(for the non-Americans amongst us, let me give you a brief summary or whatever, about Summer School). Now my recollection of English schools is this; You go, and if you fail each year, you fail. You still go on to the next grade, but you fail regardless. At the end when you take your exams, if you fail, you fail and thats it. Then you leave school (at 16 sometimes!) and go on to a crappy job. In my experience anyway, the school certainly didn't go out of it's way to emphasize how important college would/could be. College really isn't a big thing over there unless you are a genius or have shitloads of money and are posh! In my experience! Also English schools don't have graduation ceremonies, proms or anything. Just crappy school discos when the teachers can be arsed, thrown in throughout the school year, where no-one dances and it's basically shit. Thats it. The English school system.
Now, in the U.S. it is quite different. Each class you take earns you credits, and by the time you finish High school you have to have completed a certain amount of credits (16 possibly?). You don't get enough credits? You take Summer school classes in whatever class you failed.
Anyway, at the end of each year in High school you have exams that you also have to pass. You don't pass? You don't go to the next grade! Yep, you are held back! I honestly thought this was a myth!!!!! but no, there really are 18 year olds in my 16 year olds grade! I assume that at a certain age you can actually leave, but until then, you are held back! How awesome is that idea!?
*looks at son and sighs*
They also have proms, which are very important to the kids. Everyone dresses up in gowns and tuxedos, they get limos, the guys take the girls out for dinner, they dance etc., It's a really good thing. Schools actually make an effort to make the kids appreciate school! Then at the end school? The kids graduate. A HUGE deal over here, where they all wear gowns, get diplomas etc., and the school AGAIN makes the kids realise how much work the, the students have done to get where they are. The kids feel proud! as do their parents. How awesome is that?
So there you go. U.S. schools.
Now getting back to Summer school sign up. I take him, he signs up for 2 classes that will keep him in school for the next 3 weeks almost, every morning from 7:45 - 1:00 pm. It also made me $160 lighter! which he will be paying me back from his McDonalds summer job. The other two classes he failed? He will be doing extra classes next year. He is going to be all schooled out!
So what else have I been doing? Well, I bought myself some new shoes as well as a bunch of new clothes, see here:
(If you click on the photo and see it large, you will truly get to appreciate the loveliness that is the green lily pad)
I also decided that I will be going to Las Vegas in September with some work people for a week. How much am I looking forward to that? Bloody loads! Now my Summer is even more complete! My mum comes over, my cousin comes over, my kids leave for a week, we go to Switzerland, I go to Vegas! Loads of parties in between? What more could I ask for? Not much!
Oh and finally, take a bloody look at these pictures.
See those dark clouds? Well, those 'dark clouds' are actually a bajillion majillion midgies that have started to attack Mentor on the Lake! Really! Those clouds are easily half a mile away! Can you imagine how many there must have been to make a dark patch like that from so far away? As you know I'm a dispatcher at the Police and Fire Dept., and we get so many calls from people thinking that these are smoke clouds from fires! They even make a humming noise like electricity! Again, if you click on the pictures and go to the large size, you can see them even clearer. Unbelievable. I could only sit on my deck for half an hour last night as they were just swarming the whole area!
And there you have it. My weekend and early morning. Marvellous. How is your day?
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