Nah.
For real.
I’m not eating this on my own.
We bout to talk about this.
I always pictured that this experience would be different than this.
I dunno.
Something like the movies.
Or maybe even something similar to what I saw in real life.
The child gets further along in school, is old enough to buy cigarettes, and then they be ready to drop out.
It was my plan to have my speech prepared by the time I needed it.
Son, you only have X amount of years left. You’ve come too far to give up now! You got this!
But fuuuucccccccck that.
Virtual learning got ME ready to drop out.
And I’ve been to school a bunch of times.
Master of Science type shit.
Well, this little boy of mines has only been in school bout 4 years.
7 and a half in virtual school time.
That ain’t nothing.
He still got time to make them years up.
According to his hood Daddy, all he needs to do is know how to count and read some shit.
And I’m starting to agree with him.
We can do that from the house.
$150 to the credit cards + $50 to food = $200.
Easy.
I could turn the volume down on the TV and make him read the closed captions.
Genius.
While y’all playing, I might just gone ahead and sign him up for early enrollment at the university.
Since, if I want him to pass, IMMA HAVE TO DO HIS WORK FOR HIM ANYWAYS!
Check this out …
As I’m sitting on a phone call for work the other day –
My boy got kicked out of class.
Zoom class.
Followed up by a negative remark to my email from the teacher that said he wasn’t prepared for class.
Cool.
Call that early dismissal.
Cus I don’t even know how to chastise him for some shit that I’m not even familiar with.
I don’t know what the hell is going on.
But I’m doing just enough to not get the truancy folks called on me.
Cus then imma have to:
defend my ability to take care of a fucking school-aged child, while working a few jobs the fuck from home, under fucking quarantine, while I’m trying trying not to lose my fucking mind.
Yea.
What the fuck ever.
You gotta be kidding me.
I would normally care about someone judging my parenting skills.
But you know what?
You can kiss my ass.
Any person who has had a child graduate before COVID-19, your words don’t mean nothing to me.
This shit here is different.
I literally had to sit my child down and explain to him why it always seems like Mommy is busy.
Why she is always doing stuff.
Mommy used to drop you off at school, where the teachers would teach you. And then mommy would go to work. Now, you are here while I have to work. And I’m sorry.
Yea, like I needed another thing to stress and worry about.
I’m telling you.
If somebody would have told me that school would have looked like this …
I mighta chilled on having a child.
Hell, I quit teaching other people’s kids cus it ain’t my calling.
I don’t have the patience.
I don’t have the skill.
And then you gone send mine home and demand we get this shit done?
Nah.
We gotta try something else.
Don’t get me wrong.
I value education.
But this don’t seem like that.
This seems like somebody had to put some procedure in place, knowing it was probably flawed and bound to fail.
But they had write it out so they could say they did their part.
Nope.
Not falling for it.
I don’t know if the world realizes it.
But these kids are NOT ok.
Yours might be.
But many of them are just cruising through Monday through Friday.
Getting left behind like a mug.
Is there a religious exemption for school?
Cus whatever religion that is, we about to be that.
Help me out.
WE need a way out.
Tip: Don’t do drugs.
Drugs don’t help.
I started off this school year beating myself up.
Feeling like a failure of a parent.
Like somehow, our 2-person team was over here sinking while the world was exceeding the virtual expectations.
What the fuck ever.
Y’all got it.
What not to do: Don’t assume everyone else has it just because they aren’t saying nothing.
Cus, nah.
A lot of us ain’t talking cus we’re embarrassed.
We ain’t saying shit cus we don’t want to be judged.
Welp. Judge away.
Cus, this is real virtual life here.
And it ain’t working.
+ Ci Ci +
I will go first. 