Castle in the Clouds

While the school year may be half over, for us there will be new beginnings. Ken and I met with the oldest boy's principal this morning to discuss his 504 Plan. Although the plan has been in place since late 2008, we've been very hesitant to put it into action because we really do want the boy to take responsibility for his own actions. However, there are times when ideals pale in the face of reality. Just before the holiday break we received the boy's progress report card. While most of the grades were reasonable (there was even an A in Geography!) , his Language Arts grade was, well, dismal. As reading and writing have always been one of his major obstacles, we're accustomed to mediocre grades, so when I say dismal you must understand that I mean "failing". I immediately sent an e-mail to teacher. While I was disappointed that she didn't think to try to contact us prior to the progress report card coming home, I really didn't (and still don...

My children start school on Tuesday. Tuesday. As in, just a few short days away. I think I'm more nervous than they are. Do they have the "right" shoes? Are their clothes stylish enough? Their backpacks? Do they have the necessary school supplies, and when did schools stop requiring children to bring their own paper and pencils and why wasn't I told? That's just the insanely superficial stuff I wonder about. The stuff that really, really doesn't matter. Except that kids are terribly superficial, aren't they? They notice clothes and haircuts. They notice if one is not like the others and they're too young to value individuality or creativity at this age. Being different is bad. But then I start thinking about the important stuff that moms and dads are really supposed to be concerned with..you know, academics. Homework. Test scores. Responsibility and accountability. I think about my oldest son's 504 Plan and whether or not the accomm...

The boy did well! First marking period grades were better than expected. He got an A, two Bs, and two Cs. There's a non-credit art class in there, too. This report card earned him $20. Now I know there may be those of you who think rewarding Cs is simply insane. Well, all I can say to you is that you don't know my kid, his struggles, or how huge this accomplishment is. Also...hoping it will motivate him to do as well or better next semester. It's possible even though he's starting out shaky (failing to turn in his science folder and homework the first week did not help). Still waiting on the little guy's report card. Will update on that later!

...but the oldest brought home two printouts of what should appear on his report card. Drum roll, please. He's getting a C+ and a B- in two of his subjects! What two subjects, he couldn't remember and it wasn't printed on the teensy little computer printout his teachers handed him. But...they're passing grades! I know. I know. There's more than two subjects to worry over here. Things could still go dramatically wrong when that darn envelope arrives. But...he's passing! Despite his inability to stay organized, to turn things in, or even write legibly half the time, he's passing! (Knock on wood, cross your fingers, say a little prayer, and wish upon a star.)

Yes, folks, it's that time of year again. The end of the first marking period approaches and reports cards will be prepared. I hate report cards. Maybe if they had all smiley faces or a consistant string of straight A scores, I'd pay them about as much attention as my parents once did, which means barely a cursory glance with a vague "good job" to boot. Instead, I get to count down the days until I have to explain once again what anything less than a C means for my oldest boy's future. This may sound a tad bit pessimistic, but you should know it's experience speaking here. This happens every marking period. And I hate it. Just once I'd like a report card with his name on it that doesn't have DOOM written all over it in invisible ink. I'd love to give hugs and kisses and extoll praise. I'd even gladly clean out my wallet if I thought bribery would help (it doesn't). On the upside, I feel pretty confident the little guy's score...

So I get home last night to find my husband a little stressed out. Okay, a lot stressed out. The oldest child forgot to bring home half of his homework. Again. All of a sudden it's become standard practice to leave books and worksheets in his locker instead of stuffing them in his backpack. After dinner I offer to run up to the school to see if I can get into his locker to retrieve said homework. The first few doors I tried were locked, but eventually I found a way into the school. I explain to the only person I see what I'm there for and they let me wander through the hallways. Finally, I make my way to the Fifth Grade hall and locate his locker. Twirl the lock until the three digit code is accepted, lift on the little silver handle, and pull the locker door open. And see red. No wonder nothing is coming home. He couldn't find his homework or his textbooks if he wanted to! Papers, books, folders, and a sweatshirt litter the bottom of the locker. It's a good foot deep. ...

It seems to be a popular question, so I thought it'd make a decent blog entry. The youngest is doing stellar. I don't think he's brought home anything less than a 90% so far. Most of his work is actually nearer to the 100% mark. Of course, I haven't heard how the standardized tests are going - oh, how I hate those! The oldest is being diligent and showing very good character. He has homework Monday through Thursday by design. Most nights he averages 1 to 1 1/2 hours. This is a huge block of time when you consider we don't pick him up from the daycare until 5:30 and bedtime is at 9:00. By the time we eat dinner, get baths, and make sure the homework is done, he's left with about an hour to unwind. Even though the homework is time consuming, I'm grateful his teachers are so good about making sure the hubby and I are kept well informed of daily expectations. We get an e-mail every night outlining what he needs to complete before class the next day. Already thi...

I think I've mentioned before that I've set my oldest boy up with his very own blog. It's private and requires an invitation, so all worries about pedophile stalkers can be laid to rest. Worries about mom losing her mind should be taken out of the closet and given new life. That child! I know writing is hard for him. I know the ideas in his head never quite make it onto the paper how he wants it to. I get it. What I don't get is his total lack of concern over the matter. Last night's entry is a key example. I'm going to copy and paste from his blog for your reading...pleasure? Keep in mind, I've not made any changes to the text. This is exactly what appears on his blog. funny jouks ock nock whose there hands hands who hand off my cat! nock nock whos there there run run who run the dog is gaging onn us nock nock whos there bit bit who your dog bit me As you can see, the spelling is atrocious. Punctuation? Who needs it? I tried reading it aloud to him last nig...

Yesterday we had our final meeting of the year with my son's teacher, the Special Ed Coordinator, and the Principal. The goal of the meeting was to set up a 504 Plan , something his ADHD diagnosis makes possible. The Plan lists a series of accommodations the school and his teachers must take into account while educating our boy. Some of these accommodations are very minor. For instance, the first thing listed is that he should be seated in the front of the classroom near the teacher. More aggressive accommodations are that he's given extra time on writing assignments, as well as opportunities to re-do his homework if necessary. Weekly communication is supposed to occur between the teachers and me and/or my husband. A checklist is supposed to be put in his locker to help him remember to grab his homework. Nothing too taxing for him or the teachers, in my opinion. The highlight of the meeting was the fact that no one uttered one word about retention. They plan on passing him int...

I don't homeschool my children. Both boys attend the public schools in our hometown for a number of reasons. The most obvious and insurmountable fact is that both my husband and I work full-time outside the home. Doing homework in the evenings is a challenge; fitting in several constructive hours of schooling in the evenings would be impossible. Neither of us would have the patience for it. What if I didn't work full-time, though? Would I join the ranks of homeschooling parents everywhere? This is a question I've been asking myself a lot lately. A few years ago the answer would have been a resounding "No", but times have changed and so have I. Homeschooling no longer seems quite the tragic prison it once represented in my mind. Suddenly the benefits appear to outweigh the risks. As you likely know if you've been around here for any length of time, my oldest boy has a hard time in school. A very, very hard time. Although he's well-liked and seems well adjus...

Well, the oldest brought home his progress report card earlier this week. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Of course, after I took a minute to figure it out, I realized he's only been on the meds for about three weeks, which likely isn't long enough to impact his grades. So we still have a chance to bring the D up to a C and the Cs (of which there were many) up to Bs. The marking period ends March 20th. Keep us in your prayers. He needs this to work more than mom and dad do. He's starting to get very pessimistic about his scholastic abilities and it's breaking my heart. Listening to your child say "I'm no good at this" over and over is very painful.

Today my oldest had his second trial run of the ADHD meds at school. We gave him a dose yesterday just to make sure it wouldn't upset his stomach - it didn't. He called me a little after 8 and said he thought he was going to throw up. I told him to get his little fanny back to class. I wasn't buying it. Of course, the rest of the day I've been waiting for another phone call. You know the one. You're kid just vomited everywhere and you need to come get him ASAP. Luckily, that didn't happen. He made it through the whole day without getting sick. Now for the really amazing part of the story. After school today my husband received a phone call from the boy's teacher. She wanted us to know how the day went. It went amazing!! She said he was a totally different child and she meant it in a good way. He was focused. During their spelling test he wrote out the word, read it, fixed it if he could. He didn't get a 100%, but he got a smiley face on the paper if that...