Re: Sully School

October 6, 2001

At the meeting Wednesday, they told me that will be joining a group of

other kindergarten kids who are early readers, because he can do it. They want

him there for the challenge, since his reading skills are above those of a

kindergarten level, but also for the social opportunity and the hope that he

will pick up some reading comprehension if he's learning from/with his peers.

What about asking if such a thing could be put together with Sully?

BTW, I want to see pics of these children! And you, of course!

Jacquie

October 6, 2001

> I am not sure how I am feeling about that. It is almost like she is

> telling me we can have him socialy acceptable or academically

> acceptable but we cant have both. O just dont want him getting bored

> and thus loosing interest in school altogether. But he has made some

> good strides and other than the stimming we have not had the major

> meltdowns like we did last year.

Chris:

Those are tough problems. I could see facing them with Putter, well, it is

actually true of Putter right now as they have him learning a new letter,

number and color each week and he already knows all those things. But, in

his case, I am aware that the true curriculum of his particular class is not

to teach him these things but to teach him how a class works. I do agree

with this particular way of dealing with it, but I am not particularly

worried about Putter's academics; I think he will be fine there and that

what he really needs to learn is the social stuff. The same goes for

Enrique. So, I suppose, in my kids' situation, I actually agree with your

school.

Putter's previous classroom did not teach letters and numbers at all because

those were so easy for the kids that letters and numbers are used as

reinforcers. Work is play and play is work to our strange little kids.

If Sully learns very easily, they may be quite right; he may pick up all the

academic stuff on his own because it is fun to him and the social stuff may

end up being the primary education he gets from school. The only reason I

have Enrique in high school is for social reasons.

Your kids are not mine, of course, so it is just a thought.

Salli

October 6, 2001

Chris-

I think about that too.... But I think the teacher may be right, for

now at least. It may be better for him to find a " comfort level "

amongst his peers and his surroundings...then, when that happens

consistently, they can start giving him more challenging work.

Maybe the teacher can give you some " extra work " for Sully to do at

home. Maybe just a few things a few days a week to give him an extra

challenge. That would also give you a chance to see where he is and

what he can do in a comfortable situation (home).

Just my 2 cents.

Penny

October 6, 2001

I worry about the same things with Boone. I'm starting to think

socialization isn't all it's cracked up to be anyway.

Sissi

Sully School

> Sully has been doing really well with the transitions at school. He

> does get more emotional this year than he did in Kindergarten

> (crying) but he is actually sitting between kids at lunch time now.

> At the beginning of school he wanted the kids to go away so he could

> eat lunch in peace! He hasn't fallen out of his chair at all so far

> which was a problem last year when he would get overwhelmed. He has

> maintained a friend from last year and meets her out on the

> playground at recess. Very sweet patient girl Bless her. My only

> complaint is that the work he is doing is so easy for him that I am

> affraid that he will get bored. I spoke to his teacher about it and

> she said that if she challenges him too much he gets frustrated and

> that is when he has problelms. There fore she keeps him at a lower

> level than what I believe his abilities. SHe says that he is working

> so hard to keep himself together at school she is afraid that if she

> gives him much more to challenge him he will loose the progress that

> he has made.

>

> I am not sure how I am feeling about that. It is almost like she is

> telling me we can have him socialy acceptable or academically

> acceptable but we cant have both. O just dont want him getting bored

> and thus loosing interest in school altogether. But he has made some

> good strides and other than the stimming we have not had the major

> meltdowns like we did last year.

>

> So that is the update on Sully (who will be 7 Oct 10)

>

> CHRIS

>

October 6, 2001

You could ask the teacher if he could have breaks to go to the resource room

to let off steam? He could go and be 'autistic' for breaks from holding it

together in his class. This might relieve some of the pressure for him.

Sue