Are You Smarter Than a 7th Grader?

The game show asks if you are smarter than a 5th grader, which I’m not, but lately the question in our house is whether you are smarter than a 7th grader. The judges have not yet made their decision.

Jason had a lot of homework to do to catch up to his classes at his new school. For him that meant no cell phone, no video games, no computer, and no hanging out with friends until it’s all done and turned in to the teachers. For us that meant almost the same. We had two nights of plans that we cancelled so we could stay home and help him out. It was a lot of work.

In the midst of all of it he also had an appointment with his new doctor. Poor kid came out with 2 asthma prescriptions and an antibiotic for a double ear infection. It wasn’t surprising because he had a cold when we picked him up in Utah. And that was probably affecting his ability to get all the work done. He also got blood drawn for the first time. That was fun to watch :)

Jason got glasses last October, but “lost” them in just a few days. I think “lost” translates to “I didn’t like how they looked so I made them disappear.” Unfortunately for Jason, he has to go get new ones in the next couple of days (we’re just waiting for his prescription to arrive in the mail). His school and his doctor have both told us he needs them, but we didn’t need them to tell us. The boy is constantly squinting to read and I’ve seen him misread words. I’m excited – I love shopping for glasses. And lucky for me, I’m due for new ones, so we get to go together.

As for the homework, Ramses and I have been reviewing our math skills, New Mexico history, and science. Last night we learned a bit about Hominids, fossils, and evolution. We also made a timeline of Jason’s life. The years may not be completely accurate, but it was kind of fun to relive a few of the events. Here it is (the real version was on a long strip of paper and is being turned in today):

I’ve met most of his teachers, some more than once. Ramses and I have a meeting with all of them next week to discuss Jason’s situation and needs. One benefit of being the “parent” is that all the staff at school treats you so much better than when you were a student. It’s nice. Poor Jason.

So far having Jason around is pretty great. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s better than I anticipated. He’s made a handful of friends, has seen Grandpa a couple times, and even gets to go shooting with Grandpa and our cousin Steven after school today. Ramses and I are a bit jealous of that one.