Categories: the-joys-of-parenthood
Tags: school, church, homework
Date: 24 February 2009 17:05:00
School has been a sensitive subject for Genius Brat lately. He is actually doing incredibly well, but feeling overwhelmed by the mountain of coursework and other homework to catch up on. In fact in the two weeks before half term (which was last week), he only went to school four or five times: three days the school was closed because of snow, one or maybe two days he wasn't well, and one day I let him stay home to catch up on coursework and get over a panic about it.
After the half term rest I thought things would be getting back to normal, but having been feeling ill on Sunday, he was not much better yesterday (Monday) so I kept him home another day, and left a message on the Attendance Officer's voicemail to say he was unwell. I really think he was fighting a bug, as he slept till 2.30 pm! (although this could be normal teenage behaviour...). Then today he woke up in a big panic about a piece of German coursework he hadn't done which was due today. Just to make sure he really had a German lesson today I checked the school newsletter online to see which week of his two-week timetable we were in. Imagine my embarrassment to find that yesterday was in fact an INSET (staff training) day and so there hadn't been school yesterday in any case!
On the strength of that, it didn't seem so bad to be missing today, so he stayed home and we worked together on his German. The irony is, he'd already done a quarter of the work to a really high standard, and didn't need all that much help from me. He gets in such a state over the work but when he actually gets down to doing it, he always does it absolutely brilliantly. I wonder how we can get over the panic factor?
With reference to which, I am currently reading a book called The Explosive Child, which came highly recommended by a US Shipmate whose kids, like mine, have neurological deficits. It is indeed amazingly helpful, but I am waiting for the sequel: The Explosive Parent.
By the way, did I ever say I loved my church? I love my church... rush of love occasioned by a really fantastic 'members' communion' (agape meal) last Tuesday. I don't know how I'd survive without these lovely people.