[fostermommy]

AArgh!!!! I just got off the phone with the high school principal. My daughter is a senior who is taking 5 AP classes in addition to an online AP class through a college. She also holds a part time job to earn money for college, is on a soccer team, and leads a couple of service clubs at her school. One of her classes meets "0 hour" which means her school day is lengthened by an hour. Her school schedule is such that she has 2 study halls at the end of the day. The study halls are held in the cafeteria with more than 200 students. Now - one can only imagine how much quality studying is going on with that many kids in a giant room at the end of the day. My daughter comes home from school frustrated every day because she can't get anything accomplished during her last 2 hours of school!! She has tried getting a "pass" to the library, but is only allowed to do that if she goes directly there - and if they happen to have room in the library and are not holding a class in there that day. If she chooses to stop at study hall to get 5 min of help from her math teacher, then she's not allowed to leave after that point to go to the library. I called the principal with a simple request ---- if students are being encouraged to act like college students by being pushed to take all these very demanding classes, then why can't they be treated like college students and be allowed to come home when their academics are done to study at their own quiet desk with their own computer?? Why must they sit in a crowded cafeteria with a bunch of kids who are talking, playing, etc?!?! I know I'm sounding a bit snotty here, but I was really quite cordial in our conversation - and his response to me was something on the order of "why do you think your daughter is so special that she should have special priviledges?" Oh, come on!!!!! Any kid who takes all college level courses in high school, keeps high grades, has no behavior problems on record, and has their parent's permission should certainly be permitted to study wherever they can be most successful - nomatter who they are!! So - everybody has to stuff themselves into the same shoebox here??? Every day she comes home and spends the whole evening in her room studying. She never goes out in the evening, and has had to cut back her work hours - which is fine. But having those 2 hours to do school work at home instead of a crowded cafeteria is what she needs in order to be most efficient, healthy, and to continue to have a positive attitude about learning. The school has a "senior lounge" where she is permitted to go during study hall - and I suggested that she could study there. But - she has found that this lounge is used for watching tv and playing video games --- DURING SCHOOL HOURS!!!!! I asked the principal if this activity could be eliminated during school hours, and he responded that this was a senior priviledge that he could not take away. So - my kid can't come home to study, but the goofballs can play videogames on taxpayer dollars??? I just hit a huge brick wall with this yahoo. After years and years of frustration with public schools, I have developed great respect and understanding for those who choose to home school their kids.