My First Day Of High School, as a Middle Age Mom.

The invitation from the new superintendent of school was printed in the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram. All parents in the district were invited to accompany their
kids to school on the first day and meet their teachers. It was an open invitation.
Kindergarten parents, Sure. Other elementary parents, probably. But high school
parents? No way.

When I showed the article to my daughter Shelby, who is in high school, she
shocked me by asking me to go with her to school the first day. She knew I always
checked on my other daughter the first day as she is in special education and needs
extra support to make the transition back to school. I replied I could go to 1 or 2 classes with shelby as well.

Shelby said "no, I want you to go to ALL my classes. That would be cool." My
first reaction was "Wow. I can't believe she is serious. And my second reaction
was "An entire day of high school? I wonder what that will be like?" I told my
husband I imagine after the first 2 classes, she will be asking me to disappear, and
I could go on with my other responsibilities.

I dressed for the first day of school, with some guidance from Shelby. Should
I wear my normal business clothes, or go more casual? "Definitely casual" came her
reply. So I wore burmuda shorts, a cotton blouse, sensible shoes. She said I
looked okay, which meant she was not embarrased to be seen with me. Off we go to
high school, with reassurances to my other daughter I'd be checking in with her
also. Her schedule and teachers were to remain the same as the year before, so she
was okay with this.

First Period: AP World History. The teacher explained the first 6 weeks over
view, and that she had been teaching this class for 24 years. She was enthusiastic
about this subject and very well organized. She passed out the class syllabus and
explained the first night's homework assignment. (Homework the first night?) She
also announed that it was common for 20% of the class to request a transfer out,
during the first 6 weeks due to the level of difficulty of this Advanced Placement
course and college textbook. Hmm. This should be an interesting class for Shelby.
None of the kids seemed to notice me, so that was good. I sat in a back desk, next
to Shelby. I saw 2 other parents.

Second period: not geographically far away from period 1 which meant not too much
pushing & shoving to get there. Halls are crowded with 2,600 students. I found
myself wishing I was taller and could see over the crowd. AP Environmental Science.
A junior level class, but Shelby taking it as a sophomore. I had confidence she can
do the work, but wondered what the class mix would be like with different grades all
mixed together. Every inch of the room was covered with posters and pictures, and
mobiles of all sorts hung from the ceiling. Certainly a visually stimulating
environment. One guy sat at Shelby's table and tried to make conversation, but
Shelby answered his questions but no elaboration. No reciprocal chatting.   I kept thinking, she does not
realize he is interested in her. She was not catching on. I will have to clue her
in later. She has expressed disappointment that  boys were not interested, even as friends.  Now I know it most likely has not been so. She just was not picking up the signals.

Algebra 2 and French 3 were next. The teachers explained: You have a have a pass to
go to the bathroom, and if you don't use them, you get extra points for the class.
As a RN, I did not think this was such a good idea, healthwise, but that is their
system. Plus, 45 minutes classes do not leave a lot of time to get deep into the
subject, before the bell rings and you have to rush off to the next class.
Pressure. Pressure. I felt anxious and I'm not even in school, I reminded myself.

Lunch: she took off with her friends, and I ate lunch in my car and handled phone
messages. I had been very careful not to leave my cell phone on while I was in
school. Teachers confiscate cell phones, and I wanted to comply with the rules.

The day progressed with a long list of supplies from each teacher, as well as very
specific directions for organization of their work. I was mentally exhausted by the
end of the day, and thought "this was only the introduction day. Tomorrow the real
teaching begins. I have a new appreciation for how tired she is when she comes home
from school.

At the end of the day I can honestly say, each teacher appeared genuinely sincere
about their love of teaching and their excitement to begin the new school year. I
felt very good about her list of teachers and their massive teaching experience. As
an educator myself, I look at public teachers differently these days, and it is
easier for me to pick out those well-prepared and sincere from those who may be
slackers. There were no slackers in this group of teachers. Far from it. It was
inspiring to me as a parent and an educator to realize the dedication these teachers
represented.

At home, I explained all of this to my daughter with a prediction that she would
have a very challenging academic year, but a good one. That she was very fortunate
to have this amazing group of teachers. I asked her if any of her friends teased her
about me tagging along. She said "no. You were cool." Translation: I did not
stand out too much and did not embarrass her. I thanked her for letting me see what
one day in her life in high school is like. Oh, and I pointed out the boy who really
was working hard to get her attention.