Parent Voices
Subject: What is Start? Becomes what happened to my kid?
So, there I am sitting at home, wondering what my anti-establishment freshman is up to. She comes in with these forms about representing her high school at the START conference. START, isn't that something about Arms Reduction Talks? If we don't get the forms in soon enough, someone else gets to go.
Go to what?
Ok, fine, we will bring her. Perhaps they will tell us what it is all about when we drop her off. No such luck. We come to pick her up, and our fight authority kid is nowhere to be seen. There is entertainment, but it appears that none of the other parents seem to know what is going on either.
We go into the session and discover that this is leadership training. Too bad my kid fights leadership, not takes it. Now they are announcing the kids that did really well in various aspects of the program. Wait a minute, that was my kids name they read after that wonderful speech about inclusion and participation. What is it that she is being invited to? Oh, there are week long summer programs, that she can attend. How nice.
The summer is busy, so if she is going to use the scholarship she has to go the first week or not at all.
Here we are, back again. This time the other parents seem to know what their kids are getting into. At least mine is excited to be back, and not just saying the words they contracted to say when someone asks about their state of mind.
Now it is the end of the week and we get to go to a parent orientation. Now I see how it all fits together. Too bad we can't send her to the advanced program. No money, and she is off to something else at the end of next week anyway. Now they are announcing the award winners for this week. I remember how proud I was a few weeks ago at START when they announced.... wait a minute... did they just announce her again? A quick check with the wife... wow! Ok, we will find a way to get her back next week.
She's back from Advanced training, I hope it was a good experience for her. Should be an interesting Sophomore year of high school.
So here is, the end of the summer a year later, and she is 16. She has been away at a summer job since the day school got out, elected to a national Corporate Board of Directors, and will be starting college a few days after coming home from the summer job.
I don't want her to go back to being the anti-establishment kid, but I am still getting used to the changes. Your child may not have the same experience that mine did, but SLTP does have a positive effect on kids lives.
Bruce MacCullagh, SLTP Alumni Parent