Teachers

Today we found out that a teacher was very critical of one of the Heinisch children's behavior in front of his/her friends.  I was very disappointed to learn that this teacher never took my child aside to explain his frustrations.  Instead he did the cowardly thing and ripped on him/her instead.

I am concerned that this happened.  We do not try to control our children's behavior, but we would take any criticisms of them serious.  When I asked this teacher at conferences about my child's behavior in the class, I was told that there were no problems at all.  I know the Heinisch children are not perfect.  I would have prefered to hear this teacher's truthful opinion rather than being lied too and had my child be talked about behind his/her back.

I believe that teachers like these give all teachers a bad rap.  Students have a hard enough time trusting adults.  Bullies in the teacher world exist and they just make it even harder for students to believe in them.  We will have to follow up on this after Fall Break.  For now we will just take notes, ask questions, and help our child handle this adversity.

Grandma Jane's and Grandpa Cutes'

Lately, I have noticed that at least one of the Heinisch children spend the night at Grandma Jane's and Grandpa Cutes' several nights a week.  Last year it was primarily on Tuesday nights or the weekend.  This year, however, it can be any night of the week.  Sometimes there is a reason  - a dentist appointment - for example.  Other times it is just for fun.  

Right now the usual visitors are Cameron or Cal, but last night Meg asked to stay over.  She wasn't feeling the best and wanted to sleep in before coming to school for her digital citizenship final.  As I talked to my Mom today about it I realized how much they appreciated spending time with just Meg.  She is the one who asks the least and if they boys are there she does her own thing.  Last night my parents were able to visit with her, catch up on her feelings about Grandma Heinisch and just hang out.  

I am glad that Meg stayed.  All too soon she will be extremely busy and her time will be much more limited.  The memories that all of the Heinisch children have made with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Cutes will last a lifetime.  

The Gathering at Five Medals

Cam and I are still talking about his field trip on Friday to the Gathering at Five Medals.  I was lucky enough to be able to arrange a half day off and go with him.  Neither of us were sure what to expect as it was a reenactment of settlers life from the 18th century.  We were not disappointed, however, as we learned about animals that were indigenous to Indiana in that time period, the difference between a rifle and musket, toys of that time period, and how to fire a cannon.

I was in charge of a group of four boys and we had the best time walking from camp to camp.  They were all enthusiastic and attentive during the presentations.  Cam bought a lucky rabbit's foot, a bear claw necklace, and a ring toss toy that they all enjoyed the last half hour of the day.  The boys bought some rock candy and I bought them some kettle corn.

The field trip was a great experience for me.  I don't get to do a lot with Cameron by himself and it was fun to see him interact with his friends.  He asked some great questions and learned a lot.  The bus ride home was quick and we were back to school by lunch.  It was a short trip, but a lot a wonderful time.

The Burial

Today Meg, Cam, Doug and I headed to DeKalb for Jeanette's burial service.  We met first at Womack photography.  Carl had found a watercolor canvas that Jeanette had painted and wanted us to pick out the size of the reproduction we wanted for our home.  The first was a flower arrangement.  It was nice and we picked out a size for it.  The second, however, was my favorite - a blue painting that looked like an ice storm according to Cameron.  We plan to get that one as well.

Once we finished that meeting we all went to the Hillside for a traditional German lunch.  Addie recommended the chocolate cake, so we split a couple of pieces of that.  It was delicious.  We had time before the service to check out the DeKalb confectionery.  We each picked out several of our favorite candies.

The  burial service was at the St. Mary's cemetery.  It was small, only our family, Dan's, Kim's parents, Maury and Emie and Carl.  It was a nice service albeit short.  Doug, Meg and Cam all got a chance to fill the grave with the Earth.  My favorite part was when Carl took charge of the wheelbarrow making sure all of the dirt was put in just so.

Cam and Meg were pretty sad after the service, so we thought we would go to one of Jeanette's favorite spots - Inboden's.  They each picked out fruits and foods that they like.  Cam scored big when he found a type of candy that he saw in his puzzle - Turkish Taffy, banana flavor.  On the way back we stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings in South Bend and then did some quick shopping at Barnes & Noble, Dick's and Target.  It helped break up the trip.

Meg and Cam said that today made them sad.  They realized just how much they miss Grandma Heinisch.  They were glad, however, to have taken part in the service.

Middle School Parties

Tonight Meg had one of her infamous pre-game parties.  She invited thirteen of her closest friends and they all headed to our house after school.  They started off with girls vs. boys soccer, and then headed out through our neighborhood for a "picture" scavenger hunt.  I am sure all of the neighbors are used to it by now and seeing fourteen 8th graders running through their yards doesn't create much fear.  After the scavenger hunt they chose teams for dodge ball.  It looked to me like we need more dodge balls, but no one complained and everyone seemed to have fun.

Doug arrived a little after 5 with Little Caesars.  As they were eating we picked the scavenger hunt winners.  Everyone was "thrilled" with their prizes - vampire teeth, spider rings and googly eyed glasses.  It made for a great photo opportunity.  The egg toss was next and only a couple of mishaps occurred.  Doug started a bonfire and they moved on to smore making and ghost in the graveyard to end the evening.

At 7 we drove everyone over to the high school for the homecoming football game.  It looked cold to me, but they were all excited.  Doug and I went to dinner while they were enjoying the game.  We left the door open, so they could stop by and get their backpacks after it was over.  They all admitted it was cold, but they had a great time.  I received a text from one of Meg's friend's mothers later thanking me for having them here.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  They are a great group of kids.  I hope they remain friends for a long time.  

Doctors, Doctors and More Doctors

I realized as this week started off I had scheduled a doctor's appointment for myself on almost everyday of the week.  I had an appointment Tuesday after school, my gynecologist on Wednesday, a flu shot this morning and a dentist visit this afternoon.  All went pretty well, although I am going to have to follow up with my family doctor from my discussion with the gynecologist.  I am having pain in my stomach at my belly button that he thinks is either a hernia or scar tissue.  I also have an enlarged thyroid.  Thus, I will make an appointment in the next month or two to see what the next step is.

It felt good to have accomplished so much in the afternoons without having to take a day off from school.  As I left the dentist the hygienist said to me, "well, you should be good for another 100,000 miles."  I sure hope so.

Talent Show

This week is homecoming and there have been a lot of activities planned for the students.  Cal and his friends have been taking advantage of the week by dressing up for the spirit days and partaking in the after school activities.  Tonight was the annual talent show.  I have never been a big fan of it as some of the acts lack talent and at times the students can be obnoxious.  Usually, I don't go, but I am glad that I did this year.

Last week Cal told us that he and his group of friends were going to sing "Just a Friend" during the talent show.  At first I thought he was joking.  It is a horrible Biz Markie song from the 1990s that the Heinisch children love to play just to annoy Doug and I.  He has to be the worst rapper ever, which may be why the song became so incredibly popular.  As the week wore on I did realize that Cal was serious.  Several people stopped me to tell me that they couldn't wait to hear their group "The GOATS" sing at the talent show.

Thus, Meg, Cam and I decided to go.  We rode over with Jody and Alexandria and weren't sure what we were in for.   Melissa Possell was there as well as Sharon Boatright, so we could all wait in anticipation together.  They were the second act, so I didn't have too much time to worry.  Once Cal started I laughed out loud.  Instead of rapping the verses, the boys took turns reading them in dramatic fashion.  Then when they got to the refrain they all starting singing "You, you got what I need . . ."  I was in tears by the time it was over and they received a standing ovation at the end and came out for a brief encore.  I was so glad that I videotaped it all.  I posted it instantly to Facebook and Brett really enjoyed seeing it.

The rest of the talent show was hit or miss with some great acts, some not so great and others in between.  Cal was in the junior skit and had some funny parts that ended with another round of Biz Markie.  I appreciated the humor in the senior skit as they made reference to the "Trash Bag Tuesday" crowd several times.  All in all I am very glad that I went tonight.  It is evenings like these that remind me of what high school is all about.