Show Me The Money!!

I hate that movie, but the title is appropriate. I had a conversation with the District Rep for Holland's IEP on Monday. What it comes down to is money. The school he is at now doesn't want to give up a full-time slot because they wouldn't get the funding. The Charter school doesn't want a part-time student in a slot that they could get full funding for (which is only 80% of public school funds). So there you have it. Everybody wants the money. Maybe nobody should get it.

I also brought up the academic part of his IEP and said I didn't think that his current school was meeting his goals (or his learning style for that matter). He actually was surprised at this. Well, that's because you have this tiny little box that you've stuck your head in and think "this is what education looks like". And when a child doesn't succeed, you assume it's him and not you. Everything is behavior driven. So, forget that he needs motor activities to help him pattern and make sense of things. He's bored. He's not interested in the endless worksheets that don't connect him to the learning. It's all his fault because he can't learn how you're teaching him. He needs someone who can teach him to see how he thinks. If he takes in information differently, then it makes sense that it's the teaching that needs to change.

Why is everyone afraid of taking a chance on this? I'm so sick of hearing that his social and behavior needs are more important than his academic needs. If he's invested in something, if he's interested in something, then the behavior will follow. When does a kid act out when they're enjoying something?

IEP placement meeting

If I would have written about Holland's IEP placement meeting right after I got home, it would have looked something like this:

The district rep and the principal both felt that a placement at the Charter School was not a good fit. The district rep is worried about Holland's behavioral issues; the principal is concerned they won't be able to meet his academic needs. I brought up Holland's current school behavior, how he's not the one throwing chairs, running out of the room or needing physical restraint; he's the only student in his class that qualifies for the summer program based on academics and not on behavior. They are worried about withdrawl when he is frustrated with the academics (his withdrawl looks like him putting his head down on the desk and not working. What kid NOT on an IEP hasn't done that?). The principal said that the teacher would most likely not be able to adopt a whole new curriculum for just one student.

I basically get no support from his current school. If I decide to pursue placement at the Charter School, they will not help me. The district rep wants to keep him at his current program. I do not want him around kids with that kind of behavior. I do not want him doing busy-work. I don't want him doing a sight-based reading program that takes every word out of context. The placement I want, they don't want; the placement they want, I don't want. It was suggested that he could do a transitional program in the mornings and then go to the charter school in the afternoons for the hands-on activities. But after considering this, I felt the settings would be so different that he wouldn't be able to adjust to such opposite expectations.

This afternoon, I emailed a former co-worker about my situation. When I taught at a deaf school, she was the special education teacher there. When her kids were born, she quit teaching and now homeschools her two children. She started up a program that links homeschooling families with the local science museum. She also helped write a charter for a school in our city that pairs the idea of homeschooling within a structured school setting. I asked her what she thought I should do. She thought with Holland's special needs that he was in a program that wasn't addressing his current learning abilities and also wasn't recognizing his need to build and create. The whole reason I want him at the charter school is for the hands-on approach; the whole body learning experience. What she made me realize, is that once again, I'm the one who can provide what he needs. Now that his mood is regulated, we can focus on the learning part. I'm hoping to supplement homeschooling with classes at the homeschooling charter school. If we got in full-time, it would mean being able to meet with an educational support person weekly to monitor progress and help with the academics.

I know that his current program is not going to like me pulling him out of there. They think he needs the socialization (what public school doesn't frown upon the 'socialization' needs of a homeschooled child?) and that he would get more benefit out of a transitional program. I do not feel that way. I want him in a place that he will be able to move about, and explore and experience nature and science. So for now, I will keep Romania at the environmental science charter school, homeschool Holland and use the homeschooling charter school as a supplement program.

This next school year looks nothing like what I pictured last year. I will again have two kids in two different locations, getting out at two different times. Oh, the craziness of education.

The Principal

On Friday I met with the Principal at Romania's school to discuss whether Holland could attend there next year. Since he's on an IEP, the 'team' needs to decide if it's the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). She looked at his IEP, the evals I had from the therapists and said it's a tall order. But she didn't think it was appropriate to dismiss the notion of a trial period. How will we know if he can succeed in this setting, if he's never given a chance in the setting? I'm sure the IEP team thinks he still needs to be contained in a special ed class. I probably would have said the same thing at the beginning of last year. But he's obviously getting frustrated and I don't think they fully understand his mental capabilities (which is why I'm looking into educational therapy).

I also think he needs to be around kids who behave more age appropriate. There are kids in Holland's class who throw chairs and knock over desks (at which point the entire classroom has to be vacated. How can that be conducive to learning?). He has never done that. I don't think that he would. His behavior has improved a great deal. The medications that he is on now have transformed him. I think he needs to be in a place where there is lots of activity, opportunities to go outside and play and explore, hands-on projects and various learning experiences to keep him busy.

IEP meeting is next week. We'll see how much stock I hold in this arrangement.

Going to School

Today I helped out in Romania's class for a couple hours. Of course I'm not sure how much help I actually was. Egypt was with me. She did okay the first hour coloring at a table and reading. I mainly helped with crowd control and getting the kids quieted between transitions. Then the teacher gave me some blacklines to copy for an upcoming penguin unit and also lamenating some charts. Everything takes longer with a 3 year-old, but I was able to do some of the copying and all of the lamenating. Romania's teacher is so laid back, so it was no problem having Egypt with me. I just know I would have been more help without her there. Tomorrow they are having a little Valentine party and Romania will get to hand out his handmade cards (I replaced all the "I love Joy" ones).

In the time I was there, the did a warm up word search, calendar time, a math game using a clock, read a story and did some inferring and had 20 minutes of quiet reading. That took two hours! He's there 6 1/2 hours! I feel like all the work I was doing at home is just getting wasted because he has to wait for the other kids to catch up. When I did school with the boys, on average it took 2 1/2 hours (if everything went smoothly) and we got reading, writing, handwriting, history, math, Bible verse, Bible story, science and maybe an art project completed. I know he's having a good time and making friends, and really I couldn't homeschool right now because of all of Holland's doctor appointments. But part of me is thinking about all the time spent on transitions and getting quiet and getting your paper and pencil ready and stop talking again and listen to the directions for the 3rd time. I feel the need to have some one-on-one time with him on the weekend so he doesn't lose all he's learned at home.

Doing a 180

Four months ago I couldn't even have pictured myself here. Romania was doing great with homeschooling and I loved our time together while Holland was at school. We picked our own curriculum, topics to study, extra activities and books to read. I'm about to throw all that out the window. I accepted the placement in the charter school. The only explanation I have is that God has opened this door that I have to walk through. I thought there was no way we would get in because it's such a small school. They never go over 22 students per class and there was only one 1st grade class. We have the remainder of the year to figure out if this is going to work. The other good thing about this opportunity is when Holland gets out of his special education placement, he's guaranteed a spot at this Charter school. They give preference to siblings, so they could both be going there.

It's going to be an enormous shift for me (and Romania as well - he won't get home until 4). I'm so used to making all the decisions about what he learns. I'm going to miss all the time I have with him. It wasn't as hard a decision with Holland because he had so many behavioral as well as academic issues to be addressed. There are going to be so many great opportunities for him at this school. We timed the drive this morning and saw this gigantic tee pee they were building right on the property. Every Friday is spent either on a field trip or working on some environmental science project.

I've come to the conclusion that two things will happen while the boys are at school: my house will finally be put in order and I will be able to exercise every morning. I figure walking a trail near my home two days a week and swimming the other three. Maybe I'll even clean those window toppers I've been avoiding for the past 8 years.

Remembering to Learn and Learning to Remember (Dr. Mel Levine)

I'm currently reading two books by author Dr. Mel Levine (well, it's actually more like 4 by various authors. I can't seem to do one thing at a time). I was introduced to his work by a former supervisor where I taught school to deaf kids. I still stay in contact with many of my co-workers and get helpful information about different areas of interest.

Most of the research I've done or the information I have been given has been one-dimensional. It's either from a doctor's point of view or an educator's point of view. Both pieces are very important, but I have learned so much in the few chapters I've read so far. Dr. Levine is a learning expert and also a pediatrician. So he's coming at the topic from two angles. In his book "A Mind at a Time" he discusses different learning patterns in children and how the current public school system still holds to the one-size-fits-all philosophy. In many of the children whose stories he shares, I can see my own son. I've never been able to pinpoint exactly how his mind works. In all the testing that's been done or the diagnoses we've received, I always felt like we didn't have a full circle view of his learning patterns.

One of Holland's main learning issues is his working memory. This is explained beautifully by Dr. Levine: "Active working memory accomplishes four specific duties: 1- providing mind space for the combining or developing of ideas; 2-offering a mechanism for holding together the parts of a task while engaged in that task; 3- making available a meeting place where short-term memory can get together with long-term memory; and 4- serving as a place to hold multiple immediate plans and intentions." So it's easy to see why kids with working memory difficulties cannot complete a task while holding on to additional information. It's like asking Holland to retrieve something upstairs, but on the way, his attention is diverted by the toy in the hall. Suddenly, he's consumed with playing with that toy and he forgets the original goal. This is very useful information to have - I rarely give him more than one job to complete.

Many kids probably look like they are day-dreaming when they are actually trying to retrieve information and holding on to what the teacher just said. It explains why Holland has difficulty reading and writing. He cannot string sounds together because that involves storing that first sound while reading the remaining sounds. It's incredible to think that any of us can complete a task when you imagine all the parts of our brains that are engaged. Another issue related to working memory is sequential processing. There is a never-ending requirement for sequences in short-term memory everyday.

I'm so blessed that I have people around me who are supportive and share information that I can apply to my own situation. So now, I'm passing on what I've learned to you! And hopefully you can use some of the bits of wisdom here and continue on your own information-gathering journey. Check out the books listed in my educational links.