It would appear that our lives will be changing in significant ways in the next few months.
Yesterday, Zach and I visited South Side High School. The purpose of our visit was evaluative: Our quest was to make a final determination if this was the place for Zach to finish out his high school education. (Zach is currently a freshman in our home school.) We (Michael, Zach, and I) have spent the last couple of months, since Zach first asked if he might be allowed to attend South Side, talking and praying, and talking and praying some more, about seemingly every aspect of Zach transitioning from home school to public school. We had come to the place where we felt that the only thing left to do in the decision-making process was to see for ourselves what might lie ahead.
Zach has never attended public school–probably the only times he’s even been in a school building are as an attendee at sporting or fine arts events, when he’s gone with his parents to vote, or when he went to South Side to obtain a work permit last spring. It’s been–ahem!–35 years since I graduated from high school; I’ve been to some of those same events that Zach has over the years, and I did do a short stint as a substitute teacher in my own high school the spring after my college graduation (imagine subbing in one of your siblings’ classes). So, in light of things you hear in general about high schools these days and some things we have heard about this school in particular, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect.
Ours was a very, very positive experience. The adults with whom we dealt couldn’t have been nicer. I commented to Zach that (sadly) the behavior of the students in the honors classes we visited (we did not spend our time together–Zach shadowed a current SSHS freshman named Colin, and I was in the company the freshman guidance counselor, Mr. H.) was better than what I’ve sometimes seen in church youth gatherings, in terms of respect, attentiveness, and courtesy. I couldn’t help thinking, as I observed in a biology class where the students were reviewing some reading assignment using some very cool hand-held classroom quizzing devices, that it’s very possible that Zach might consider each day in this setting as a great adventure, especially after 10 years of being the only student in his class at home.
In my conversation with Mr. H., it was encouraging to hear him relate, just briefly, when I had said enough about myself that it was clear that I had some kind of faith life, how he could see that God had prepared him for his current job through various life experiences along the way (which included growing up as a military kid and teaching in a local elementary school.) I feel that way about Zach going to South Side–I’m convinced it will become a significant part of his story.
And, I’m pretty sure that it will become a significant part of mine too.
Off we go!
