Confusion...

Today, I am wondering about parents. And about what is honestly going through their minds as they're doing some of the things that drive teachers crazy.

I got a new student this week. It's the fourth week of school, and I just got a new student.


Getting a new student isn't unusual; just like in most schools (with the exception of small town-type schools), we have a relatively high turn over, and we get new students pretty regularly. We sometimes even get kids from other teams due to a schedule conflict or a personality conflict among kids or even among the teachers and the kids. However, this student was not a kid who had moved from another state, school district, team, or anything else like that.

No, this child just hadn't started school.

Apparently, they didn't know when school started. When asked why she was late starting to school, she told us that her parents had thought school started the day she came.

What?? How could you honestly not know when your child is supposed to start school? It's not like they just moved here; she's gone to school in our county since 2nd grade (I asked her).

It's not like our county is secretive. In fact, we have advertising campaigns about going back to school that costs big bucks to put on.

And even if you didn't know when your child was supposed to start school, wouldn't you call the school and find out? They should know the month of school starting, at least, since it hasn't changed in all the time she's going to school here, so at least 4 years.

Now she's really behind, because even though we haven't gotten into the full swing of things yet, the kids all know how to do all the things I expect of them, so she just feels awkward.

All the little lunch groups are formed. All the little cliques. All the little love-hate drama.

She has essentially been put at a disadvantage, which is just not fair of her parents. She's a sweet kid, and this makes me sad.

Why, parents... why??

It boggles the mind.