What a week

This has been a very interesting week. A friend of ours had her car stolen and wrecked earlier this week. Today that gremlin hit here.

Right after 1st period today, my oldest was assaulted by another girl from that class. She apparently didn't like the way my daughter answered her, and chose to show her displeasure by yanking her by the hair and punching her several times. Luckily, Bug wasn't really harmed, teachers witnessed enough of the attack to know that she had done nothing wrong, and the whole thing was caught on tape. She was allowed to leave school for the rest of the day, and will be permitted to take her midterm tomorrow. The attacker was suspended for 3 days, and her parent(s) will have to come to the school before she can return. My husband was a kind soul, and chose not to press charges at this time (I'm not sure I could have been so kind.) He figures that this child will be punished enough by the fact that she will be missing all of her midterms, as well as losing additional points in each of her classes this week. I'm hoping she doesn't target Bug again. The school has assured my husband that they will do their best to ensure her safety. I'm willing to put my trust in them a little longer.

This really does go to show that bad things can happen anywhere. We live in a very good school district. They are always ranked high academically, and the crime rate there is very low (yes, the publish crime rates for the schools here.) Our state has system called "school choice." You can apply to attend any school in the state. Our school district has seen a large percentage of growth in recent years, and houses in this area sell for more than many houses in other districts. The schools here have had to close their school choice, because they just can't handle any more students. Of course, this just causes more houses to be built for the people willing to move into the school district. It's a very bad situation. However, somehow, the school still manages to maintain their high standards, not just academically, but also in the extra-curricular activities and day to day behaviors.

Min over at Mama Drama wrote a post today about parental involvement in school. It really did strike a chord in me. When we went to parent information night at the school, it was amazing to see the difference in the parents attending the different classes. In her first period class, 2 students parents were there. I know for a fact that Bug's attacker did not have a parent in that classroom, which means they probably weren't there anywhere else either. I know that alone doesn't mean they aren't involved in their child's life (I remember having to work at night, and my husband doesn't always make it because he may be deployed), but it does make me wonder. I also know that involved parenting doesn't always make for well behaved children. And now that the drama has passed and the anger has cooled (some), I find that I do have some sympathy for this girl. I wonder where that much anger comes from...what has happened to her that she feels this sort of attack is warranted, just because another person said something she didn't particularly care for. I truly hope that she learns something from this experience and moves on. And I hope that Bug processes it and can find a comfort level in school again.

Then to make my day complete, my son puked red koolaid and brussel sprouts all over me in the bathroom, then slipped and fell into it. About 20 min after his shower. Fun times. I believe it's about bed time.