Amy
pointed out to me at the office that I haven't been writing
lately. I've been very busy, to the point where even thinking
of coming in here and sitting and writing makes my head
hurt. Work during this week was incredibly busy. Amy being
there helped out immesuarbly, I must say. And in the past
two days we managed to not only schedule one of the most
complicated weeks in our company's programming history but
we scheduled the week after that, so on this fine Friday
afternoon I find myself a week ahead of schedule. And that,
my friends, is a beautiful thing.
The
working week sapped the living life out of me. Coming home
at night I found myself with the laptop and floorplans,
and writing some support documentation because we've totally
moved from one platform to another and I was the only one
who knew how to use it, 'cept for C who I taught a little
bitty bit to at one point.
I
know I didn't work nearly as hard as G and her husband did
this week, I wouldn't trade places with them for anything...
but I still had a long, rough week and I am relieved it
is over.
By
the way -- you know life is getting weird when you're eating
your lunch at your desk, surfing your daily reads for updates
and you hit two of the people sitting right behind you.
I have never worked with other people who keep blogs...
so it's kind of funny to read someone's update when you
could just yell over the cube farm to them.
Does
anyone have any advice on how to teach a kid how to ride
a bike? Geoff is trying to learn, and we go out to the school
parking lot and he tries and tries but totally isn't getting
it. He says that there is this great bike riding club in
Hartford that he wants to join, and they'll never let him
in.
So,
leave comments -- this harried mom needs some advice.
Thanks.
Today
the elementary school posted the teacher classroom assignments
for next year. I'm not thoroughly pleased with the teacher
my son has been assigned to. K's (Jessie's friend) mom told
me her son had this teacher last year and that she is "nice
but easily overwhelmed."
And
that is the last kind of person I need with my son.
We just went through that. I sense a conference before the
school year even begins.
I
don't think I'm being aggressive or out of line. I am learning
from experience here... and I'm not going to let what we
went through last year happen again.
For those of you who recall, my five long-term readers who
have been with me for five years, last year I was unbelievably
dissatisfied with the teacher Geoff had assigned to him.
Two days before school started, the teacher Geoff was assigned
to was promoted to Assistant Principal, so we got this new
assignment and I freaked out.
Not
because she's a bad teacher or a bad person. Jessie had
her in fifth grade and liked her. I just knew that she lacked
the kind of knowledge and experience needed to work with
a kid like Geoff. I knew from what Jessica told me. "Geoff
is going to eat her alive, mom." I knew from K's mom's
experience that fifth grade year that this teacher was not
equipped with knowledge in special needs.
I
went to the principal, I asked if Geoff could be reassigned.
He said no. I argued with him. He told me that he had "the
fullest confidence" in this teacher. I don't know how
he could possibly have because he was new and she was coming
back from maternity leave with great reluctance. He didn't
know her except on paper.
She
had a pulse, so what -- that gives great confidence?
His
first grade teacher got wind of this sudden change and went
and argued with him. He told her she was out of line.
We
both tried. The first grade teacher was the only one who
pegged Geoff's problems the first week of school, told us
what she believed was wrong with him, and gave us great
guidance and was a fabulous teacher to him. I was sad to
move on to second grade, and then to have this particular
woman assigned to him just blew my mind. But. We tried.
The
year sucked.
It took until February for things to be okay between the
two of them. She didn't really know how to respond to him
and his personality and needs. By the end of the year, she
finally had a good routine with him, and they ended the
year on a good note but guess what -- she's not returning
to teaching next year, and I don't think it is because she's
expecting. I think her experience last year was just as
negative as Geoff's. And that is a shame. She's a good woman
with the right kids.
Problem
is, you can't always have the kinds of kids you want to
teach in a classroom. Sometimes a curve ball is thrown and
you have to dive into the web or books or something to learn
about someone's special needs. If a parent sits across from
you and offers a book he or she finds helpful, take it.
Read it, learn it. Don't just sit there and sigh and say
"I really don't have time to read a book on this."
So
the little tiny tidbit of info I have on this next teacher
kind of makes me groan little Marge Simpson worried noises.
Pray for Geoff and his teacher.
Another
thing that has me concerned is that there isn't a single
boy in his class that he is friends with. Not. One. There
is a boy from his Cub Scout den, one of the boys who went
hiking with us on the world's hottest day this past June.
He's an okay kid. A little weird, a little way too smart,
and inappropriately silly and very domineering. I like for
Geoff to be apart from him when we're at cub scouts because
he brings the worst out in Geoff. And that's his classmate.
All
of his good friends, all four or five of them, have the
same teacher. And he isn't in that class. He looked at the
list and turned around and walked back to the car, somewhat
shocked, somewhat stunned, positively dejected. He didn't
cry. He said it was good that M was in his class, but he
was nowhere near as excited as I'd hoped he'd be.
I tried to let him know it was okay, they'd see each other
at recess, and perhaps it is good that he has a whole bunch
of new boys to make new friends with. But my words rang
hollow and weak in the car over a sad Ben Folds song. Geoff
said nothing in return to me. Normally, he'd enthusiastically
argue or agree... this time he said nothing.
I
want to stay home and homeschool him. I don't want public
school any more. I don't know what these people are thinking
over there... I'm really sad for him right now.
Anyway
-- not the sunniest of entries. But hey, I wrote. Heh.
