Schooling for the wee ones.

Our kids love school. We started them early by putting them in a dinosaur camp summer program which helped get them used to the idea. They have also been to Sunday school a couple of times and all last year they were in a three year old art based structured to be like school day school at a local church, but this year is the big year and they have officially started public school. Now things are a little different. You see in the past four years that I have had the kids at home we have worked on spelling and writing and math as well as self reliance skills and manners to name a few of the concepts I thought was important. We read to the kids all the time we make them line up and say please and thank you. We make the kids clean up their rooms and play areas. We make them ask before they leave the dinner table. We have the kids help out with laundry and brush their teeth twice a day. I thought this was normal. But now that we are in public school I find that what we did with our kids is not the norm. There is a child in the kindergarten ahead of my kids that is socially and intellectually that of a two year old due to neglect. I would have never thought that would be the case. I send my children to public school and now I fear them picking up bad habits from other children. Because of some issues with another child my oldest Bobby became afraid to go to school. There was another child in the class being physically abusive to him and the others as well, but seemed to target Bobby the most. Things such as taking his name tag and school supplies, pushing and twisting his arm to bending his fingers back. I spoke to the teacher and I felt like I was brushed off with kids will be kids. I told Bobby that the next time the kids stated messing with him to get real loud and say "Don't touch me!" Which I was told by the kids the following day that Bobby got in trouble for being loud in class. Well what am I to do at this point? Teach Bobby how to break a kids arm or his nose or pass my concerns up the chain of command. I decided on the latter.
 It's weird going in to sit in the Vice Principals office for a parent teacher conference. You see I used a buzz word in my email to the administration. I used the word bullying. Did you know that got me into the see the teacher and vice principal the very next day. I don't know about most parents but I love my kids and more over I like my kids, I enjoy spending time with them and I talk to them and listen to them. I am my children's advocate if I can't find a solution within the system I can dam well promise you I will find one outside of the system. The most surprising thing to me has been how some parents just don't give a shit. And we wonder about the state of the world.