RE: anyone offering free advice? I'll supply lemonad e and cookies:)

[Guest guest]

Eleanor, my son Jordan is 6 and I am struggling with some of the same issues

you have. However, to top it off I am a single parent and therefore cannot

spend time in my son's class as I have to work so that I can afford to pay

the $1000 month rent to live in the small 2 bedroom apt with my daughter,

son and myself in a school district where english is the first language...

My son's teacher doesn't hold out much hope for Jordan either... his goals

this past year were the same goals as the year before but reduced... Now

I'm being asked to reduce them yet again as the school is saying that they

were too lofty... Last time I checked... it was a team effort coming up

with the goals. Jordan will be moving on to 1st grade this year as we have

already repeated K. He's fully included now with no pull outs (since K is a

half day program - speech is given after school). I'm not sure what I am

going to do for 1st grade. I fully believe in full-inclusion as we all know

that " Life is not a special day class. " but I worry about what he is and is

not getting by staying in the full inclusion class. I think this year I

will request a para who is trained in sped to assist the teacher with

modifications to classwork/homework. Jordan's aide today is not trained and

does not allow Jordan to feel any independence...

With that said, I, too hope to hear from others who have walked in my

shoes...

anyone offering free advice? I'll supply lemonade

and cookies:)

Dear Folks,

I'll keep my questions brief, but would really appreciate any thoughts:

We are preparing for a May 10 IEP and have some concerns and queries. Also,

one of our biggest advocates at our daughter's school told us today that we

needed to be bigger and better advocates (we really trust her). We didn't

really know we weren't, and I, quite frankly, feel pretty yucky and guilty

about this. But I also think, gee whiz, 's only 6 and I'm trying hard

to learn how to navigate this stuff and do a good job. We really thought if

we were able to get the school to agree to the program, therapies, teachers,

etc that we wanted, we had done a good job. What I'm now thinking is my job

truly didn't end there. I probably learned a valuable lesson today in that

I need to know pretty much all the time what is going on in the classroom

moment to moment. Please, you seasoned veterans, don't laugh too hard at

novice me.

1) How, physically, do you know and make sure that your child is

academically being taught and encouraged as well as the reg ed kids are in

her/his room? Literally, what mechanisms do you use? (I think we have a

problem in that my daughter's teacher really doesn't necessarily think my

daughter can learn reg ed stuff.) Do I need to go there every day?

2) What kind of " prep " work do you do before an IEP with the school

personnel? (We have been told it's helpful to have a 'pre' discussion with

the principal)

Thank you as always. In 15-20 years, I might be able to give advice to

others too!

Eleanor Green

proud mom of (6, ds) and (4 tomorrow)