Middle School
Well, school started exactly a month ago, and so far so good.
This year was a big change for Bud. He's now in 6th grade at the middle school, after 6 years (Kindergarten through 5th) at the same elementary school. And it's going much better than I expected. Sometimes I think I let myself expect the worst so that anything better seems great.
Bud has a wonderful case manager who truly cares about his well being and is really on top of things. And all of his teachers seem genuinely interested in helping Bud succeed. It makes my life so much better since school wants to work WITH me. I've heard so many horror stories about other school districts that more or less want to work against the parents, giving them little input on what's best for their child . I know we are blessed and am so thankful for all the awesome people working at our school district.
Our school has a homework telephone line with each teacher's assignments for the night. So if Bud forgets to write his homework assignments in his book, we can call and find out what he needs to do. Very helpful. I was worried I wouldn't know what was going on at school with Bud having so many different teachers, but it is quite the opposite. And his case manager sends me a weekly email with what is going on in each class and also sends home a points sheet each week on how he's meeting his IEP goals with each class. The communication is superb; and we all know how important communication is.
So of course 6th grade is more work than elementary school. And I do have to sit one-on-one with Bud in order for him to stay focused on his homework. But it's not as overwhelming as I thought it would be.
I know some things will eventually have to change, like Bud not using his locker. His case manager told him he couldn't carry around his backpack with him all day. So you would think he would start using his locker, right? Nope. He solved the backpack dilemna by leaving his backpack in homeroom (where he also has language arts) where he picks it up at the end of the day; everything else is in his binder that he uses for all his classes. He also won't use his gym locker; he brings his gym clothes to school and back home everytime he has gym. So I know Bud will have to eventually learn to use his locker, but moms like me know which battles to fight and when to fight them.
And Bud has managed to take the activity (late) bus home. I could do the easy way out and pick him up from school if he stays after school. But I thought this is one thing I should nip in the bud (haha); he had to ride a bus to the high school and then find a different bus there to take him home and he did it! It may seem like no big deal to most, but for him to do this on his own was an accomplishment.
And almost everyday he tells me what a great mom I am and how glad he is that I am his mom. Cherishing these words, I know that life is good.
This year was a big change for Bud. He's now in 6th grade at the middle school, after 6 years (Kindergarten through 5th) at the same elementary school. And it's going much better than I expected. Sometimes I think I let myself expect the worst so that anything better seems great.
Bud has a wonderful case manager who truly cares about his well being and is really on top of things. And all of his teachers seem genuinely interested in helping Bud succeed. It makes my life so much better since school wants to work WITH me. I've heard so many horror stories about other school districts that more or less want to work against the parents, giving them little input on what's best for their child . I know we are blessed and am so thankful for all the awesome people working at our school district.
Our school has a homework telephone line with each teacher's assignments for the night. So if Bud forgets to write his homework assignments in his book, we can call and find out what he needs to do. Very helpful. I was worried I wouldn't know what was going on at school with Bud having so many different teachers, but it is quite the opposite. And his case manager sends me a weekly email with what is going on in each class and also sends home a points sheet each week on how he's meeting his IEP goals with each class. The communication is superb; and we all know how important communication is.
So of course 6th grade is more work than elementary school. And I do have to sit one-on-one with Bud in order for him to stay focused on his homework. But it's not as overwhelming as I thought it would be.
I know some things will eventually have to change, like Bud not using his locker. His case manager told him he couldn't carry around his backpack with him all day. So you would think he would start using his locker, right? Nope. He solved the backpack dilemna by leaving his backpack in homeroom (where he also has language arts) where he picks it up at the end of the day; everything else is in his binder that he uses for all his classes. He also won't use his gym locker; he brings his gym clothes to school and back home everytime he has gym. So I know Bud will have to eventually learn to use his locker, but moms like me know which battles to fight and when to fight them.
And Bud has managed to take the activity (late) bus home. I could do the easy way out and pick him up from school if he stays after school. But I thought this is one thing I should nip in the bud (haha); he had to ride a bus to the high school and then find a different bus there to take him home and he did it! It may seem like no big deal to most, but for him to do this on his own was an accomplishment.
And almost everyday he tells me what a great mom I am and how glad he is that I am his mom. Cherishing these words, I know that life is good.
Posted by Love and Autism at Thursday, October 08. 2009 
Categories: School
Tags: Lockers ADHD Middle School NLD Nonverbal Learning Disorder
Categories: School
Tags: Lockers ADHD Middle School NLD Nonverbal Learning Disorder
Comments