Flexischooling

Right. I'm now in Firefox, as for some reason Explorer is not playing with blogger. I don't know why Ive been using it, anyway.

I expect you're getting a bit sick of this but here's the boys in their full-school gear on Monday morning.

They were quite happy at home all weekend- The boys made these boats...


Joy did the next best thing to horseriding...this must have been Monday after school.
Anyway Freddie didnt go in today. He just appeared in normal clothes and said he wanted to stay at home and make a collage. So he did, after a baby chino, and before an ice cream (while I had a coffee, and a tea)- I did tell him if he doesn't go to school he'll have to go where I want to go. I quite enjoyed going to the market with him and getting all excited about the toys! I even bought myself a couple of intersting Playmobil figures! (OK more pics needed!).
Fergus went cross-country running at 4 o-clock, which involved running round a field with 100 other children from loads of schools. He came 52nd out of 54 finishers in his year. His friend dropped out, but I expect that was because he had cycled there. I've not been to anything like it since my own sports days, which I can barely remember.
O yes, the flexi...I'm so tired I can barely think...the children are going to their dad's soon, and I'm supposed to be going out, with matchsticks I think. I had to take Freddie in to tell the secretary he wasn't coming to school. We had to go to take Fergus. So she asked why, again. Last week I had told her he wasn't five so it doesn't matter. So she and the dinner lady tried to get persuade him to change his mind. For some reason I was nearly in tears by the time I was walking out of the school gates, hand firmly in hand with Freddie. I just don't think I should be expected to provide an excuse or reason for him not going to school if he's not five. He only started two weeks ago. He's been great, but it must be a massive shock for him. And I don't think it's appropriate for them to try to override my decision in front of him.
Fortunately Kelly phoned me before I had reached the car and we went and had coffee together. I know I've had other emotional upsets in the last week, like being dumped by facebook and text (that's for another time...), but this is the first time I've been so upset by the dragon secretary. O, I know, I haven't had a drink for... a few days...! so things are a bit more real than they were...
So, what do I do? make a formal arrangement for Freddie to go in four days a week, expect them to be 'flexible' at the risk of the rath of Mrs M, or what? if I put it in writing or email it will be read by Mrs M before anyone else. I suppose the teacher is the best person to talk to. But I havent talked to her like I've talked to the other 2's teachers. because Freddie has been expected to just fit in. The nursery parents (the 3 year olds that are actually together with the 4 year-olds) all had interviews at the beginning of term and the children have all started part-time: half days. Just because Freddie is older does that make it any easier for him to suddenly go full time? he is doing an amazing job, but I don't think they understand that he has not been left with anyone, apart from one of his parents, ever. And I think he was about 3 1/2 before I left him for any amout of time.
Anyway, they're in for a long day tomorrow: leaving daddie's at 7.30 for school's out club, and there's a birthday party straight after school, and Fergus has got swimming. At least the party's next door to Dawn so me and Fred can go and chill out there if necessary, if he can handle being on a boat after falling in last time we went there!

cursive

Freddie has been sent home with a sheet not dissimilar to this. His target for this term is to learn all the letter sounds. He knows all the letter sounds, so is that a good target?
Mind you he is struggling to regognise some of the letters when presented in this way. I mean just look at the r and v. And Fergus really struggles with this. I can see the reasoning behind it and maybe Freddie will cope, but is this really appropriate for an 8 year old, possible dyslexic, who is already struggling to recognise/differentiate letters? I suppose it does mean that, eg, b is not a mirror image of a d, etc.

I could cope with this, as the actual letter shapes are more clear, the upstrokes being secondary. I think having them all the same thickness leads to an artificial writing style: I've seen it. And anyway, it is print that they see all around them, so that is what they know. I think for reading it should be print, surely? Isn't this making it a bit too complicated for them at the beginning? Me and my two girls manged to move from print to joined up writing at an appropriate stage...
And what's wrong with the Montessori cursive anyway? it has flicks, but not the upstrokes, which, as far as I'm concerned are not actually part of the letter.
I just bumped into ed psyc H for a coffee, and had a great chat about this. She says most parents hate this- they seem to do it in all the schools round here from day one, although there are many incongruities, ie the alphabet curve (in print) on the classroom wall. The one thing I've seen in Freddie's classroom is the interactive whiteboard, which they have to drag their own name onto the cow (for milk-ordering!) each morning. It's written in a cursive font, but I think this is a lot moe readable than a single letter.


But really I am tending to think at the moment...

lazy weekend here we come...

I am so looking forward to the weekend when we can all be at home...
Fergus had a bad cold on Tuesday and stayed at home. I was already feeling a bit sad about the whole school thing, so it was nice to have him at home. He stayed off yesterday too, and I let Freddie stay and keep him company. It was so nice not to have to take them and pick them up and they played happily all day, Fergus feeling better in the afternoon. It was like old times...blub. I had a phonecall at 10 in the morning from the dragon secretary, asking why they weren't in and was Freddie ill, too. I just said no, but he's not five yet so it doesn't matter. I don't know... I wish we could do it part-time, but I've got a feeling that wouldn't be easy to arrange. But they all went back in today, which seemed to go alright. The boys did start moaning about having to go in on Monday, the novelty having worn off, but they've seemed fine when I've picked them up. I haven't been asking them much about it, just letting them tell me when they're ready. They seem to want to do this straight away, which can be difficult, as I said earlier, when you are walking down a narrow pavement on a busy lane. I think they all seem to be basically doing alright. I think I'm going to have to see Fergus's teacher again tomorrow about his work.
We go the bus in today, which would have worked out fine: it misses out having to walk up the main road for about half a mile, but we were sat on it for fifteen minutes waiting for a connection, and finally dived off and onto the next bus that came along. Freddie really moaned about having to walk there and back today. I had to promise an ice cream in Hebden, which is about halfway and we did the woods path to avoid most of the roady bit.
I think Freddie's coming down with the cold now, Joy's had it and I seemed to have just about fought it off with vitamin C. He asked to put his dressing gown on, over his clothes, which seemed to indicate how he was feeling. I know the feeling: I'm looking forward to a lazy weekend when we can all stay in our pyjamas!

a minor inconvenience

Before I start, note to self: Go to bed. Go directly to bed. Do not linger on the computer. Do not pick up the guitar.

I've not got in to the habit of early nights yet, in fact I've been terrible and doing the opposite, for some reason. I'm not in bed yet as I've just made myself some leek and potato soup, as I hadn't eaten all day since breakfast, which was a long time ago. I just forgot. Sat at the computer and...oops, its five to three. Where did the time go? Ouch! the soup burnt my mouth, I must have been hungry.
Anyway, here's what we did after school: went to the cafe for baby chinos, except it looks like a butcher's (... with tables outside?) That's because someone was making a film, which is why we went down.

They did soon get bored of watching what was mostly people standing around. That's a 1993 police car, apparently... we did see it being filmed driving slowly into the car park, again and again, and again.


sorry or the inconvenience ... "well I want an ice cream and the other cafe's been turned into a bookshop!"
They got rid of the tables outside this one, but it had been open. I'm sure at least one of those is an actaw.

...These are.


We weren't inconvenienced, (greatly, although Freddie never got his ice cream)
But it started to bore me too.
Right, now, definately time for bed...after one last cuppa tea...

all change...

So, we survived the first week of school. I was really pleased that they all were so enthusiastic and seemed to settle in very well. We managed to do the half-hour walk (only 10 minutes for Joy) every day without being late. No, in fact I think we drove in on Friday as it was really raining plus I had left my car in a place where it would have got a parking ticket in the morning. I have also picked them up a few times in the car, to try and soften the blow, but not all the way there because parking on the lane just makes it so unpleasant for people that are walking (gr!) It's so hard to negotiate the narrow pavement with car doors opening into you and chatting with your children with all the 4x4 engines revving, well, just forget it. But I know now that ten minutes is not enough time to do it in, if I park just off the main road. We drove in today because I slept through the alarm and woke five minutes before we had to set off. Oops. We have to cross a busy road and I don't know where the lollipop man was today- fortunately there were loads of other people crossing, as Fergus had run ahead.
I had a chat with Fergus's teacher about the extra work and help he is going to get to try and 'catch up' with his reading and writing. We shall just have to see how it goes. I think we have an appointment set for October for an external assessor. Joy's teacher phoned me up- I missed the call, but he wants me to go and see him, too.
Anyway, I didn't have time to do a birthday party for Fergus, but, somehow it just happened anyway... I just asked a few people round for birthday cake, and what happened was ten boys in my house! Just as well I had slipped into party-mode on the day and done pizza/hummus/chocolate cake making and bought a few crisps and balloons: what else could you possibly need? we did make-your-own pizzas, which meant that it wasn't just one long cushion fight for two hours, and he had some lovely presents. I found three pairs of lovely Boden trousers in a charity shop for him (pictured!). The cake was Crazy Cake with strawberries on top- yum.

Last week I kept myself busy, running round like a blue-arsed fly, having coffees with mums, and charity shopping, just in case I started feeling weird and worrying. So, today I've just been at home on my own doing one of my favourite things... I know I could've done this at the weekend, but somehow I just wanted to chill out, go drinking, chat and do nothing...

first day

...We survived it. No tears. Look at those smiling faces.

I was in a bit of a state last night, in case you didn't notice. I went to get chamomile tea to calm my nerves, but they only had Guinness ;-)

Hence I was in a bit of a haze all day, which I'm sure helped it all run smoothly, because it was me with the nerves, really. Well, Fergus didn't sleep very well, but woke up bright and early and they came in to wake me up at 7.30, all in their uniforms, with a cup of tea.

Anyway, it was a good half hour walk, dropping Joy off on the way, the pace being a bit too fast for Freddie. So, we allow 40 minutes tomorrow? I think I'm going to find out about the school bus...

Good bits: there were two other new children at the reception, and we knew them both. One being the same age as Fergus, and I know his mum and dad, but, for some reason didn't know he was also starting the same school. The other one was another boy who's mum I've known for years, but has been home educating in France, and has come back and is living on our street! (And I hardly know anyone on our street, it can be a bit unfriendly...)

We did see quite a lot of other people who I've known or met before at playgroups, etc. And I was given some more uniform bits.

The teacher thought Fergus was a girl, but I'm not sure that he actually noticed her mistake, which I quickly and subtly corrected. I mean, honestly, They were expecting a boy, he has a boy's name and was a boy in boy's clothes. The only thing was his long hair! I asked him if he minded the older boys teasing him in the playground, whether it upset him or he just thought they were stupid. He just thought they were stupid. And I asked him if he's rather go to the other school, where there are lots of boys with long hair and he said, no, he doesn't care if he's the only boy in the school with long hair, which he isn't anyway. There's one in Freddie's class, anyway...

The nursery assistant went on a bit, telling me about stuff like book bags and what they are for, etc, and I had to stop her and point out that I had done this before, but Freddie hadn't. This was his first day ever at school and she was talking to me! Standing up, so he couldn't even hear. I found some stickle bricks and left him with them. I saw his teacher after and made sure she knew also thas this was the first time he had been left anywhere, and she seemed surprised and said he was doing very well in that case. He seemed to have had a good day and get on with the other children, although they both said the teachers were "annoying" (!)

I haven't talked much to Joy as she went up to the stables as soon as we got back, but she seemed to enjoy it. We had bumped into some other horsey girls on the way, that were in her class, and who had thought that Joy was much to old to be going to junior school. Her teacher was there when Meg was, eleven years ago, but hasn't reallised the connection yet. He was my favourite one there (and one of the few that didn't leave in the wake of the damning Ofsted report).

Anyway I can't go on writing, as I'm way too tired and need to sleep. Have been feeling strange about the whole thing, but trying to focus on the positive. It hasn't hit me yet. But if they are happy, maybe it's me I'm worried about. It's shaken me up quite a bit. But at least I'll have the time to think about what I want to to next, to try and get done all the things I've been wanting to do, and have the space for myself that I've been craving. As for this blog, I don't know. Suppose I'll carry on in some way, but the blogrings? I should leave them but I can't remember how to go about that right now...

the day has come...

They start school tomorrow. I phoned the head today and had a chat, which made me feel better about it all. Found out they have a compulsury uniform! (well, all the kids wear it and it's VA, so maybe they can be compulsary, anyway, you just gotta do it really). I knew there were jumpers (obviously didn't take in much detail when we looked round *roll*) so I had asked around and arranged to meet a friend of a friend with the friend at 5 today. So we did a quick charity shop sweep of Hebden, well the three that are on the street where we were having baby chinos with some other friends (not, me, I had licorice tea; too much caffeine: bad for nerves). Can you beleive it, Shelter don't stock uniforms- they send them away to third world countries- well, fat lot of use your logo-shirts there, but anyway we got two plain white t-shirts, which will do under the jumpers instead of polo shirts. We tried Valet stores, which sells everything, apart from school uniforms, except for Calder High, and ended up at the most expensive shop in the universe, the only one in Hebden the sells children's clothes, and managed to find the only two pairs of black-or-grey trousers at half past four. We went to rendezvouz point to pick up jumper (Fergus's doesn't have a logo, and we already had it, but it's the right colour and it will do!). I think Freddie will grow out of the expensive trousers in five minutes or they will shrink in the wash, but hey, if we'd driven over to Asda we'd have got something cheaper plus a load more things and i would have been severely frazzled by now, instead of very frazzled.

We did get very wet, and the rendezvous place was shut, so we waited under sun umbrellas and made a dash for it, except it's useless trying to dash up the north face of the Eiger, only trudge soggily. the sun came out as soon as we got home, of course, and Joy had already taken in the dampened washing. So now I have the heating on to dry Joy's clothes. She was a bit miffed at not getting anything new, s she doesnt have to wear a uniform at her school, but she does had plenty of clothes which she doesnt wear much, living in Jods or pj's, mainly.

So we did have a trying on session, which must have taken over an hour, as I had to find stuff like PE kits, which they all found very exciting. Even Fergus seems excited now. Daddy called in with their shoes, which were bought for his wedding, and which I have never seen before.

Anyway, I'm rambling on about this as I am feeling so anxious. Like, like more nervous that when I took my driving test 25 years ago, or, I dunno like what, more than when either of the girls went to school. I can't remember my first day. I need something to calm me down, like a drink, or, chamomile tea... the shop shuts in approximately ten minutes. I might just hafta go and get some, plus milk for the morning... o no, the morning!...