You can't fix stupid!

I say this all the time to Seema on a variety of things relating to life.  I really believe this and sometimes the stupid isn't a person being stupid, but rather policies etc...

So here is the rant of the day.  Seema was mistakenly marked absent in her Algebra class.  No big deal, mistakes happen.  Let me say right here, right up front - I have the fullest respect for anyone that teaches, my BFF Mr. Warren is a teacher.  It is a HARD job and one that I would run so fast from teaching that your head would spin.

Moving on - so I said to her let your teacher know she made a mistake and have her correct it.  Seems super easy and straight forward - a SIMPLE mistake.  Well, no... actually the teacher can't correct the mistake - I am assuming here due to some backwards policy at the admin level.  And Seema ALSO can't correct it by talking to the school registrar.  ME - the PARENT has to fix it... REALLY!!!  WHAT THE HELL... I am the only one responsible enough to correct a mistake - I don't think so.  I am the LEAST responsible and I don't want the responsibility. I want my kid to be able to learn that advocating for herself is a good thing, not the school tossing out barriers to her learning that lesson.  I want the teacher to be empowered to make mistakes and fix them.  BUT - NO neither can occur with whatever cockeyed policy or thought went in to saying 3 people at the school can't fix a simple absence but rather the parent has to tackle the issue.

I am not saying I don't want to parent or be responsible but more often than not it is the policy to pass the torch to the parent rather than hold the kids accountable.  What are we teaching them?  I can't tell you the number of releases and forms I have signed - to the point that Seema really needs to learn to forge my signature.  Releases and forms that say I understand and my kid has my permission or I will be responsible.  I honestly can say I don't recall having my parents sign a bunch of stuff for school and truthfully I don't recall forging it either.  We as a society have gotten so far in to pass the buck that we forget that you can fix stupid if you actually take time to teach accountability, responsibility, constructive criticism, healthy debate and the like.

In the end though that may seem far to Pollyanna for most and for me as well.  So I fall back to that you can't fix stupid, just learn to go around or for me send a simple (and nice) e-mail to the registrar and ask that she correct the mistake. 

All is well...Mistakes happen and if you really really want you CAN fix stupid, but why try?

Parent Teacher Conference

I went to my first PTC as I was unable to attend in the first term due to work obligations. I will say though, I took the advice of my good friend Chuck and sent ALL of Ms. Seema's teachers an e-mail saying I was unable to attend and if they had concerns or if I could meet another time, I would make that happen.  I heard back from 2 teachers!  I met with one and the other said all was good.

With that as my preview here is what happens when you actually show up.  I was smart and made all my appointments 10 minutes apart as each conference is 5 minutes.  The first teacher was awesome, she teaches Medical Terminology.  She loves Seema and of course she is doing well...no problems.  Great, I move on.  Next Language Arts - again, no worries they (the teacher and student teacher) love her and love that she stands when asking a question.  She wants to do a presentation on Pakistan and they are excited to hear that. 

Moving on all is going well until I hit Chemistry... I wait in the hall for my time - which in reality is past my time because the teacher is running late.  No big deal, I can hang.  She comes out and says, oh, Seema is in the student teachers class and he is doing conferences in the room next door.  OK - I walk on over and NO teacher.  Then this conversation took place: 
I ask the actual teacher and she says, OH - he is also teaching Spanish, so he could be down in that classroom. 
Me: HHMMMM...okay, should I wait???
Actual teachers states that I can go down to Ms. Eberts room and he MAY be there. 
Me: uummmm...
Actual teacher: Do you know where Ms. Eberts classroom is? 
Me: Well no (now let me say, I was trying SUPER hard not to let my face give away what I was thinking which was - REALLY, HOW THE HELL WOULD I KNOW WHERE MS. EBERTS CLASSROOM IS???) 
Actual teacher: It is by the Library.
Me: Oh okay (AGAIN, ME THINKING, LADY THAT DOESN'T HELP ME AT ALL BECAUSE - I DON'T GO TO SCHOOL HERE!!!!!)
Actual teacher:  I can show you on the map. 
She shows me and can't be SURE which classroom it really is.
Me: Thanks....and walk away thinking (WELL UNLESS THIS GUY CAN APPARATE BACK UPSTAIRS TO HIS CLASSROOM WHERE HE HAS AN APPOINTMENT IN THE 2 SECONDS LEFT IN OUR 5 MINUTE CONFERENCE WE ARE DONE WITH CHEMISTRY...)
I walk to the next conference...muttering in my head how ridiculous that interchange was.
Next conference... great, a couple of missing assignments that if she turns in will bring up her grade... NOW - fast forward to a week later... I remind Seema that her biology grade is a C+ and to get it up she needs to turn in the 2 assignments.  She has NO clue what she has missed.  She goes in at lunch to talk to teacher ONLY to find out that she turned them in first and he didn't RECORD her marks.... Now she has an A-.  REALLY, REALLY, REALLY - COME ON PEOPLE!!!  I GET THAT TEACHING IS A ROUGH JOB AND I ADMIRE ANYONE THAT IS WILLING TO TAKE THIS CHALLENGE.  HOWEVER, I THINK THE MOST SIMPLE THING OF RECORDING A GRADE SHOULD BE THE EASIEST PART OF THE HARD HARD HARD JOB.
My next appointment is with her Internship advisor. I get to the room I am told only to find again an empty office.  I ask the person in the adjacent office, she says, oh, I don't know where she is. She picks up the phone to call and then tells me she has no idea where she is and can't answer if or when she will come back or really anything... instead of having another RIDICULOUS conversation I take this time to capture Seema's counselor to ask him to remove her from Debate B5/6.  She actually isn't taking this class this semster and basically is getting marked absent every day... because during that time she is marked present in another class...GGRRHHH.
And my last conference is with her Ceramics teacher.  He is a nice guy that tells me he spends his classtime answering questions.  I know Seema struggles in this class due to what she says is her small hands.  I tell him this is her hardest class.  He tells me she needs to follow the instructions and not jump ahead when she gets frustrated.  OKAY OKAY.. I will let her know and say thanks and leave thinking, if my kids HARDEST class is ceramics ~ all is well.  If she makes a pot it may not hold water - who cares!!!

Go Highland Rams!!!!