even going in to sit down, I bought us all ice cream. It was only then that our day finally slowed down. I did have to run home to fetch the kids' goggles, which I hadn't remembered (or known where to find) but at least the crazy part of the day was over. :-P) It was also MiniPlu's Gotcha Day (11 years!), and I hadn't yet been to the grocery store for general food and an ice cream cake to celebrate with, so we had to do that after we returned from the pool late afternoon. Apparently Father's Day is a huge ice cream cake occasion (who knew?) so the store was almost completely sold out. We trekked out to our local Carvel store to get one there - they were short on stock, too, but we did manage to find something that suited MiniPlu, and on the way back we picked up Chinese takeaway, as well.
Tues/Wed were really hot, nearly 90F/32C. I went to TKD Tues night - I didn't want to, with the heat, but since it's summer, there's going to be a lot of hot classes in my future, might as well get used to it now. You could practically wring out my uniform afterwards. :-P And speaking of uniforms I got last-minute notification that there was a final middle-school band meeting Wed evening, which I wasn't planning to bother to attend, until I got a call from the band president on Wed afternoon, asking if I'd be willing to be the uniform coordinator's apprentice, for lack of a better term, shadowing her for the year so I could take her place the following year. (She's had the post for four years, but her youngest is in 8th grade this year, so she'll be moving on.) I'll likely only have the job for one year, as I doubt Two will be in marching band (unless he wants to twirl rifles/batons/flags?), but they said that was ok. So, yes, sucker that I am, I accepted - which meant then I had to attend the meeting. :-P At least it was short.
But, anyway, this means I'll be helping to fit the kids to their uniforms in August, coordinate uniform distribution night in Sept, keep tabs on anyone who needs to switch uniforms because they had a growth spurt, and coordinate uniform collection in the spring. For this year, I've been put in particular charge of bandfront kids, since MiniPlu is in bandfront, not the actual band this year.
On Thursday evening, it was back to the theater. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but we have a local Shakespeare festival every summer, which actually only involves two or three Shakespeare productions; the other shows usually involve a big-name musical, a comedy, and often a drama. There's always a (non-Shakespeare) children's production, and a Shakespeare-for-kids show, too. Anyway, I decided to treat myself to a subscription this summer for my birthday; my mom agreed to pay for half as part of my present, which was nice of her. Anyway, I saw Fiddler on the Roof last Thurs (the 12th) - it was FABULOUS. Perfectly cast, fantastic dancing, imaginative set, all around delightful in every way.
This week I saw Two Gentlemen of Verona; I knew nothing about it going in, aside from the fact that it fell into the "rom-com" category of Shakespeare's works, and that those often involved mistaken identities of some sort. ;-) While Fiddler was on the main stage, Verona was in the smaller theater, with seats on three sides. There is hardly a bad seat in either theater, and, indeed, I had no complaints either night. Verona, too, was very good, although it requires more attention in order to follow Shakespearean language, but I had no trouble understanding what was going on, the acting was just so good. Anyway, another winner. (The other Shakespeare play this summer is Macbeth, which I've chosen to skip.
Friday morning it was back to the same theater (in fact, EXACTLY the same theater as I'd been in for Verona) with the kids in tow this time, for this summer's children's production - Cinderella. They always take their own spin on whatever show they're doing, and this was no exception, making it enjoyable to both boys and girls, with frequent laughs as well. Kids are allowed to sit on the floor around the (ground-level) stage if they want, and the cast always interacts with them in some way. (Two years ago, when we went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Violet Beauregard threatened to stash her gum in MiniPlu's ear. ;-) )
The last one on my subscription is Lend Me a Tenor, which I've seen before - at this theater, no less - but it was back when I first moved to the area 17 or 18 years ago. It'll be nice to see it again; I remember it being hilarious. That won't be for another couple of weeks, though.
Speaking of delightful shows, this afternoon we went to see How to Train Your Dragon 2. OMG, it was SO AWESOME. Afterwards, we were trying to decide if we liked the first or second movie better and, honestly, I don't think I could make that call. The first one had a very special magic, the way Hiccup and Toothless bond, and the way the whole village learns to change their thinking in the end. But the second one was very very powerful, emotionally, for a whole host of reasons. I don't think it's really spoiling much to say that Hiccup discovers his mom is still alive because I've seen that in quite a few newspaper reviews, blurbs, etc. But you can imagine the punch this involves for both Hiccup and Stoick. There are other dragon riders out there, other types of dragons as well, both good and not so good, and there's a whole host of implications for Hiccup along the way. Also a twist that hits you like a hammer, but I won't spoil that.
Five years have passed, so all the teenagers are young adults now, and it's strongly - although only briefly - implied that Hiccup and Astrid are engaged. The artists have done a nice job aging up all the characters, although it's a little hard to believe that Stoick went that gray in five years. Is it wrong of me to have a huge crush on an animated character? Because adult Hiccup is very VERY handsome. Not in a brawny-hunky sort of way - that wouldn't be him - but just ... the way his face looks, the details to his hair (little tiny braids sticking out here and there, like he's working on Stoick's hairstyle but hasn't gotten there yet), the eyes, OMG, I was totally smitten within minutes. *sheepish* Oh, and he's got an entire BATTERY of awesome flying-related and personal-use inventions at his disposal now. Seriously awesome.
It was also nice to see how confident he's become; not that he doesn't doubt himself for some things, but overall, that confidence really shines. Just added to all the swooning I was doing.
The other friends are a little bit one-note (ie Fishlegs and Snotlout keep vying for Ruffnut (or is it Tuffnut?)'s affection, but she can't be bothered. And then she falls for a new character, to a somewhat obnoxious extent. Also a bit repetitive - Stoick clearly hasn't learned to listento Hiccup any better than he had five years ago, although for different reasons this time. But it was still fun to have everyone all around again.
Anyway, the long and short of it was that I loved just about every minute, and would seriously be willing to see it in the theater again - and it's been AGES since I've done that. And did I mention that Hiccup is very handsome? *g*
Two is also dying to see Maleficent. Has anyone seen that yet? (thistlerose, I think I saw your review, right?) Anyone else? MiniPlu isn't sure if she wants to see it or not, or if she'll be creeped out. If you've seen it, what do you think?
Oh, and end-of-year report cards came on Thurs.
In the 4th quarter MiniPlu earned 3 A+s (although I'm only counting two - one was for gym :-P; the others were Language Arts and Science), 2 As (Literacy and Social Studies) and a B for math; given that she had a C for math only a few weeks before the quarter ended - which I chalk up to the poor long-term substitute teacher she had - pulling it back up to a B isn't bad; besides, I was a straight B student for math for three years, at the accelerated level, so I can hardly fault her for being the same). For the year overall, that amounted to three As (Literacy, Social Studies and Science (oh, and an A+ in gym :P), an A- for Language Arts and a B+ for math. For anything graded on the S-/S/O scale - all the art and foreign language rotations - she earned straight Os all year. Overall, a perfectly decent year for her.
Along with her report card, we also got the results of MiniPlu's math placement exam; this determined whether she would remain in the one-year-accelerated math (wherein they learn algebra spread over two years) or the two-year-accelerated math (wherein they learn algebra in one year, in 7th grade). She ended up in the one-year-accelerated program, which is, in all honesty, exactly where I think she should be. She doesn't need to be in "regular" math, but we were told straight out that very few students can handle the super-accelerated program - their brains just aren't ready, and it goes so quickly, they're not able to go in depth into any one topic. Anyway, we're all happy with how that turned out.
Speaking of math, we're NOT happy how Two's report card came out. He got a C for the 4th quarter (although a B overall for the year - all the other quarters were Bs) and I'm royally ticked off. It's from bombing several tests for no apparent reason. Two has the skills and, in fact, is good in math, so, honestly, he should be getting As in math, not even Bs, and the C is totally unacceptable. Of course, he's blaming ME for this, for "not studying" enough with him even though a) he often refused to study more and b) usually did pretty well on homework and such, but would get careless on the tests. Even with a re-do opportunity. It's infuriating - and even more so to be blamed for it. Two is catagorically unable to take responsibility for anything, ever. Sigh.
The rest of his grades were reasonable. For 4th quarter he got As in reading (yay!!! I think this is his first A in reading, ever), Science and Social Studies, no Bs at all, but Cs in math (as mentioned above) and in writing (which is by far his weakest subject). Would like to see writing pulled up to a B but I can at least understand and forgive the C in this subject. For the year overall, there was only one A (Social Studies), Bs for Science and Math (both of which could easily have been As - I never did like the Bs he earned there) and Reading (this, at least, I understand) and the C in Writing. For the specialists, he got Os in music and library for the 4th quarter but only one O (library) for the year overall; the rest were Ss. The work habits/citizenship marks were the same for 4th quarter and year overall, having remained steady for quarters 2-4: pluses for completing homework, reading independently (which only reflects that he read past the minimum required number of books each quarter), and respecting others/following rules/behaving appropriately. The rest were all checks - more pluses would be nice, but there's nothing we can really complain about.
A comment from the reading teacher notes that Two progressed to an early 3rd-grade reading level (just to give you an idea of how far behind he was in the beginning of the year). The problem is getting Two to read books at that level. He wants to read the thicker "regular" novels many of his peers can tackle, and he's just not ready for them. But trying to convince him of that never works, and I always feel like I'm somehow being unsupportive to constantly be telling him, "It's too advanced for you". So he starts reading them, gets a few pages or chapters in, then drops out because it's too hard. And that's even WITH my taking a turn reading every 2-3 pages, to give him a little break. Point him to an appropriate-level book, however, and he'll turn up his nose at its being "too easy". I don't know what to do.
I really do feel sometimes like I'm parenting wrong. I have two kids who hate reading, despite doing everything "right" (reading aloud to them, modeling how much I love reading, etc). Two loves being read TO, so it's not like he's against stories, he just hates reading, himself, probably because it's challenging. But he has zero interest in working to get better so he CAN read those harder books he wants so much to try. MiniPlu reads at a normal reading level, or possibly even a bit advanced, and yet seems to struggle with comprehension a lot and, even aside from that, she's just not interested in books. It breaks my heart, it really does. Will keeps telling me that he didn't get into reading until he was a teenager, but it's not like he spends any time reading these days, so even though I know he read a lot as a teen/young adult, it's not a whole lot of comfort, either. Sigh.
Ick. A fly just landed on the top edge of the laptop screen, so I swatted him away - and actually nailed him, smearing fly across the edge. With my bare hand. Ew, ew, ew.
Anyway, another tl;dr post from me, sigh. Most of my LJ time is spent reading and commenting on my flist, leaving me with little time or brain function to post, myself. Oh, but before I go - the latest update on the transgender transition is that Two has an intake appointment this Thurs with the psychologist who is coordinating CHOP's new program; after that comes the doctor's appointment and then, hopefully, finally, the hormone blockers. Can't come soon enough to suit him - he was wailing to me today, "They're getting bigger!" while pointing to his bare chest. Poor kid. Both he and MiniPlu want to trade bodies.
Oh, and ETA: Happy birthday pingviini! It's already your bday where you are, so I hope you have a fantastic day. ♥
Second week of summer vacation for the kids. They started summer daycamps this week, through the community college where Will works; this past week MiniPlu had the first of her two-week pottery class, and Two had "Sled Dogs," which he also took last year. MiniPlu has been frustrated by her (self-perceived) inability to make a decent bowl on the wheel this year. Two loved Sled Dogs, which mostly seems to consist of playing with the huskies, with a bit of learning doggie first aid, grooming, and learning how to make your own dog biscuits thrown in. The kids also get a ride in a (wheeled) sled behind the dogs. Next week is the rest of the pottery class and Two has Ancient Egyptian Art.
The first day of camp I had an insanely busy day, until early-mid afternoon. Part of the complication was that MiniPlu had altar server duty at 8:45a mass on Monday. I tried - twice - to get someone to trade shifts with her, but nobody stepped forward. So, Will only took Two with him, while I took MiniPlu to church. I stayed for mass, then took her straight to camp after that, but we didn't get in the car until 9:20a. There was mild construction traffic on the way, nothing too awful but enough to delay us another 5 mins. Then I discovered, to my dismay, that two thirds of the main parking lot is being resurfaced this summer, and is thus out of commission. It took FOREVER to find a parking spot - out in the boonies, of course - so it was about 9:40-9:45a by the time I finally got MiniPlu to class.
I raced back to the car and zoomed back across town to a doctor's appointment I had. The appointment was originally scheduled for last Thurs morning (the 12th) but when I showed up, it was only to learn that someone had mysteriously deleted my appointment without telling me. Anyway, I did make it in time - well, mostly. I was 2 mins late, close enough. The appointment was thankfully short enough that I had a whole 20 mins to relax and take a super-short nap at home. However, then I had to pack three lunches, gather three swimsuits/towels, my book, an afternoon snack, etc, and race back to the college to pick up MiniPlu, allowing extra time to a) take back roads and avoid the traffic issues on the highway and b) get decent parking before all the other camp parents arrived and hogged the few remaining spots. I also headed to the smaller lot on the other side of campus, by the gym, hoping fewer camp parents parked there, as well - this tactic seems to have worked, and it's where I parked the rest of the week.
Although daycamp classes end at noon, the dog sled class isn't actually held on campus (because of the dogs), so that class ends at 12:30p, allowing an extra 15 mins each way for the kids to be bussed to another location. MiniPlu and I spent the half hour eating our lunches, and I helped her review for her imminent (and final) PREP test before we picked up Two and went back to church so MiniPlu could take her test. (Two ate in the car on the way.) While MiniPlu took her test, I spoke with my former 2nd-grade PREP co-teacher, R, as she also teaches 7th/8th grade PREP, to get a better idea of whether or not I really wanted to do this. (Did I mention that I was asked to teach 7th grade PREP this coming year? If not, let me know and I'll go into that in another post.) Two changed into his suit, as did MiniPlu once she was finished; Two was also incredibly impatient and pesty, clearly believing every minute he wasn't at the pool was a minute wasted, and it was hard to finish my conversation with R, but eventually I did (MiniPlu's test was graded by then - she got a 95% officially, with only one mistake, although I did later spot a 2nd mistake. Still, that's a 90%, perfectly respectable) and we got to the pool at 1:30p, an hour after they opened.
The ice cream truck was there when we pulled up, so before even going in to sit down, I bought us all ice cream. It was only then that our day finally slowed down. I did have to run home to fetch the kids' goggles, which I hadn't remembered (or known where to find) but at least the crazy part of the day was over. :-P) It was also MiniPlu's Gotcha Day (11 years!), and I hadn't yet been to the grocery store for general food and an ice cream cake to celebrate with, so we had to do that after we returned from the pool late afternoon. Apparently Father's Day is a huge ice cream cake occasion (who knew?) so the store was almost completely sold out. We trekked out to our local Carvel store to get one there - they were short on stock, too, but we did manage to find something that suited MiniPlu, and on the way back we picked up Chinese takeaway, as well.
Tues/Wed were really hot, nearly 90F/32C. I went to TKD Tues night - I didn't want to, with the heat, but since it's summer, there's going to be a lot of hot classes in my future, might as well get used to it now. You could practically wring out my uniform afterwards. :-P And speaking of uniforms I got last-minute notification that there was a final middle-school band meeting Wed evening, which I wasn't planning to bother to attend, until I got a call from the band president on Wed afternoon, asking if I'd be willing to be the uniform coordinator's apprentice, for lack of a better term, shadowing her for the year so I could take her place the following year. (She's had the post for four years, but her youngest is in 8th grade this year, so she'll be moving on.) I'll likely only have the job for one year, as I doubt Two will be in marching band (unless he wants to twirl rifles/batons/flags?), but they said that was ok. So, yes, sucker that I am, I accepted - which meant then I had to attend the meeting. :-P At least it was short.
But, anyway, this means I'll be helping to fit the kids to their uniforms in August, coordinate uniform distribution night in Sept, keep tabs on anyone who needs to switch uniforms because they had a growth spurt, and coordinate uniform collection in the spring. For this year, I've been put in particular charge of bandfront kids, since MiniPlu is in bandfront, not the actual band this year.
On Thursday evening, it was back to the theater. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but we have a local Shakespeare festival every summer, which actually only involves two or three Shakespeare productions; the other shows usually involve a big-name musical, a comedy, and often a drama. There's always a (non-Shakespeare) children's production, and a Shakespeare-for-kids show, too. Anyway, I decided to treat myself to a subscription this summer for my birthday; my mom agreed to pay for half as part of my present, which was nice of her. Anyway, I saw Fiddler on the Roof last Thurs (the 12th) - it was FABULOUS. Perfectly cast, fantastic dancing, imaginative set, all around delightful in every way.
This week I saw Two Gentlemen of Verona; I knew nothing about it going in, aside from the fact that it fell into the "rom-com" category of Shakespeare's works, and that those often involved mistaken identities of some sort. ;-) While Fiddler was on the main stage, Verona was in the smaller theater, with seats on three sides. There is hardly a bad seat in either theater, and, indeed, I had no complaints either night. Verona, too, was very good, although it requires more attention in order to follow Shakespearean language, but I had no trouble understanding what was going on, the acting was just so good. Anyway, another winner. (The other Shakespeare play this summer is Macbeth, which I've chosen to skip.
Friday morning it was back to the same theater (in fact, EXACTLY the same theater as I'd been in for Verona) with the kids in tow this time, for this summer's children's production - Cinderella. They always take their own spin on whatever show they're doing, and this was no exception, making it enjoyable to both boys and girls, with frequent laughs as well. Kids are allowed to sit on the floor around the (ground-level) stage if they want, and the cast always interacts with them in some way. (Two years ago, when we went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Violet Beauregard threatened to stash her gum in MiniPlu's ear. ;-) )
The last one on my subscription is Lend Me a Tenor, which I've seen before - at this theater, no less - but it was back when I first moved to the area 17 or 18 years ago. It'll be nice to see it again; I remember it being hilarious. That won't be for another couple of weeks, though.
Speaking of delightful shows, this afternoon we went to see How to Train Your Dragon 2. OMG, it was SO AWESOME. Afterwards, we were trying to decide if we liked the first or second movie better and, honestly, I don't think I could make that call. The first one had a very special magic, the way Hiccup and Toothless bond, and the way the whole village learns to change their thinking in the end. But the second one was very very powerful, emotionally, for a whole host of reasons. I don't think it's really spoiling much to say that Hiccup discovers his mom is still alive because I've seen that in quite a few newspaper reviews, blurbs, etc. But you can imagine the punch this involves for both Hiccup and Stoick. There are other dragon riders out there, other types of dragons as well, both good and not so good, and there's a whole host of implications for Hiccup along the way. Also a twist that hits you like a hammer, but I won't spoil that.
Five years have passed, so all the teenagers are young adults now, and it's strongly - although only briefly - implied that Hiccup and Astrid are engaged. The artists have done a nice job aging up all the characters, although it's a little hard to believe that Stoick went that gray in five years. Is it wrong of me to have a huge crush on an animated character? Because adult Hiccup is very VERY handsome. Not in a brawny-hunky sort of way - that wouldn't be him - but just ... the way his face looks, the details to his hair (little tiny braids sticking out here and there, like he's working on Stoick's hairstyle but hasn't gotten there yet), the eyes, OMG, I was totally smitten within minutes. *sheepish* Oh, and he's got an entire BATTERY of awesome flying-related and personal-use inventions at his disposal now. Seriously awesome.
It was also nice to see how confident he's become; not that he doesn't doubt himself for some things, but overall, that confidence really shines. Just added to all the swooning I was doing.
The other friends are a little bit one-note (ie Fishlegs and Snotlout keep vying for Ruffnut (or is it Tuffnut?)'s affection, but she can't be bothered. And then she falls for a new character, to a somewhat obnoxious extent. Also a bit repetitive - Stoick clearly hasn't learned to listento Hiccup any better than he had five years ago, although for different reasons this time. But it was still fun to have everyone all around again.
Anyway, the long and short of it was that I loved just about every minute, and would seriously be willing to see it in the theater again - and it's been AGES since I've done that. And did I mention that Hiccup is very handsome? *g*
Two is also dying to see Maleficent. Has anyone seen that yet? (thistlerose, I think I saw your review, right?) Anyone else? MiniPlu isn't sure if she wants to see it or not, or if she'll be creeped out. If you've seen it, what do you think?
Oh, and end-of-year report cards came on Thurs.
In the 4th quarter MiniPlu earned 3 A+s (although I'm only counting two - one was for gym :-P; the others were Language Arts and Science), 2 As (Literacy and Social Studies) and a B for math; given that she had a C for math only a few weeks before the quarter ended - which I chalk up to the poor long-term substitute teacher she had - pulling it back up to a B isn't bad; besides, I was a straight B student for math for three years, at the accelerated level, so I can hardly fault her for being the same). For the year overall, that amounted to three As (Literacy, Social Studies and Science (oh, and an A+ in gym :P), an A- for Language Arts and a B+ for math. For anything graded on the S-/S/O scale - all the art and foreign language rotations - she earned straight Os all year. Overall, a perfectly decent year for her.
Along with her report card, we also got the results of MiniPlu's math placement exam; this determined whether she would remain in the one-year-accelerated math (wherein they learn algebra spread over two years) or the two-year-accelerated math (wherein they learn algebra in one year, in 7th grade). She ended up in the one-year-accelerated program, which is, in all honesty, exactly where I think she should be. She doesn't need to be in "regular" math, but we were told straight out that very few students can handle the super-accelerated program - their brains just aren't ready, and it goes so quickly, they're not able to go in depth into any one topic. Anyway, we're all happy with how that turned out.
Speaking of math, we're NOT happy how Two's report card came out. He got a C for the 4th quarter (although a B overall for the year - all the other quarters were Bs) and I'm royally ticked off. It's from bombing several tests for no apparent reason. Two has the skills and, in fact, is good in math, so, honestly, he should be getting As in math, not even Bs, and the C is totally unacceptable. Of course, he's blaming ME for this, for "not studying" enough with him even though a) he often refused to study more and b) usually did pretty well on homework and such, but would get careless on the tests. Even with a re-do opportunity. It's infuriating - and even more so to be blamed for it. Two is catagorically unable to take responsibility for anything, ever. Sigh.
The rest of his grades were reasonable. For 4th quarter he got As in reading (yay!!! I think this is his first A in reading, ever), Science and Social Studies, no Bs at all, but Cs in math (as mentioned above) and in writing (which is by far his weakest subject). Would like to see writing pulled up to a B but I can at least understand and forgive the C in this subject. For the year overall, there was only one A (Social Studies), Bs for Science and Math (both of which could easily have been As - I never did like the Bs he earned there) and Reading (this, at least, I understand) and the C in Writing. For the specialists, he got Os in music and library for the 4th quarter but only one O (library) for the year overall; the rest were Ss. The work habits/citizenship marks were the same for 4th quarter and year overall, having remained steady for quarters 2-4: pluses for completing homework, reading independently (which only reflects that he read past the minimum required number of books each quarter), and respecting others/following rules/behaving appropriately. The rest were all checks - more pluses would be nice, but there's nothing we can really complain about.
A comment from the reading teacher notes that Two progressed to an early 3rd-grade reading level (just to give you an idea of how far behind he was in the beginning of the year). The problem is getting Two to read books at that level. He wants to read the thicker "regular" novels many of his peers can tackle, and he's just not ready for them. But trying to convince him of that never works, and I always feel like I'm somehow being unsupportive to constantly be telling him, "It's too advanced for you". So he starts reading them, gets a few pages or chapters in, then drops out because it's too hard. And that's even WITH my taking a turn reading every 2-3 pages, to give him a little break. Point him to an appropriate-level book, however, and he'll turn up his nose at its being "too easy". I don't know what to do.
I really do feel sometimes like I'm parenting wrong. I have two kids who hate reading, despite doing everything "right" (reading aloud to them, modeling how much I love reading, etc). Two loves being read TO, so it's not like he's against stories, he just hates reading, himself, probably because it's challenging. But he has zero interest in working to get better so he CAN read those harder books he wants so much to try. MiniPlu reads at a normal reading level, or possibly even a bit advanced, and yet seems to struggle with comprehension a lot and, even aside from that, she's just not interested in books. It breaks my heart, it really does. Will keeps telling me that he didn't get into reading until he was a teenager, but it's not like he spends any time reading these days, so even though I know he read a lot as a teen/young adult, it's not a whole lot of comfort, either. Sigh.
Ick. A fly just landed on the top edge of the laptop screen, so I swatted him away - and actually nailed him, smearing fly across the edge. With my bare hand. Ew, ew, ew.
Anyway, another tl;dr post from me, sigh. Most of my LJ time is spent reading and commenting on my flist, leaving me with little time or brain function to post, myself. Oh, but before I go - the latest update on the transgender transition is that Two has an intake appointment this Thurs with the psychologist who is coordinating CHOP's new program; after that comes the doctor's appointment and then, hopefully, finally, the hormone blockers. Can't come soon enough to suit him - he was wailing to me today, "They're getting bigger!" while pointing to his bare chest. Poor kid. Both he and MiniPlu want to trade bodies.
Oh, and ETA: Happy birthday pingviini! It's already your bday where you are, so I hope you have a fantastic day. ♥