Last week was a big week of changes in our household.
Thursday was the start of a new semester for the boys. S took advantage of his IEP during exams and actually had a scribe for both his Geography and Science exams. He felt very good about the Science exam, but wasn't as confident with his Geography one, however. He did spend a fair bit of time studying, so I hope he gets a good mark. (Geography was never a strong subject for me, either, so I understand that struggle.)
This semester he has Math, English, Phys-ed and Religion. Again, a nice mix of tough and not-so-tough courses. I've not sent my "letter of introduction" to his teachers, but I think I will send that with him next week.
The A-man feels very confident that he will have 80's in all of his classes except English. He's not quite sure what to expect in that class. Apparently he did quite well on the essay prep he had to do prior to the exam, so I'm hoping that he is pleasantly surprised at the end of it.
I guess we will know for sure next week.
Thursday was also a big day for me as I less Boss know that I had accepted a new position. I am actually not even aware of a start date yet, but I know it won't be until the middle of March at the earliest. I'm sort of hoping that I will have a lag between leaving this job and starting the new one; the kids would be on March break that week, and it would be really nice to have a full week off to get some organizing done around the house. But, as I said, nothing has been set as of yet.
My leaving came as a very big shock to Boss. And an even bigger one to my assistant. I explained to her - privately - that I was very confident in her abilities and that knowing she was in place was actually a factor in my decision. Of course, there were quite a number of factors, but it's good to know you are not actually leaving the company in a lurch. Especially when the company works with such a small crew.
Boss took me to lunch on Monday to discuss things further. I guess he'd had the weekend to digest the information and he wanted to use the private conversation to feel me out for what type of job I would be doing, the pay difference, that sort of thing. When I told him the pay I would be receiving at the new job, he realized that he would not be able to match it. I knew this - and had he surprised me and tried to match the pay - I'm not even sure what I would have done to be honest!
-----
On a different note, Hubby and I have some issues we have to work through with our darling S. Over the Christmas break S and I had a bit of a disagreement about the quality of time he had put into completing an assignment. After our discussion, I had gone to bed.
A short while later, Hubby came upstairs to find S standing near my purse, with a $20 bill in his hand. Hubby LOST it. He never yells - or very rarely - and he hollered so loud at S that he woke me up.
I was not privy to the discussion Hubby had with S - I thought the cooler head was dealing with the situation, so I left it alone. Of course, Hubby and I did discuss it later, but at the time I knew the right parent came across that situation. S and I did have a brief follow up discussion about the series of events that lead up to that, and he explained to me that he had never done such a thing before, and he wasn't really sure why he did it that night other than he was upset with me and that it was something he did on impulse.
My knowledge of ADHD does permit me to believe that this was an impulse, but it also doesn't allow me to not punish him and remind him that stealing is illegal.
On the week that Hubby and I were on holidays, and the boys stayed with my parents, my Dad noticed that three $2 coins went missing off his side table. When he mentioned it to Hubby and I, we both knew right away who to talk to. Of course my Dad did mention the missing change to both of the boys at the time and both claimed no knowledge of the event. Dad knew the money was gone, but he also had no knowledge of the event at Christmas, so he wasn't sure who wasn't telling the truth.
Hubby had a serious conversation with S to follow up on my Dad's situation, and then I dealt with it in a whole other way. When I gave the boys their bi-weekly allowance, I short changed S. When he asked me why he didn't get his normal amount, I told him the money he had taken from my Dad was an advance.
His head went down, his cheeks flushed, and I believe I made an impact.
I certainly hope so.
------
And, on a totally separate issue again - poor Nee was required to take very drastic measures with J. He was admitted to a youth centre for emergency treatment. He will be released at the end of this week, I believe, but when he was in for the past three weeks, he has been under 24 hour surveillance with no access to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. He has also been receiving therapy and testings that would normally take upward of a year to receive.
On the down side, Nee and her partner have separated and she will be moving into a new place this weekend. J and her partner had an altercation before the New Year, and now he doesn't want J in his house. Ever.
What is a mother to do? Well, naturally she had no choice - her decision was made when he wasn't willing to come to a compromise.
My heart is breaking for my friend, and I am hopeful that some answers will arrive when J is released.
Showing posts with label better perspective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label better perspective. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Report cards and sore teeth
I have found myself reading the boy’s report cards again and again. I can’t help it - I keep checking to confirm that my memory hasn’t gone and left me.
The report cards are both just so… positive! The life skills section – initiative, homework completion, working well with others, etc – is always the section that I read first. For S, I was never surprised to see a “Needs Improvement” for cooperation with others, initiative or homework completion. A “satisfactory” was always much better, and if we saw a “Good” that was always cause for celebration in our household. An ‘excellent’ was rarely (if ever) seen on S’s report card. (Maybe in kindergarten…)
I would say that was pretty much the case for the A-man too when he was in elementary school; maybe not for the majority of the skill set, but definitely for a couple of the categories.
S’s report card still shows 78% for his average mark. He has almost 90% in Music, and the teacher marked him “excellent” in all of his skill sets. The same teacher also has S for his lowest scoring class – Geography – which is 67%, and even that is showing a number of ‘Good’ and ‘Satisfactory’ comments in the skills set. Actually, there isn’t any “needs improvement” notations in any of his classes! Heck, in Science the teacher even commented that S submitted “very well written lab reports”.
I love high school!
(Okay, well, as a parent I love high school. When I was actually attending high school, not so much…)
On the home front, my poor Hubby has been having not a very good week. He awoke on Sunday evening (early Monday morning, really) to a terrible pain in his mouth. He called in to work on the Monday morning and went to see the dentist at the first appointment he could get. He has an abscessed tooth. The abscess is in a tooth that had a root canal a few years ago over the Christmas holidays. (NOT a fun holiday, I will admit)
The dentist prescribed some antibiotics to help clear the infection, and some Tylenol 3’s with codeine to help with the pain Hubby was experiencing. On Monday evening, Hubby was still in a lot of pain, and wasn’t actually able to sleep much (again) that night.
Tuesday evening he went back to the dentist at the urging of our friend (a hygienist in the office) to see if the other dentist would be able to prescribe something stronger for the pain. But, since Hubby hadn’t been on the antibiotics for more than 48 hours, the other dentist wasn’t willing to give him anything else. (I wonder if he might have thought differently had he been living with the pain…)
Yesterday morning the original dentist called to see how Hubby was feeling. When Hubby told the dentist that he pain was actually getting worse, they made an appointment to have him come back in yesterday morning. They ended up pulling the tooth, even though they don’t like to do so when there are still signs of infection in the area. Apparently this does happen to some 25-30% of the cases.
Hubby said the best he had felt in days was when the dentist gave him the first freezing for the extraction. Apparently they aren’t willing to continue to give Novocain every four hours… imagine. The extraction itself, however, wasn’t very pleasant to hear about, never mind living through. Hubby said it was terrible when the freezing started to come out, but I have got to believe that now that the tooth is gone he has to start feeling better once the infection has the ability to drain.
His jaw was actually visibly swollen from the infection.
So, it hasn’t actually been a whole lot of fun in our world for the last few days. The boys and I have been trying to stay as quiet as we can to ensure Hubby can sleep whenever he needs to, but he is still a bit of a grouchy bear. I get that.
Here's hoping he starts to see some improvment today.
The report cards are both just so… positive! The life skills section – initiative, homework completion, working well with others, etc – is always the section that I read first. For S, I was never surprised to see a “Needs Improvement” for cooperation with others, initiative or homework completion. A “satisfactory” was always much better, and if we saw a “Good” that was always cause for celebration in our household. An ‘excellent’ was rarely (if ever) seen on S’s report card. (Maybe in kindergarten…)
I would say that was pretty much the case for the A-man too when he was in elementary school; maybe not for the majority of the skill set, but definitely for a couple of the categories.
S’s report card still shows 78% for his average mark. He has almost 90% in Music, and the teacher marked him “excellent” in all of his skill sets. The same teacher also has S for his lowest scoring class – Geography – which is 67%, and even that is showing a number of ‘Good’ and ‘Satisfactory’ comments in the skills set. Actually, there isn’t any “needs improvement” notations in any of his classes! Heck, in Science the teacher even commented that S submitted “very well written lab reports”.
I love high school!
(Okay, well, as a parent I love high school. When I was actually attending high school, not so much…)
On the home front, my poor Hubby has been having not a very good week. He awoke on Sunday evening (early Monday morning, really) to a terrible pain in his mouth. He called in to work on the Monday morning and went to see the dentist at the first appointment he could get. He has an abscessed tooth. The abscess is in a tooth that had a root canal a few years ago over the Christmas holidays. (NOT a fun holiday, I will admit)
The dentist prescribed some antibiotics to help clear the infection, and some Tylenol 3’s with codeine to help with the pain Hubby was experiencing. On Monday evening, Hubby was still in a lot of pain, and wasn’t actually able to sleep much (again) that night.
Tuesday evening he went back to the dentist at the urging of our friend (a hygienist in the office) to see if the other dentist would be able to prescribe something stronger for the pain. But, since Hubby hadn’t been on the antibiotics for more than 48 hours, the other dentist wasn’t willing to give him anything else. (I wonder if he might have thought differently had he been living with the pain…)
Yesterday morning the original dentist called to see how Hubby was feeling. When Hubby told the dentist that he pain was actually getting worse, they made an appointment to have him come back in yesterday morning. They ended up pulling the tooth, even though they don’t like to do so when there are still signs of infection in the area. Apparently this does happen to some 25-30% of the cases.
Hubby said the best he had felt in days was when the dentist gave him the first freezing for the extraction. Apparently they aren’t willing to continue to give Novocain every four hours… imagine. The extraction itself, however, wasn’t very pleasant to hear about, never mind living through. Hubby said it was terrible when the freezing started to come out, but I have got to believe that now that the tooth is gone he has to start feeling better once the infection has the ability to drain.
His jaw was actually visibly swollen from the infection.
So, it hasn’t actually been a whole lot of fun in our world for the last few days. The boys and I have been trying to stay as quiet as we can to ensure Hubby can sleep whenever he needs to, but he is still a bit of a grouchy bear. I get that.
Here's hoping he starts to see some improvment today.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Out of the oven... in to the fire...
Well, the silent treatment has ended, and I have become S’s confidant once again.
When we got home last night, S was sitting in the living room waiting for the A-man and I. He was very quick to tell me about the homework that he had, and even pulled out the information he needed right away to finish it as quickly as he could.
After finding the information he needed in the flyers (it was a math-type assignment where they had to use 'real prices') I was amazed to see him start to straighten up the newspaper as soon as I reminded him. I told S that he didn't have to do it right away, but to make sure that he did it before too long.
"Oh no, that's okay. I like to do things right away when I'm upset," he explained to me. When I asked him what he was upset about, S pulled two notes from his pocket.
The first was a note from Lil'A explaining that she "didn't want him to love her anymore because she had found someone else to love." It went on further to tell him that she knew of a girl that liked S and she thought maybe he should consider loving her. The second note was from a friend of Lil'A's saying that it really upset her to see S watching Lil'A all "lovey dovey" and maybe he should find someone else.
Oh - to be so young and naive as a 14 year old girl. (See, apparently feeling can be turned on and off at whim...)
S was more than chatty about this turn of events. He even told me that he knew this was coming - he has apparently known for a couple of days. Hmm... wasn't it a couple of days ago that he was all grouchy and snarly at home? He said that wasn't why he'd been so rude the other day, but it all makes sense now.
S was more than happy to help me get supper prepared, and he chatted with me for the entire time. At one point I had to ask the A-man to leave the kitchen because he came in, asked what we were talking about, and then interjected with a comment he thought he had heard S say. It was not in any way similar to the discussion S and I were having, so I suggested that perhaps the A-man allow S and I a little bit of privacy. I think he was just grateful to not have to help with supper, to be honest.
The boys and I had a lovely dinner. We all chatted about our days, about what had been happening here, there and everywhere, and after supper, both boys were very quick to get started on their after dinner chores. I had a telephone conference at 7.30, and they were both quiet while I was on that call.
After I got off the phone, I thanked S for all of his help and asked to review his completed homework. After I gave it the once over, I told him that he could watch one television show since he had been so helpful. I told him that he was not getting out of the 'grounding' but that I would dole out time limits as I felt was appropriate. He was very thankful for the chance to watch TV, and I even got a bit of a shoulder squeeze/hug on his way past me.
ARGH!! Teenagers! One minute you are the WORST person ever, and the next, they totally love you. I know I was a moody teen, but holy!
~~~
On a different front, my dear friend ‘Nee’ has been going through some major issues with her youngest son. J is 13, and although she has always had some concerns about him – many reasons for these – a lot of these concerns have come to a head back at the end of October.
J has started cutting. She discovered a number of cuts along his upper arm, all in various stages on healing. When she asked him about it, I guess he felt it was time to come clean with a number of things. Nee and her ex have shared custody of their two sons – they live two weeks with Nee and two weeks with Hubs. Apparently during the two weeks with Hubs, J has taken to smoking cigarettes, drinking, and using pot.
It’s a very long story – and not my story to tell – but she has been in touch with me off and on over the past few weeks because she was very much aware of the mental health issues we lived through with S, and she knew that I would be a source of both support and knowledge about how she should proceed.
I had lunch with Nee today and found out the latest with J. He was actually admitted to the hospital last weekend. Her eldest son phoned her with a concern that he thought J had cut a pentagram into his thigh. (It was their time at their Dad’s) Nee went to Hubs house and asked J to take down his pants so that she could confirm if this was true.
It was true, but he had actually used something to burn the pentagram into his thigh. At this point she informed both J and Hubs that she was taking him to the hospital because she knew something needed to be done. She had been in touch with their doctor regarding the cutting and the substance use, etc., so this was something she had been advised to watch for, etc.
The hospital admitted J and kept him for observation for two days. He is now taking some medication to help with the obvious depression, and due to the hospital stay, he has been short-listed for many services that would normally take the better part of a year to receive.
My heart is breaking for both my friend and her son.
Mental health issues have been in Hubs family for many years, but until days after his son was admitted to the hospital, he was not willing to acknowledge any problems or concerns with J. It would appear that he is starting to come around and actually DO something other than blame Nee for everything that has happened ‘wrong’ in their marriage. I am hoping he will also use this time to perhaps examine the reasons for her leaving him in the first place.
So, yet again, children’s mental health issues have reared its ugly head in my world. It is so sad to think that it often needs to go to major extremes before these kids can get the help and support they need.
Nee has taken a leave of absence from her job, and will be providing constant supervision to J, and it would appear that (finally) Hubs will be doing the same during his time with the boys, and he has acknowledged that sometimes she may be the better person to be with the kids, even if it’s “his week.”
I gave her a huge hug, and told her that I am here for her, whenever she needs me. She was there for me when I needed her, and I will be more than happy to provide that same necessary ear. I told her that I won’t offer advice – I will just be a sounding board.
She is going to need it for a while. I’m just so grateful that she became aware of this situation before it became really bad, and that she has been successful in getting the supports in place very quickly.
When we got home last night, S was sitting in the living room waiting for the A-man and I. He was very quick to tell me about the homework that he had, and even pulled out the information he needed right away to finish it as quickly as he could.
After finding the information he needed in the flyers (it was a math-type assignment where they had to use 'real prices') I was amazed to see him start to straighten up the newspaper as soon as I reminded him. I told S that he didn't have to do it right away, but to make sure that he did it before too long.
"Oh no, that's okay. I like to do things right away when I'm upset," he explained to me. When I asked him what he was upset about, S pulled two notes from his pocket.
The first was a note from Lil'A explaining that she "didn't want him to love her anymore because she had found someone else to love." It went on further to tell him that she knew of a girl that liked S and she thought maybe he should consider loving her. The second note was from a friend of Lil'A's saying that it really upset her to see S watching Lil'A all "lovey dovey" and maybe he should find someone else.
Oh - to be so young and naive as a 14 year old girl. (See, apparently feeling can be turned on and off at whim...)
S was more than chatty about this turn of events. He even told me that he knew this was coming - he has apparently known for a couple of days. Hmm... wasn't it a couple of days ago that he was all grouchy and snarly at home? He said that wasn't why he'd been so rude the other day, but it all makes sense now.
S was more than happy to help me get supper prepared, and he chatted with me for the entire time. At one point I had to ask the A-man to leave the kitchen because he came in, asked what we were talking about, and then interjected with a comment he thought he had heard S say. It was not in any way similar to the discussion S and I were having, so I suggested that perhaps the A-man allow S and I a little bit of privacy. I think he was just grateful to not have to help with supper, to be honest.
The boys and I had a lovely dinner. We all chatted about our days, about what had been happening here, there and everywhere, and after supper, both boys were very quick to get started on their after dinner chores. I had a telephone conference at 7.30, and they were both quiet while I was on that call.
After I got off the phone, I thanked S for all of his help and asked to review his completed homework. After I gave it the once over, I told him that he could watch one television show since he had been so helpful. I told him that he was not getting out of the 'grounding' but that I would dole out time limits as I felt was appropriate. He was very thankful for the chance to watch TV, and I even got a bit of a shoulder squeeze/hug on his way past me.
ARGH!! Teenagers! One minute you are the WORST person ever, and the next, they totally love you. I know I was a moody teen, but holy!
~~~
On a different front, my dear friend ‘Nee’ has been going through some major issues with her youngest son. J is 13, and although she has always had some concerns about him – many reasons for these – a lot of these concerns have come to a head back at the end of October.
J has started cutting. She discovered a number of cuts along his upper arm, all in various stages on healing. When she asked him about it, I guess he felt it was time to come clean with a number of things. Nee and her ex have shared custody of their two sons – they live two weeks with Nee and two weeks with Hubs. Apparently during the two weeks with Hubs, J has taken to smoking cigarettes, drinking, and using pot.
It’s a very long story – and not my story to tell – but she has been in touch with me off and on over the past few weeks because she was very much aware of the mental health issues we lived through with S, and she knew that I would be a source of both support and knowledge about how she should proceed.
I had lunch with Nee today and found out the latest with J. He was actually admitted to the hospital last weekend. Her eldest son phoned her with a concern that he thought J had cut a pentagram into his thigh. (It was their time at their Dad’s) Nee went to Hubs house and asked J to take down his pants so that she could confirm if this was true.
It was true, but he had actually used something to burn the pentagram into his thigh. At this point she informed both J and Hubs that she was taking him to the hospital because she knew something needed to be done. She had been in touch with their doctor regarding the cutting and the substance use, etc., so this was something she had been advised to watch for, etc.
The hospital admitted J and kept him for observation for two days. He is now taking some medication to help with the obvious depression, and due to the hospital stay, he has been short-listed for many services that would normally take the better part of a year to receive.
My heart is breaking for both my friend and her son.
Mental health issues have been in Hubs family for many years, but until days after his son was admitted to the hospital, he was not willing to acknowledge any problems or concerns with J. It would appear that he is starting to come around and actually DO something other than blame Nee for everything that has happened ‘wrong’ in their marriage. I am hoping he will also use this time to perhaps examine the reasons for her leaving him in the first place.
So, yet again, children’s mental health issues have reared its ugly head in my world. It is so sad to think that it often needs to go to major extremes before these kids can get the help and support they need.
Nee has taken a leave of absence from her job, and will be providing constant supervision to J, and it would appear that (finally) Hubs will be doing the same during his time with the boys, and he has acknowledged that sometimes she may be the better person to be with the kids, even if it’s “his week.”
I gave her a huge hug, and told her that I am here for her, whenever she needs me. She was there for me when I needed her, and I will be more than happy to provide that same necessary ear. I told her that I won’t offer advice – I will just be a sounding board.
She is going to need it for a while. I’m just so grateful that she became aware of this situation before it became really bad, and that she has been successful in getting the supports in place very quickly.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Warning - it's a long one today...
Oh my, my, my…
Last night I called the school to make arrangements to meet with S’s Geography/Music teacher. I know he is doing well in music, but I had been advised by the SERT that he hadn’t been doing as well in Geography. I was of the feeling that it would be good to be able to put a face to a name, and to get a feel for the teacher’s approach on things.
Sometimes you just need to meet a person to be able to get that ‘vibe.’
I set up a meeting for first thing this morning.
After I spoke with S’s teacher, I decided I would try and kill two birds with one stone and see if I could get a meeting with the A-man’s English teacher. The A-man told me that she still had not gone over the reader response from his first novel, and I was starting to feel that it would probably be time for another assignment to be due because they had just finished reading Canterbury Tales and had moved on to Shakespeare.
It turned out that the English teacher didn’t have her prep time at the same time as my first meeting, so we opted to have a telephone conversation. Apparently the A-man had been assigned the Canterbury Tales reading response assignment a little while ago – and he didn’t turn it in.
I asked her about the follow up she had told me she was going to do on October 8 with the first assignment. She seemed to have completely forgotten about that. I told her that the A-man hadn’t even received the work back so he didn’t even know if he was working better toward achieving the goals she had laid out.
She seemed surprised that he didn’t have the assignment back because she had a mark of 61% recorded in her book. I asked her if she had taken the time to review the work with the A-man and she admitted that she “didn’t think so.” She also admitted that she wasn’t even sure where the assignment was. (HUH?)
I told her that I thought the A-man was still at school working on the set for the play, so she told me she was going to get him to come to see her and they would review the work right then. I sent the A-man a text to confirm that he was at school, and it turned out he wasn’t – teacher was away so they weren’t able to work on the set.
I texted the A-man that he was going to have to do his reader response that night and he answered that he would “see if he had time because (his) drama ISU was due.” I told him that he would find the time.
(To the teacher’s credit, when I got home from work there was a message on my machine indicating that she had called the A-man to the office, but since he didn’t come she assumed he wasn’t still at the school. So she did follow up on that at least.)
Fast forward to my getting home from work: the A-man was sitting at the computer working on his Drama ISU, and S was downstairs. I brought in the groceries, and while putting them away I started to ask the A-man about his English. He told me point blank, “I decided not to do that assignment.”
EXCUSE ME?!? Not a happy Mommy when I heard that answer.
The A-man went on to further explain that the regular teacher wasn’t there when the assignment was given out – and that the substitute gave it to them one day and expected the work to be turned in the next day. Apparently the entire classroom made a “pact” that no one was going to turn in the work. They were staging a protest.
Again, not flying with this mother.
I called Jazzy’s house and asked to speak to her brother. He is in the A-man’s class, and I knew I would get a little more reliable information from him. Apparently the one-night thing was true, and apparently the class did all voice their unhappiness with the time-frame given, but when asked, Jazzy’s brother did admit to completing the assignment and handing it in, as required.
He also had the assignment rubric and I requested a copy be emailed to me. Armed with this information, I explained to the A-man that although ‘everyone’ said they weren’t going to do the assignment, obviously Jazzy’s brother did and I was willing to bet that others did as well. I also told him that a “protest” was not going to make his English mark any better and since this is the grade that is looked at for University, I suggest he get something done to review with the teacher when he arrived at the class today.
After dinner, I sat down at the laptop while the A-man finished plugging away on the Drama homework. I pulled up a website that offered both a synopsis of the Canterbury Tales, and also some teaching notes about the poem. (I have saved it because once I started going through it with the A-man, I think it may be some classic literature that I might actually enjoy. But I digress…)
After the A-man declared his Drama ISU ‘done,’ I suggested that he take the time to read both the summary and the section of the book that the assignment was on while I reviewed his Drama. There were a few parts where he didn’t quite answer what was required, so I made some notations in red to suggest he consider adding/revising these sections.
After he did this, I helped him pull the various parts together to form one complete package. As we were doing this cut-and-paste mindless work, we talked about the angle he was going to take with respect to The Canterbury Tales.
He decided to focus on the “social commentary” aspect of the Tale. He felt that the selection of the travelers were in fact a good “mix” of what you would find in either a classroom or even in the world. Once we got talking more and more, he seemed to warm up to the subject a bit more. Suddenly his little hunt and peck fingers were flying on the computer as he was selecting which characters he wanted to focus on and which quotes he was interested in citing. (He was also very happy that the lines were numbered for citation purposes…)
Anyway – I had him prepare a very rough draft of the concept of his ideas to present to the teacher today. I am hoping that she will be able to read what he had prepared and at least give him a little bit of guidance so that he can finish it up complete tonight and submit it tomorrow. I am also hoping that she will accept the assignment given that she did not follow through on the follow up she had promised three weeks ago.
The best part of the evening was when the A-man was going to bed. He came over to me and gave me a big hug and said, "Thank you, Mom, for all of your help with this. I really mean that." He's never thanked me for being so tough on him. Could he be starting to see that I am only 'mean' because I care?
I went to the school this morning and met with S’s teacher. Apparently S has 85% in Music class, so there isn’t any cause for concern in that classroom. Geography, on the other hand is a bit of a different story. Apparently one of S’s hand written assignments wasn’t “very neat” so he didn’t receive high marks on it. I reiterated that writing isn’t a strong suit for S. The next thing that he said, however, it was really stuck in to my head.
“I do put notes on the board, so he will just have to get used to taking notes. He is preparing for college after all.”
I asked about having the notes in advance for scanning, but apparently he doesn’t “do” that. Here is a teacher that doesn’t really understand the benefits of Assistive Technology, nor does he seem willing to learn to understand it.
This is okay – S has an EA in the classroom, and this EA will be able to scribe for him. We can adjust to this. At least I know where he stands.
He went over some other details about how his classroom works, and now I know to get S started on some of the end of unit assignments now – they are directly from the text book, and the text book is on his computer.
He will be able to bring his mark up to something more reflective of his abilities. S has no interest in following the Geography field, so I doubt that he will even take it again after this year. Not the end of the world.
Last night I called the school to make arrangements to meet with S’s Geography/Music teacher. I know he is doing well in music, but I had been advised by the SERT that he hadn’t been doing as well in Geography. I was of the feeling that it would be good to be able to put a face to a name, and to get a feel for the teacher’s approach on things.
Sometimes you just need to meet a person to be able to get that ‘vibe.’
I set up a meeting for first thing this morning.
After I spoke with S’s teacher, I decided I would try and kill two birds with one stone and see if I could get a meeting with the A-man’s English teacher. The A-man told me that she still had not gone over the reader response from his first novel, and I was starting to feel that it would probably be time for another assignment to be due because they had just finished reading Canterbury Tales and had moved on to Shakespeare.
It turned out that the English teacher didn’t have her prep time at the same time as my first meeting, so we opted to have a telephone conversation. Apparently the A-man had been assigned the Canterbury Tales reading response assignment a little while ago – and he didn’t turn it in.
I asked her about the follow up she had told me she was going to do on October 8 with the first assignment. She seemed to have completely forgotten about that. I told her that the A-man hadn’t even received the work back so he didn’t even know if he was working better toward achieving the goals she had laid out.
She seemed surprised that he didn’t have the assignment back because she had a mark of 61% recorded in her book. I asked her if she had taken the time to review the work with the A-man and she admitted that she “didn’t think so.” She also admitted that she wasn’t even sure where the assignment was. (HUH?)
I told her that I thought the A-man was still at school working on the set for the play, so she told me she was going to get him to come to see her and they would review the work right then. I sent the A-man a text to confirm that he was at school, and it turned out he wasn’t – teacher was away so they weren’t able to work on the set.
I texted the A-man that he was going to have to do his reader response that night and he answered that he would “see if he had time because (his) drama ISU was due.” I told him that he would find the time.
(To the teacher’s credit, when I got home from work there was a message on my machine indicating that she had called the A-man to the office, but since he didn’t come she assumed he wasn’t still at the school. So she did follow up on that at least.)
Fast forward to my getting home from work: the A-man was sitting at the computer working on his Drama ISU, and S was downstairs. I brought in the groceries, and while putting them away I started to ask the A-man about his English. He told me point blank, “I decided not to do that assignment.”
EXCUSE ME?!? Not a happy Mommy when I heard that answer.
The A-man went on to further explain that the regular teacher wasn’t there when the assignment was given out – and that the substitute gave it to them one day and expected the work to be turned in the next day. Apparently the entire classroom made a “pact” that no one was going to turn in the work. They were staging a protest.
Again, not flying with this mother.
I called Jazzy’s house and asked to speak to her brother. He is in the A-man’s class, and I knew I would get a little more reliable information from him. Apparently the one-night thing was true, and apparently the class did all voice their unhappiness with the time-frame given, but when asked, Jazzy’s brother did admit to completing the assignment and handing it in, as required.
He also had the assignment rubric and I requested a copy be emailed to me. Armed with this information, I explained to the A-man that although ‘everyone’ said they weren’t going to do the assignment, obviously Jazzy’s brother did and I was willing to bet that others did as well. I also told him that a “protest” was not going to make his English mark any better and since this is the grade that is looked at for University, I suggest he get something done to review with the teacher when he arrived at the class today.
After dinner, I sat down at the laptop while the A-man finished plugging away on the Drama homework. I pulled up a website that offered both a synopsis of the Canterbury Tales, and also some teaching notes about the poem. (I have saved it because once I started going through it with the A-man, I think it may be some classic literature that I might actually enjoy. But I digress…)
After the A-man declared his Drama ISU ‘done,’ I suggested that he take the time to read both the summary and the section of the book that the assignment was on while I reviewed his Drama. There were a few parts where he didn’t quite answer what was required, so I made some notations in red to suggest he consider adding/revising these sections.
After he did this, I helped him pull the various parts together to form one complete package. As we were doing this cut-and-paste mindless work, we talked about the angle he was going to take with respect to The Canterbury Tales.
He decided to focus on the “social commentary” aspect of the Tale. He felt that the selection of the travelers were in fact a good “mix” of what you would find in either a classroom or even in the world. Once we got talking more and more, he seemed to warm up to the subject a bit more. Suddenly his little hunt and peck fingers were flying on the computer as he was selecting which characters he wanted to focus on and which quotes he was interested in citing. (He was also very happy that the lines were numbered for citation purposes…)
Anyway – I had him prepare a very rough draft of the concept of his ideas to present to the teacher today. I am hoping that she will be able to read what he had prepared and at least give him a little bit of guidance so that he can finish it up complete tonight and submit it tomorrow. I am also hoping that she will accept the assignment given that she did not follow through on the follow up she had promised three weeks ago.
The best part of the evening was when the A-man was going to bed. He came over to me and gave me a big hug and said, "Thank you, Mom, for all of your help with this. I really mean that." He's never thanked me for being so tough on him. Could he be starting to see that I am only 'mean' because I care?
I went to the school this morning and met with S’s teacher. Apparently S has 85% in Music class, so there isn’t any cause for concern in that classroom. Geography, on the other hand is a bit of a different story. Apparently one of S’s hand written assignments wasn’t “very neat” so he didn’t receive high marks on it. I reiterated that writing isn’t a strong suit for S. The next thing that he said, however, it was really stuck in to my head.
“I do put notes on the board, so he will just have to get used to taking notes. He is preparing for college after all.”
I asked about having the notes in advance for scanning, but apparently he doesn’t “do” that. Here is a teacher that doesn’t really understand the benefits of Assistive Technology, nor does he seem willing to learn to understand it.
This is okay – S has an EA in the classroom, and this EA will be able to scribe for him. We can adjust to this. At least I know where he stands.
He went over some other details about how his classroom works, and now I know to get S started on some of the end of unit assignments now – they are directly from the text book, and the text book is on his computer.
He will be able to bring his mark up to something more reflective of his abilities. S has no interest in following the Geography field, so I doubt that he will even take it again after this year. Not the end of the world.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Truth comes out
I always find it so interesting to compare what I am *told* and what is actually the truth.
I called the A-man's English teacher this morning, requesting a meeting. Her prep time is first thing in the morning, so we decided to have the conversation on the phone since we were already speaking.
I started the conversation with asking if she had reviewed the A-man's IEP. She confessed that she didn't know about his IEP at all until the A-man told her yesterday that I wanted to talk to her about it. Okay - that explains a few things. She told me that the new ones haven't been completed yet, but she wondered if maybe she could review last years? (Gee, okay - that might be a starting point...)
Okay - all sarcasm aside - she did seem very upset that she was not aware of his IEP, and she also seemed very willing to work through the concerns that I had. Starting today, she is going to make sure that the A-man is given the notes rather than asking him to take notes. She is also going to look over the reader response that he worked on last night and provide some further assistance to him.
I asked about the entire "must be only one page, double-spaced" thing, and she told me that isn't the full truth - she told the class that she doesn't want five pages of rambling. She felt that the students should be able to make a statement, and prove said statement, without going off topic. She also told me that many of the students were asked to redo their homework as a number of them didn't appear to understand what she was asking of them.
The A-man's, however, was no where near what she was looking for.
Last night I had asked the A-man how much time the class had been given to do this assignment originally. He told me two days. The teacher told me that she gave them more than a week. Apparently she always gives a least a one week turn around for all assignments. I will address the "mis-information" with him this evening. She also told me to go a little easy on him - he's not the only one that "doesn't get it" and that it's a simple part of being a teenager that has him 'forget' things.
Why does he do that? He KNOWS I am going to ask about this sort of thing!
Anyway, I now know how the teacher works, what types of homework details he should be having on a daily basis, and that I will have to monitor his notebooks for a little while.
I am set.
I called the A-man's English teacher this morning, requesting a meeting. Her prep time is first thing in the morning, so we decided to have the conversation on the phone since we were already speaking.
I started the conversation with asking if she had reviewed the A-man's IEP. She confessed that she didn't know about his IEP at all until the A-man told her yesterday that I wanted to talk to her about it. Okay - that explains a few things. She told me that the new ones haven't been completed yet, but she wondered if maybe she could review last years? (Gee, okay - that might be a starting point...)
Okay - all sarcasm aside - she did seem very upset that she was not aware of his IEP, and she also seemed very willing to work through the concerns that I had. Starting today, she is going to make sure that the A-man is given the notes rather than asking him to take notes. She is also going to look over the reader response that he worked on last night and provide some further assistance to him.
I asked about the entire "must be only one page, double-spaced" thing, and she told me that isn't the full truth - she told the class that she doesn't want five pages of rambling. She felt that the students should be able to make a statement, and prove said statement, without going off topic. She also told me that many of the students were asked to redo their homework as a number of them didn't appear to understand what she was asking of them.
The A-man's, however, was no where near what she was looking for.
Last night I had asked the A-man how much time the class had been given to do this assignment originally. He told me two days. The teacher told me that she gave them more than a week. Apparently she always gives a least a one week turn around for all assignments. I will address the "mis-information" with him this evening. She also told me to go a little easy on him - he's not the only one that "doesn't get it" and that it's a simple part of being a teenager that has him 'forget' things.
Why does he do that? He KNOWS I am going to ask about this sort of thing!
Anyway, I now know how the teacher works, what types of homework details he should be having on a daily basis, and that I will have to monitor his notebooks for a little while.
I am set.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
New year has begun
It would appear the first day of school went well for both boys.
S brought his laptop home, and absolutely NOTHING had been done with it over the summer. In fact, when I turned it on, it only powered up for a few moments before the battery was too low for it to continue. Am I surprised? Not so much – but I am a bit disappointed.
Now I will have to get in touch with the SERT and find out the fastest way to get his required reading material loaded onto his laptop. I also have to confirm EA details with her as S indicated that he didn’t have an EA in his morning classes, only afternoon.
On another positive note, he did remember to give each of his teachers the letter of introduction I had written, so at least they are aware of some of the educational requirements he is facing. If they actually are willing to work with me remains to be seen, but let’s just take one day at a time.
Last night S also asked me to make sure some chapters from the book he received at technology camp was loaded on to his MP3 – he wanted to read the novel on his way to and from the school, he said. Of course I was very quick to jump all over that request! Anything that will put a book in his hand is a good thing in my mind.
The A-man has Math, English, Drama and Religion this semester. He had an essay assignment last night – a “My Goals in Life” assignment that will basically provide the teacher some insight into the kids in the class while providing some extra details about their writing styles. I was quite surprised to see how much he had written by the time I got home, and even more surprised by how well written it was. He’s got a very natural writing style. Perhaps an English teacher is what he should consider rather than Math…
I have to contact the guidance teacher about the Math level the A-man has signed up for. He tells me that he is taking a ‘combined’ class that will allow him either the College or University stream, but I had not realized that such a course was an option. See – this is why it’s hard when Hubby signs off on things! (I was away when course requirement information had to be submitted, and I’m not sure how much review of the details were made before he signed off on the information!) It will probably be okay, but I think it may be a good idea for both the A-man and I to meet with a guidance councilor to review the courses he is currently taking, and to find out what will need to be taken to ensure he is has what he’ll need for post-secondary.
S is going over to Lil’A’s house tonight for a couple of hours, so the A-man and I are going to hit the Y. We haven’t been for a while, so I know it will do us both good to get out and working those muscles. I also need to get the vehicle cleaned out a bit – a car wash and vacuum will be required before I head out for the weekend’s event tomorrow. I’ll be picking up a State Representative at the airport early afternoon, so I don’t want the vehicle too messy!
Yes, I am off again this weekend. Leaving the office tomorrow around 11, and should be back mid-afternoon on Monday. May have something in the city the beginning of October (haven’t been advised by the State yet if I am needed), and I know for sure that I have two weekends at the end of the month that will take me back to the city, but after that my November, December and January are wide open, thankfully.
I’m actually looking forward to this weekend, though. It’s a music event and one of my favourite bands from my high school years is going to be playing on Saturday evening, so I know I will enjoy that. It sucks that I won’t be at home for my birthday on Friday, but since Hubby is on afternoons, it’s not like it would have been a ‘special’ night anyway. I’ve been enjoying my birth-week gifts from Cuz, though; she really does take the time to find perfect, unique gifts! (Thanks for the teapot – she made me giggle this morning!!)
Last year the A-man had told me about a friend of his that he was worried about – she had told him she was being abused by her father. (Not sure if I had blogged about that or not…) The A-man and I had discussed this girl in great depth; he had talked to his Religion teacher about what she had shared with him even before he talked to be about it. He didn’t really know this girl that entirely well, which is why is sort of surprised me that she had confided, but perhaps she just felt he was ‘safe.’ Anyway, turns out that I am acquainted with her boyfriend’s parents, so I suggested the A-man encourage her to confide in these adults because I felt they would do whatever they could to help her. Yesterday she told the A-man that she was pregnant. She is in Grade 11, her boyfriend is in Grade 12. The A-man has never even kissed a girl, and a fellow classmate is going to have a baby!
Yeah, I’m kind of glad my children are geeks…
S brought his laptop home, and absolutely NOTHING had been done with it over the summer. In fact, when I turned it on, it only powered up for a few moments before the battery was too low for it to continue. Am I surprised? Not so much – but I am a bit disappointed.
Now I will have to get in touch with the SERT and find out the fastest way to get his required reading material loaded onto his laptop. I also have to confirm EA details with her as S indicated that he didn’t have an EA in his morning classes, only afternoon.
On another positive note, he did remember to give each of his teachers the letter of introduction I had written, so at least they are aware of some of the educational requirements he is facing. If they actually are willing to work with me remains to be seen, but let’s just take one day at a time.
Last night S also asked me to make sure some chapters from the book he received at technology camp was loaded on to his MP3 – he wanted to read the novel on his way to and from the school, he said. Of course I was very quick to jump all over that request! Anything that will put a book in his hand is a good thing in my mind.
The A-man has Math, English, Drama and Religion this semester. He had an essay assignment last night – a “My Goals in Life” assignment that will basically provide the teacher some insight into the kids in the class while providing some extra details about their writing styles. I was quite surprised to see how much he had written by the time I got home, and even more surprised by how well written it was. He’s got a very natural writing style. Perhaps an English teacher is what he should consider rather than Math…
I have to contact the guidance teacher about the Math level the A-man has signed up for. He tells me that he is taking a ‘combined’ class that will allow him either the College or University stream, but I had not realized that such a course was an option. See – this is why it’s hard when Hubby signs off on things! (I was away when course requirement information had to be submitted, and I’m not sure how much review of the details were made before he signed off on the information!) It will probably be okay, but I think it may be a good idea for both the A-man and I to meet with a guidance councilor to review the courses he is currently taking, and to find out what will need to be taken to ensure he is has what he’ll need for post-secondary.
S is going over to Lil’A’s house tonight for a couple of hours, so the A-man and I are going to hit the Y. We haven’t been for a while, so I know it will do us both good to get out and working those muscles. I also need to get the vehicle cleaned out a bit – a car wash and vacuum will be required before I head out for the weekend’s event tomorrow. I’ll be picking up a State Representative at the airport early afternoon, so I don’t want the vehicle too messy!
Yes, I am off again this weekend. Leaving the office tomorrow around 11, and should be back mid-afternoon on Monday. May have something in the city the beginning of October (haven’t been advised by the State yet if I am needed), and I know for sure that I have two weekends at the end of the month that will take me back to the city, but after that my November, December and January are wide open, thankfully.
I’m actually looking forward to this weekend, though. It’s a music event and one of my favourite bands from my high school years is going to be playing on Saturday evening, so I know I will enjoy that. It sucks that I won’t be at home for my birthday on Friday, but since Hubby is on afternoons, it’s not like it would have been a ‘special’ night anyway. I’ve been enjoying my birth-week gifts from Cuz, though; she really does take the time to find perfect, unique gifts! (Thanks for the teapot – she made me giggle this morning!!)
Last year the A-man had told me about a friend of his that he was worried about – she had told him she was being abused by her father. (Not sure if I had blogged about that or not…) The A-man and I had discussed this girl in great depth; he had talked to his Religion teacher about what she had shared with him even before he talked to be about it. He didn’t really know this girl that entirely well, which is why is sort of surprised me that she had confided, but perhaps she just felt he was ‘safe.’ Anyway, turns out that I am acquainted with her boyfriend’s parents, so I suggested the A-man encourage her to confide in these adults because I felt they would do whatever they could to help her. Yesterday she told the A-man that she was pregnant. She is in Grade 11, her boyfriend is in Grade 12. The A-man has never even kissed a girl, and a fellow classmate is going to have a baby!
Yeah, I’m kind of glad my children are geeks…
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Letter to the teacher
Here is the letter S will be giving to his teachers when he starts school next week:
Dear Teacher,
I would like to provide you with some information one of your Grade 9 students this year – S.
I know you will be receiving a copy of his IEP within the next few weeks, but I thought it would be best to start the year with all of details about his special educational requirements fully explained, and to also let you know that I would appreciate being kept aware of his progress in your classroom via email. Above, you will notice I’ve provided my various contact numbers and home email address for your records.
S has been diagnosed with a number of learning disabilities, in addition to having ADHD, Aspergers and a Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He has had a board-provided laptop for two years, and has been well-trained on all of the programs installed on his system. S and I also participated in a Board-sanctioned training program over the summer and we are both prepared to ensure a positive and successful transition to his next level of education.
While attending the training program in August, the Superintendent of Special Education assured the parents that most of the text books utilized in our schools have already been scanned and are available through the Board office. I would appreciate it if you could let me know the details of any textbooks that will be used in your classroom so that I can ensure he has what is required already on his system. If you can email with this information sometime this week, I will confirm the data is on his system over the weekend.
In addition to having his textbook available electronically, I wanted to advise you that S does have a graphomotor disability, and should not be requested to copy detailed notes from the board. His IEP will indicate that this information be provided to him already prepared, so that he can make notations as the work is being discussed in class. (If possible, it would ideal if the information could be provided in advance to allow him the opportunity to scan it into the laptop prior to class and make electronic notations, but I do realize this won’t always be realistic.)
S will utilize Kurzweil (a text-to-voice software program) to assist him with the reading of the text, and Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) will be used for the inputting of his information. DNS is a text-to-voice program that allows him to share his thoughts and ideas freely – he will use this program to speak into the computer, get his thought into print, and will then require some time to edit the information into suitable context.
For the past three years, S has had EA support, and I have been advised this will continue during his time at your school. I’m not fully understanding of how EA support works within the high school environment and ask for your patience while both S and I adjust to this.
Now, a little bit about his Aspergers. In January 2008, S underwent some extensive medical testing, including an fMRI at a hospital. The fMRI is a functional MRI that actually monitored and assessed his brainwave function. In a nutshell – and using a few technical terms as possible! - the results of this test indicated that S needs information to be provided repetitively for it to become rote - his brain simply does not encode novel tasks. He processes everything in a literal manner, and is not able to conceptualize how his present actions can/will affect his future. He lacks imagination and will not be able to visual/conceptualize new ideas. He can neither read nor understand facial expressions/voice tones, and often will not look you in the eye when speaking. He will not do this to be rude – he simply is unable to do this, so please don’t force this issue as he can become agitated.
With respect to the ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), S has been fortunate to have been experiencing fewer and fewer symptoms of the GAD, and hopefully won’t have any problems at highschool. He has been known to become very anxious during transitional periods or during times that are out of the norm (such as leaving ‘normal class’ to go to the gym for an assembly.) Past experience has shown that when advised of schedule adjustments in advance, he tends to cope better. S experiences typical ADHD behaviour – sometimes he will need gentle reminders to remain on task (without drawing attention to him) and he does not have innate organizational abilities. Due to his short working memory, he will require reminders about recording homework assignments and assistance in determining the best plan of attack for large projects/assignments. Again, this is where it would be helpful to send me an email with homework details so that I can ensure he stays on task.
Despite the conditions I have explained to you, S is a very happy teen that truly wants to do well, and is very willing to please others. Nothing makes him happier than to be of assistance in some way, shape or form. He is very musically inclined, loves to do magic tricks, and is happy to tell you the latest joke he has heard. He has an average-to-above-average IQ, and has the ability to do well in school if provided the necessary accommodations. S has been the target of bullies in the past, and as such, tends to want to ensure all rules are clearly explained and treatment for all is ‘fair.’
I have always been very involved in my son’s education, and would like to see this continue at high school. I realize that my child is not perfect, and I also recognize that S’s perception is often very different than the perception of others. I am willing to take the time to ‘peel the layers’ to get to the heart of any/all issues with him, and it is my sincere hope that together we will have an opportunity to ensure his success. Once the school year has begun, I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and further discuss the information I’ve included in this letter. I apologize for the length of this letter, however I feel it is very important to start the new year/new school with as much information shared as possible.
I will contact the school within the next two weeks to set up a meeting if I don’t hear from you prior.
Thank you for your time – I look forward to meeting you soon.
Dear Teacher,
I would like to provide you with some information one of your Grade 9 students this year – S.
I know you will be receiving a copy of his IEP within the next few weeks, but I thought it would be best to start the year with all of details about his special educational requirements fully explained, and to also let you know that I would appreciate being kept aware of his progress in your classroom via email. Above, you will notice I’ve provided my various contact numbers and home email address for your records.
S has been diagnosed with a number of learning disabilities, in addition to having ADHD, Aspergers and a Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He has had a board-provided laptop for two years, and has been well-trained on all of the programs installed on his system. S and I also participated in a Board-sanctioned training program over the summer and we are both prepared to ensure a positive and successful transition to his next level of education.
While attending the training program in August, the Superintendent of Special Education assured the parents that most of the text books utilized in our schools have already been scanned and are available through the Board office. I would appreciate it if you could let me know the details of any textbooks that will be used in your classroom so that I can ensure he has what is required already on his system. If you can email with this information sometime this week, I will confirm the data is on his system over the weekend.
In addition to having his textbook available electronically, I wanted to advise you that S does have a graphomotor disability, and should not be requested to copy detailed notes from the board. His IEP will indicate that this information be provided to him already prepared, so that he can make notations as the work is being discussed in class. (If possible, it would ideal if the information could be provided in advance to allow him the opportunity to scan it into the laptop prior to class and make electronic notations, but I do realize this won’t always be realistic.)
S will utilize Kurzweil (a text-to-voice software program) to assist him with the reading of the text, and Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) will be used for the inputting of his information. DNS is a text-to-voice program that allows him to share his thoughts and ideas freely – he will use this program to speak into the computer, get his thought into print, and will then require some time to edit the information into suitable context.
For the past three years, S has had EA support, and I have been advised this will continue during his time at your school. I’m not fully understanding of how EA support works within the high school environment and ask for your patience while both S and I adjust to this.
Now, a little bit about his Aspergers. In January 2008, S underwent some extensive medical testing, including an fMRI at a hospital. The fMRI is a functional MRI that actually monitored and assessed his brainwave function. In a nutshell – and using a few technical terms as possible! - the results of this test indicated that S needs information to be provided repetitively for it to become rote - his brain simply does not encode novel tasks. He processes everything in a literal manner, and is not able to conceptualize how his present actions can/will affect his future. He lacks imagination and will not be able to visual/conceptualize new ideas. He can neither read nor understand facial expressions/voice tones, and often will not look you in the eye when speaking. He will not do this to be rude – he simply is unable to do this, so please don’t force this issue as he can become agitated.
With respect to the ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), S has been fortunate to have been experiencing fewer and fewer symptoms of the GAD, and hopefully won’t have any problems at highschool. He has been known to become very anxious during transitional periods or during times that are out of the norm (such as leaving ‘normal class’ to go to the gym for an assembly.) Past experience has shown that when advised of schedule adjustments in advance, he tends to cope better. S experiences typical ADHD behaviour – sometimes he will need gentle reminders to remain on task (without drawing attention to him) and he does not have innate organizational abilities. Due to his short working memory, he will require reminders about recording homework assignments and assistance in determining the best plan of attack for large projects/assignments. Again, this is where it would be helpful to send me an email with homework details so that I can ensure he stays on task.
Despite the conditions I have explained to you, S is a very happy teen that truly wants to do well, and is very willing to please others. Nothing makes him happier than to be of assistance in some way, shape or form. He is very musically inclined, loves to do magic tricks, and is happy to tell you the latest joke he has heard. He has an average-to-above-average IQ, and has the ability to do well in school if provided the necessary accommodations. S has been the target of bullies in the past, and as such, tends to want to ensure all rules are clearly explained and treatment for all is ‘fair.’
I have always been very involved in my son’s education, and would like to see this continue at high school. I realize that my child is not perfect, and I also recognize that S’s perception is often very different than the perception of others. I am willing to take the time to ‘peel the layers’ to get to the heart of any/all issues with him, and it is my sincere hope that together we will have an opportunity to ensure his success. Once the school year has begun, I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and further discuss the information I’ve included in this letter. I apologize for the length of this letter, however I feel it is very important to start the new year/new school with as much information shared as possible.
I will contact the school within the next two weeks to set up a meeting if I don’t hear from you prior.
Thank you for your time – I look forward to meeting you soon.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
New school year getting close
I think it was a very good thing to have the opportunity to go and see the school yesterday.
S will have the following classes this term – Music, Science, Learning Strategies and Geography. He will have the same teacher for both Music and Geography, and he knows his Learning Strategies teacher from a supply stint last year, and seemed really happy to know that he will be working with her again.
The Science teacher is the same one that the A-man had last year… I did not care for this man, but I will be sure to prepare a “letter of introduction” for him. I’m also prepared to ensure he will not bully S in the same manner he got away with for the A-man. (I still feel really bad that I didn’t believe the A-man when he complained about this teacher…) There will be no marks deducted for wrinkled or ripped pages this year, I tell ya.
Also while at the school, S learned that he would have a few of his favourite people in his classes, so that will be nice too. He will have music with one cousin, learning strategies with another, and geography with his ‘girl friend’. She originally was going to have 3 out of 4 classes with him, but when she switched out of music to drama, it adjusted all of her schedule. Still, it will be nice for him to have the comfort of knowing at least one face when he walks into each class room next week.
While we were at the school, I inquired about his laptop system and his EA support. S’s locker is very close to the resource room, so he was advised to go into that room upon arriving at school and meet the various EA’s that he will be working with. The laptop actually arrived while we were taking the school tour, so at least we know that is done. Now I just have to make sure the text books have already been put into the text to voice program (Kurzweil) that he uses. Otherwise I will have to find out the method for getting the necessary pages scanned in while we wait for the books to be uploaded from the Board office.
Tonight I will be picking up S’s “friend” on my way home from work. They have made a ‘date’ to hang out at the mall and do some back to school shopping together. He was convinced that the universe was against him on Friday when she had called to invite him for Sunday. This is my way of making up the fact that we went to the cottage for the weekend.
The A-man called R (his ‘friend’) to see if she could come – of course she can’t – so my niece is going to come and hang out with the A-man. I think this will be good as she’s going through a rough time since her boyfriend broke up with her on the weekend, and the A-man will be able to help her see things a bit more clearly, I’m sure. (They were far too involved for people that are only 14 and 15 anyway, I think.)
So, I will bring my book and probably park my butt on a bench, sipping tea, and waiting for the teenagers to do their thing. It will be a great way to get in some serious people-watching anyway. I’m also going to drop off some eggs to the R-man while in the city.
Last night S and I went through all of his school uniform stuff, and I ended up going through the rest of his clothes since our cleaning lady dropped off a bag of stuff to us. He now has 7 pairs of jeans in the drawer for use now, plus about the same number hanging in the closet for when he grows. I am in the clear for clothing for this child for quite some time. Uniform stuff he is set for a long time too. The A-man is a different story, but at least he will be able to have enough for getting through the first week when I will go in a pick up some new pants and shirts for him.
I am planning on taking Friday off work (boss doesn’t know that yet) and hoping to maybe go over and spend some time with Cuz. I’m not sure if she will be at her summer location, but I will give her a call on Thursday to see what she will be up to. I’ve got my birth week gift from her at the cottage, and I can’t believe that I will begin opening on Saturday!
Not sure what type of school supplies we will need to get, but again, I’m pretty sure we will be able to cope for the first week at least!
S will have the following classes this term – Music, Science, Learning Strategies and Geography. He will have the same teacher for both Music and Geography, and he knows his Learning Strategies teacher from a supply stint last year, and seemed really happy to know that he will be working with her again.
The Science teacher is the same one that the A-man had last year… I did not care for this man, but I will be sure to prepare a “letter of introduction” for him. I’m also prepared to ensure he will not bully S in the same manner he got away with for the A-man. (I still feel really bad that I didn’t believe the A-man when he complained about this teacher…) There will be no marks deducted for wrinkled or ripped pages this year, I tell ya.
Also while at the school, S learned that he would have a few of his favourite people in his classes, so that will be nice too. He will have music with one cousin, learning strategies with another, and geography with his ‘girl friend’. She originally was going to have 3 out of 4 classes with him, but when she switched out of music to drama, it adjusted all of her schedule. Still, it will be nice for him to have the comfort of knowing at least one face when he walks into each class room next week.
While we were at the school, I inquired about his laptop system and his EA support. S’s locker is very close to the resource room, so he was advised to go into that room upon arriving at school and meet the various EA’s that he will be working with. The laptop actually arrived while we were taking the school tour, so at least we know that is done. Now I just have to make sure the text books have already been put into the text to voice program (Kurzweil) that he uses. Otherwise I will have to find out the method for getting the necessary pages scanned in while we wait for the books to be uploaded from the Board office.
Tonight I will be picking up S’s “friend” on my way home from work. They have made a ‘date’ to hang out at the mall and do some back to school shopping together. He was convinced that the universe was against him on Friday when she had called to invite him for Sunday. This is my way of making up the fact that we went to the cottage for the weekend.
The A-man called R (his ‘friend’) to see if she could come – of course she can’t – so my niece is going to come and hang out with the A-man. I think this will be good as she’s going through a rough time since her boyfriend broke up with her on the weekend, and the A-man will be able to help her see things a bit more clearly, I’m sure. (They were far too involved for people that are only 14 and 15 anyway, I think.)
So, I will bring my book and probably park my butt on a bench, sipping tea, and waiting for the teenagers to do their thing. It will be a great way to get in some serious people-watching anyway. I’m also going to drop off some eggs to the R-man while in the city.
Last night S and I went through all of his school uniform stuff, and I ended up going through the rest of his clothes since our cleaning lady dropped off a bag of stuff to us. He now has 7 pairs of jeans in the drawer for use now, plus about the same number hanging in the closet for when he grows. I am in the clear for clothing for this child for quite some time. Uniform stuff he is set for a long time too. The A-man is a different story, but at least he will be able to have enough for getting through the first week when I will go in a pick up some new pants and shirts for him.
I am planning on taking Friday off work (boss doesn’t know that yet) and hoping to maybe go over and spend some time with Cuz. I’m not sure if she will be at her summer location, but I will give her a call on Thursday to see what she will be up to. I’ve got my birth week gift from her at the cottage, and I can’t believe that I will begin opening on Saturday!
Not sure what type of school supplies we will need to get, but again, I’m pretty sure we will be able to cope for the first week at least!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Status quo
I think this is the longest I have ever gone without posting to my blog. Almost 2 full weeks. That is just crazy.
When I first started this blog, I guess it was a bit therapeutic for me. It was a way for me to vent about the frustrations of dealing with educators that didn't understand, of doctor's appointments, of homework dealings.... For a bit, I even used it to track certain actions/behaviours.
I have now come to the realization that things have changed in my household in the past year and a half. I don't have the daily 'issues', problems and frustrations that I used to have. Phone calls from the school seem to be a thing of the past - but a fading memory. Never to be a 'fond' memory, but fading is okay too!
Oh, we still have our homework-completion issues, and the "it's not my turn to empty the litter" issues, but they just seem so small in comparison to the larger ones we've had in the past. I am not complaining - nor do I ever want those days back.
I'm just saying it's almost like my original reason for keeping this blog has now become a thing of the past. The original reason is now obsolete. (Isn't that great?)
~~~
Seems like everyone is celebrating Obama today. When I checked my Facebook this morning, I was surprised at the number of people that were commenting about the inauguration today, and how excited they were.
I, too, am happy that the US finally has a President that brings hope and promise, but I am just amazed at how many people that normally aren't all that politically-minded are now getting in to the wave of excitement.
I am left wondering if it's because of the man himself, or if it's because we are watching history unfold. "America's first black President."
Had Hilary won the race, we would be still be watching history - "America's first female President," but I don't think it would have been as exciting. (It's been either Bush or Clinton on the ballot far too long, imho...)
It's an exciting time, but also a very difficult time for this man to take office. If the economy doesn't start to show improvement, there will be the ney-sayers that blame Obama for not doing a better job. (Even though the mess was created before him and now he gets the wonderful clean-up job.)
I'm looking forward to watching history today. It is an exciting day.
~~~
S had to do a public speaking assignment, and he chose to write his speech on ADHD. I thought that was pretty cool. He didn't really do a lot of research on it - he went more from personal experience. I don't know that the speech is going to be long enough to consider moving him forward in the competition - not that he would be comfortable doing that anyway - but I think it will be a bit of therapy for him. It will give him a chance to explain to some people, "Hey, it isn't all my fault!"
The A-man had his History ISU presentation yesterday. He said the teacher commented that they were very original in their presentation, but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. I have always been a firm believer that it is good to be unique, and the boys worked hard and presented the information well. Hopefully the marks are up to the levels the boys are wanting.
Exam time is also upon us. The A-man has one on Thursday - Science - and then one on Tuesday for History. Then he will start "a semester of classes I love," is how he described it to me last night. His next semester includes Math, English, Religion and Civics. He is excited about the first three; and has heard the Civics teacher/class is boring. No matter; he is excited about English!
I never thought I'd see the day.
When I first started this blog, I guess it was a bit therapeutic for me. It was a way for me to vent about the frustrations of dealing with educators that didn't understand, of doctor's appointments, of homework dealings.... For a bit, I even used it to track certain actions/behaviours.
I have now come to the realization that things have changed in my household in the past year and a half. I don't have the daily 'issues', problems and frustrations that I used to have. Phone calls from the school seem to be a thing of the past - but a fading memory. Never to be a 'fond' memory, but fading is okay too!
Oh, we still have our homework-completion issues, and the "it's not my turn to empty the litter" issues, but they just seem so small in comparison to the larger ones we've had in the past. I am not complaining - nor do I ever want those days back.
I'm just saying it's almost like my original reason for keeping this blog has now become a thing of the past. The original reason is now obsolete. (Isn't that great?)
~~~
Seems like everyone is celebrating Obama today. When I checked my Facebook this morning, I was surprised at the number of people that were commenting about the inauguration today, and how excited they were.
I, too, am happy that the US finally has a President that brings hope and promise, but I am just amazed at how many people that normally aren't all that politically-minded are now getting in to the wave of excitement.
I am left wondering if it's because of the man himself, or if it's because we are watching history unfold. "America's first black President."
Had Hilary won the race, we would be still be watching history - "America's first female President," but I don't think it would have been as exciting. (It's been either Bush or Clinton on the ballot far too long, imho...)
It's an exciting time, but also a very difficult time for this man to take office. If the economy doesn't start to show improvement, there will be the ney-sayers that blame Obama for not doing a better job. (Even though the mess was created before him and now he gets the wonderful clean-up job.)
I'm looking forward to watching history today. It is an exciting day.
~~~
S had to do a public speaking assignment, and he chose to write his speech on ADHD. I thought that was pretty cool. He didn't really do a lot of research on it - he went more from personal experience. I don't know that the speech is going to be long enough to consider moving him forward in the competition - not that he would be comfortable doing that anyway - but I think it will be a bit of therapy for him. It will give him a chance to explain to some people, "Hey, it isn't all my fault!"
The A-man had his History ISU presentation yesterday. He said the teacher commented that they were very original in their presentation, but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. I have always been a firm believer that it is good to be unique, and the boys worked hard and presented the information well. Hopefully the marks are up to the levels the boys are wanting.
Exam time is also upon us. The A-man has one on Thursday - Science - and then one on Tuesday for History. Then he will start "a semester of classes I love," is how he described it to me last night. His next semester includes Math, English, Religion and Civics. He is excited about the first three; and has heard the Civics teacher/class is boring. No matter; he is excited about English!
I never thought I'd see the day.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Day to day living...
After my voyage in to the ditch on Wednesday morning, I was very grateful that the car didn’t cost me lots of money to repair. I was also very grateful that neither the A-man nor I were injured during the slide. Nothing like the “thunk” of a ditch and snow bank to make you see what is truly important.
Thursday was a fairly typical day. When I got home from work I lay down on the couch and only woke up when the A-man gave my shoulder a wee shake to tell me he had made dinner. Gourmet feast of pork chops and mac’n cheese, but I was thrilled that he had taken the initiative to make something when it was so obvious I wouldn’t be doing so any time soon. I was surprised that I had fallen asleep – that is not like me at all.
S had a PA day on Friday; I think he liked having his special alone time with Daddy before he went to work, to be honest. The boys and I had a fairly casual Friday evening and enjoyed sitting on the couch munching on some pizza! I will never see the draw to the television shows they enjoy, but S sure does like to share them with me on Fridays.
On Saturday, I told the boys some of our plans for Sunday and asked that both of them consider completing their homework that afternoon so that there wouldn’t be any issues on Sunday. In the early afternoon, the boys went outside to shovel off the deck. I was so happy to see them doing that; until I realized they weren’t really doing the task at hand. They were throwing snowballs, and eating the snow…but not really doing anything else.
When I called them in for lunch, I explained to them that I didn’t mind them going out and playing, but if they are going to start one task, it needed to be completed before they started another. I also reminded them that we had company coming in the evening, and some tasks needed to be done BEFORE they arrived.
The A-man got to working on his project for Tourism. I had helped him start the PowerPoint presentation, and left notes on the slides with respect to the order he would have to transfer data from the written portion of his project. After reading over the assignment requirements, I also made notes to suggest he find some other photos to put into the presentation.
S was doing some of his Religion homework and History homework during this time. For whatever reason, S has decided he doesn’t need to bring home his laptop – I guess he thinks I will believe he doesn’t have any homework that way.
When I got his report card last week, it indicated that S has been very lacking in completing the homework in the first term of school. I thought he’d had it pretty light, but when you don’t see an agenda, or the agenda isn’t completed, it’s pretty hard to know what he is doing and not doing.
Anyway, I found out from the A-man that S did have homework for the weekend, and made sure he did all that was required. He became very upset with me when I told him he would have to do it on the computer and I didn’t care if it took him longer. Had he brought his laptop home, he would have had the voice to text technology, but, since he decided he didn’t ‘need’ it, he had to do it the hard way; by typing it out. Once he was done the homework, I could tell he was very pleased with it. The starting of the task is always the worst thing in the world for S; once he is done, you can almost SEE the pride coming off him.
Just before dinner, the A-man started to get together the various items he needed to make for his Tourism dish. The A-man had decided to do his project on the capital city of Lithuania – Vilnius – and prepare one of his favourite Lithuanian dishes – Kugelis. (We are not of Lithuanian decent, but our good friends are, and both boys have enjoyed traditional Lithuanian cooking on occasion.) This is a baked potato pie that uses 5 pounds of finely grated potatoes and a full pound of bacon – with all the fat from the bacon. Not a diet dish.
After supper, the A-man finished preparing the dish and I took pictures of each step. We had time for me to show him how to transfer the photos onto the laptop and then on to both the written report and the PowerPoint. He was just finishing with the last photo when our company arrived. What a pleased boy he was when he was able to offer our company a plate of warm, filling kugelis. I think the A-man ate half the dish himself.
He will be making the dish again tomorrow night to take to school on Wednesday. Wednesday is when he will have to do his half hour presentation. He planned on using class time today to practice what he was going to say, and then asked if I would let him practice with me as his audience again tomorrow night. He’s done a good job. The written report was 10 pages long, and the slide show is over 20 slides long. I will be curious to see how he presents the information he has gathers.
Went out with my Mom yesterday and got quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. I am hoping to get the boxes all pulled out this week for decorating. It's so dark and dreary now; the lights should help make the nights feel better, anyway.
Thursday was a fairly typical day. When I got home from work I lay down on the couch and only woke up when the A-man gave my shoulder a wee shake to tell me he had made dinner. Gourmet feast of pork chops and mac’n cheese, but I was thrilled that he had taken the initiative to make something when it was so obvious I wouldn’t be doing so any time soon. I was surprised that I had fallen asleep – that is not like me at all.
S had a PA day on Friday; I think he liked having his special alone time with Daddy before he went to work, to be honest. The boys and I had a fairly casual Friday evening and enjoyed sitting on the couch munching on some pizza! I will never see the draw to the television shows they enjoy, but S sure does like to share them with me on Fridays.
On Saturday, I told the boys some of our plans for Sunday and asked that both of them consider completing their homework that afternoon so that there wouldn’t be any issues on Sunday. In the early afternoon, the boys went outside to shovel off the deck. I was so happy to see them doing that; until I realized they weren’t really doing the task at hand. They were throwing snowballs, and eating the snow…but not really doing anything else.
When I called them in for lunch, I explained to them that I didn’t mind them going out and playing, but if they are going to start one task, it needed to be completed before they started another. I also reminded them that we had company coming in the evening, and some tasks needed to be done BEFORE they arrived.
The A-man got to working on his project for Tourism. I had helped him start the PowerPoint presentation, and left notes on the slides with respect to the order he would have to transfer data from the written portion of his project. After reading over the assignment requirements, I also made notes to suggest he find some other photos to put into the presentation.
S was doing some of his Religion homework and History homework during this time. For whatever reason, S has decided he doesn’t need to bring home his laptop – I guess he thinks I will believe he doesn’t have any homework that way.
When I got his report card last week, it indicated that S has been very lacking in completing the homework in the first term of school. I thought he’d had it pretty light, but when you don’t see an agenda, or the agenda isn’t completed, it’s pretty hard to know what he is doing and not doing.
Anyway, I found out from the A-man that S did have homework for the weekend, and made sure he did all that was required. He became very upset with me when I told him he would have to do it on the computer and I didn’t care if it took him longer. Had he brought his laptop home, he would have had the voice to text technology, but, since he decided he didn’t ‘need’ it, he had to do it the hard way; by typing it out. Once he was done the homework, I could tell he was very pleased with it. The starting of the task is always the worst thing in the world for S; once he is done, you can almost SEE the pride coming off him.
Just before dinner, the A-man started to get together the various items he needed to make for his Tourism dish. The A-man had decided to do his project on the capital city of Lithuania – Vilnius – and prepare one of his favourite Lithuanian dishes – Kugelis. (We are not of Lithuanian decent, but our good friends are, and both boys have enjoyed traditional Lithuanian cooking on occasion.) This is a baked potato pie that uses 5 pounds of finely grated potatoes and a full pound of bacon – with all the fat from the bacon. Not a diet dish.
After supper, the A-man finished preparing the dish and I took pictures of each step. We had time for me to show him how to transfer the photos onto the laptop and then on to both the written report and the PowerPoint. He was just finishing with the last photo when our company arrived. What a pleased boy he was when he was able to offer our company a plate of warm, filling kugelis. I think the A-man ate half the dish himself.
He will be making the dish again tomorrow night to take to school on Wednesday. Wednesday is when he will have to do his half hour presentation. He planned on using class time today to practice what he was going to say, and then asked if I would let him practice with me as his audience again tomorrow night. He’s done a good job. The written report was 10 pages long, and the slide show is over 20 slides long. I will be curious to see how he presents the information he has gathers.
Went out with my Mom yesterday and got quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. I am hoping to get the boxes all pulled out this week for decorating. It's so dark and dreary now; the lights should help make the nights feel better, anyway.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
This, that & the other...
Some day, maybe, (if I am lucky) my son's will realize that they will not win the battle of the wills when it comes to doing their homework.
It's not like EITHER of them even had much homework tonight, but you would have thought they were being sent to the electric chair by the carrying-on when I told them it had to be done.
As it is, the A-man missed school yesterday because he was ill, so I am still a little unsure as to how it is that he didn't have to do catch up work. Regardless, he did comment to me that he had been given a History assignment today, but didn't tell me when it was do. Gosh darn it all - I asked during dinner, and then made him get working on it right afterwards.
Yes, I know - I am so mean.
To make matters worse, S had math homework and I made HIM work on it right after supper too! Yes, I really did.
Total time spent fighting about when and where homework would be done - about 15 minutes. Total time spent actually doing said homework - about 15 for the A-man and maybe 25 for S because he needed a bit more explanation.
Had they just gone about the task and done what they needed, all of us would have been able to spend more time doing what we WANTED to do! (Maybe they will start to get that?? Maybe, hopefully?!?!?!!)
At least it is done now.
~~
On the work front, new assistant started in the office today. She is very young, and VERY quiet. I'm not sure how she is going to handle our busy, fast-paced, not-quiet-for-long office. Boss figures she will come out of her shell once she gets more used both us and the general hum of the office. He met her at her last job and he told me she was quite a bit more lively than what I saw today.
She is a nice enough girl - seems very smart - but she just sort of sits and listens and then calmly goes about the task presented to her. She doesn't ask many questions, but I am thinking it is simply because she is a bit overwhelmed by everything we had told her both during the interview process, and again as today went on.
I am not complaining though - one task that I have been letting sit on the back-burner since June got completed today in her first three hours! Now I just have to send the package off to the client and I don't have to worry about THAT for another 9.5 months. See, a lot of what we will need her to do isn't actually difficult - it's more of the tedious, monotonous-type jobs that are, well, sort of boring-but-still-really-need- to-be-done type jobs that we need her to do for us.
Yesterday the sales guy went home before lunch time because he wasn't feeling right. He told me that he just needed to get rid of the heart-burn and he was sure he would be okay. Yesterday afternoon he called me to let me know that he won't be in for a while - turns out it was a heart condition of some sort, and he was being transferred to a different hospital! Boss called him last night and found out he was going to have an angioplasty today and would be out of commission for the next two weeks!
Just goes to show you - ya just never know.
On that note, I am off to do my Wii Fit Yoga and strength-training workout!
It's not like EITHER of them even had much homework tonight, but you would have thought they were being sent to the electric chair by the carrying-on when I told them it had to be done.
As it is, the A-man missed school yesterday because he was ill, so I am still a little unsure as to how it is that he didn't have to do catch up work. Regardless, he did comment to me that he had been given a History assignment today, but didn't tell me when it was do. Gosh darn it all - I asked during dinner, and then made him get working on it right afterwards.
Yes, I know - I am so mean.
To make matters worse, S had math homework and I made HIM work on it right after supper too! Yes, I really did.
Total time spent fighting about when and where homework would be done - about 15 minutes. Total time spent actually doing said homework - about 15 for the A-man and maybe 25 for S because he needed a bit more explanation.
Had they just gone about the task and done what they needed, all of us would have been able to spend more time doing what we WANTED to do! (Maybe they will start to get that?? Maybe, hopefully?!?!?!!)
At least it is done now.
~~
On the work front, new assistant started in the office today. She is very young, and VERY quiet. I'm not sure how she is going to handle our busy, fast-paced, not-quiet-for-long office. Boss figures she will come out of her shell once she gets more used both us and the general hum of the office. He met her at her last job and he told me she was quite a bit more lively than what I saw today.
She is a nice enough girl - seems very smart - but she just sort of sits and listens and then calmly goes about the task presented to her. She doesn't ask many questions, but I am thinking it is simply because she is a bit overwhelmed by everything we had told her both during the interview process, and again as today went on.
I am not complaining though - one task that I have been letting sit on the back-burner since June got completed today in her first three hours! Now I just have to send the package off to the client and I don't have to worry about THAT for another 9.5 months. See, a lot of what we will need her to do isn't actually difficult - it's more of the tedious, monotonous-type jobs that are, well, sort of boring-but-still-really-need- to-be-done type jobs that we need her to do for us.
- reorganizing files
- putting photo disks in order by client, in order by photo
- file payables
- placing newspaper ads
- checking that newspapers bill correctly
Yesterday the sales guy went home before lunch time because he wasn't feeling right. He told me that he just needed to get rid of the heart-burn and he was sure he would be okay. Yesterday afternoon he called me to let me know that he won't be in for a while - turns out it was a heart condition of some sort, and he was being transferred to a different hospital! Boss called him last night and found out he was going to have an angioplasty today and would be out of commission for the next two weeks!
Just goes to show you - ya just never know.
On that note, I am off to do my Wii Fit Yoga and strength-training workout!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Salt & Tequila
When I finally got back in to the office, this email was in my inbox. Made me feel good, and I thought I would share:
This should probably be taped to your bathroom mirror where one could read it everyday:
1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look.
11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
And always remember...
When life hands you lemons,
Ask for Tequila and Salt and call me over!!
Good friends are like stars...
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.
I would rather have one rose and a kind word from a friend while I'm here than a whole truckload when I'm gone.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Last Day
The final day of school for S, the last day for me before a week's holidays. ahhhh.....
S really wanted to go to school today. The young man that had been doing a school co-op had indicated that he was going to be coming to say goodbye to all of the students, and S really didn't want to miss him. Considering how well they got along, I can understand that.
Apparently S had been a little grouchy yesterday because he didn't get to go on the mountain bike trip, and the A-man said S took it out on him, but it sounds like the A-man dealt with it in a very appropriate way.
I am going to call the school this afternoon to say my final farewell to the Principal. He is a very fair man, and even though I was upset the other day, I really did understand why they were hesitant in allowing S to go on the field trip. I want to express to him, once again, how much we have appreciated all that he has done on our family's behalf, and let him know how much it was appreciated.
I am planning on packing up the boys and heading out the cottage tonight after my fitness class. It will have us arriving quite late, but that will just mean that we will be able to just wake up and enjoy the full day there! Nothing like starting holidays by having a coffee sitting on the dock...
Should be back to the blogging world by Canada Day!
S really wanted to go to school today. The young man that had been doing a school co-op had indicated that he was going to be coming to say goodbye to all of the students, and S really didn't want to miss him. Considering how well they got along, I can understand that.
Apparently S had been a little grouchy yesterday because he didn't get to go on the mountain bike trip, and the A-man said S took it out on him, but it sounds like the A-man dealt with it in a very appropriate way.
I am going to call the school this afternoon to say my final farewell to the Principal. He is a very fair man, and even though I was upset the other day, I really did understand why they were hesitant in allowing S to go on the field trip. I want to express to him, once again, how much we have appreciated all that he has done on our family's behalf, and let him know how much it was appreciated.
I am planning on packing up the boys and heading out the cottage tonight after my fitness class. It will have us arriving quite late, but that will just mean that we will be able to just wake up and enjoy the full day there! Nothing like starting holidays by having a coffee sitting on the dock...
Should be back to the blogging world by Canada Day!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Educating the educator?
Last Thursday, I noticed a note in S's agenda from the EA. The note was written on Tuesday afternoon, and started with "S did not have a good day." It then when on to tell me that unprovoked, S approached another student and told an off-colour 'joke.'
First off, I didn't quite know why a child would need to be "provoked" in to telling a joke, but she obviously felt this way. The note then went on to tell me that when she asked S to go to the Principal's office for saying said joke, he refused. I am thinking that is what really ticked her off - she does not like to be told 'no.'
Anyway... I asked S to tell me what the joke was. He would not tell me. After a little while of my promising that I would not get angry, nor yell at him, he told me the joke. I must say, it was very rude, and really not appropriate. I determined where he had heard the joke - the A-man was in my bad books, I will admit - and then I had to try and figure out if he really even understood the punch line.
S claims that he did not really understand the joke, but when he told it to his first friend, the friend laughed, so he thought he should tell it to others. Hey, it got a laugh, so it must be funny, right? We can't admit that we don't 'get' the joke that others find amusing.
I guess it was while telling the joke to another friend that the EA overheard and told him to go to the office.
I think what bothered me the most was that when S told his EA that he didn't understand the joke, nor why she was angry with him, she told him that she thought that answer was "a bunch of bologna." Umm, PARDON ME? I would think prior to going off the deep end, this type of thing should be determined first, wouldn't you?
I wrote a note back in S's agenda indicating that I didn't think S understood the joke, given his lack of knowledge of such subjects, and I didn't appreciate the 'bunch of bologna' comment. S told me on Friday that the EA did read my note, but she did not to respond to me.
I sent an email to the doctor asking if it really was possible that S did understand the joke and was trying to pull the wool over my eyes. His answer is very hard to interpret, but from what I can get from it is that it is very possible that S was simply repeating the joke to all of his friends because they laughed. He would not have been able to read their faces/reactions to determine that it was off-colour or offensive.
It is a very sexually-innuendo type of joke, and in my gut, I really don't think he understands it. The A-man does for sure, but unless the A-man actually took the time to explain it to S, I really don't think he got it. Well, until the EA took it upon herself to actually explain it to him.
Again, is sex ed within the scope of an EA?
Only a few more weeks left of school. This has been a much better year for S, no doubt about it. I just hope that next year he is given an EA that has knowledge and experience with the multitude of issues that come with my wee little man.
----
On to another subject for a second. For regular readers of my blog, you will remember that I have been helping a lady that is trying to obtain special educational needs for her daughter. The school board finally agreed to provide a psycho-ed assessment for her daughter, but it did take a LOT to get to this point. Last week I got a phone call from the Mom telling me that she was going to get the full results on Monday (today), but she got a phone call from the board psychologist - the person that actually read the results - and it turns out that her daughter is developmentally delayed. Apparently her daughter has an IQ around either 60 or 70, I can't remember which. Either way, she is severely delayed, and I find it terrible that a child can get to the age of 13 and be almost finished Grade 7 before this type of thing is learned. An entire elementary school career, full of 'professional educators' have failed this child, in my opinion.
I realize this woman is a rude and overbearing parent. I realize she is harbouring a lot of resentment towards many of the teachers within that school - probably as much as the teachers resent this mother! But that does not excuse the fact that this girl can have such a severe delay and NO ONE caught it! Her report cards have always been B's and C's - with some A's in there. How can a child with an IQ of 60 or 70 be working "at grade level" (as a B mark is supposed to indicate) since she was 4 years old? I think accountability should be demanded in this case, but I am not going to be the person to let her know that.
I guess her daughter is going to get the IPRC she has been wanting... but how sad that this is the result of the fight.
First off, I didn't quite know why a child would need to be "provoked" in to telling a joke, but she obviously felt this way. The note then went on to tell me that when she asked S to go to the Principal's office for saying said joke, he refused. I am thinking that is what really ticked her off - she does not like to be told 'no.'
Anyway... I asked S to tell me what the joke was. He would not tell me. After a little while of my promising that I would not get angry, nor yell at him, he told me the joke. I must say, it was very rude, and really not appropriate. I determined where he had heard the joke - the A-man was in my bad books, I will admit - and then I had to try and figure out if he really even understood the punch line.
S claims that he did not really understand the joke, but when he told it to his first friend, the friend laughed, so he thought he should tell it to others. Hey, it got a laugh, so it must be funny, right? We can't admit that we don't 'get' the joke that others find amusing.
I guess it was while telling the joke to another friend that the EA overheard and told him to go to the office.
I think what bothered me the most was that when S told his EA that he didn't understand the joke, nor why she was angry with him, she told him that she thought that answer was "a bunch of bologna." Umm, PARDON ME? I would think prior to going off the deep end, this type of thing should be determined first, wouldn't you?
I wrote a note back in S's agenda indicating that I didn't think S understood the joke, given his lack of knowledge of such subjects, and I didn't appreciate the 'bunch of bologna' comment. S told me on Friday that the EA did read my note, but she did not to respond to me.
I sent an email to the doctor asking if it really was possible that S did understand the joke and was trying to pull the wool over my eyes. His answer is very hard to interpret, but from what I can get from it is that it is very possible that S was simply repeating the joke to all of his friends because they laughed. He would not have been able to read their faces/reactions to determine that it was off-colour or offensive.
It is a very sexually-innuendo type of joke, and in my gut, I really don't think he understands it. The A-man does for sure, but unless the A-man actually took the time to explain it to S, I really don't think he got it. Well, until the EA took it upon herself to actually explain it to him.
Again, is sex ed within the scope of an EA?
Only a few more weeks left of school. This has been a much better year for S, no doubt about it. I just hope that next year he is given an EA that has knowledge and experience with the multitude of issues that come with my wee little man.
----
On to another subject for a second. For regular readers of my blog, you will remember that I have been helping a lady that is trying to obtain special educational needs for her daughter. The school board finally agreed to provide a psycho-ed assessment for her daughter, but it did take a LOT to get to this point. Last week I got a phone call from the Mom telling me that she was going to get the full results on Monday (today), but she got a phone call from the board psychologist - the person that actually read the results - and it turns out that her daughter is developmentally delayed. Apparently her daughter has an IQ around either 60 or 70, I can't remember which. Either way, she is severely delayed, and I find it terrible that a child can get to the age of 13 and be almost finished Grade 7 before this type of thing is learned. An entire elementary school career, full of 'professional educators' have failed this child, in my opinion.
I realize this woman is a rude and overbearing parent. I realize she is harbouring a lot of resentment towards many of the teachers within that school - probably as much as the teachers resent this mother! But that does not excuse the fact that this girl can have such a severe delay and NO ONE caught it! Her report cards have always been B's and C's - with some A's in there. How can a child with an IQ of 60 or 70 be working "at grade level" (as a B mark is supposed to indicate) since she was 4 years old? I think accountability should be demanded in this case, but I am not going to be the person to let her know that.
I guess her daughter is going to get the IPRC she has been wanting... but how sad that this is the result of the fight.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Grateful
I just had the most amazing conversation with my children over dinner.
The A-man was telling me all about the assembly they had in school today. The guest speaker – now near 80 – is a Holocaust survivor. He was telling me all about her particular story – and how she escaped from the death train she had been on.
The A-man’s monologue actually went on for quite a while, and I could tell that he had really listened – and heard – what she had to say. I asked if the rest of the students had paid as close attention as he did – and he said the entire assembly hall was silent while she spoke.
I was very glad to hear this.
After the A-man finished telling me about his day, S took great pains in filling me in on his entire day – from class to class. I heard about the religion assignment they had in class today – “What are the qualities you want in a friend relationship, and what are the qualities you would look for in a love relationship.” Then he slowly took me through the remainder of his day.
The part that surprised me the most was when he got to the French portion of his day. Normally he just breezes over French and the entire fact that he has to take that subject. (He and the French teacher often butt heads.) But today, he was all full of talk of the play they are doing in their class.
S is going to be playing the part of the “Big Bad Wolf” in a French version of The Three Little Pigs. I got to hear a number of his lines – en français – and then what the literal translation means.
I think S understands French a lot more now than he ever has in the past.
After we finished eating, the boys helped clean up the kitchen. While I was washing the muffin tin, I realized just how lucky I am. A friend of mine – with same aged children – told me that her son never talks to her. He doesn’t talk about anything that happened in school, he doesn’t talk to her about what he did/thought. Nothing at all.
Her daughter talks to her a bit more, but from what I gather, it is not the same dialogue that often occurs between my sons and me. Another friend – Jazzy’s mom – has great conversations with her kids, so I am not really sure what is ‘typical’ teenage conversation, but from what I gather, I should be grateful that my boys talk to me about anything and everything.
Last week there were a few boys suspended from the high school – rumour has it that drugs were involved. The one boy that was suspended for the longest amount of time happens to be Hubby’s cousin’s child; a young man that was born just three weeks after the A-man. I used to baby-sit him when he was just over a year old. Considering the relationship we have with this young man and his parents, we were very shocked to hear this news. I can’t imagine how his parents would have taken that news if the rumours are true.
Again, makes me very grateful that my son’s talk to me. I don’t think for a moment that this means they will never do anything wrong – but I do realize that when the conversations stop, I will have reason to wonder why.
The A-man was telling me all about the assembly they had in school today. The guest speaker – now near 80 – is a Holocaust survivor. He was telling me all about her particular story – and how she escaped from the death train she had been on.
The A-man’s monologue actually went on for quite a while, and I could tell that he had really listened – and heard – what she had to say. I asked if the rest of the students had paid as close attention as he did – and he said the entire assembly hall was silent while she spoke.
I was very glad to hear this.
After the A-man finished telling me about his day, S took great pains in filling me in on his entire day – from class to class. I heard about the religion assignment they had in class today – “What are the qualities you want in a friend relationship, and what are the qualities you would look for in a love relationship.” Then he slowly took me through the remainder of his day.
The part that surprised me the most was when he got to the French portion of his day. Normally he just breezes over French and the entire fact that he has to take that subject. (He and the French teacher often butt heads.) But today, he was all full of talk of the play they are doing in their class.
S is going to be playing the part of the “Big Bad Wolf” in a French version of The Three Little Pigs. I got to hear a number of his lines – en français – and then what the literal translation means.
I think S understands French a lot more now than he ever has in the past.
After we finished eating, the boys helped clean up the kitchen. While I was washing the muffin tin, I realized just how lucky I am. A friend of mine – with same aged children – told me that her son never talks to her. He doesn’t talk about anything that happened in school, he doesn’t talk to her about what he did/thought. Nothing at all.
Her daughter talks to her a bit more, but from what I gather, it is not the same dialogue that often occurs between my sons and me. Another friend – Jazzy’s mom – has great conversations with her kids, so I am not really sure what is ‘typical’ teenage conversation, but from what I gather, I should be grateful that my boys talk to me about anything and everything.
Last week there were a few boys suspended from the high school – rumour has it that drugs were involved. The one boy that was suspended for the longest amount of time happens to be Hubby’s cousin’s child; a young man that was born just three weeks after the A-man. I used to baby-sit him when he was just over a year old. Considering the relationship we have with this young man and his parents, we were very shocked to hear this news. I can’t imagine how his parents would have taken that news if the rumours are true.
Again, makes me very grateful that my son’s talk to me. I don’t think for a moment that this means they will never do anything wrong – but I do realize that when the conversations stop, I will have reason to wonder why.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Good night last night
Last night, I felt like I got a lot accomplished. When I went to bed, I was tired, but I was also pleased with how my evening had gone.
I actually got home about an hour later than usual. The R-man was back, and in the kitchen making himself a sandwich for dinner. I prepared dinner for myself and the boys. Clean up was fast, and smooth, and done before I knew it.
Taxes - all done and all filed!
Laundry - all caught up again. I am still totally in love with my new front loader. I can not believe how much MORE that machine gets in to it! It cuts the number of loads by half, at least. So, I'm not using as much water for each load, nor am I draining the well as often as before! Loving it...
Neither of the boys had homework last night, so they did their best to just stay quiet. See, if they start fighting, I 'remember' them, and then put them to work. If they are not making any noise, I go about my evening and forget they are there. (teenage logic...)
I am going to have coffee with a friend tonight, but I am also hoping to get some things done for an event I am organizing for the ADHD group. It's hard, sometimes, to get all of the things required in one day, and still take the time for yourself.
Going to my friends for coffee isn't something that I have to do - I often feel guilty when I do that - but it is quality time, with a very dear friend, and I need to do that (for myself) too. I will get over the guilt.
Hopefully the homework expectations are light again this evening...
I actually got home about an hour later than usual. The R-man was back, and in the kitchen making himself a sandwich for dinner. I prepared dinner for myself and the boys. Clean up was fast, and smooth, and done before I knew it.
Taxes - all done and all filed!
Laundry - all caught up again. I am still totally in love with my new front loader. I can not believe how much MORE that machine gets in to it! It cuts the number of loads by half, at least. So, I'm not using as much water for each load, nor am I draining the well as often as before! Loving it...
Neither of the boys had homework last night, so they did their best to just stay quiet. See, if they start fighting, I 'remember' them, and then put them to work. If they are not making any noise, I go about my evening and forget they are there. (teenage logic...)
I am going to have coffee with a friend tonight, but I am also hoping to get some things done for an event I am organizing for the ADHD group. It's hard, sometimes, to get all of the things required in one day, and still take the time for yourself.
Going to my friends for coffee isn't something that I have to do - I often feel guilty when I do that - but it is quality time, with a very dear friend, and I need to do that (for myself) too. I will get over the guilt.
Hopefully the homework expectations are light again this evening...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
100 things about me
Today, in honour of my darling Bear’s birthday (which is tomorrow), I am going to ‘steal’ one of her AWESOME ideas. She posted on her blog a really interesting post. (This is the idea I am stealing.) I knew most of the things about her – how could I not? - she and I have been friends for over 25 years! Even though I knew most of her 100, there were still a few things that I didn’t know.
For my close friends, I am sure there will be nothing on here that is a surprise, but for casual readers, maybe you will learn more about me!
1. I love my husband more today than I did 20 years ago!
2. My children are my reasons for doing (almost) all that I do.
3. I like my alone time.
4. I have never lived alone.
5. Sometimes the quiet unnerves me.
6. Gardening soothes me.
7. I have learned more about autoimmune disorders than I ever wanted to.
8. Same for ADHD.
9. And Tourette syndrome.
10. And learning disorders.
11. I will advocate for my children as long as I need to.
12. I will teach my children to self-advocate.
13. Our family dog drives me crazy, but he is still cute.
14. Spending time at the cottage allows me to totally relax.
15. I don’t relax easily.
16. My close friends realize I am quite insecure.
17. I feel I am shy, even though most people would disagree.
18. I have only one sibling – a brother.
19. I always wanted a sister.
20. I prefer to drive standard vehicles.
21. It annoys me when men are surprised I know how to drive a ‘stick-shift’.
22. I am not a feminist, but I believe a woman can do whatever she wishes.
23. I am raising my sons to believe the same thing.
24. I hate a cluttered home.
25. My house is FAR TOO messy and cluttered.
26. My secret fear is that my cleaning lady will ‘fire’ me.
27. My favourite summer outfit is a sundress and sandals.
28. I want to wind surf more this summer.
29. I am going to try water skiing again this year.
30. I have never taken my own fish off the hook.
31. I like meat too much to ever be a vegetarian.
32. I admire people with the strength to follow their convictions.
33. I cannot stand being cold.
34. I spend too much time on Facebook.
35. I want my boss to give me a raise without having to ask for it.
36. I went to school to be an accountant.
37. I am not working in the field I trained for.
38. I believe everyone should volunteer for at least one not-for-profit organization.
39. I have been on many committees.
40. I was a stay at home mom for 4 years, and loved it.
41. I feel that you need to enjoy your job – or you shouldn’t be doing it.
42. I am on a ‘new, healthy-eating’ regime.
43. I have always thought I was fat – even when I wasn’t.
44. My parents just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.
45. I have only lived in 4 towns/cities – all of them are in Ontario.
46. I have never been to Western Canada.
47. I have been to Mexico.
48. And Cuba.
49. And the Dominican Republic.
50. I have never been to Europe.
51. I would really like to travel all over Europe and Asia.
52. I don’t think my husband would enjoy that.
53. I am turning 40 this year.
54. I type almost 90 wpm.
55. Sometimes I use my fingers to do math.
56. I am very proud of my brother.
57. I hate what my brother has to do for a living.
58. I have 3 nieces and 2 nephews.
59. All of them live too far away.
60. I got my first tattoo the year I turned 35.
61. I added to this tattoo a short time later.
62. I would like to get another one.
63. I have pierced ears.
64. I like wine – red or white, doesn’t matter.
65. My favourite drink is a martini – dry, with extra olives.
66. I am not artistic – at all.
67. I enjoy doing craft-type things – when I have time.
68. I love to read.
69. I submerge myself in a new subject when necessary.
70. I love to use the verb “to google.”
71. My son’s love my cookie pizza, and beg me to make it for school functions.
72. I often worry that the school board personnel don’t like me.
73. My favourite flower is always changing – depending on the one I am looking at.
74. I never wear musk perfumes.
75. I love getting dressed up.
76. I have a handbag fetish.
77. My son’s tell me I have too many shoes.
78. I would wear a different hat everyday, if I could.
79. Fancy umbrellas always catch my eye.
80. I love the smell of fresh laundry off the line.
81. I’m not as ‘green’ as I should be, and aspire to be.
82. I drive a Honda Civic.
83. I want my next car to be a hybrid.
84. I love jewellry.
85. I used household chores as an excuse to my friends to get out of things I wasn’t comfortable with.
86. I have seen (and been in) the Atlantic Ocean.
87. I have seen (and been in) the Pacific Ocean.
88. I’ve flown over the Grand Canyon.
89. I am still bitter with Menu Foods for the death of my cat.
90. I loved being pregnant.
91. I often feel like a hamster on a wheel.
92. People tell me I am organized.
93. I feel I am anal.
94. I am left-handed.
95. I can put my fist in my mouth.
96. I have a very loud, boisterous laugh.
97. I love hearing a child’s belly laugh.
98. Some Bell Canada commercials have made me cry.
99. I am very sentimental.
100.I can never have enough scented candles.
For my close friends, I am sure there will be nothing on here that is a surprise, but for casual readers, maybe you will learn more about me!
1. I love my husband more today than I did 20 years ago!
2. My children are my reasons for doing (almost) all that I do.
3. I like my alone time.
4. I have never lived alone.
5. Sometimes the quiet unnerves me.
6. Gardening soothes me.
7. I have learned more about autoimmune disorders than I ever wanted to.
8. Same for ADHD.
9. And Tourette syndrome.
10. And learning disorders.
11. I will advocate for my children as long as I need to.
12. I will teach my children to self-advocate.
13. Our family dog drives me crazy, but he is still cute.
14. Spending time at the cottage allows me to totally relax.
15. I don’t relax easily.
16. My close friends realize I am quite insecure.
17. I feel I am shy, even though most people would disagree.
18. I have only one sibling – a brother.
19. I always wanted a sister.
20. I prefer to drive standard vehicles.
21. It annoys me when men are surprised I know how to drive a ‘stick-shift’.
22. I am not a feminist, but I believe a woman can do whatever she wishes.
23. I am raising my sons to believe the same thing.
24. I hate a cluttered home.
25. My house is FAR TOO messy and cluttered.
26. My secret fear is that my cleaning lady will ‘fire’ me.
27. My favourite summer outfit is a sundress and sandals.
28. I want to wind surf more this summer.
29. I am going to try water skiing again this year.
30. I have never taken my own fish off the hook.
31. I like meat too much to ever be a vegetarian.
32. I admire people with the strength to follow their convictions.
33. I cannot stand being cold.
34. I spend too much time on Facebook.
35. I want my boss to give me a raise without having to ask for it.
36. I went to school to be an accountant.
37. I am not working in the field I trained for.
38. I believe everyone should volunteer for at least one not-for-profit organization.
39. I have been on many committees.
40. I was a stay at home mom for 4 years, and loved it.
41. I feel that you need to enjoy your job – or you shouldn’t be doing it.
42. I am on a ‘new, healthy-eating’ regime.
43. I have always thought I was fat – even when I wasn’t.
44. My parents just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.
45. I have only lived in 4 towns/cities – all of them are in Ontario.
46. I have never been to Western Canada.
47. I have been to Mexico.
48. And Cuba.
49. And the Dominican Republic.
50. I have never been to Europe.
51. I would really like to travel all over Europe and Asia.
52. I don’t think my husband would enjoy that.
53. I am turning 40 this year.
54. I type almost 90 wpm.
55. Sometimes I use my fingers to do math.
56. I am very proud of my brother.
57. I hate what my brother has to do for a living.
58. I have 3 nieces and 2 nephews.
59. All of them live too far away.
60. I got my first tattoo the year I turned 35.
61. I added to this tattoo a short time later.
62. I would like to get another one.
63. I have pierced ears.
64. I like wine – red or white, doesn’t matter.
65. My favourite drink is a martini – dry, with extra olives.
66. I am not artistic – at all.
67. I enjoy doing craft-type things – when I have time.
68. I love to read.
69. I submerge myself in a new subject when necessary.
70. I love to use the verb “to google.”
71. My son’s love my cookie pizza, and beg me to make it for school functions.
72. I often worry that the school board personnel don’t like me.
73. My favourite flower is always changing – depending on the one I am looking at.
74. I never wear musk perfumes.
75. I love getting dressed up.
76. I have a handbag fetish.
77. My son’s tell me I have too many shoes.
78. I would wear a different hat everyday, if I could.
79. Fancy umbrellas always catch my eye.
80. I love the smell of fresh laundry off the line.
81. I’m not as ‘green’ as I should be, and aspire to be.
82. I drive a Honda Civic.
83. I want my next car to be a hybrid.
84. I love jewellry.
85. I used household chores as an excuse to my friends to get out of things I wasn’t comfortable with.
86. I have seen (and been in) the Atlantic Ocean.
87. I have seen (and been in) the Pacific Ocean.
88. I’ve flown over the Grand Canyon.
89. I am still bitter with Menu Foods for the death of my cat.
90. I loved being pregnant.
91. I often feel like a hamster on a wheel.
92. People tell me I am organized.
93. I feel I am anal.
94. I am left-handed.
95. I can put my fist in my mouth.
96. I have a very loud, boisterous laugh.
97. I love hearing a child’s belly laugh.
98. Some Bell Canada commercials have made me cry.
99. I am very sentimental.
100.I can never have enough scented candles.
Happy Birthday, Bear. I am thinking of you, missing you and loving you!
Thank you for the great idea.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Good News/Bad News
The Good News - it would appear that terrible principal will not be returning! Yeah!!!!
The Bad News - we won't be able to get another EA assigned to S for this school year.
There simply isn't an EA on staff that has the qualifications that were recommended by the doctor, and the acting Principal simply doesn't know if there are any within the hiring pool that will have these qualifications. Now, that said, he will request it for next year, but he can make no promises. I sort of figured that.
On the up side, he has requested that the current EA have a chance to meet with myself and the doctor, along with the classroom teacher, to see if some of the concerns/issues can be addressed that way. And again, we are getting toward the end of a school year, and the baby steps are so small, I sometimes wonder if we are moving ahead at all. I think we are - just far slower than what I would like to see. Of course, we are dealing with government bureaucracy, so I must expect things to move this slowly, right?
It just drives me insane sometimes - I hate playing the game. I know I can do it - I just don't like doing it.
The Bad News - we won't be able to get another EA assigned to S for this school year.
There simply isn't an EA on staff that has the qualifications that were recommended by the doctor, and the acting Principal simply doesn't know if there are any within the hiring pool that will have these qualifications. Now, that said, he will request it for next year, but he can make no promises. I sort of figured that.
On the up side, he has requested that the current EA have a chance to meet with myself and the doctor, along with the classroom teacher, to see if some of the concerns/issues can be addressed that way. And again, we are getting toward the end of a school year, and the baby steps are so small, I sometimes wonder if we are moving ahead at all. I think we are - just far slower than what I would like to see. Of course, we are dealing with government bureaucracy, so I must expect things to move this slowly, right?
It just drives me insane sometimes - I hate playing the game. I know I can do it - I just don't like doing it.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Not a photo journal today
Apparently my idea of a photo-shoot/outside play is not being well-recieved by my children today. They have alternative plans. WhatEVER. I will get a few on here, this I know, and promise.
My mom and I are going to go to the city today. We are going to a cosmetic sale, then we are going to stop by Cuz's house to see the patient. Apparently he has been quite grumpy with the limitations that have been placed on him, but when you have blood clots (yes, as in, "more than one") in your heart, the doctors feel it's quite serious, and make you limit a number of things. Salt, fluid intake...all the fun stuff. Since there are 2 clots, he can't have the defibulator put in place, so now he is on a ton of medications to try and break up the clots. Blood thinners, that sort of thing.
It's incredible to think that a healthy, active man, with no history of heart problems can be going through all of this. And he's only 52! The doctor says he sees this sort of thing all the time. This has convinced Cuz and I that it really does not matter what you do - when your time it up, it's up. Look at Blinky.
So, again, LIVE YOUR LIFE people! Do what you want to do - when you can. I was planning on doing some housework and paperwork today. When my mom suggested this impromtu road trip, I declined at first. "Too much to do..." Then, I thought..."You know what, that housework will be here tomorrow (or the next day)... that paperwork won't do itself...it will wait...but the opportunity to see them is here. Now"... and, so, I am going.
---------
Talked to the principal yesterday. I had called to follow up on the discussion we had about the inappropriate comment made by the EA. Apparently he has not talked to her about it. He said, again, that he felt it was a "heat of the moment" thing, and I disagreed with him. I told him that I felt it was a deliberate gesture on her part - meant to punish and upset S.
He said he will address it with her, but didn't give me a time frame as to when that would happen. I guess my conversation with him on Monday it was a bit of lip service to keep me happy. He has assured me that he is monitoring the situation, making sure the trust level between S and Mrs. A is still there...that sort of thing. Blah, blah, blah... (sigh) When will I learn?
S is going to be participting in a Christmas Concert on Wednesday night. He is very excited about it - I have been hearing about the practises every day. He is started to rev up more and more about the holiday. The build up is almost too much for him, sometimes, I think. He is still so cute about it all.
He wants to believe, but he's at that age where he is questioning... I wish they could stay in that "believe" state for so much longer. Heck, I wish I could still be there. The whole idea of a total stranger wanting to shower people with gifts...I wish more and more people had that spirit.
We adopted one family for Christmas this year...the donation of $$ was all that was needed, but it just doesn't seem like enough. The year that we bought the gifts for the children and the mom, plus provided everything for a 'traditional' Christmas meal...I think that was the year Hubby and I remember the best, and with the fondest of memories. That year, that mom was so surprised and grateful. She had not gone through an agency - we just took it upon ourselves to do what we could for her. I think we may do the same again this year. This is something we have done a few different times, and every time we have felt an amazing sense of joy and happiness over the holiday.
I have one lady in mind. She has 4 children with a very limited income. We will have to do it annoymously, though. She is far too hard-headed to accept it if we just arrived at her house. I'm not sure how we will proceed. Hubby and I have a few ideas we are working on.
THAT is what Christmas needs to be about. This years the boys will be active participants in our "adopted family's" Christmas. They need to realize how fortunate they are. They know they are more fortunate than some, but I often wonder if they really 'get it.'
I think they do. I know I sure do.
Till next time...
My mom and I are going to go to the city today. We are going to a cosmetic sale, then we are going to stop by Cuz's house to see the patient. Apparently he has been quite grumpy with the limitations that have been placed on him, but when you have blood clots (yes, as in, "more than one") in your heart, the doctors feel it's quite serious, and make you limit a number of things. Salt, fluid intake...all the fun stuff. Since there are 2 clots, he can't have the defibulator put in place, so now he is on a ton of medications to try and break up the clots. Blood thinners, that sort of thing.
It's incredible to think that a healthy, active man, with no history of heart problems can be going through all of this. And he's only 52! The doctor says he sees this sort of thing all the time. This has convinced Cuz and I that it really does not matter what you do - when your time it up, it's up. Look at Blinky.
So, again, LIVE YOUR LIFE people! Do what you want to do - when you can. I was planning on doing some housework and paperwork today. When my mom suggested this impromtu road trip, I declined at first. "Too much to do..." Then, I thought..."You know what, that housework will be here tomorrow (or the next day)... that paperwork won't do itself...it will wait...but the opportunity to see them is here. Now"... and, so, I am going.
---------
Talked to the principal yesterday. I had called to follow up on the discussion we had about the inappropriate comment made by the EA. Apparently he has not talked to her about it. He said, again, that he felt it was a "heat of the moment" thing, and I disagreed with him. I told him that I felt it was a deliberate gesture on her part - meant to punish and upset S.
He said he will address it with her, but didn't give me a time frame as to when that would happen. I guess my conversation with him on Monday it was a bit of lip service to keep me happy. He has assured me that he is monitoring the situation, making sure the trust level between S and Mrs. A is still there...that sort of thing. Blah, blah, blah... (sigh) When will I learn?
S is going to be participting in a Christmas Concert on Wednesday night. He is very excited about it - I have been hearing about the practises every day. He is started to rev up more and more about the holiday. The build up is almost too much for him, sometimes, I think. He is still so cute about it all.
He wants to believe, but he's at that age where he is questioning... I wish they could stay in that "believe" state for so much longer. Heck, I wish I could still be there. The whole idea of a total stranger wanting to shower people with gifts...I wish more and more people had that spirit.
We adopted one family for Christmas this year...the donation of $$ was all that was needed, but it just doesn't seem like enough. The year that we bought the gifts for the children and the mom, plus provided everything for a 'traditional' Christmas meal...I think that was the year Hubby and I remember the best, and with the fondest of memories. That year, that mom was so surprised and grateful. She had not gone through an agency - we just took it upon ourselves to do what we could for her. I think we may do the same again this year. This is something we have done a few different times, and every time we have felt an amazing sense of joy and happiness over the holiday.
I have one lady in mind. She has 4 children with a very limited income. We will have to do it annoymously, though. She is far too hard-headed to accept it if we just arrived at her house. I'm not sure how we will proceed. Hubby and I have a few ideas we are working on.
THAT is what Christmas needs to be about. This years the boys will be active participants in our "adopted family's" Christmas. They need to realize how fortunate they are. They know they are more fortunate than some, but I often wonder if they really 'get it.'
I think they do. I know I sure do.
Till next time...
Friday, December 7, 2007
Back at the grind
Yesterday was, as I expected, a very hard and emotional day. We were not able to make the long journey in time for the visitation on Wednesday evening, but from all accounts, the family was so overwhelmed by visitors anyway. There was a one-hour line up for most of the evening.
We arrived about an hour before the funeral, and were able to spend some time with our friend's husband. He is, to say the least, devastated. 43 years is a very long time to have been married to one person and to have that person gone in just a blink of an eye... well, I just can not imagine how terrible and shell-shocked the entire family is.
Her youngest son did a eulogy... he wasn't able to write anything down, he said, and so he just spoke from the heart - until he couldn't do it any longer. The thing that got me the most was the ending - he said it what he was doing was hard, but he hadn't had the chance to say good-bye, and he felt doing that would give him the opportunity. I think that is how we all felt - we didn't get to say good-bye.
When I heard of her passing on Monday, my first thought was, "Did I hug her good-bye the last time I saw her?" I know I did - I always gave her a hug when we were parting. But still, if I had known that was the last hug I would have given her, it would have been longer. And much harder.
I'm going to miss you, Blinky. We all will.
-------------
Tomorrow will be my 100th post. Since it will be Saturday, and I will have some time, I think I will do a photo journal tomorrow. I want to get some pictures of the boys playing out in the snow - they have started making a snow fort - and I really want to show my Singapore Connection - and anyone that doesn't live in this area of Ontario - what our snow is really like. (The pictures from the other day just don't give a full visual.)
It's so difficult getting a true feeling for the amount of snow without having people and objects in the picture to compare it to. And the funny thing is, my one friends that live about 3 hours north of here just laugh at me when I say we have a lot of snow. Again, it all a matter of perspective. If you live in the city, we have TONS of snow. North...a skiff...
Until then...
We arrived about an hour before the funeral, and were able to spend some time with our friend's husband. He is, to say the least, devastated. 43 years is a very long time to have been married to one person and to have that person gone in just a blink of an eye... well, I just can not imagine how terrible and shell-shocked the entire family is.
Her youngest son did a eulogy... he wasn't able to write anything down, he said, and so he just spoke from the heart - until he couldn't do it any longer. The thing that got me the most was the ending - he said it what he was doing was hard, but he hadn't had the chance to say good-bye, and he felt doing that would give him the opportunity. I think that is how we all felt - we didn't get to say good-bye.
When I heard of her passing on Monday, my first thought was, "Did I hug her good-bye the last time I saw her?" I know I did - I always gave her a hug when we were parting. But still, if I had known that was the last hug I would have given her, it would have been longer. And much harder.
I'm going to miss you, Blinky. We all will.
-------------
Tomorrow will be my 100th post. Since it will be Saturday, and I will have some time, I think I will do a photo journal tomorrow. I want to get some pictures of the boys playing out in the snow - they have started making a snow fort - and I really want to show my Singapore Connection - and anyone that doesn't live in this area of Ontario - what our snow is really like. (The pictures from the other day just don't give a full visual.)
It's so difficult getting a true feeling for the amount of snow without having people and objects in the picture to compare it to. And the funny thing is, my one friends that live about 3 hours north of here just laugh at me when I say we have a lot of snow. Again, it all a matter of perspective. If you live in the city, we have TONS of snow. North...a skiff...
Until then...
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