Perfectly normal, Susan. I freak at the thought.

Though, at this point, I'm so frustrated with the hunt that I'm sure my panic will be tempered with the relief of having found a place.

(Infant spaces = really hard to find. Also, about as much a month as my mortgage.)

That dress Aimee linked to would have fit my mother when she was younger. Hard not to have BIDs when growing up vastly outmeasuring *that*.

I like this one: [link]

Damn, Betsy. I am so sorry. If the teacher is letting the other kids harass Will, then he has no business whatsoever saying he doesn't like Will's attitude.

I'm betting that Will is so solidly in the Kids I Don't Like category that he didn't even notice the harassment.

Betsy, at this point, what are your options for switching schools and getting a fresh start for him?

I don't think that's a good idea. He has a history teacher he loves and who loves him, and his science teacher just singled out his science fair project proposal as one of the best in the class.

Also, Will takes change really hard. It took him a year and a half to get over the move. Losing his friends (he does have several) and his school (there's a strong rivalry) would be devastating.

Betsy, is there any possible way he could do private lessons in trumpet and get the hell out of band for the rest of the year? Or is there some sort of youth orchestra thing he could try?

One semester, I ended up having a schedule conflict between Home Ec and band and, it being the early 70s, Home Ec won. My mother worked for the music department at the local university so she hired me a tutor until she could bully the school into changing my schedule. Maybe you could find someone to do that until the situation is resolved?

What about private trumpet lessons, if band is a miserable experience?

That may be the best solution. But the question is, how do I get him ensemble play? Because that's half the point of early music education, learning to play with other people.