Vindication and Crow, All In One Day

Ha HA!!! I got an email from the principal this afternoon that Josie's grade would be changed back to its original A. I was a little stressed when I went in this afternoon to volunteer, but Mrs. Teacher was her usual self, and actually even very politely said that there was a note for me in Josie's cubby. I have no idea what it says, since Josie didn't bring it home, but I assume it's in there somewhere, and I told her to be on the lookout for it tomorrow. If it's not there, she's to tell Teacher that it's missing. Knowing you're in the right doesn't make facing someone you've gone over the head of to complain to that person's boss any easier, so I was more than a little relieved to get it over with today. Phew.

One thing that consistently shocks and dismays me is the horrible reading levels that some of these kids have achieved, a word which I use very loosely. There are several children in this fourth-grade class that can *barely* read, and a few who I would say cannot read at all. I know that they are taken for special services reading classes, but really, truly, I feel that they should have been held back. I mean, they're at the age of book reports, more complex thoughts and words, and they will most certainly be left behind completely whether they stay behind a grade or continue on to fifth grade next year. It hurts my heart to listen to them struggle, and know that there's so little that I can do to help them. One encouraging thing is that one boy in particular has recently taken a liking to reading to me, even though he barely reads in a whisper and needs help with almost every word, so I try to take him every time, because if he has even a glimmer of enjoyment out of it, there's hope that he at least hasn't given up. His biggest problem is that his choice of books is way too hard, and he needs someone to help him find books that are about what he's interested in but are easier to read, because he's not going to learn to read by starting with books that are at the level he *should* be at rather than one with words that he can sound out more easily. I think maybe he's embarrassed to choose books at his level, which is really probably around K, but it's what he needs. If I were friends with his teacher, I'd make a suggestion, but... maybe I'll pick up a book about baseball when I'm out next time, if I can find one that seems good but isn't babyish-looking. I could leave it on his desk when they're at their special one morning, so it wouldn't be a big deal or seem like I'm giving him a gift or anything. If anyone has any ideas or names for interesting beginning sports books, let me know.

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Now we will move onto the Crow portion of our afternoon: Kathy has called to thank me, and I didn't know it. She left a message on my cell phone, which had been dead for days, unbeknownst to me, in my jacket pocket. I hadn't needed my heavy coat in several days, and I've been at home most of the time anyway, so I hadn't really thought about it at all until it was cold enough today that I needed to wear it, and put my hands in the pocket. I plugged it in when I got into the car, and there were TEN messages on it, mostly from my one friend who calls me incessantly and leaves volumes in each message, like she's having a conversation with herself on my phone, but one was from Kathy, saying that she had called to say thank-you, and that one of the nurses at her doctor's office wanted to know where I had gotten the pattern for them. Hee-haw, hee-haw, I'm a jackass. In my defense, I don't know why she didn't call the house when she didn't hear back from me, and it's not uncommon to not be thanked for things, but in this particular case, I'm the dumbass. BUT, I'm happy to be the dumbass, in this situation, so there you have it. I'm a happy idiot.