I am so thankful for that.
I mean, after all, we're all supposed to be on the same side here to begin with. The child's side. We should all want what is best for the child so they can learn to the best of their ability, that's what every teacher, principal, IEP Support team, and parent should want.
Now we suspect that my daughter has some Sensory Processing Disorder issues (SPD), this has never been officially diagnosed, but that is something we're working on. We've always known there was SOMETHING we just didn't know what. We never thought she was autistic, but there was just something that wasn't quite normal, but it was uniquely her. It never slowed her down any that's for sure, so we never worried about it as much. Her speech is what took the biggest hit from not getting the help she needed right away (which TRUST ME when I say I was doing everything I could to get her the help she needed with her speech). I was just generally told "Oh it's because the twins were just born" or "It's because you are going through so much with your sons cancer". Always excuses. I hated it. I lived with my daughter, I was around her every day, I KNEW it was more than just "a little" regression because of her brothers being born or because of her little brothers cancer. Too bad no one listened until after she turned three. She missed out on a big chunk of speech assistance she would have qualified for. So she's had to play big time catch up.
She's in first grade now and today was a REALLY awesome special day for her.
She received a mathematician award during the first grade pride assembly! Unfortunately I had to miss the assembly due to work but my husband was able to be there. She was BEAMING ear to ear. She has been after the math and reading awards since the moment she started kindergarten last year. Unfortunately, those awards were always just out of reach, but she always got every single other award they had to give. She was happy for those awards, but they weren't the ones she wanted the most.
So today when they called her name for the math award...her day was completely made. It made all of the tears and crying and melt downs and anxiety attacks over the course of the past two years all worth while. All the practicing, all the frustration, all the whining...she realized it had made a difference. That her teacher and her math helpers and her mom, were all just trying to help her reach the goals that she wanted to meet oh so badly.
I couldn't be happier for my daughter. I'm so happy to know that she is working so hard and seeing the benefits of her hard work. Even if she had not gotten an award I would still be proud because after speaking with her teacher during the parent/teacher conferences I know how hard she has been working and how far she has come on her math. I only ask my kids to do their very best in school, and to always try, and not to give up.
Now, if we could get that math excitement to trickle on over to her READING. That's the next goal. Get that reading level UP UP UP. She is not so excited to do that one. But I KNOW we'll get there. Neither one of us give up.
My sons also had very good parent teacher conferences, as well as their IEP meetings. My daughter's meeting for her IEP is in the fall, and the boys have theirs in the spring (because of when their birthday's fall). So yesterday my husband and I headed out to the school the second I got off of work to discuss the boys' IEP.
Since they are going into first grade next year they had to be re tested on some things. One of the things they did was an IQ test on the boys. I'm not particularly fond of IQ tests on children, especially not one this young, but I understand why they had to do the testing so I didn't say anything. Turns out, the testing went really really well for my sons. They both scored well over the average, and they both received HIGH Average scores. The Principal, and teachers, and the rest of the IEP support team all were very impressed with how well the boys had done. The Principal assured me that my sons are very brought and are very capable of learning and succeeding in school, especially since we all work together with their IEP's to help them succeed and meet their goals.
I've always known my kids were smart. However, sometimes when you are dealing with the things they DO struggle with day in and day out, and how much they fight you on the things they NEED to do in order to get better...it can get disheartening. It's easy to feel bogged down and depressed and like you are doing everything wrong and your child is never going to get it. Then you feel guilty for feeling that way and doubting your child.
Some days, you as the parent just can't seem to win when it comes to your emotional turmoil.
So I am relieved to see that the IEP are helping my kids. I love seeing them succeed and do better. Every goal they meet just makes them more excited to move on to the next one. Some days I feel like I'm not doing enough with them. Some days I'm just too exhausted to do the extra work I try to do with them, so we don't do it. Instead we snuggle or watch a movie and eat pop corn together, have tickle fights, play Barbie's or Lego's, or color, or just be a family together. That stuff is important too. It can't just be all about the 'learn learn learn' they need down town and fun time, FAMILY time. So while I might feel guilty for not doing that school stuff, I also know what we are doing is just as important. Their teachers all assured me that they can tell they are being worked with and encouraged at home, which is always nice to hear!!
I never want to be that parent who doesn't care. The parent who doesn't work with the kids at all, the one who takes ZERO interest in what they do at school. I don't want to be that type of parent. I care very much about their schooling and how they are doing and what they are doing. I am so very thankful to have such an amazing support team working with my children, and with my husband and I. They give us tools and strategies to use at home with the kids, and that is so much help!
We just keep plugging along. Sometimes it might not seem like they are making any progress at all and that I'm failing as a parent, then all of a sudden the pieces CLICK and it's like WOW, they were paying attention this whole time. Then we start working and plugging right along again, and once again it will look like nothing is sinking in, and then we just wait for it to suddenly click.
Kids learn, they learn left and right. It isn't a race to see who can learn it the fastest, because not everyone learns the same way. The most important part should be that we're taking the time to make sure each child is learning the way THEY need to. We can't just use one method and one method only and expect every child to get it that one way.
Mom Circus
