I attended the principal's Elluminate session Monday and was stunned to be told it usually takes new families about three months to find their stride.
Three months.
Not five days, not two weeks, not a month, but three months. That makes sense! We haven't been in public school for seven years and never have participated in any umbrella program, so to go in blind and learn everything about a virtual public school program in just a few days would be impossible, especially with the teachers and administrators making adjustments and finding their ways as well.
After my meltdown a couple of weeks ago, I gritted my teeth and dug in to honor my one-year commitment to the program. Almost immediately, things began to turn around. We learned we would be able to attend the presidential inauguration because of the efforts of Larry's teacher; Larry began attending live classes online, beaming with pride at every "atta boy" he received from teachers who aren't me; we received our missing materials; the children absolutely loved the Study Island test prep program; we set up a more workable schedule; and we completely banished the option of withdrawing this year.
Although we haven't had official parent-teacher conferences, we are blessed with Mrs. Bertrang and Mrs. Grout, who do their best to answer my zillion questions quickly and accurately. In addition to the inauguration, we will get to participate in some other fun outings like the Center for Puppetry Arts, and a Yahoo GVA group for folks in our area just opened.
Anyway, I realize that I have spent previous posts outlining my frustrations with GVA, but believe me, if we didn't think this program has tremendous potential we'd be outta here. It just takes time and patience, and though I'm not blessed with an overabundance of either, my heels are still dug in and my teeth are still gritted, with the hopes of relaxing both as I get the hang of things.
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2 comments:
Oh wow, I'm so sorry that your year started off so poorly!! We definitely had to make some adjustments in our first year! Trust me, the second year goes a lot smoother!! I'm even able to get a couple of other things done around the house *besides* school work. ;) But seriously, if you ever need any advise from a fellow "learning coach" or just need to vent, drop me a line. We're all in this together. :)
Thanks, Nellie! I really was getting ready to hang it up there for awhile, but things are going very well now. I appreciate your support and encouragement. :o)
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