Special education, IEPs, and the school from hell

Matty has always had great teachers.  Excellent teachers that still are interested in hearing from/about him.  I guess we got lucky because the first six years worth of teachers  (k-5) from our district were amazing.  He moved to a new school in the same district this year because 6th grade is only offered at that school in our district.  This year, this school?  Not so great.  Not. At. All. 

As in his special ed teacher went out on sick leave the fourth day of school and Matty has had a substitute teacher for the last 4.5 weeks of school.  As in his math grade is 36.  As in the email response from his "teacher" when I asked about the missing grades and his overall poor average in math was "his grades was when up a lot, and the papers that he done they are now in the system".  True story.  No capitalization.  No punctuation (to speak of).  No grammar. 

Never have I ever had to contact his school and demand ever so politely to have his teacher replaced.  Don't get me wrong.  We are involved very much with his school.  There has yet to be one week that I have not had to email the school about something.  I've already met with the Vice-Principal AND had an IEP meeting.  I've sent six emails in two days and spoke on the phone to the Special Education Coordinator just in this week alone.  INSANE.  Absolutely ridiculous.  Reason number five million, two-hundred and twenty-five why I need to work from home.  I focus on Matty and his school way more than I should and still allow my employer in good conscious continue to pay me for a full day's pay.  

Where to start when things are out of countrol.

I pinned this a couple of months ago on pinterest for the day that I would need it.  That day is here or rather it came last week and we are still trying to dig out of the rubble.  I took the advice of Jessica from Life as a Mom blog and tried to focus on two things: food and laundry.  I planned out the food, went grocery shopping and have been following the schedule ever since (one whole day, whooo hoooo!)  Mellie does the laundry around here and even though she had brought home work from the office, she was still able to knock out a few loads over the weekend.  There were clean towels when I showered today.  Clean underwear when I was getting dressed and the only reason I couldn't find anything to wear is because I am over every. single. thing. in my closet, not because there were not clean clothes in the closet to begin with. 

As I blog this evening, dinner is finished, the dishes are done, and I would be in the kitchen right now making the chicken salad for lunch if I was not locked into a bitter battle with Matty over his homework.  And by homework I mean classwork that he didn't finish up last week and didn't bring home this weekend and now must finish tonight.  Holy crap being a parent is fun.  FREAKIN AWESOME (but not so much at the moment).   So he is in there searching the atlas for the Sahara Desert and I am in here trying to ignore him and let him live through his natural consequences.  Who said being a laid back parent was easy?  It's actually much, much harder than riding him every second and making him do every last thing.

PS - the wonderful sounding crockpot steel cut oats from last night? Yeah.  I awoke to the fantastic smell of burnt crockpot steel cut oats this morning.  That was fun cleaning up.  Tonight I made Overnight Pumpkin Oatmeal.  That sits overnight in the fridge, so we'll see.  At least it won't be burnt. 

I just realized that I didn't get tomorrow night's dinner in the crockpot (Crockpot Honey Apple Pork Loin).  A mother's work is never done (except apparently if you are Mellie and come home to a cooked meal and then sit in your chair with your face in your phone all night).  I would do this all so willingly if I didn't have to go work eight hours somewhere else too!