Melody

Let's just start by saying my girl hasn't had quite as good a year as her brother. She got in trouble at school this time last year and ended up losing her senior year. I could definitely go on a rant about this... about how the school system handled her one-and-only transgression. But it won't change the fact that all the kids she went to school with since 1st grade will graduate without her. She's gonna hafta watch from the sidelines and I think that sucks. Bigtime. If any of you out there still believe that teachers and school administrators are in it for the sake of your children... please think again. At least that's not the case in our city school district. Unless you are one of the rich kids who live in a house by the lake. If you are not blessed to be a child of the elite and you get in trouble they will ship you to A-school. IE: a cubicle where you sit day by day on your own and somehow self-teach geometry, english, some kind of social study. I could tell them that doesn't work.... but they really don't care. I pulled Mel out of there when her geometry grade hit 11. I knew there was no comin' back from that. She is well on her way now to finishing up her GED.

I know it hurts Mel that all the friends she had have forgotten her in the middle of their senior year frenzy. They are all still friends with each other but my girl is on the outside looking in. I know she shouldn't have done what she did but this punishment in no way fits her crime. But when that gets brought up to the higher ups in their nice secure administrative offices, even ex-Sunday School teachers who used to be my friends look me in the eye and say "That's just how we treat everybody. We're just going by the book." That's bull crap.... And I know it first hand. Cuz David did the same thing back in his day at that school and got nowhere near the same punishment. 1 day suspended if I remember right.

This didn't start off as a rant against the Guntersville City School District but looks like it went that way. I've been prayin alot for my girlie this year. And taking heart in remembering that 17 was David's rough patch too. Lots of people judged him back then and now he's proving all of them wrong. I know my Mellie is gonna prove the world wrong too. She's my hero. She's shown more heart in her 17 years than any other kid I know. That's why I want the best for her. I want her to succeed in spite of them all. And I'm gonna do all I can to make sure that she does.