Tonight was middle school Back to School Night. Jimmy got home from Panama and we all ate dinner early and quickly. Jimmy took Mac off to football practice, and I went back to school.
I really am trying very hard to back off as a helicopter parent. I know we're at a critical point where Mac has got to be responsible for his work and himself. (Plus I saw that Maria Shriver special on the Today Show this week where those teenagers said that their helicopter parents were an ENORMOUS source of anxiety for them. I do not want Mac to go on national tv in a few years talking about what a stressor I was.) So since school started, I haven't asked a lot of questions. I read and signed all the syllabi (how you ever heard of syllabi in the 6th grade? Did we even get those in high school 25 years ago?) and I know Mac's been doing his homework. He even has decided that he now likes Math. Why in the world would I ask too many questions about school and what he's doing when we're not fighting over Math homework everyday because he now likes it? I'll remind you that I am the Queen of the Path of Least Resistance.
All I can say after Back to School Night is, "Holy Moley."
For starters, my car almost got towed. I parked in the wrong across-the-street church parking lot. Even though I got there early enough to get a great spot on the street or even in the right church parking lot, I screwed up. Middle school rookie mistake. So when they announced over the loudspeaker that the church was getting ready to start towing cars from the wrong parking lot, I, along with a parking lot full of other parents, took off running to move my car.
There was nary a tow truck in sight. (The church may have been bluffing. Why did they need that small parking lot empty at 7:30 on a Thursday night?)
So instead of having a primo parking spot, I ended up having to park in the next county, run back (uphill) to school, and show up late to a presentation-in-progress. It's so awesome to be that mom when you're first meeting your child's teacher.
Secondly, everything is electronic, and we know how great I am electronically. Homework assignments are on the internet. Grades are on the internet. Missing assignments are on the internet. The textbooks, for crying out loud, are on the internet. Within the next month or so, all sixth graders in the county will receive iPads for use this year. The students will do their work on an iPad. I can't even hardly type on my iPad but Mac's going to write papers on it. And then there's a function by which he and the teacher can access the documents at the same time so they can real-time edit together. What? There are passwords for Blackboard and ParentVue and Apple ID and Google Docs. And the teachers all have Twitter accounts that we're meant to follow. I don't tweet, but I guess I'll be a follower. Do these teachers know how much all this internet-accessing and Twittering are going to impact my Facebook-checking time??
Thirdly, even though I attended all the presentations last night (well except for the few minutes I missed to avoid towing) and am better informed, I am overwhelmed by 6th grade and what they're doing. For instance, I found out I can ask for Max's Lexile Measure. Don't know what that is? I'd never heard of it until last night. I still don't really know what it is except that it can help us help him choose the right books, which I'm pretty sure aren't the ones he likes to read. And this Lexile Measure will come in handy since they're doing the 40-Book Challenge this year. Yes, each child is supposed to read 40 - FORTY, as in 10x4 - books this school year. That's about one book a week. This would be great and doable if he could read the James Patterson books for kids every week. But they require them to cover all genres, so I foresee a lot of struggles coming. Oh yes, there's going to be a lot of literary stress in my future and the Lexile Measure won't help one bit with that. Another example: Social Studies is no longer just plain old Social Studies. This year, they've added Civics and Economics to it. That's all well and good because they really are intertwined. The only issue I have is that there's no SOL test for 6th Social Studies. Instead, they're going to be tested on it at the end of 7th grade. So they are making an Archives Binder throughout the year, which they'll take with them to 7th grade. At some point they'll study it again (at school? on their own at home? I have no idea?) to be tested late next school year. And since Arlington County is SOL-obsessed, I hate to think what happens if you bomb the 6th grade Social Studies SOL test because you took it a year late.
I loved school. I loved studying and doing homework and making good grades. I'm not sure I'd be nearly as successful if I were a middle school student now. PE and Art, my least favorite classes when I was actually in middle school, might just be my most favorite now simply because they'd represent an escape from all this high-tech, advanced learning that's required in every other class.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to read the booklet handed out by the 6th grade counselor titled "H.E.L.P.: How to Enjoy Living with a Preadolescent".
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