*Grrrr* I growl at the public school system.

I would just like to say that Michelle is livid. Michelle is pissed off. Michelle is ready to pull her six year old from public school, quit her job, homeschool, and then sue the South Bend School Corporation for racial discrimination. You see, last year, someone decided that because Cora is hispanic that she must be able to speak spanish. Someone decided that since she's shy and not very outspoken that she must have trouble speaking english. Someone decided, without a parent's consent, that Cora should be tested for english proficiency. We got the results in the mail over the summer. I did not read them, because, well, no one in our home knows spanish (aside from a few curse words and some numbers). I called, and got a voicemail recording in spanish. I had no clue what it said but I left my information anyway and simply stated that I wanted to know why Cora was tested for english proficiency. I got a call back and someone left me a message saying that the only reason they test children for english proficiency is if two languages are circled on their application. Funny, I only remember circling english, cuz that's all we speak in our home. Well, I decided to just drop it since, other than the fact that they tested Cora without my knowledge and pulled her from one of her classes when she was struggling as it was, the damage had already been done.

Let's fast forward to the present. Cora is struggling in class, especially with her reading. Every in class assignment she's been given, she's failed. The highest she got on any of her in class work was a 50%. The odd thing is that any work she is given to do at home, she gets 100%. I don't help her, unless there's a difficult word in the instructions that any first grader would have trouble sounding out. And yet, she gets 100%. On, literally EVERY piece of homework. My thought is that maybe Cora's not connecting with the teacher or maybe Cora has some anxiety issues during tests. I have a parent teacher conference scheduled at the end of October and even though I sent various notes to class with Cora that have gone unanswered, I figured that I would talk to her teacher then. Well, now I think I might have to bump up that talk.

Juan went to Cora's school today. He talked to her teacher. According to her, the english proficiency tests proved that Cora's thought process is in spanish. That she thinks only in spanish and that is the reason she's having problems with in class work. They are saying that because her thought process is in spanish and the teacher gives lessons in english, that Cora can't keep up because she just doesn't understand. And that we at home are helping her in spanish and that's why she gets 100% on her homework. It's quite absurd when I DO NOT SPEAK SPANISH. I don't know how many ways I can say it. I don't speak spanish. I took it in high school, yes. Do I speak it on a regular basis? No. My husband knows less spanish than I do. And he's the mexican one. Take one look at me and it's obvious I'm not spanish. I'm whiter than casper and look very European.

So, now I'm pissed. And a pissed Michelle is not one you want to mess with. Someone's going to get an ear ful. Oh yes.