Miscellaneous reading efforts

I tried reading Janelle Monae’s _The Memory Librarian_, and the language is delightful but I was super confused. I will likely come back again at this and try later.

I tried reading _Priory of the Orange Tree_. I bought this (and the audio book) as part of the find f/sf for A. that is woman-centered and has good reviews. Reading this has made it super clear to both A. and I that we actually do not like High Fantasy. It is _possible_ that there are examples of High Fantasy that we can like. The definition of “high” is “totally different world” vs. “low” which is some degree of connection to our own reality. And then “high” is usually “epic”. And generally speaking NOT humorous. Apparently Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is unusual in that it _is_ humorous but also considered High Fantasy. Dunno? But a lot of the fantasy that I enjoy (Ilona Andrews, for example) is definitely low fantasy — near term / alternate universe stuff. The Ilona Andrews works that are not low fantasy tend to be more on the SF direction.

I actually don’t know _why_ I don’t like High Fantasy? I don’t think it is a thorough-going hatred of it, because I really enjoyed Travis Baldree’s books, and I also really liked Casey Blair’s tea chronicles. It may be the case that the only “High Fantasy” I like is at the super-humanistic / at least lightly comedic end of things.

Thursday: the apocalypse would be desirable at this point

Probably I am exaggerating.

So, Tuesday, I got up for the MEPFP meeting. Wednesday, I got up for the dentist. Thursday (today), I got up for an 8 am meeting with the vice principal at ABRHS regarding something that happened Wednesday afternoon in the current events club. I obviously was not at the current events club. I got A.’s description. I got a teacher’s description (very vague). I got a phone call from the vice principal on the way to the therapist. I talked to A. about it before the therapist. I talked to it with A. at the therapist. We all trooped in to talk to the vice principal about it this morning.

I then tried to listen to the If Books Could Kill about _Lean In_, and concluded that I truly do hate everyone and I just want nuclear winter already because honestly, that’s what we deserve collectively. If we are in a world in which young, Democrat voting folks think that supporting a group of terrorists that want to segregate everyone by gender over the age of 9 AND attack Sheryl Sandberg for being a capitalist AND then be appalled at an SPLC survey that suggests that men are unhappy about feminism and/or think that men should be valued “more” whatever that might mean, well, I’m out. I’m done. We deserve what happens to us, no matter how horrible.

And then I got the summary from the vice principal about the meeting. And that email included the word “punch” (that had not previously entered the conversation at any point) and the phrase “handbook violation”.

OK. Look, I know I wanted my kid in school because that’s where the kids are, but I can admit when I am wrong. And I am obviously being wrong about a lot of things right now. I talked to A., and she doesn’t know what she wants (fair). I sent an email to the therapist asking for support on the keep A. home on Friday as a mental health day (okay to say no, but boy, a letter in support would be awesome). I replied to the vice principal saying A. won’t be in the club any more, and will be staying home Friday, and please let me know if there is a plan to suspend her on Monday so we don’t send her in to school pointlessly. I also asked for details on the “punch” thing, since that was a whole new thing and I don’t want to talk about anything until they completely spill all of what they have on that. Whatever “that” is. I mean, it’s fictional, but details matter.

We did some research, because I realized I didn’t really know what the options at this point are (obviously, homeschooling is always an option). Turns out MGL says school until 16, and honestly, that’s not that far into the future. So one option is to attend until 16, bail, send a letter of withdrawal and then sit for the GED or HISET. At that point, we can take a couple years (or not) and she can attend college (or not). Obviously, I find this personally deeply appealing because of the travel opportunities that open up.

In the meantime, I remember seeing something go by about a program to deal with chronic absenteeism. We work really hard to make sure the kids go to school and are in school all day pretty consistently, but I’m thinking I’ll just revisit that decision at an absolute minimum. Since the December debacle with the history teacher, we got a notification _at the appropriate time_ about missing assignments in history, and A. and I got her caught up and have been keeping her caught up. But I’m now thinking maybe that was a poor choice.

I’m thinking an absolute nose dive in attendance and homework completion is the correct call at this point. In conjunction with that certificate she got about her amazing MCAS scores, it’ll make our point for us when we pull her next September.

I’m really, really, really sorry I worked so hard to keep my kids in school. That’s easily the stupidest, most damaging, worst decision of my entire post-JW life.

If you are agonizing over your kids’ education, or are homeschooling and wondering if that’s the right choice, or whatever you are thinking about your choices: whatever you did, I fully support that you made the best decision you could at the time. And if you regret it, I absolutely sympathize with you. And also, I am pretty sure that in the grander scheme of things, it is way less important than it feels, and the quicker we get that idea into us, the better we’ll all feel.