The bad news

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I held off writing about the bad news long enough. I lasted a whole weekend.

I was having a great Friday last week when I got this e-mail about 20 minutes before picking the boys up from school. It was from Professor Umbridge:

Good Afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Moncur,

Carter will be bringing home a detention slip this afternoon which will require a parent signature. He should return the slip on Monday. As

indicated on the slip, another student threw a ball at Carter hitting him in

the face. Carter responded by yelling out and calling the boy an "A_ _Hole."

The behavior by both boys is unacceptable. They both will need to serve a

detention. I have scheduled Carter's for this Monday from 3:30 P.M.To 4:00 P.M.

Thank you for your support with this issue.

Sincerely,

Professor Umbridge*

*The name "Professor Umbridge"is used here to protect the innocent

My good day bubble burst. This was after our not so successful first meeting where she all but told me my son was a simpleton based on the 5 days she had had him in her class and his atrocious handwriting. Yeah, his handwriting is comparable to a 3rd graders, and he can't spell for beans, but yes he was graded on a 6th grade level in Utah, and he was getting A's and B's in everything but spelling (we have valiantly stayed at a steady 25% correct since spelling tests were introduced in 1st grade. We have stopped ruining my relationship with my son by fighting over spelling words and come to accept the fact that he will always use spell check. As does his father who still has to ask me how to spell our daughter's middle name).

And yes she did indeed, ask me if he was being graded on the same 6th grade standards as his peers. That was when I wanted to claw her eyes out, if you read my facebook report.

But I refrained. And set carefully set things straight and went on to talk about how he was adjusting socially in the new class. Remember, Carter was in a middle school in Utah and is now back in elementary school. And the schools are smaller here. There are more of them therefore he is in the only 6th grade class in the school. Carter is a very likable kid and friendly. But even in Utah he was shocked at the language kids his age use in the lunchroom and at break.

At that very meeting I told Professor Umbridge that was one of Carter's concerns. She assured me that type of language was not tolerated at their school and that maybe Carter needed to look at different children for friends.

And then the letter telling me that my child, of all the children in the school, was the one saying that word.

I have been telling Carter for years that he is the one that always gets caught. And he is! In this case he has a voice that carries much like his mother's. Therefore when cuss words are shouted in the gym, the teachers will hear you!

But oh the crow I have to eat. And oh the work Carter has to do to restore his good name. Of all the teachers we have ever had... Oy!

So on Monday we all get detention in a sense. We will pick up Ethan at 3:30 and then hang out at the playground waiting for Carter to serve his sentence and then truck back to our hotel.

I'll dress warm.