Tuesday, September 29, 2015

No Piano

Maysen and Stockton had parent-teacher conferences today.  I was able to get all their teachers today except Mr. Packer, who is out of town, and Mrs. Karren, who will only be there tomorrow.  The teachers all sit in the cafeteria and we wait in a line until we can talk to them.  I actually like this.  They used to do this way at the middle school, but the last two years they have just done student led conferences.  Those are a joke.  We go to school, sit with our student and they show us papers they have written.  Why can't that just be done at home? Technically you can talk to any teacher, but I feel like I'm intruding.  I never met Mrs. Falk because of this.  I think maybe some of the problems with Stockton might have been avoided if I had talked to her. Jorja's school has a new principal this year.  I was hoping they would go back to the old way of doing conferences.  It doesn't look like it. Jorja told me that they have been working on their student led conference sheets at school.  Drat.  Anyways, both of the kids are doing great.  I'm glad I was able to go.  Stockton's English teacher is letting the kids whose parents came to conference have one week to make up any assignment they got a low score on.  Right now Stockton has an A- in English, so that will be extremely helpful.

Preston had his piano lessons today.  They are at 4:00 and just down the street.  He gets home just before 4.  He came home and started practicing right away.  I wanted to be at the school as close to 4 as I could because I needed to get all the teachers the same day.  I reminded Preston three times about piano.  Then I told him that I would be gone most of the day.  For his homework I needed him to do a math page, practice his Chinese song, do flashcards and 20 minutes reading. When I got home from conferences I found out that Preston forgot to go to piano.  What?  He literally had to go out the door five minutes after I left.  He was practicing piano as I was leaving.  What happened? Well, when I gave him his homework instructions he thought I wanted him to do his homework before piano.  Oh boy.  I guess he went 45 minutes late and just came back.

Jorja invited a friend to game night with the young women.  Jorja's been having a hard time feeling included lately.  She found out one of her friends from school lives in our ward boundaries, but is not a member.  On Sunday Jorja sent her a text asking if she wanted to come to game night.  I found Jorja laying in her bed with her iPod clutched to her chest and tears running down her face.  Her friend texted back that she has tumbling until 7:00.  Jorja texted, "You could come late." Again, she clutched her iPod to her chest and cried.  Soon her friend asked where it was.  Jorja replied, "On my street.  Number 10."  Her friend was given permission.  Jorja was so happy!  Jorja decided to go late to Yound Womens as well.  Her friend was going to meet at our house and they would walk down the street together.  When I got back from conference Jorja was downstairs crying.  Her friend couldn't come.  Her parents wouldn't let her because she still had homework. Jorja didn't want to go.  I told her she was going and I would go with her.  We waited a few minutes for her face to not look so blotchy and then headed down to Sue's house.  Sue, Kristin and nine other beehives were there.  They were playing the candy bar game.  When Jorja came in they all cheered.  I stayed and watched.  I miss being with these girls. I'm glad they have bonded with Sue.

Kristin, Jorja and I walked home together.  Kristin talked with Jorja for at least twenty minutes.  I was really happy she spent so much time with her.  Hopefully Jorja believed everything Kristin was telling her. Kristin talked about how much the other girls look up to Jorja even though she doesn't see it, how sometimes they are intimidated by her, how she brings so much joy to everyone.  I can't remember everything they talked about, but I was very thankful for that conversation. 

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