Halfway

We are at the halfway mark of our summer vacation and the thought of that depresses all of us in the house.  It isn't that we have had tons of fun rushing here and there, but we have enjoyed the extra sleep and the peace that has settled over our house.  It is the little things that make us happy here in Florida.  Knowing what is in store for us in six weeks makes me shiver and causes my kids to stay tucked in bed each day until after noon.

They each have summer homework.  A lot of summer homework.  As the parent who has to rant and rave about the summer homework, I want to strangle these teachers.  What?  These kids don't get enough work during the year?  As the parent who has to rant and rave during the beginning of the school year, I understand that having this work over the summer keeps them focused so that the start of school isn't a huge change.  The year I had the summer school for the girls and some friends opened my eyes to that fact, but the problem with it is that you have to do a little bit of the summer work each week.  My oldest just wants to get it all done the last week of school in between our  scrambling to buy supplies and clothes.

This year the girls' summer work, especially my incoming freshman, is a load.  They have two books to read, one book is the same for both girls.  As soon as I got the information (sent via an email to the parents the week after school let out....explain that nonsense to me), I ordered the books.  They have been sitting on our dining room table since they arrived.  Darcy is the only one, besides myself, who has touched them.  She spent three days reading Animal Farm, a book she apparently read in her reading group this year.  She did this by combining it with another summer activity.

She figured that finishing the book would give her a few weeks of relaxation.  The only problem with that is she still has to annotate the book and write an essay.  She also has the other book to read which comes with a question and answer booklet that needs to be filled out.  Add history homework on top of that, and holy toledo, do teachers not think these students deserve some type of happiness?

Madison hasn't even looked at her work that I know of.  Her books have not been touched.  Darcy organized a study group this past weekend with some of the kids from her middle school who are entering the same program as her.  They met at Panera Bread and worked for four hours on the booklet; the same booklet that Madison has to do.  Aye yi yi!  I'm trying to stay out of it, but I'm not that good at doing so.

Last night I told the girls that starting this week they had to get up before ten and commit one hour a day, excluding weekends, on homework.  There was a lot of whining, especially from Darcy who feels she has been working (she has), but I thought it was a fair request.  As I write this it is after ten and despite my whistling and walking between the two rooms neither girl is up and at 'em.  I'm thinking of banging pots and pans or maybe using a squirt bottle to arouse them.  But I don't want to be that mom either.  It's summer, for heaven's sake!  They have to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning this school year and will be hit, especially Madison in this IB program, with so much work that pulling all-nighters is not unheard of. 

We have decided to take our usual jaunt to Indiana again this summer.  We will be driving this time and yes, that might just be a good time to do school work, but I know these girls.  They will be watching movies and playing on their electronics and homework will be last on the list.  Thus my new "one hour" rule.  I'm hoping this will all be done before we leave.  Something tells me to keep on dreaming.