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Nov. 12th, 2015 09:15 pm"This is dumb." Terry grumbles as Bonnie walks with her into the fourth school.
"We talked about this." Bonnie says, gently but firmly. "We gave you the choice of bein' home schooled every day between nine and three with Lucy, or goin' to a school where you could make friends, and you chose goin' into a school."
"Yeah, after Christmas." Terry protests. "Once I caught up. Why do I have to come and see them now?"
"Because we need to know what bits of learnin' we need to get you through as a minimum to get you into a class." Bonnie says.
The first three schools had panicked at the idea of a nearly-nine-year-old who couldn't read or write joining their classes; the first two had intended to put her in kindergarten, the third had refused outright, which Bonnie was not entirely sure was legal.
The principal of the fourth school was someone Bonnie had worked with before, albeit they were vice principal of a different school at the time. But the fourth school was a very large school, and Bonnie had suspected that if someone didn't keep an eye on Terry, she'd likely just bunk off, so it hadn't been her first choice.
The school secretary gave them a quick look around the school, and Terry got to chat to a few of the kids, which seemed to pacify her a bit. Bonnie leaves her playing with one of those new 'frisbees' (making a mental note that there's a shop class lesson in that toy somewhere) and goes to speak with the Principal.
"Mrs Murdock." The principal shakes her hand, remembering her. "It's been a while. You still in touch with Ernest?"
"Yeah, he still comes around once a week fer dinner." Bonnie says. "Got his own apartment though, and a job, and a girlfriend of all things."
The principal smiles, delighted. "You did a good job with him. He'd be in an institution if it weren't for you."
"I had help." Bonnie says. "That's why I'm here, actually. You remember little Alvin?"
"Nobody forgets little Alvin." the principal says.
"Well he got an older brother John, another one of mine." Bonnie says. "Don't think you would have met him, too old I think. Terry is John's daughter, Alvin's niece. John's in jail, long term, and Terry's mom Jean is in jail too, but even when she gets out, she's not likely to get custody back. Terry has pretty much never been to school - when she was at kindergarten age nobody in the house was sober enough to get her ready and take her, and as she got older she didn't really like to go when she was so behind. Her last foster parents tried to put her in two schools but both fell through in the first week."
"What level is she at?" the principal asks.
"She cain't read or write, but she knows a few numbers and can spell her name." Bonnie says. "My sister-in-law lives with us and she's a substitute elementary school teacher, so we can teach her at home, but she'd quite like to have friends her age and we were hoping to get her into a school at least by January. We tried a couple schools and they were gonna put her in kindergarten, but I don't think she'll engage."
"She can't go straight into third grade." The principal says. "She won't cope. I suggest she starts off in the remedial class with the expectation of joining third grade next September, the year after if she's still not up to standard. Since it's quite close to the end of the semester, perhaps she could come and join the class a few times a week to get used to it and then start full time in January?"
"I think we can work with that." Bonnie says. "At the moment I'll be glad to see her attending school at all, anything more is a bonus."
They call Terry in to explain the plan. She looks doubtful, but kind of agrees.
"Do I get a reward for going?" she asks as they leave.
"Sure. You get not to sit at home feeling bored and lonely all day fer the next seven years." Bonnie says.
Terry pulls a face.
"We talked about this." Bonnie says, gently but firmly. "We gave you the choice of bein' home schooled every day between nine and three with Lucy, or goin' to a school where you could make friends, and you chose goin' into a school."
"Yeah, after Christmas." Terry protests. "Once I caught up. Why do I have to come and see them now?"
"Because we need to know what bits of learnin' we need to get you through as a minimum to get you into a class." Bonnie says.
The first three schools had panicked at the idea of a nearly-nine-year-old who couldn't read or write joining their classes; the first two had intended to put her in kindergarten, the third had refused outright, which Bonnie was not entirely sure was legal.
The principal of the fourth school was someone Bonnie had worked with before, albeit they were vice principal of a different school at the time. But the fourth school was a very large school, and Bonnie had suspected that if someone didn't keep an eye on Terry, she'd likely just bunk off, so it hadn't been her first choice.
The school secretary gave them a quick look around the school, and Terry got to chat to a few of the kids, which seemed to pacify her a bit. Bonnie leaves her playing with one of those new 'frisbees' (making a mental note that there's a shop class lesson in that toy somewhere) and goes to speak with the Principal.
"Mrs Murdock." The principal shakes her hand, remembering her. "It's been a while. You still in touch with Ernest?"
"Yeah, he still comes around once a week fer dinner." Bonnie says. "Got his own apartment though, and a job, and a girlfriend of all things."
The principal smiles, delighted. "You did a good job with him. He'd be in an institution if it weren't for you."
"I had help." Bonnie says. "That's why I'm here, actually. You remember little Alvin?"
"Nobody forgets little Alvin." the principal says.
"Well he got an older brother John, another one of mine." Bonnie says. "Don't think you would have met him, too old I think. Terry is John's daughter, Alvin's niece. John's in jail, long term, and Terry's mom Jean is in jail too, but even when she gets out, she's not likely to get custody back. Terry has pretty much never been to school - when she was at kindergarten age nobody in the house was sober enough to get her ready and take her, and as she got older she didn't really like to go when she was so behind. Her last foster parents tried to put her in two schools but both fell through in the first week."
"What level is she at?" the principal asks.
"She cain't read or write, but she knows a few numbers and can spell her name." Bonnie says. "My sister-in-law lives with us and she's a substitute elementary school teacher, so we can teach her at home, but she'd quite like to have friends her age and we were hoping to get her into a school at least by January. We tried a couple schools and they were gonna put her in kindergarten, but I don't think she'll engage."
"She can't go straight into third grade." The principal says. "She won't cope. I suggest she starts off in the remedial class with the expectation of joining third grade next September, the year after if she's still not up to standard. Since it's quite close to the end of the semester, perhaps she could come and join the class a few times a week to get used to it and then start full time in January?"
"I think we can work with that." Bonnie says. "At the moment I'll be glad to see her attending school at all, anything more is a bonus."
They call Terry in to explain the plan. She looks doubtful, but kind of agrees.
"Do I get a reward for going?" she asks as they leave.
"Sure. You get not to sit at home feeling bored and lonely all day fer the next seven years." Bonnie says.
Terry pulls a face.
