Schoolbooks and Cocktails

The school year started yesterday, after the long summer holidays, and this year I managed to get all the schoolbooks covered well ahead of time! No sitting up until unearthly hours, with bits of brown paper and plastic and tape all over the room. I simply did a little each night during the news, and got it all finished ahead of time.

Or so I thought.

New teacher, new regulations. My son came home with half the books again, and instructions to re-cover them with a colour-coded insert that the teacher had devised to keep track of different subjects. Thankfully, for us it only involved undoing one part of the cover plastic, sliding in the sheet, and re-taping it.

But during this whole long process I had to wonder what's the logic behind all this book-covering. Every single book comes already printed with space for a name and subject and grade. Most have quite nice covers, although they probably aren't as durable as ones with a few extra layers of paper and plastic. Perhaps it's simply another one of those inane school regulations that don't really make sense - like the fact that my son's class is near the school exit by the office, but they have to walk in a line all the way down to the other end of the school to exit the building... Many times it seems to me that order, rules and "discipline" take precedence over logical thinking.

Perhaps it's just me.

And then last night I attended a "cocktail" at the other school he's at, the art school where he'll be full-time next year. I didn't exactly dress up, but was still overdressed. I was the only parent of a part-time learner there (but they did say "all parents of enrolled learners", so off I went). Perhaps I was the odd one out in many ways, but I came away with a lot of info.

I've realized that I crave information. I operate best when I have a clear idea of what is required, or all the angles I need to think it through and plan properly. Last night provided much of that. I've got a better idea of how the school runs, what equipment will be needed, and how strict/relaxed they are about various issues. They have a very clear anti-drug policy - drugs perhaps being more strongly linked to the arty bunch than the academic types. I can start acquiring the equipment he'll need this year already, including some rather expensive design kits which are long-lasting enough that he'll be using them for years after school.

I've also got a squiz at some of the other parents, which is more than I can say for our primary school. In grade one we met with the teacher as a group - but she sat up front, did her thing, and we left. I still don't know most of the parents of my son's peers, after 7 years there. I hope that art school will be a bit different, and that I'll make connections with staff, students and parents through the many opportunities they provide to socialize.

And so begins another year of learning. Two different schools, two different learning methods, two different views of the education experience. Quite a few adjustments to fit into both at the same time. But it's started on a positive note, and maybe, just maybe, it's going to be a really good one.