As I mentioned in my last post, we decided for Hunter to do
an online schooling called K12. It had many benefits. He did not have the
social difficulties of starting a new school, but he was able to still
socialize with the teachers and students online. It seemed like the best of
both worlds…for a while.
Then, he became more and more isolated. We began to not be
able to get him out of bed. He wanted to stay up all night and sleep all day.
He lost all motivation for school and life in general. We tried to get him
involved in social events around town, but he was not interested. He did do a
recreational youth basketball league that our church hosts, and he enjoyed it,
but otherwise he was miserable. After it ended, he sunk deeper and deeper into
depression.
I reached out to his counselor at school who was amazing.
She even offered to meet face to face with Hunter once a week to just talk. She
set up a few social events with local online school kids to help get him out of
the house. Those days seemed better for him, but the rest of the days were very
difficult. I knew he was unhappy, but I just wasn’t sure how to get him out of
his slumber. He wanted to sleep constantly, but when he was awake, he was belligerent.
He blamed everyone around him for what he considered a miserable life. He
blamed us for moving him from Texas and his friends. He blamed his teachers for
his failing grades. He was so unhappy, and I didn’t know where to turn. We
were approaching the move into our new home, so it was push time on getting
final painting, floors and trim done. We were still living with my parents, and
the tension was building. You could cut it with a knife. I was at the end of my
rope.
Finally, a mom of another online student gave me the idea
that he could possibly attend our local high school for a few hours each day,
just to give it a try, but still take online classes each afternoon. This idea
intrigued me. We were approaching the end of school, and things were not
getting better.
Simplicity is the spice of life around our little town and
everyone loves it. In a town with very little to do, the ballfield becomes the
social arena. Everyone brings their favorite beverages and cheers their players.
What makes this little town even more amazing, was that I was able to pull my
golf cart next to the principal of our local high school’s golf cart during one
of the little league games. We went to high school together, so I have known
him longer than I’d like to admit. We had a little chat about Hunter’s options
at school. He asked me to give him a call the next week to get things
arranged.
I was nervous to approach the subject with Hunter. He was so
unhappy, and the smallest things were triggering him, so approaching the idea of
throwing him into a public school again with a group of his peers he did not
know was treading on thin ice. Surprisingly, when I mentioned the idea to him,
he was optimistic and slightly excited about giving it a try.
The next week, the principal put me in touch with the school
counselor. Talking to her seemed like I was talking to my guardian angel. She
took me under her wing and helped me figure out our next steps. We met with her
and she had a simple, concise list of classed Hunter was eligible to take. He
was able to choose some fun classes, so he was pretty excited. We left there in
45 minutes with my newly enrolled junior in high school. He would be taking
marketing, PE, history, and a resource class with Teacher’s Aids to help him
with his homework. For the first time in a long while I could breathe again,
and I could see the relief in Hunter’s eyes. His mood immediately shifted, and
everything seemed a little brighter.
