been nasty to him. They had called him names, and had
thrown his stuff about. He said he didn’t want to go on the school
bus again ever. I have promised I will take him to and from school
from now on. So much for the free bus pass. So much for my part
time job.
I had hoped the
second week would be better than the first. If anything, it has
been worse. It can’t be healthy for him to come home so exhausted
every day. By the time he gets home, he is so stressed he can
hardly talk. I have tried talking to him, but that only makes
matters worse. He either bites my head off, refuses to talk to me,
or throws a tantrum. I want to help, but there are so many problems
I don’t know where to start. He is still getting lost around the
school. He is carrying all of his books around with him because he
never knows which lesson is next. The maths lessons are stressing
him out because he doesn’t know how to show his working out. He’s
annoyed at the marking system in geography. The unofficial
homework, as he refers to it, is driving him mad. He hates P.E.,
and to top it all, he said a boy hit him with a pair of swimming
trunks.
I asked Andrew
what he thought we should do. He said it would all sort itself out,
and I shouldn’t worry. That’s easy for him to say.
17th September
(Saturday)
Jamie's
Diary
Mrs Parkes came
over today. Michael didn’t come with her because he was playing
football at school. I don’t know how he finds time to play football
with all of the homework we get. I was glad he didn’t come.
I have a
history essay on the Industrial Revolution to finish for Monday.
Today, I am going to read my text book, and do some research on the
Internet. Then, tomorrow I will write the essay. The teacher hasn’t
said how much we should write.
*****
Angela's
Diary
I asked Jackie
to come over. I wanted to find out how Michael’s first two weeks
had gone. It’s a terrible thing to admit, but I was hoping she
would say it had been a nightmare for Michael as well. I was out of
luck. It sounds as though Michael has settled straight in. I asked
her about the homework situation. She said he seemed to be well on
top of it. I know Jackie will have checked that he is doing it. She
said it hadn't taken him more than an hour on any evening so far. I
asked her if Michael was finding his way around the school. She
looked at me as though I was crazy. We talked for ages. Or at least
she did. I just listened to what a wonderful time Michael is having
at Armthorpe. According to Jackie he has made lots of friends, is
in the football team, and is coping well with the workload. I
mentioned some of Jamie’s problems. I could tell she didn’t
understand. In fact she asked me if I thought I was worrying too
much. There is more to it than that. It wasn’t like this with
Lesley.
I don’t know
what to do.
18th September
(Sunday)
Jamie's
Diary
Dad had a right
go at me this morning. He was mad because he thought I had
forgotten mum’s birthday. I hadn’t. I bought her a card three weeks
ago, but I forgot to give it to her this morning. I couldn’t
remember where I had put it, but then I found it in the drawer of
my computer desk. I wrote on it, and gave it to mum over Sunday
lunch. She said it was lovely. I didn’t buy mum a present because I
didn’t know what she wanted. I asked her a couple of weeks ago. She
said I should surprise her. I hate it when people won’t tell you
what they want for their birthday, or for Christmas. I always tell
people what I want to make sure they don’t buy me something
useless. Nana Edith never asks me what I want, so she always buys
me something I don’t like. For my last birthday she bought me a
book about aeroplanes. I put it in the bin, but mum took it out and
gave it to a charity shop. How am I supposed to know what to buy
mum if she doesn’t tell me? I should have bought her a model tram
kit. That would have been a surprise, but I don’t think she would
have
thrown his stuff about. He said he didn’t want to go on the school
bus again ever. I have promised I will take him to and from school
from now on. So much for the free bus pass. So much for my part
time job.
I had hoped the
second week would be better than the first. If anything, it has
been worse. It can’t be healthy for him to come home so exhausted
every day. By the time he gets home, he is so stressed he can
hardly talk. I have tried talking to him, but that only makes
matters worse. He either bites my head off, refuses to talk to me,
or throws a tantrum. I want to help, but there are so many problems
I don’t know where to start. He is still getting lost around the
school. He is carrying all of his books around with him because he
never knows which lesson is next. The maths lessons are stressing
him out because he doesn’t know how to show his working out. He’s
annoyed at the marking system in geography. The unofficial
homework, as he refers to it, is driving him mad. He hates P.E.,
and to top it all, he said a boy hit him with a pair of swimming
trunks.
I asked Andrew
what he thought we should do. He said it would all sort itself out,
and I shouldn’t worry. That’s easy for him to say.
17th September
(Saturday)
Jamie's
Diary
Mrs Parkes came
over today. Michael didn’t come with her because he was playing
football at school. I don’t know how he finds time to play football
with all of the homework we get. I was glad he didn’t come.
I have a
history essay on the Industrial Revolution to finish for Monday.
Today, I am going to read my text book, and do some research on the
Internet. Then, tomorrow I will write the essay. The teacher hasn’t
said how much we should write.
*****
Angela's
Diary
I asked Jackie
to come over. I wanted to find out how Michael’s first two weeks
had gone. It’s a terrible thing to admit, but I was hoping she
would say it had been a nightmare for Michael as well. I was out of
luck. It sounds as though Michael has settled straight in. I asked
her about the homework situation. She said he seemed to be well on
top of it. I know Jackie will have checked that he is doing it. She
said it hadn't taken him more than an hour on any evening so far. I
asked her if Michael was finding his way around the school. She
looked at me as though I was crazy. We talked for ages. Or at least
she did. I just listened to what a wonderful time Michael is having
at Armthorpe. According to Jackie he has made lots of friends, is
in the football team, and is coping well with the workload. I
mentioned some of Jamie’s problems. I could tell she didn’t
understand. In fact she asked me if I thought I was worrying too
much. There is more to it than that. It wasn’t like this with
Lesley.
I don’t know
what to do.
18th September
(Sunday)
Jamie's
Diary
Dad had a right
go at me this morning. He was mad because he thought I had
forgotten mum’s birthday. I hadn’t. I bought her a card three weeks
ago, but I forgot to give it to her this morning. I couldn’t
remember where I had put it, but then I found it in the drawer of
my computer desk. I wrote on it, and gave it to mum over Sunday
lunch. She said it was lovely. I didn’t buy mum a present because I
didn’t know what she wanted. I asked her a couple of weeks ago. She
said I should surprise her. I hate it when people won’t tell you
what they want for their birthday, or for Christmas. I always tell
people what I want to make sure they don’t buy me something
useless. Nana Edith never asks me what I want, so she always buys
me something I don’t like. For my last birthday she bought me a
book about aeroplanes. I put it in the bin, but mum took it out and
gave it to a charity shop. How am I supposed to know what to buy
mum if she doesn’t tell me? I should have bought her a model tram
kit. That would have been a surprise, but I don’t think she would
have
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