JJ in School

I wanted to do an update on my venting. I went to the school last Friday for a meeting with the principal. When I got there JJ's teacher was already there waiting for me. Overall it was a great meeting. I am very happy with the result I received. I was able to get a 504 program. The reason this is so important is that if his teacher doesn't comply with this than she will loose her teaching license. The plan is very simple. I says JJ does not have to complete his work in class. If he is behind or frustrated he will be allowed to take the work home and given two days to complete it. I will not be forced to sight read or memorise any words which seems to be the reason JJ struggled with reading. He is reading well above his class just not very fast. The last thing this plan includes is me having an outline of the next weeks lesson plan. I know all these things will take more time and preparation on her part and the schools part and am very grateful they were willing to put this into place. The principal also addressed my concerns about not being able to come into his class. He simply overruled the teacher. He set it up so I can come into class on Monday and Friday to tutor him and see how he is interacting. He also gently but firmly chastised her for punishing JJ for being frustrated. He told her she can only punish or take away rewards for breaking rules or disobeying her and she needs to teach what to do instead. So when he is frustrated or other children they can put there head down on their desk as long as they are not ignoring her and respond if she asks questions. She had concerns about JJ as well. She believed JJ had a stutter when reading because it was difficult for him. Not true but glad she was paying attention. She also noted JJ is unable to simply get directions and sit down and work on his work. This led to great discovery, the school only received half of JJ records. They were unaware of some "Learning Limitations" JJ had one of which you have to look in his eyes when giving him directions. Now she knows. I had been a week and things seem to be going so much better. JJ seems happier and his teacher said he is more involved and having fun doing his work. Thanks for letting me vent and more updates as time goes by.

Update

Sorry I have not been as diligent in my blog lately. We have been very busy and sometimes overwhelmed with the start of school. Jaedon is doing well. He seems to be adjusting very well and I might even be able to leave during preschool hours. He is also growing like a weed. He is thinning out and loosing the toddler look in favor of a little boy. It makes me sad to see him grow up but I feel so grateful for such a wonderful, sensitive little boy.

Kaylee is doing very well. She is learning so fast its scary. Her newest trick is pushing chairs up to the counter to get the things I put out of her reach. Her problem is she gets stuck after she gets what she wants. She is totally adorable. She is learning all sorts of new words and loves reading books.

JJ is doing well at home. He is very happy and smart. I wish I could say that school is going well but he is struggling a lot. Sorry if you are reading this and I have vented and asked for advice on this as I am sure some people are getting tied of hearing about this. JJ comes home from school most days crying. He no longer wants to go to school which is ironic because I wanted to continue homeschooling but JJ really wanted to go to school. He wants to know where I am and one day because I took him to school he thought I didn't want him any more. Couple that with not enjoying his teacher. He gets frustrated often and gets in trouble if he puts his head down when frustrated. His teacher says he has trouble keeping up with his class and it takes him longer than most children. She also says he is reluctant to do his school work. I am very worried because when he is at home and we go over his work and read out loud he doesn't have any trouble at all. Most of the things seem too easy for him. I wonder if he is acting out and if so I want to stop it now. I also worry about being reluctant to do class work because the home school books at home are one of his favorite things to do when he gets home. I have addressed all of these concerns and conflicts with his teacher and feel like I am getting no where. She refuses, simply refuses, to let me come into the class room and help or read books and speak with her once a week and is unwilling to make any kind of special allowance for him. I fell like I am in between a rock and a hard place. I made an appointment with the principal tomorrow and invited her to come as well. This has really made things hard JJ come home even more unhappy and says his teacher is mad at him. Thanks for letting me vent. I am trying to get him signed up for a program called a 504. It allows him to have individual lessons and more involvement by me like letting me have the lessons in advance so I can work with him and the teacher would be more of a backup or tutor and other things like only doing the odd problems at school and the even ones when he gets home with me and turning them back into the teacher. I realize that this means more work for the teacher and better preparation on her part. I almost feel bad for that but I really want school to be a positive experience for him.

Jeremy and I are doing great. Just working on the daily grind.

Labor Day

We enjoyed Labor Day! We took our bikes to the park and rode around the outside, .89 miles, and than we played on the park equipment. JJ's chain fell off his bike and Kaylee bumped her head on a ledge she used to be able to walk under but other than that it was a perfect day.

Kids

Tonight we were reading scriptures and learning about Jesus. He were specifically talking about Jesus being a boy and how he had all the same parts as we do. Two eyes, two ears a nose mouth. About ten minutes later Jaedon comes up to me and asks "Mommy does Jesus have a winky?" Glad he was paying attention.

Deer in Headlights

On the way home from work on Thursday Jeremy hit a deer. He was doing the speed limit and handled the situation great. Unfortunately, he was being tailgated and unable to slam on the brakes as hard as he would like. Well no big deal we just roll with the punches. We had fun spending time together bending the frame back in place and replacing most of the damaged parts. The rest will have to wait for a little while. It's now street legal and up and running. Jeremy - 1, deer - 0

My Brother

I want to be like my brother. I am wearing Jaedons clothes and JJ's shoes. I look up to them a lot and mimic everything they do.

Football on Saturday

Ed played a wonderful game and they won 47 to 6. GO BROWNS!

Ed #32

Ed's Kick off