High School Happenings (Grade 9 - First Semester)

On August 28th, Lewie started high school, and it's been a whirlwind, to say the least. On the one hand, Lewie's "social transition" has been great. Since most of his friends are in a grade above him, he missed them last year as he was in middle school while they were all starting their first year of high school. This year, with him being in 9th and them being in 10th, he's been fortunate to have lunch with them and even to be in one or two of their classes!

Since Lewie does not play sports, I was eager to have him get involved in other ways--maybe he could join theater or an assortment of clubs, such as chess or math. He turned them down, citing he wasn't interested, and they would take him away from his homework time. (I even had his school counselor and advisor strongly encourage him to join "something.") 

Then, at the start of October, I quickly saw his A average turn to low Bs and Cs. YIKES! Here I was stressing about his involvement in school, and now he was getting Ds on his quizzes and exams. I took advantage of "parent-teacher conferences" and quickly requested a review of his 504 plan.Then, I started emailing teachers (history, geometry, Spanish, and biology) to see how he could get back on track. I started dropping him off at school at 6:50 a.m. to get tutoring in geometry, and I had Spanish textbooks sent home, so I could tutor Lewie in Spanish. Needless to say, helping Lewie through high school, so far, has felt like a full-time job! Although, while most parents are spending HOURS of their time driving their kiddos to meets, practices, games, and competitions, I'm spending HOURS at home making flashcards and drilling him on high school trivia--factoids I thought I could leave behind 30 years ago after I received my diploma.

We've been retaking quizzes, but surprise, once he finally starts to gain traction, there's a new test or quiz (one he hasn't fully studied for yet), and he's back to the beginning. The cycle is exhausting, and I'm wondering if anyone else has this trouble. Lewie's a bright kid and does his homework, but the tests come...and even with extra time and a quiet environment...he struggles. Either his memory is not there or his ability to apply what he knows to the problems in front of him is missing. After the New Year, mid-terms will be starting on Jan. 12th, and we'll be back to feeling stressed out. We've been studying what we can over the winter break, but I can't tutor him in history, biology, or geometry.  Top that off with the fact that he tested positive for COVID on the Saturday just before Christmas, and he's been battling exhaustion (and frustration from having to quarantine away from friends and family), too.

In other high school news, Lewie had his first Homecoming Dance in November. In typical high school drama fashion, he told a friend he was thinking about asking a particular girl to the dance, and the message got back to her. I never received the full story, but supposedly, she said she wasn't interested in going with him because she wanted to go with someone else. Thankfully, he didn't let "being rejected" (his words) stop him from going. One of his friends went with a long-term girlfriend (of one year), and his other two friends went solo, like Lewie. I bought him a cheap tux on Amazon and made sure his dress shoes from his 8th-grade graduation still fit. I have to admit that he left looking (and smelling) pretty dapper.

Upon returning, he was disappointed. I am paraphrasing here, but ultimately, he had three complaints:

1.  Barely anyone brought a date, and if they did, they didn't dance together. The girls danced with the girls and the boys with the boys (like middle school all over again).

2. The music was TOO LOUD, and the DJ asked for requests but didn't play them.

3. The "food" was Dunkin Donuts, cookies, and other desserts.

I felt bad that Lewie was looking forward to this dance for the past year only to feel like it wasn't much better than middle school. He showed me a video where the high school gym was packed, looking like almost every student from the school attended. Still, he wasn't impressed. He didn't have an opportunity to dance with any girls, and the girl he did want to ask ended up going solo herself. Even his own friend didn't spend much time with his girlfriend. According to Lewie, they only stayed with each other long enough to dance to some of the slow songs.

Ughhhh, high school. I'm not a fan. The studies are more challenging and so are all the adolescent emotions and life lessons. My son is excited one day and down the next. He's always tired, and it's tough to get him interested in anything beyond his friends and technology. He knows doing well in school is a requirement in this house, and yet, he groans and complains every time I suggest he study or we study together. Driving, of course, is on all of his friends' minds, and next year, Lewie will be old enough to apply for his learner's permit. Can I reverse time, please?  If anyone has any words of wisdom, I sure could use them right now.

A Christmas in the Woods

This August, I embarked on a new journey, which took me quite literally "in the woods." I went from being a higher education administrator (for over 21 years) to becoming an executive director at a local land trust. I had neither executive director nor land trust experience, but what I did have was an eagerness to learn the position and a passion for conserving forest, farmland, waterways, and wilderness corridors.

Since this was a monumental change in my life, and both Daddy Lew and Little Lewie have been dragged into helping me out with a few functions, I told them that our Christmas card should be "wilderness" themed this year. I had already picked out the cutest safari outfit with red and white knee-high stockings (for Christmas flair). My husband, always wanting to make people laugh, immediately wanted to be Sasquatch or Big Foot. (The role suits him since he has size 14 feet!) For Lewie, I proposed a gnome, Boy Scout, animal, or tree of some sort. When his teenage self shuddered at the idea of doing any of them, I looked up "tree costume" on Amazon and found the most adorable "Pretend I'm a Tree" T-shirt. That was it! I knew I wouldn't be able to force him to dress up in a full costume, but I could, at least, make him wear a funny shirt. (I must say, he did get into his tree character very well--he stood proud, tall, and still.)

Most of the pictures were meant to seem as if I was lost (i.e., trying to figure out directions) without knowing Sasquatch was just a foot away behind "the tree." I'm not sure if we fully captured that motif in our images, but it sure was fun! Of course, we had to have a few smiling family photos, too, including one where my husband reveals his face. (He was so reluctant to do it, but I insisted. Otherwise, how would anyone, then, truly know it was him?)

Our card read, "Wishing you PEACE this holiday from our neck of the woods to yours." 

It then said, "Wishing you love, laughter, & happy trails in 2024."

I personally don't know if my land trust journey will be my final career destination, but it's something that definitely made an impact in 2023. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my work commute into the woods and can see myself wanting to be a National Park tour guide in my retirement years...

Since my husband is a jokester, there was one more photo that only made it into ten of our Christmas cards--of course, the two Lews thought it was hilarious... I hope this incites a chuckle... Poor tree!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy 2024 to All!