<p>I’m looking forward to my D being home tonight. She’s at the airport and should take off within the hour. :-)</p>
<p>Her poster presentation was yesterday and it went really well.</p>
<p>Her Sibb family all met yesterday afternoon for a Ben & Jerry’s Vermonster. It was a going-away party for one of them that’s studying abroad next semester.</p>
<p>S has his last (and more difficult for him) test tonight. H will pick him up tomorrow and so by tomorrow I will see him and hug him firmly. He is stressed about his first college finals so I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him. </p>
<p>Soon!</p>
<p>D2’s grades just got posted. We are very happy for her. It is one down and 7 more to go.</p>
<p>DS is in his Ethics exam right now and I am keeping my fingers crossed for him. Tomorrow he has Microeconomics in the afternoon, then he leaves his campus one hour later for the airport. I sure hope he remembers to pack and check in (in advance)for his flight, print his boarding pass and pay to check his suitcase. Its a lot to remember for a first timer (his head will be spinning from the exams, lack of sleep and food etc). He has done the airport thing before but both times had a carryon bag. </p>
<p>I am looking forward to having us all together this weekend. DD1 dosen’t live home and is traveling until the weekend.</p>
<p>Wishing great finals and safe travels for those kids not home yet. </p>
<p>D’s grades posted yesterday and she made the Distinguished list.</p>
<p>D got home last night and we had a nice 2 hour talk today about her 1st semester experiences. We’ve had a couple of minor tiffs by phone/text over the past month concerning little things like doing a lab late that cost her a grade (B- instead of B), but today was really nice concerning everything from her future, to sex, to majors, to drinking. </p>
<p>She took a while to adjust but she has gone from hating it to liking it somewhat. Part of that is just the intense pressure of being surrounded by such top achievers, whereas things came much easier in HS.</p>
<p>So happy for all of you with freshmen arriving safely at home! TV4caster, IJustDrive, Jackief and Mathinokc (and anyone I missed)!</p>
<p>DD sat for Micro this am and has one more bf the flight home Friday :)</p>
<p>1 down, 7 to go - I feel ya OF!</p>
<p>If the HS is in session while your kids are back from college, are they planning to go visit?</p>
<p>Our neighboring HS (not the one my Ds attend/ed) is banning recent graduates from visiting during school hours. Have you ever heard of such a thing?!</p>
<p>There were some tense moments today, but it all worked out. My immediate supervisor was sad, but said he really wanted me to be able to stay until the date I’d given them (January 11). My director was also sad, wanted to make sure he wasn’t anything he did, said I’d been a great contributor and valued employee and he hoped that I could finish out my time on site but that I had to be prepared to not return after today. </p>
<p>My supervisor suggested I pack my stuff and put it in my car so he didn’t have to pack it and ship it to me (protocol, if I was being walked out). While I did that, my director talked to the Director II. He called to say it was all good, they do not consider me a security risk and I could stay til January 11th. </p>
<p>Why did it feel like relief to be told I could stay and work instead of staying home and getting paid? LOL. It just felt odd, thinking about not having time to separate, say good byes, etc. </p>
<p>This is what happens when you work in Information Security (or finance, from what I hear). But, I’m cleared to work, thanks to my Director. He said “You better not make a liar out of me!” I told him I had no intention to burn any bridges.</p>
<p>I work in a HS and we don’t “ban” them, but they are told when they come in that they can’t visit former teachers until the school day is over. Now keep in mind, this is told to the ones who actually come into the office. I know for a fact some come in a door other than the front door of the school and I (front desk secretary) may never know.</p>
<p>In light of recent and past events, this really bothers me. Not that they are there, but that anyone can find their way in. It is not supposed to be that way, but that is another conversation.</p>
<p>And yes, I think my S is planning on stopping by to visit a couple of his teachers. He isn’t going to visit students.</p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom-so happy it worked out for you and still jealous. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks. It is a pretty darn good feeling :)</p>
<p>Our high school handles this situation by opening itself up to returning students the day before Thanksgiving and the day before winter break. Not much gets done those days anyway.</p>
<p>Returning students are asked to sign in at the office and are given an “alumni badge.” They all go visit their favorite teachers. If it is inconvenient for alumni to visit a certain class, the teacher just says “see you later.”</p>
<p>A lot of the teachers ask students to bring in college syllabi to pass around their classes, to give the high school students an idea of how college is different. The college kids also talk some about the academic demands and some of their experiences.</p>
<p>2016BarnardMom- glad things worked out for you.</p>
<p>D is going back to her HS tomorrow with friends to visit Chem teacher. They wanted to surprise her during her free period. With last week’s tragic event, they had to send an email and get approved.</p>
<p>Glad things worked out 2016BarnardMom.</p>
<p>It’s common for alums to visit the local public high school around the corner from us. I haven’t heard of any new security procedures.</p>
<p>My son sat on the tarmac for an hour and the pilot told the passengers they might need to “touch down” someone along the way for fuel. So now they are being diverted to Salt Lake City and it will be after midnight until he’s home. That’s a long day for him.</p>
<p>@Creekland: He has had more trouble with Bio than his other classes–he says he just doesn’t think the way the prof does and has trouble anticipating what he wants. That said, he thinks he had a strong handle on about 2/3s of the final and had plenty of time to go through and make his best attempt at the other 1/3, so he’s thinking he’ll probably get some sort of B, but has a shot at an A-. </p>
<p>S is planning on dropping in on his favorite HS teacher on Friday along with a good sized group of friends. They will show up during the period he’s teaching the senior elective they all took. I’m guessing the teacher will love seeing them and will end up pulling out his guitar and starting a sing along! (It’s an LA class with a social justice theme: “Lean on Me” is a fixture!) He’ll also drop by his K-8 to chat with his 7-8th grade science teacher–I’m guessing S will be asked to guest lecture on the spot! (It’s that kind of school.) Both schools ask visitors to sign in, but I doubt he will. (I once watched an office worker turn away a couple of young adults who had dropped by to visit their K-8 gym teacher. When I mentioned it to the teacher later he was so disappointed that they hadn’t been allowed to see him.)</p>
<p>@mimk6, that’s a long day for you too! Hope he made it home safe and sound!</p>
<p>Mim - hope all went well even with the delay! I told my guy to call us tomorrow once he’s checked in to let us know if he’s on time or delayed. The weather looks decent I think.</p>
<p>Returning students come back to our school often. I LOVE catching up with them and seeing what they are doing. Most love where they’ve chosen and can tell me a bit about schools.</p>
<p>Thanks PNWedwonk. My guy finally called last night with just his BCS final to go. He feels really good about the other three he’s taken, but he does “get” the Bio prof and definitely admits that prof is different than usual. I’m not sure if different is better or worse in the grand scheme of things (overall learning). I kind of thought he’d be different when we heard him in that Parent Orientation meeting… I haven’t looked. Does he do Bio next semester too? I hope your guy can pull an A. I think the class is supposed to be curved (up), but time will tell.</p>
<p>Our HS has had a policy in place for many years for returning alums - no unauthorized visits during the school day. The AP English teacher usually invites alums who are back for an end of term visit, to discuss their college experience with her classes. </p>
<p>S returned home last night and will be attending the winter choral concert tonight - he was choir president last year. Alums of the top choir are invited on stage annually to join in “Fum Fum Fum,” and it’s always fun to see who is back. There are alums in their 90s who have gone up before.</p>
<p>Older D returns home Friday afternoon! And our house is the cleanest it’s been in months!</p>