my son and i attended the 9th grade orientation at his HS's auditorium. attendance was good, which is a good sign. school rules and policies were discussed. there was a panel, to answer questions from parents, composed of the head principal, the police resource officer, the magistrate of bethel park, guidance counselors, and a teacher involved in the school's sports programs.
there were members of the school's national honor society who escorted them throughout the campus. overall, it was a good and productive night for everyone.
the schedule i picked up last friday was totally scratched by his guidance counselor. she called me and said she had to make a lot of changes since she felt that the teachers in his original schedule won't be a good fit to him. she gave me a brief rundown of the teachers she felt would work best with him, and one of them was one of his favorite teachers, a former math teacher in his 7th grade who moved to the high school. i was relieved to hear that, and he was very excited and happy when i told him about it. i'll pick up his final schedule on monday.
inspite of a seemingly productive night, he told me that he still feels that he would have the same experience as he had in the 7th and 8th grades. not having real friends, and not fitting in. that made me really, really sad. he feels there isn't anybody who shares the same interests as his, and doubts he will ever find one. i told him it isn't fair to him nor any of these kids to say that; to give it time, and give it a fair chance.
we have a strong support group so i am optimistic.
