We appealed Ab's expulsion, to no avail. I knew in my heart that they wouldn't change their minds, so I was prepared for the negative response. But, it didn't make it any easier. Especially, since I'd paid $15,000 of non-refundable cash, for her to go to school for a mere 4 months.
On the bright side, the Headmaster said that he'd take her back next year, and possibly help with a scholarship if she had improved her grades and stayed out of trouble for the rest of the school year. Yet, I think next school year may be a little too soon for her to demonstrate any significant change.
However, since our local school district would not accept her for the rest of the year due to her expulsion, I was in a real quandary, because the "independent study" program that they referred her to, just wasn't going to cut it. It seems to me that it's highly inappropriate to give a kid that's been in trouble more unstructured, free time, with no adult supervision.
Instead, she's in an out-of-state boarding high school that takes "under achieving, but capable" kids, some of who are making bad decisions in life. It sounded perfect and I was delighted with the Headmaster's philosophy to deal with kids who want to make the wrong behavioral choices. She's been there 3 days, and has already served her first detention for smoking.
Arrrrrggggghhh!
I'm going to go watch American Idol. Just thinkin' of this is giving me a headache.
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Thank god mine is only 8 months old. I worry all the time that no matter how good of parents we are, she will still have the average adolescent problems. *Sigh* I wish I could go back and undo all those things for my mother that I did as a teen. Here's to being a parent. Lucky for them, no matter what they do, we love them. All it takes is a loving look from them and we're back to knowing that they're perfect. =)
ReplyDeleteJamie
That child is determined to be a handful, Lisa. I think you made the right decision, sending her to a place where she will be supevised all the time. It's a shame she blew her chance with the creative possibilities of that other school. But she's so young...and the only decisions she seems to want to make right now are bad ones. Hopefully, as she matures, she'll figure it out. Lisa :-] http://journals.aol.com/mlraminiak/ComingtotermswithMiddleAge/
ReplyDeleteLisa, my sister-in-law said something to me one time when I was struggling with Amy and her 'dark phase' She said, "if you can survive through age 16, it'll all get better". Now that seems a simple statement, but it carried me through and I believed her -- which was fine -- because it was true. But if nothing else, those words just gave me the umph I needed on any given bad day or through a bad spell. Ab will turn around, she's trying to find herself now and while she's not doing a great job yet, she will eventually.
ReplyDeleteOh, I am so sorry to hear the appeal was turned down. What kind of school is this? Sounds pretty expensive.
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