In Which Both Elementary School and Chinese Exit Stage Left

Okay, so, last you heard both kids were trying out public school (Matthew in high school and Zachary in elementary), and I wasn't in Chinese at FSI with James because there was no space for me in James' class.


That was a couple of days ago.


The week has continued on, James' Chinese class has started, people in his Chinese section have been shuffled around (turns out that some of them were advanced enough in Chinese that they got to move to different classes?  Don't really know how this works...), and the upshot was that yesterday my phone rang and I was told that there was now a spot for me in James' Chinese class and that they would be delighted to have me attend.  (And, trust me, I would be delighted to be there.)


But at the same time, while the week was continuing on, I was watching elementary school and my youngest son, Zachary, become more and more of a FANTASTICALLY bad fit.  It is beyond the scope of this blog why and how, and I can otherwise say that Matthew's foray into public high school is going incredibly well thus far, but you'll just have to trust me on this one about Zachary:  this school situation thing for him is a big, fat NOPE. 

Thus, it is with a very heavy heart that I am not in Chinese with James at FSI this morning (and won't be accepting the spot so graciously offered to me - THANK YOU, State Department/Chinese Department at FSI for doing everything you did to get me into Chinese!)... but I know it's best for our family that this opportunity passes me by.  Zachary will be homeschooled, Matthew will be in school (and, actually, it's sort of almost like Matthew is still kinda homeschooled because the kid is done with school every day at 1:15!), and I will be available to support all three of my beloved guys as need be. 


I have heard that when we get to post (Chengdu, China, the fall of next year), that I may have language-learning opportunities there - and I'm sure I'll pick stuff up from James and from Matthew (Matthew is in an accelerated Chinese class this year at the high school that is, I kid you not, going faster than James' class at FSI, and that's no exaggeration!).  My family will take care of me, I will take care of them, God will take care of all of us, and that, my friends, is that.   


But since we're on the subject of school, I do, however, have one more thing to say.

~  ~  ~

An Open Letter to An Inanimate Object

Dear Cup of Coffee,


My sixteen year old son wakes up VERY early in the morning.  Being something of a bizarre young man, he is unable/refuses to eat any food in the morning.  Something about his stomach being upset, etc., which means that you are all that he consumes in the morning prior to leaving for school.


I walked down the hallway the other morning (before school) and encountered this scene at our dining room table: 





Cup of Coffee, you are, as we all can see, EMPTY.  And yet my son is asleep on the table next to you.


As you know, Cup of Coffee, neither my husband nor I partake of you.  So I may not be completely well-versed in how you work.  Regardless, I do not believe that the consumption of you is supposed to move a human being from being asleep on the dining room table to:





Being asleep on the dining room table CHAIRS. 


This is not the sort of scene I was hoping you would supply us with on school mornings. 


I know it is not your fault that my son has to wake up so insanely early, but can you PLEASE just try a little bit harder to be effective? 


Yours Very Truly,

Matthew's Mom

Comments

[Jen]

Love the coffee photos...awesome! And good for you for knowing what is a good fit for your family and what isn't!

[Daniela]

I am so sorry public school and Zachary didn't click and that you can't take the finally available spot in Chinese class! Such a bummer!

I'm glad public school is working for Matthew though. The coffee thing is strange. Perhaps, it's just the adjustment from being home to going to school. Adjusting to new things can be exhausting!

Sending good vibes your way!

[Bridget]

whew. Never a dull moment in the ADA household. Sorry things did not work out with school/Zachary and Chinese. But you know what's best for your family. Hope you find your groove soon. How great that Matthew is in a challenging Chinese class, too! That will be wonderful for him when you get there! All the best.

[shannon]

LOL! Matthew looks remarkably like Dakota in the morning. I think it is just teenagers. i have never understood why if all the research shows teens don't function well in the morning they insist on high school starting BEFORE elementary. Seems a little sadistic.

Sorry about chinese. maybe you and Zachary could work your way through rosetta stone this year. Something is better than nothing. Glad you are there for Zachary when the school didn't work out.

[Connie]

I am sorry that elementary and chinese did not work out as planned... but it worked out, and you sound relieved to be settling in and figuring out what's going on. It may not be what was planned, but it's progress. Love the sleepy teen photos :D ... I'm going to go read your note to MY coffee now. (btw, I am totally with Matthew about breakfast.. I hate eating in the morning and always have.)

[TulipGirl]

Oh, wow. . . Lots of changes. . . what a rollercoaster ride!

(And, btw, we have that EXACT same dining room table/chairs in our oakwoody place. Are you renting furnished?)

[Donna]

My coffee does that to me, too. I keep trying, though - at least 3 or 4 times every morning, these days.

Glad you found a solution that works. This will be better, anyway. If you don't take Chinese now, you will have loads of opportunities to torture your husband at post ("Ask the lady if she sells arugula. What do you mean, you can't say 'arugula'?What were you doing in class all year, anyway?").

[Heather]

It is too bad you can't enroll in the FSI course with your husband. I am in China and have been using old FSI course modules to study Mandarin on my own. It is not ideal to do without a teacher, but the resource modules are great for listening and will give you a great head start for when you get to China. In Chengdu you should be able to hire a tutor very easily. The FSI materials can be found at http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Chinese and are available to the public through the public domain. They must have been made in the early 1980s as they make constant references to "comrades" and "street committees" that are not used in the Mainland anymore. So it is actually a great history lesson as well as language practice!

[Naoma]

A big thumbs up to you for being such a "with it" mom to know & act upon what works for your boys. Even when what works for one kid doesn't work for the other & doesn't entirely work with the plan you had for yourself. Way to sift things through and make it work.

NKL

[Jeni]

I've heard, but I've yet to confirm, that "they" want all bad drivers, aka high school students showing off for friends, parked and in school before the extra moving targets, aka elementary students waiting for buses, are out in force. Who knows, but I agree that it's evil to force teens to awaken before 9.

So impressed with your sacrifice for the sake of your son. May God reward you with the opportunity to learn Chinese later, and the ability to pick it up quickly.

[Emily]

I am sorry about the Chinese, but I know that it is important to make sure that your kids are taken care of.
The coffee pictures make me laugh.

Good luck with everything!

[Sam]

I know the feeling! I awake at 5:30am (Yawn!) to find Tia still asleep and Mya walking in her "Zombie mode" and for an hour I sit on my hands while they bump into each other making their own breakfast (ie: 1 choc chip waffle or poptart) and packing lunches. Arent they tired of me saying "Why dont you pack it the night before?" and "Dont forget to pack your lunch tonight" Somehow it takes Tia 30 min to get dressed and Mya like 2 seconds. Today we left earlier so Mya could get to the school store for Photography supplies. We just about had to CARRY Tia out! So frustrating. She is such a Diva in the morning! So then its me and the dog driving them to school while Sarah, Sophie and Parker sleep. When I get back I may get a nap for an hour before its time to school Sarah and Sophie (who is amazing at Math! She's catching on so fast!) and then onto Bunny time! and yardwork! 4 acres means it is never done. But we do love it. It is just soo ungodly HOT! Cant wait for cooler weather! Love your updates! Hang in there! ~Sam

[TSB]

Did you tell me Matthew will read MacBeth this year? I just saw that the ASC's touring company will perform MacBeth and Measure for Measure in Alexandria during January, so you can catch them without driving all the way to Staunton.

See: http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com/v.php?pg=191

[TulipGirl]

Ooooh! We love the ASC! Saw them in Florida last year (twice) and they are AMAZING.