The next chapter

Somehow the Senior High open house Eldest and I went to on Tuesday night caught me completely off guard. I mean obviously she has to take the next step and we will for sure enable her to go to grade 9 or Senior 1 (as they now call it) in the highschool. The amount of information presented was overwhelming for me - for her it is business as usual. We're going to go to one more open house to make sure we are picking the right school (that is if she can't convince me that going to my old highschool is the way to go - believe me, she is trying - residence school, no thanks, I'd miss her too much, but that is another blog).

I guess the thing that really got me was the amount of foresight you have to have as a 13 year old to make the proper choices that will get you where you want to be when you graduate. I just don't think I paid that much attention. She's talking about taking advanced placement courses by grade 12. Which means she will accelerate certain courses like math or English right from grade nine, so that she can take the university credit course in grade 12. Then she is ahead come university time. Sounds great - but what an awful lot of work she is in for. I had a headache by the time we left. I just can't believe her ambition. To me, school always got in the way of my education. I place a much higher value on it now...

I'm so grateful she strives (as does her sister) to achieve and over achieve, without pressure from us. They are both ambitious. The other day she got a 75% on a math test. Before I could say anything, she had to explain that was really good. The rest of the class average was 60% or so. She felt quite good about her mark, and so did her teacher. If I had 75% on a math test I would have been thrilled...

I was never so much about the book learning... I guess its a good thing I found something I like to do. Although I do have some dreams for my future. Like 15 years from now, maybe go back to school, take something interesting and try something new. Who knows...

The workload seems so strenuous, but then the girls don't have to put food on the table, pay rent, or work. So for now school IS their job and I will help them however I can. Better them then me...