A Little Surprise at The Meeting

So my son, the oldest received interim grades last week. I was not expecting great things but what I was not expecting was....well let's just say what he got and keep it at that. I was quite puzzled since I had seen my son study and do school/homework now more than ever. After discussing it with him he too seemed confused. So I immediately flew into action and set up a meeting at the school with his teachers so that we could get to the bottom of this. I mean what are they doing up there at that damn schoolhouse?

I generally require my son to attend any meetings at school that involve him. But since this was his first high school meeting and he was feeling uncomfortable I told him he could decide if he wanted to attend. So off to school he went that morning and I said I'd text him midday to get his decision.

About midday I texted him to get his decision. He said he would rather sit this one out. And I said fine. He texted back to say "the 4th period bell was about to ring and he needed to put his phone away"- You will see why this is so important later.

You need a bit of history here- Our middle school is gang infested. The school looks like shit. The majority of the staff could give a fuck. They come to work, disheveled, dingy, exhausted and quite frankly the lack of enthusiasm pours out of their souls and lands at your feet when you interact with them so I assumed I'd encounter the same at high school.I arrived 15 minutes early with all my printed documents in hand ready to battle for my sons education.


Let me first say that the staff here was well dressed, presented well, spoke well, they had their shit together. Every one of my sons teachers was there with documentation in hand in in no hurry to leave. So we sat at  a huge conference table and got started. Ten minutes into the meeting one of the teachers handed me some work to give to Michael. When I asked why she didn't give it to him herself she informed me because he did not attend her class today. My jaw hit the floor! "Are you serious?" I said. "He did not attend your class at all today?" "No" she said, "were you not aware?" Uh no.Then the next teacher said "he did not attend my class either" then the next teacher said "mine either" and it went that way around the whole table until ending with a guy who said "he only attends my class twice a week." WTF!!!!!!

Where the hell is he? Where was he?? How the hell did this get by me? Thoughts were swirling around my head and I was just truly in shock. That little bastard had even texted me to say the "bell was ringing" Damn! Damn! Damn!

Why today idiot? The day I'm coming to school. Idiot! Anyway. Plans were made to pull his grades up. Short version, he'll eat bologna sandwiches in the class with the teachers and do work instead of socializing in the cafeteria . He will arrive early once a week for additional tutoring, and should he skip ever again I will carpool him to and from school and the school will have him escorted to each class. There are other preventive measures butt that's the jest of it.

I left the school feeling a mixture of things; supported, as his teachers and I worked together to keep him straight, sad- that my son is going down the path that I too went down, embarrassed, that I did not know, but most of all Pissed that this fool skipped school, lied and played me. As I pulled into my driveway my anger was boiling and I was ready for combat because remember what happened last time

.But lucky for him my new neighbor stopped me to small talk and after 30 minutes of small talk I had cooled off enough to have saved his life.

I will keep everyone posted.