Back to school or Back to schedule?
It is almost mid of September, schools have started and our families are settling in to this year's schedule. Two of our older children entered High and Junior High school. Even if our children are in the same school as last year, the timetable is always slightly different. Maybe classes start earlier this year, or later. Or maybe it's the before and after activities that are different.
For the 7th and 9th grader, the night before registration, I spent a chaotic evening filling out two cards each and several other forms, all asking for exactly the same information. It was just like last year, and all the years before, even down to the part where my fingers begin to hurt and I begin to talk to myself, "Don’t they have good programmers like me at this school district who print the auto filled forms for parents from the school system and have them make the changes if necessary?"
On the day of the registration, first I took my daughter to her Junior High. Everything was just perfect until I decided to go to attendance office instead of multi-purpose room where the registration was supposed to be. My daughter was upset for getting late due ot my early morning confusion & I was thinking how could I confuse the high with Junior high after doing all that hours of paper work just last night. The lady on the registration desk made my day when she carefully looked at the folder I was holding and smilingly said “You are too organized for me; wish I could be you”. My daughter looked admiringly on me and already forgave me for being late. Well, we were out of there in 15 minutes after checking out heavy books for her, which she is supposed to keep at home this year. That took my whole attention to re-organizing our children’s rooms so I can help them find the books and supplies when my dinner, their home work and some after school activity clashes. BTW that happens often under our roof.
Now it was time for my son to register as freshmen. As opposed to morning experience we stood in a long queue here in front of attendance office. His schedule did not show the Jazz Band and Tennis period. My son and I went to his counselor's office to modify his schedule for this year. He looked very pleased & made a quick change from PE to Jazz band, until my son announced that he wanted to play tennis in addition to all the required courses for Pre-IB program. The counselor commended him for having been selected on the Tennis Team and then adjusted his glasses to look carefully on the computer screen. After careful long thought he disappointed my son by suggesting that he has to drop Human Geography(which he can take in summer) in order to keep Tennis. I bombarded him with questions following that suggestion till he printed the final copy of his schedule. He explained to us the courses for his freshmen year, sophomore year as well as summers following those. After almost 30 minutes, I left the office thinking “I hardly had him home this summer, when is he going to have any summer vacation?’, though my son was very happy, hardly concerned about his ‘so full’ schedule. He quickly left for his band camp smiling on those who were so patiently waiting outside the counselor’s office but without saying a word to me. Is it all normal for a teen?
This school year is busier than ever. My youngest daughter though still in elementary school, but her school starts 10 min earlier than last year. Both the older ones go to zero periods staring 6:42 for Performing Band and 7:15 am for Honor Choir. So we all wake up at Amrit Vela…children to get dressed for schools and me to cook & pack lunches and enjoy school trips until 8am. How is your Amrit Vela?
It is almost mid of September, schools have started and our families are settling in to this year's schedule. Two of our older children entered High and Junior High school. Even if our children are in the same school as last year, the timetable is always slightly different. Maybe classes start earlier this year, or later. Or maybe it's the before and after activities that are different.
For the 7th and 9th grader, the night before registration, I spent a chaotic evening filling out two cards each and several other forms, all asking for exactly the same information. It was just like last year, and all the years before, even down to the part where my fingers begin to hurt and I begin to talk to myself, "Don’t they have good programmers like me at this school district who print the auto filled forms for parents from the school system and have them make the changes if necessary?"
On the day of the registration, first I took my daughter to her Junior High. Everything was just perfect until I decided to go to attendance office instead of multi-purpose room where the registration was supposed to be. My daughter was upset for getting late due ot my early morning confusion & I was thinking how could I confuse the high with Junior high after doing all that hours of paper work just last night. The lady on the registration desk made my day when she carefully looked at the folder I was holding and smilingly said “You are too organized for me; wish I could be you”. My daughter looked admiringly on me and already forgave me for being late. Well, we were out of there in 15 minutes after checking out heavy books for her, which she is supposed to keep at home this year. That took my whole attention to re-organizing our children’s rooms so I can help them find the books and supplies when my dinner, their home work and some after school activity clashes. BTW that happens often under our roof.
Now it was time for my son to register as freshmen. As opposed to morning experience we stood in a long queue here in front of attendance office. His schedule did not show the Jazz Band and Tennis period. My son and I went to his counselor's office to modify his schedule for this year. He looked very pleased & made a quick change from PE to Jazz band, until my son announced that he wanted to play tennis in addition to all the required courses for Pre-IB program. The counselor commended him for having been selected on the Tennis Team and then adjusted his glasses to look carefully on the computer screen. After careful long thought he disappointed my son by suggesting that he has to drop Human Geography(which he can take in summer) in order to keep Tennis. I bombarded him with questions following that suggestion till he printed the final copy of his schedule. He explained to us the courses for his freshmen year, sophomore year as well as summers following those. After almost 30 minutes, I left the office thinking “I hardly had him home this summer, when is he going to have any summer vacation?’, though my son was very happy, hardly concerned about his ‘so full’ schedule. He quickly left for his band camp smiling on those who were so patiently waiting outside the counselor’s office but without saying a word to me. Is it all normal for a teen?
This school year is busier than ever. My youngest daughter though still in elementary school, but her school starts 10 min earlier than last year. Both the older ones go to zero periods staring 6:42 for Performing Band and 7:15 am for Honor Choir. So we all wake up at Amrit Vela…children to get dressed for schools and me to cook & pack lunches and enjoy school trips until 8am. How is your Amrit Vela?
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If you are able to combine that with some simran or gurbani then you are even more blessed! Child-raising is a noble activity and is also accepted by Guru ji.
Guru Raakha!