Jack ‘n Tracie

School started yesterday, and of course there was a hitch. Don’t we go through this every year?

First, we went to the back-to-school ice cream social last week, where we were informed of Casey and Melissa’s new teachers, bus schedules, etc. The first thing I was elated to find out is the bus stop is “officially” our house now. Right there in bold letters was my address. Yay! Small victory. I had pushed for it all last year because the stops they “officially” had on our street didn’t make sense. For example, the bus stopped at the start of the street, then again two doors down, and that was it, leaving the second half of the block with no stop. When Darlene and her grandkids lived at that second stop, it wasn’t such a big deal. She watched my kids and they all got on the bus together. But she moved away leaving only my kids on one half of the street, and the kids at the start of the street, opposite ends, but the bus stopping twice on the first half.

Fortunately, the bus driver last year agreed and she stopped closer to our house anyway, even though she wasn’t supposed to and it wasn’t an official stop.

Well, yesterday morning I had my kids standing in my driveway and feeling very good about this, but when the driver got there she says “this isn’t a stop, it’s on the end of the steet” and she points to 96th and 113th. Um, I said “that can’t be, there’s nowhere for them to stand but in the street!”. Which is true. Our neighbor on that corner has a fence that goes all the way to the curb and there is no sidewalk on our block, at all. Nada. So literally, they’d be standing in the street on a corner. I think NOT.

She picked them up from my driveway anyway but now I was all peeved. I immediately went online to seach the bus schedules to be sure I wasn’t crazy. And there in print, is MY house as the stop. So I called transportation. Busy. I called and called…. and called. Finally at 1PM I got through. I got some lady who clearly had to be on something.. lol. She told me when she put my address into the computer, the stop for my kids showed up as two blocks away. I said, that can’t be right at all. The bus DOES come down my street, why would their stop be two blocks away? She argued with me saying stuff like “this is common for elementary kids”. Um no. What planet was she from??

She puts me on hold to “get the book”. I waited 10 minutes, then heard her take me off hold, start to say something, then click. Dial tone. AAAARRGGGG! Of course when I called back it was busy again….

After another 20 minutes I get through again and get someone else. She was much smarter. She was able to pull up the bus route in seconds and confirm my house *is* the stop. She explained their new routing system was great and all, but sometimes left off house numbers when it printed for the drivers. She said all she had to do was inform the driver that my house was indeed the stop and all was well. *whew*.

Why must we have some sort of glitch like this every year? lol. On the plus side, Casey got the same second grade group of teachers Melissa had (a combined class) who I really like. And I like Melissa’s teacher too. Can you believe she’s in the 4th grade already?!?

Kevin’s first day went much better. The bus picked him up where it always has. He was placed in advanced math and really likes his math teacher. I received a letter from the school that based on his WASL scores last year, they put him in the higher class, but if I preferred, he could be put into the standard 8th grade math. But I’m proud of his achievement and think he’ll do well in the advanced class. Even if I hate the WASL and everything it stands for… (and I’m thoroughly confused that they even placed him based on the WASL scores.. It’s my understanding that’s not what the test is designed for. It makes me suspicious that the “advanced class” will be teaching to the WASL so they can get really good scores out of that class… but that’s a whole ‘nother rant.)