Today was a day of surprises.
Boo's school put on on a giant Veteran's Day program today. They've been practicing for weeks, and Boo was quite upset that neither Oz nor I thought we would be able to come, especially since there were two performances - one at 10 in the morning, specifically geared toward veterans, with a free luncheon for veterans afterward; one at 1:45 in the afternoon for family members of the students. We told her we would love for her to sing the songs for us afterward, but of course that's never the same as being there when your girl wants you… and she definitely wanted us there.
On Wednesday, however, upon returning to the main office from the satellite location I'd covered on Monday and Tuesday, I discovered that all but one of the doctors was going to be out this afternoon. There were a grand total of eight patients slated between the hours of 11:30 and 5 p.m., and two of those were just coming in to pick up orthopedic hardware or have a cast change. The rest of the doctors were going to be out, in surgery, or were going to a continuing-ed seminar about workers' compensation.
On Thursday I learned that the remaining doctor had bailed and rescheduled his patients and also that one of my coworkers, one of the ones who comes in at 6:30 a.m., was going to be working the seminar for the day and so wouldn't be in.
Since I already had an hour of overtime for the week, that meant if I came in at 6:30… and didn't take a lunch… I could leave at 1:30… and still have my 40 hours for the week… and could surprise my girl.
I worked it out with the rest of my team, and that is exactly what I did.
To make it even better, Oz's afternoon was quiet, and so he was able to attend the program as well. When I walked into the gym, I spotted her facing away from me. She was standing on some risers waiting for the program to start. The look on her face when I tugged on her belt loop was priceless. If she hadn't been so conscious of her height and weight being enough to topple me, I think she would have jumped straight down into my arms. She performed beautifully during the program, and when we were walking back to her classroom afterward, I was very pleased to see that she is one of two students in her grade who has mastered multiplication and division and has moved on to fractions.
Good surprise(s).
-----
After the program, I checked Boo out from her classroom and brought her home. On the way, we discussed the fact that we would beat Doodlebug home, and I asked if she wanted to surprise/scare him since he wouldn't expect her to be there. She loved the idea. He scares her on a weekly basis, if not more often, and so I thought a taste of his own medicine might do the boy some good.
He came home and promptly scared the crap out of himself when he saw me parked on the couch. Highstrung already. He ran to the bathroom and took care of his school stuff and then decided he would try to negotiate for electronics by volunteering to do *HALF* of his chores. Bless his ever-loving soul, he tried, but this mama ain't no fool. I told him no cigar - entitled turd monkeys did not earn electronics by doing HALF their chores. I reminded him, half listening to his protests in the meantime, that the rule has always been and shall remain that all chores must be done before rewards are given.
He did not like this.
He stormed upstairs.
The girl was waiting.
And she scared him.
And because he cannot for one instant control himself… he decked her. Not once. Not twice.
Thrice.
And then told me *I* was being unfair when I told him he had to write his sister an apology and clean her half of the game room.
"BUT SHE SCARED ME!!!"
"And how many times have you scared her over the years??"
"LOTS, BUT…"
"No. How many times has she hit you after you scared her??"
"None. BUT…!!!!!!"
"No! No buts!!! You. Hit. Your. Sister. Not once, but three frikkin' times! You need to apologize to her, IN WRITING because you're currently not allowed to talk to her, and then you need to GET YOUR CHORES DONE."
*stomp stomp stomp*
"And don't even THINK about asking for electronics sometime in the foreseeable future!!!"
Bad surprise.
-----
Welcome to the weekend from the Land of Ups and Downs. Pass the tequila.
Showing posts with label public school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public school. Show all posts
Friday, November 7, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Last night Oz and I attended our first parent/teacher conferences in three years.
We went to Boo's first. We walked in and sat down, and the teacher ran through some sheets that each of Boo's teachers had filled out about her behavior and grades and any other notes that they had, and then we got the preliminary report card with all As (any grade changes that happen between now and when they go out on Monday will be minor). Boo is a good student. She's happy. She's a good helper. She's smart. She's a good friend. Etc. Nothing we didn't already know or suspect about her.
We had also had a call earlier in the evening saying that Boo was officially accepted into the gifted program, so starting next Wednesday she'll get on a bus with all the other gifted/talented kids and go to a different elementary for a special supplemental course. She may wind up with homework from the class time that she misses, but it won't be ALL the work she misses and she isn't concerned. She's just pleased to be recognized for her brain… as she should be.
Then we went to Doodlebug's school. Oz and I were honestly not sure how this conference would go. We assumed we would just be meeting with one teacher, his homeroom teacher, but instead when we sat down, teachers converged from everywhere and we got to meet with 5 out of 6. That's a number I can live with.
His teachers like him! They are all impressed with his intelligence and think of him more or less as a walking dictionary - more than one mentioned that when another student needs something they will occasionally refer the student to Doodlebug to get the answer. They say he's doing all right socially, although one teacher was surprised to discover that Doodlebug and another boy are good friends since they spend class arguing (this is the same friend that got suspended along with Doodlebug, so that information didn't surprise me too much). He also has straight As, though if he doesn't pay attention in a couple of classes soon, that won't last.
The biggest surprise actually came before the conferences, when Oz and I stepped into the counselor's office. We went there to get the password to the school website so we can log in and check on Doodlebug's assignments and grades (something we were supposed to have been given months ago but oh well… clearly it hasn't affected things much). The counselor looked at us and said, "Oh, hey, I was working on his file today."
Well THAT wasn't alarming at all. #sarcasm.
Apparently one of the teachers had mentioned something about Doodlebug's 504 plan and how Doodlebug was supposed to have one… which he is… but I guess somehow in the shuffle of everything, the plan never got forwarded. So while he does have one, it isn't on file. And when the counselor popped around and asked all the teachers what they thought he needed to have on it and whether they even thought he needed one at all, the teachers all said that they couldn't think of a single intervention he could need. I was surprised but very, very pleased. So I'm not even sure we'll worry about it at this point; the counselor said it would be an easy thing to get it forwarded and amended whenever - IF ever - it is needed.
I do miss being at home and homeschooling some days - today was one of them, where I would have given just about anything to be at home with my kids instead of at work while they were at a friend's house for Fall Break - but I'm very proud of how well they're doing and how smoothly the transition has gone. I couldn't have imagined better.
We went to Boo's first. We walked in and sat down, and the teacher ran through some sheets that each of Boo's teachers had filled out about her behavior and grades and any other notes that they had, and then we got the preliminary report card with all As (any grade changes that happen between now and when they go out on Monday will be minor). Boo is a good student. She's happy. She's a good helper. She's smart. She's a good friend. Etc. Nothing we didn't already know or suspect about her.
We had also had a call earlier in the evening saying that Boo was officially accepted into the gifted program, so starting next Wednesday she'll get on a bus with all the other gifted/talented kids and go to a different elementary for a special supplemental course. She may wind up with homework from the class time that she misses, but it won't be ALL the work she misses and she isn't concerned. She's just pleased to be recognized for her brain… as she should be.
Then we went to Doodlebug's school. Oz and I were honestly not sure how this conference would go. We assumed we would just be meeting with one teacher, his homeroom teacher, but instead when we sat down, teachers converged from everywhere and we got to meet with 5 out of 6. That's a number I can live with.
His teachers like him! They are all impressed with his intelligence and think of him more or less as a walking dictionary - more than one mentioned that when another student needs something they will occasionally refer the student to Doodlebug to get the answer. They say he's doing all right socially, although one teacher was surprised to discover that Doodlebug and another boy are good friends since they spend class arguing (this is the same friend that got suspended along with Doodlebug, so that information didn't surprise me too much). He also has straight As, though if he doesn't pay attention in a couple of classes soon, that won't last.
The biggest surprise actually came before the conferences, when Oz and I stepped into the counselor's office. We went there to get the password to the school website so we can log in and check on Doodlebug's assignments and grades (something we were supposed to have been given months ago but oh well… clearly it hasn't affected things much). The counselor looked at us and said, "Oh, hey, I was working on his file today."
Well THAT wasn't alarming at all. #sarcasm.
Apparently one of the teachers had mentioned something about Doodlebug's 504 plan and how Doodlebug was supposed to have one… which he is… but I guess somehow in the shuffle of everything, the plan never got forwarded. So while he does have one, it isn't on file. And when the counselor popped around and asked all the teachers what they thought he needed to have on it and whether they even thought he needed one at all, the teachers all said that they couldn't think of a single intervention he could need. I was surprised but very, very pleased. So I'm not even sure we'll worry about it at this point; the counselor said it would be an easy thing to get it forwarded and amended whenever - IF ever - it is needed.
I do miss being at home and homeschooling some days - today was one of them, where I would have given just about anything to be at home with my kids instead of at work while they were at a friend's house for Fall Break - but I'm very proud of how well they're doing and how smoothly the transition has gone. I couldn't have imagined better.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
My Little OCD Heart Skipped a Beat Today
This week is, in fact, going much better than last. It did not start out that way - Doodlebug spent Monday and Tuesday driving us all to distraction, Oz primarily, because he felt the need to torment everyone, steal electronics at 3 a.m., not do the assignments that the school sent home for him to complete during his suspension, and otherwise generally being an ass.
He turns 12 in exactly one week. I can smell the adolescence.
No, really… if he forgets his deodorant, I can actually smell it.
In any case, he went back to school yesterday and has thus far managed to keep his nose clean. Next week he can start attending his Lego Club meetings, which will make us all happy.
Work has been good. I walked patients yesterday, which was actually a nice break (especially since all hell broke loose at the front desk around 2:45), but other than that I've been up front. I've made a couple of minor errors but nothing particularly glaring or horrid that I know of, and I think they would tell me if I had done something wrong. They seem pretty up front about these sorts of things, and one of the unspoken office rules is that you own up to things and fix them, which I like. Less drama in the end.
Today, though, I got trained on how to close out the daily accounts by doing some batch processing. I've never done anything like that before, and the guy who trained me was complaining the whole time about how much he hates doing it because of all the little details you have to catch - whether or not everything's been stamped and signed and dated and put in order and reconciled and re-reconciled and copied and printed… basically all of the stuff that makes me absolutely love doing it. Someone forgot to put an account number on a ticket? Write it in. Separate the receipts into various piles and put them in order? Start making stacks and get 'er done. I'm sure I'll forget a detail or two, but in the end it was a process I would, and WILL, happily do again. Because it made my little OCD heart giddy to watch for all the little details and put it all in order and in the right places.
I like the job. I like the people, and I like staying busy. I like that the kids like school (even Doodlebug, despite his issues, does like it), and I like that Oz is being amazing and doing all sorts of stuff around the house to make sure that things continue to go smoothly here. I don't care for the hours today and tomorrow, but that's temporary… and I have learned than an extra 30 minutes of sleep in the morning makes a huge difference by the middle of the day!
He turns 12 in exactly one week. I can smell the adolescence.
No, really… if he forgets his deodorant, I can actually smell it.
In any case, he went back to school yesterday and has thus far managed to keep his nose clean. Next week he can start attending his Lego Club meetings, which will make us all happy.
Work has been good. I walked patients yesterday, which was actually a nice break (especially since all hell broke loose at the front desk around 2:45), but other than that I've been up front. I've made a couple of minor errors but nothing particularly glaring or horrid that I know of, and I think they would tell me if I had done something wrong. They seem pretty up front about these sorts of things, and one of the unspoken office rules is that you own up to things and fix them, which I like. Less drama in the end.
Today, though, I got trained on how to close out the daily accounts by doing some batch processing. I've never done anything like that before, and the guy who trained me was complaining the whole time about how much he hates doing it because of all the little details you have to catch - whether or not everything's been stamped and signed and dated and put in order and reconciled and re-reconciled and copied and printed… basically all of the stuff that makes me absolutely love doing it. Someone forgot to put an account number on a ticket? Write it in. Separate the receipts into various piles and put them in order? Start making stacks and get 'er done. I'm sure I'll forget a detail or two, but in the end it was a process I would, and WILL, happily do again. Because it made my little OCD heart giddy to watch for all the little details and put it all in order and in the right places.
I like the job. I like the people, and I like staying busy. I like that the kids like school (even Doodlebug, despite his issues, does like it), and I like that Oz is being amazing and doing all sorts of stuff around the house to make sure that things continue to go smoothly here. I don't care for the hours today and tomorrow, but that's temporary… and I have learned than an extra 30 minutes of sleep in the morning makes a huge difference by the middle of the day!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Nope, Spoke Too Soon
Friday.
Today had a whole lotta NOPE in it.
It started out badly. Doodlebug (yet again) didn't want to get out of bed this morning, and even Boo was dragging. I made it to work on time and was excited to get to sit at the front desk for my first full day up there EVER… only to discover that I had forgotten to check one of the other schedules and hadn't done one of the weekly jobs I'm supposed to do and someone else was covering my hind end, which isn't their job and makes me feel bad.
Then Oz texted me and told me that Doodlebug had waited until about the time he was supposed to be heading out the door to the bus and said, "I forgot about an assignment! I need six pictures of momentous occasions in my life!!" Thank goodness Oz had a few minutes to spare to help print off the photos and help the boy finish the assignment, which, by the way, will be the first, last, and ONLY time we ever save his ass in this fashion. I've told him since the beginning of school that he needs to complete all assignments the day he gets them, if possible, but now I think he finally understands why we crazy adults say things like this.
And just when I thought the day was settling down and things might get a little bit better… the shit REALLY hit the fan.
First, Doodlebug shoved a friend in jest, and the friend didn't like it, so the friend hit him, and Doodlebug hit him back… and both boys wound up getting suspended for two days. *sigh*
And then I got thrown into a situation at work that wasn't good to begin with but which I probably shouldn't have been handling on my first full day up front, and things just absolutely snowballed. By the end of it, I wound up apologizing to everyone on the entire front desk team as well as a couple of nurses in the back, and at this point, while everything *seems* to be smoothed over, we'll find out on Monday whether the company president is going to lower the boom or not. And I hate inconveniencing others and getting them to try to cover for me. Not their job.
I am very, very glad today is over and I have a weekend in between now and Monday. I'll be back at the front desk on Monday, which I suppose is somewhat of a testament to the fact that folks at work must have at least some faith in me (the nurse I had to apologize to is also the one who writes the schedule for me each week), and Oz is going to meet with the vice principal regarding Doodlebug to see if we can't get his punishment either lessened or rescinded altogether.
Hope you all have had a better Friday than me!
Today had a whole lotta NOPE in it.
It started out badly. Doodlebug (yet again) didn't want to get out of bed this morning, and even Boo was dragging. I made it to work on time and was excited to get to sit at the front desk for my first full day up there EVER… only to discover that I had forgotten to check one of the other schedules and hadn't done one of the weekly jobs I'm supposed to do and someone else was covering my hind end, which isn't their job and makes me feel bad.
Then Oz texted me and told me that Doodlebug had waited until about the time he was supposed to be heading out the door to the bus and said, "I forgot about an assignment! I need six pictures of momentous occasions in my life!!" Thank goodness Oz had a few minutes to spare to help print off the photos and help the boy finish the assignment, which, by the way, will be the first, last, and ONLY time we ever save his ass in this fashion. I've told him since the beginning of school that he needs to complete all assignments the day he gets them, if possible, but now I think he finally understands why we crazy adults say things like this.
And just when I thought the day was settling down and things might get a little bit better… the shit REALLY hit the fan.
First, Doodlebug shoved a friend in jest, and the friend didn't like it, so the friend hit him, and Doodlebug hit him back… and both boys wound up getting suspended for two days. *sigh*
And then I got thrown into a situation at work that wasn't good to begin with but which I probably shouldn't have been handling on my first full day up front, and things just absolutely snowballed. By the end of it, I wound up apologizing to everyone on the entire front desk team as well as a couple of nurses in the back, and at this point, while everything *seems* to be smoothed over, we'll find out on Monday whether the company president is going to lower the boom or not. And I hate inconveniencing others and getting them to try to cover for me. Not their job.
I am very, very glad today is over and I have a weekend in between now and Monday. I'll be back at the front desk on Monday, which I suppose is somewhat of a testament to the fact that folks at work must have at least some faith in me (the nurse I had to apologize to is also the one who writes the schedule for me each week), and Oz is going to meet with the vice principal regarding Doodlebug to see if we can't get his punishment either lessened or rescinded altogether.
Hope you all have had a better Friday than me!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
My Kids Are Smartybritches
My kids impress me. They're both doing well in school. In fact, they're doing so well that the following things have happened:
1. Doodlebug's AR goal (the kids read books and take tests on them, which drives me batty but I did sign them up for school so I really can't gripe) will be raised for the next nine weeks. His goal this nine weeks was something like 28 points, and he claims to currently be somewhere around 50. So his goal next time will be higher.
2. Boo will be IQ tested for the gifted program in the next week or two.
3. Doodlebug has been accepted onto the FIRST Lego League team for this school year. One of the coaches is the school psychologist, which makes me insanely happy. I like that guy.
4. Boo has come home with certificates for various achievements, particularly in math for knowing her multiplication facts.
Yeah, I'm bragging a bit. But considering how worried I was about their school performance, especially in Doodlebug's case, I think it's warranted.
I'm just pleased that they seem to be happy, making friends, and fitting in. This has been a good move for us all.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
The First Couple Days
So the children went to school on Thursday… and Friday, but of course I was far more nervous on Thursday. What if they got on the wrong bus or missed their stops coming home? What if Boo had an anxiety attack in the middle of the day? What if Doodlebug was late to class or couldn't get his locker open or …
What if, what if, what if.
I took both kids to school in the morning and discovered that the schools really didn't work together particularly well on the timing, because Doodlebug has to be at school nearly an hour before Boo, and Boo isn't quite old enough to be on her own at the house yet, so she has to climb in the car and ride with us to drop Doodlebug off, come home and hang out for 45 minutes, then get back in the car and be taken to her school. Really annoying.
Anyway, I took both kids to school on the first day. Doodlebug needed a locker that worked, so we went to the office to get that sorted out (and it still took two more lockers to find him one that worked… the boy was jinxed, I swear) before I abandoned him to his fate. He came home later in the day and said he'd had a good day and enjoys his classes. His favorite teacher is his homeroom teacher who teaches English, which didn't surprise me very much. When I met all of them on back-to-school night, I suspected that would be the outcome. He has a little homework this weekend but mostly it's all for extra credit - I'm sure the real work will start this week. I just hope he can remember to write his name on all his papers. I worked on this all last year at home, but it didn't ever really stick. Now that it matters, it will be a much bigger deal.
Boo also had a good first day. She claims she's the smartest kid in her class, which she may be, and she really likes her teacher as well as some of the other teachers they rotate to for various subjects. She came home on Friday and announced that she won't have homework if she gets all her work done in class and/or doesn't get in trouble, so that was nice news for me. I remember having a little bit of homework in fourth grade but not much, so I'm glad to see that her teacher has a similar philosophy about kids being kids.
Both of them caught the bus home. Doodlebug sat near the front, as instructed, and I was relieved to hear that our stop is the very first one on the route - he won't have time to get into much trouble, and sitting at the front is easier when you're the first one off the bus! Boo, however, is the very last stop on her route, which I don't like because she gets home so very late, but it is what it is. She'll make bus friends, I'm sure.
All in all, they've had good experiences so far. Nobody's made any hard and fast new best friends yet, but that will come with time. I'm starting to hear a couple of names from Boo, and Doodlebug has yet to find his tribe, but he will.
I'm just glad nobody got in trouble and things are starting to fall into place. Routine will come. It's all still bittersweet, but it is the way it shall be.
What if, what if, what if.
I took both kids to school in the morning and discovered that the schools really didn't work together particularly well on the timing, because Doodlebug has to be at school nearly an hour before Boo, and Boo isn't quite old enough to be on her own at the house yet, so she has to climb in the car and ride with us to drop Doodlebug off, come home and hang out for 45 minutes, then get back in the car and be taken to her school. Really annoying.
Anyway, I took both kids to school on the first day. Doodlebug needed a locker that worked, so we went to the office to get that sorted out (and it still took two more lockers to find him one that worked… the boy was jinxed, I swear) before I abandoned him to his fate. He came home later in the day and said he'd had a good day and enjoys his classes. His favorite teacher is his homeroom teacher who teaches English, which didn't surprise me very much. When I met all of them on back-to-school night, I suspected that would be the outcome. He has a little homework this weekend but mostly it's all for extra credit - I'm sure the real work will start this week. I just hope he can remember to write his name on all his papers. I worked on this all last year at home, but it didn't ever really stick. Now that it matters, it will be a much bigger deal.
Boo also had a good first day. She claims she's the smartest kid in her class, which she may be, and she really likes her teacher as well as some of the other teachers they rotate to for various subjects. She came home on Friday and announced that she won't have homework if she gets all her work done in class and/or doesn't get in trouble, so that was nice news for me. I remember having a little bit of homework in fourth grade but not much, so I'm glad to see that her teacher has a similar philosophy about kids being kids.
Both of them caught the bus home. Doodlebug sat near the front, as instructed, and I was relieved to hear that our stop is the very first one on the route - he won't have time to get into much trouble, and sitting at the front is easier when you're the first one off the bus! Boo, however, is the very last stop on her route, which I don't like because she gets home so very late, but it is what it is. She'll make bus friends, I'm sure.
All in all, they've had good experiences so far. Nobody's made any hard and fast new best friends yet, but that will come with time. I'm starting to hear a couple of names from Boo, and Doodlebug has yet to find his tribe, but he will.
I'm just glad nobody got in trouble and things are starting to fall into place. Routine will come. It's all still bittersweet, but it is the way it shall be.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Feeling Successful
After spending the last two weeks in an incredibly horrible funk while having a major existential crisis (still having the crisis… just have the energy to ignore it for a little while), I had to get up and function today. I had the last meeting of this school year with the school psychologist, the gifted program administrator, and the 6th grade counselor. The plan was to sit down and make sure Doodlebug was all set up and ready to go in terms of gifted services as well as writing the preliminary 504 plan so it will be in place the moment he walks in the door in August.
The meeting went well. We wrote down only a few items on the 504 plan for now, mostly having to do with seating placement for classes and testing as well as trying to figure out SOME way that Doodlebug will have someone checking some sort of agenda to make sure he has his homework written down each night. That was the hard one, mostly because we don't have a schedule yet.
One thing that did come to light was how much the psychologist and the gifted director are willing to bat for 'their' kids. Doodlebug scored extremely highly on his tests. I now know his IQ, and the number pleases me. I refuse to disclose it, even to him, but he's smart. Parental brag moment over. Anyway, the counselor made a comment at one point that because he didn't have an enrollment packet for Doodlebug, that there was a chance that Doodlebug may wind up in classes that weren't really what were needed/wanted, and the other two instantly stepped in and said, "Sorry, I don't care if it means booting another kid. This kid (Doodlebug) gets in." I sat back and didn't say a word. Rather nice to have other folks do the fighting for me, to be honest. The counselor seems like a good guy, don't get me wrong, and I know he's trying to do scheduling for 300 or so 5th graders who are going to be in his school next year as 6th graders and there are only so many slots and so many classes per day. BUT… my kid will be in certain classes, come hell or high water. I think he got the message. He also made sure to let me know that the teachers at the school are very knowledgeable about autism and know how to talk to kids on the spectrum - I guess his kid, who is a middle school student this year, is ASD as well, so he's seen as a parent how the system works with them, and he said it's been very positive. That gives me a lot of hope.
Anyway, I did go down to the enrollment center right after the meeting and actually filled out all the paperwork so the kids are officially enrolled and they can put Doodlebug into the right classes. That is now done. Finished.
It's been an interesting process, going through all the testing and meetings and figuring everything out as we go. I know there will be more meetings this fall to modify the 504 based on teacher findings once he gets into the classroom, but it's been a good, solid start. I hope it's enough to offset some of the issues that we're going to run into eventually. We'll see. Fingers crossed.
The meeting went well. We wrote down only a few items on the 504 plan for now, mostly having to do with seating placement for classes and testing as well as trying to figure out SOME way that Doodlebug will have someone checking some sort of agenda to make sure he has his homework written down each night. That was the hard one, mostly because we don't have a schedule yet.
One thing that did come to light was how much the psychologist and the gifted director are willing to bat for 'their' kids. Doodlebug scored extremely highly on his tests. I now know his IQ, and the number pleases me. I refuse to disclose it, even to him, but he's smart. Parental brag moment over. Anyway, the counselor made a comment at one point that because he didn't have an enrollment packet for Doodlebug, that there was a chance that Doodlebug may wind up in classes that weren't really what were needed/wanted, and the other two instantly stepped in and said, "Sorry, I don't care if it means booting another kid. This kid (Doodlebug) gets in." I sat back and didn't say a word. Rather nice to have other folks do the fighting for me, to be honest. The counselor seems like a good guy, don't get me wrong, and I know he's trying to do scheduling for 300 or so 5th graders who are going to be in his school next year as 6th graders and there are only so many slots and so many classes per day. BUT… my kid will be in certain classes, come hell or high water. I think he got the message. He also made sure to let me know that the teachers at the school are very knowledgeable about autism and know how to talk to kids on the spectrum - I guess his kid, who is a middle school student this year, is ASD as well, so he's seen as a parent how the system works with them, and he said it's been very positive. That gives me a lot of hope.
Anyway, I did go down to the enrollment center right after the meeting and actually filled out all the paperwork so the kids are officially enrolled and they can put Doodlebug into the right classes. That is now done. Finished.
It's been an interesting process, going through all the testing and meetings and figuring everything out as we go. I know there will be more meetings this fall to modify the 504 based on teacher findings once he gets into the classroom, but it's been a good, solid start. I hope it's enough to offset some of the issues that we're going to run into eventually. We'll see. Fingers crossed.
Monday, May 12, 2014
All the Nothing
Today is our first day of OMG IT'S SUMMER BREAK AND WE DON'T HAVE SCHOOL LET'S SLEEP IN AND DO ALL THE NOTHING.
At least, that's what today is according to my children. You'd have thought that they were working from dawn till dusk every single day for the last 10 months. *snort*
As for me, it's a Monday. I got up, foundthe blood of life coffee, stripped and remade the bed, started the laundry, pulled ribs out of the freezer to thaw for tomorrow night's dinner, sat down and made a menu and grocery list for the next couple of weeks (the kids did sort of help with that… they both want to make a meal and wanted to pick the recipes themselves), etc., etc., etc.
The thing I didn't do was go upstairs and do any school with them, which means that now, at 2:53 p.m., I am parked on the couch with nothing to do. And by 'nothing,' I mean that I could read a book I'm reading, work on my cross-stitch project, blog (WINNER!), obsessively check Facebook, text friends, or clean something. Hobbies, mostly. I need direction here. Doing nothing is not something I do well.
Oh, and cleaning something isn't gonna happen. It should, because I ran into a friend at the grocery store today, and she and her son are coming over tomorrow, but… no. I cleaned on Friday. That counts, right?
I did make a couple of important phone calls today. One was to the pediatrician's office to schedule Doodlebug's physical for camp. Why they require him to have one is beyond me, but there's a form and it has to be signed by the doctor saying that he's healthy enough to go running about in 100+-degree Oklahoma summer heat. Or something like that. I remembered that had to happen last night about 11 p.m. and figured I'd better call and make the appointment ASAP, and it turned out it was a good thing I called because the NP who had been at the office for several years is gone now (she was there two months ago… I'm not going to ask) and it's just the pediatrician again, and she's always busy. I'll threaten to stalk her house if SHE ever decides to quit/move/retire before my kids are old enough to not need her any more. Just sayin'. Anyway, I also needed to get Doodlebug's prescription refill written and ALSO needed (yeah, I was totally the brand-new receptionist's favorite person today) to get a copy of Boo's immunization schedule.
I needed the last one so I can go down to the school sometime in the next… sooner or later, whenever I get around to it… and actually enroll the munchkins. Details.
Speaking of the school, the psychologist called me a little while ago. I have a meeting with him and several other people at the middle school - teachers, the gifted program director, heaven only knows who else… he said he was going to do some wrangling to get as many people there as possible - so we can get Doodlebug officially put into the gifted program and, at the same time, write a tentative 504 plan for his ASD issues.
Which means I really must actually enroll the child soon-ish. They have most of his details; I just haven't filled out the form.
For now, however, I'm going to borrow a page from the kids' book and DO ALL THE NOTHING.
Sounds like a good Monday plan to me.
At least, that's what today is according to my children. You'd have thought that they were working from dawn till dusk every single day for the last 10 months. *snort*
As for me, it's a Monday. I got up, found
The thing I didn't do was go upstairs and do any school with them, which means that now, at 2:53 p.m., I am parked on the couch with nothing to do. And by 'nothing,' I mean that I could read a book I'm reading, work on my cross-stitch project, blog (WINNER!), obsessively check Facebook, text friends, or clean something. Hobbies, mostly. I need direction here. Doing nothing is not something I do well.
Oh, and cleaning something isn't gonna happen. It should, because I ran into a friend at the grocery store today, and she and her son are coming over tomorrow, but… no. I cleaned on Friday. That counts, right?
I did make a couple of important phone calls today. One was to the pediatrician's office to schedule Doodlebug's physical for camp. Why they require him to have one is beyond me, but there's a form and it has to be signed by the doctor saying that he's healthy enough to go running about in 100+-degree Oklahoma summer heat. Or something like that. I remembered that had to happen last night about 11 p.m. and figured I'd better call and make the appointment ASAP, and it turned out it was a good thing I called because the NP who had been at the office for several years is gone now (she was there two months ago… I'm not going to ask) and it's just the pediatrician again, and she's always busy. I'll threaten to stalk her house if SHE ever decides to quit/move/retire before my kids are old enough to not need her any more. Just sayin'. Anyway, I also needed to get Doodlebug's prescription refill written and ALSO needed (yeah, I was totally the brand-new receptionist's favorite person today) to get a copy of Boo's immunization schedule.
I needed the last one so I can go down to the school sometime in the next… sooner or later, whenever I get around to it… and actually enroll the munchkins. Details.
Speaking of the school, the psychologist called me a little while ago. I have a meeting with him and several other people at the middle school - teachers, the gifted program director, heaven only knows who else… he said he was going to do some wrangling to get as many people there as possible - so we can get Doodlebug officially put into the gifted program and, at the same time, write a tentative 504 plan for his ASD issues.
Which means I really must actually enroll the child soon-ish. They have most of his details; I just haven't filled out the form.
For now, however, I'm going to borrow a page from the kids' book and DO ALL THE NOTHING.
Sounds like a good Monday plan to me.
Monday, May 5, 2014
The Final Week
We're in the final week of school now. We'll do a review week in July, but this is the last week I really have to go upstairs and do anything with the kids. It's also their last 'interest week,' where they get to pick a topic and study it on their own. Both kids have some grammar to finish, and I'm asking them both to keep working on math right up to the last day because that's something they'll lose if they don't use it, but they're just about done with everything else.
Except their play. I really can't wait to see their play. I'll take a video of that and post it after they perform it for us on Friday.
Anyway, because there's so little left to do, I have very little to do with them. We went to the library today to pick up books and videos on their chosen topics - turtles/tortoises for Boo and venom/poison for Doodlebug - but once they finish grammar in a day or two, they'll be working entirely independently. For the last two days of school, I will be utterly superfluous. Right now, for instance, both kids are parked on the loveseat with Tom the Bearded Dragon, and they're watching a video on venom. Boo is all curled up and totally disturbed, and Doodlebug and Tom are both watching with mouths agape. Boo came to me a few minutes before the video started to tell me she's learned the difference between turtles and tortoises already. They learn quickly.
I suppose, in many ways, it's a good thing that they can work so independently, that they don't need me. I've said before that it's bugging me how quickly I've become so useless to them. They only need me now to coordinate events with other parents, take them to and from things, and occasionally (OK, ALL THE FREAKING TIME) remind them to do this, that or the other. Still, it's going to be an odd summer since I will be, more or less, superfluous. I'll take them to the pool. I'll set up sleepovers, and we'll go see friends. We'll do things. But I won't really be necessary. OK, OK, I know that I really am necessary. They can't organize things themselves quite yet, and they certainly can't drive. But they can figure out things to do on their own. They fix their own meals and have finally learned to write things on the shopping list if we need them. They can do laundry and dishes, clean anything they can reach… if they could learn to do these things without being reminded, I really would be unnecessary around here.
It feels so odd to be ending this particular phase in my life. I've taught Doodlebug for five years and Boo for two. And I feel so completely and utterly lost now. Before, even though I haven't had any personal goals, that was okay because my goals had to be on hold while I made the kids' education my priority. Now, even though their education is still a priority, I'm handing over the reins and I'll have a few hours of peace and quiet each day.
This final week is messing with my head. Even though I have three more months before I really have to worry about what to do with myself, I'm already mulling possibilities. Instead of making early lesson plans, I have nothing. Instead of setting up a potential schedule, I'm wondering when the 2014-2015 school calendar will be out. It's a whole different life. And I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet.
Except their play. I really can't wait to see their play. I'll take a video of that and post it after they perform it for us on Friday.
Anyway, because there's so little left to do, I have very little to do with them. We went to the library today to pick up books and videos on their chosen topics - turtles/tortoises for Boo and venom/poison for Doodlebug - but once they finish grammar in a day or two, they'll be working entirely independently. For the last two days of school, I will be utterly superfluous. Right now, for instance, both kids are parked on the loveseat with Tom the Bearded Dragon, and they're watching a video on venom. Boo is all curled up and totally disturbed, and Doodlebug and Tom are both watching with mouths agape. Boo came to me a few minutes before the video started to tell me she's learned the difference between turtles and tortoises already. They learn quickly.
I suppose, in many ways, it's a good thing that they can work so independently, that they don't need me. I've said before that it's bugging me how quickly I've become so useless to them. They only need me now to coordinate events with other parents, take them to and from things, and occasionally (OK, ALL THE FREAKING TIME) remind them to do this, that or the other. Still, it's going to be an odd summer since I will be, more or less, superfluous. I'll take them to the pool. I'll set up sleepovers, and we'll go see friends. We'll do things. But I won't really be necessary. OK, OK, I know that I really am necessary. They can't organize things themselves quite yet, and they certainly can't drive. But they can figure out things to do on their own. They fix their own meals and have finally learned to write things on the shopping list if we need them. They can do laundry and dishes, clean anything they can reach… if they could learn to do these things without being reminded, I really would be unnecessary around here.
It feels so odd to be ending this particular phase in my life. I've taught Doodlebug for five years and Boo for two. And I feel so completely and utterly lost now. Before, even though I haven't had any personal goals, that was okay because my goals had to be on hold while I made the kids' education my priority. Now, even though their education is still a priority, I'm handing over the reins and I'll have a few hours of peace and quiet each day.
This final week is messing with my head. Even though I have three more months before I really have to worry about what to do with myself, I'm already mulling possibilities. Instead of making early lesson plans, I have nothing. Instead of setting up a potential schedule, I'm wondering when the 2014-2015 school calendar will be out. It's a whole different life. And I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Test Results
I had been anxiously awaiting this day since it was scheduled last week. Today was the day I went up to the school admin building and got the results of the kids' tests.
Before I got the results, however, Doodlebug finished taking the ADOS test - Oz and I had filled out the first part, the school psychologist read the results, and those results warranted taking the remainder of the test with the special needs coordinator, the psychologist, and another lady whose title I can't remember at the moment - when we were there today.
When it was finally time for the results, the psychologist ushered the kids out to wait for me and then told me… everything I already knew and that the plan was exactly what I had hoped.
Here's how it broke down:
Doodlebug tested extremely high academically. They are going to put him directly into advanced/gifted classes. However, the ADOS testing revealed that there are, in fact, some areas where they felt they could offer some accommodations to make his transition and school experience easier. Well, duh. But I understand there's a process and they can't take my word for it, just like they couldn't take my word that my kid is freaking brilliant and doesn't need special-needs classes but does need gifted ones. Anyway, the three folks who were in there today are going to make up a list of initial accommodations and we'll sit down and have another meeting before school winds up here at the end of May to put them to paper.
Boo tested extremely well in reading and is right on par for her age in math. The school psychologist would actually like to test her for the gifted program but wants to wait until fall, which is exactly what I had wanted to do, anyway, because I would like whoever her teacher is to be on board with that process. I think it's one thing to put a kid straight into middle school gifted classes, because there are multiple teachers involved, as opposed to putting a kid into an elementary gifted class when the teacher has no background with the child. Maybe it's just me.
Anyway, what was fun was that the kids' reactions when I told them the results. Doodlebug was especially relieved, because he felt he hadn't done very well during the ADOS testing. I laughed and told him I hadn't really expected him to, because it was a test that was designed to trip up kids who are on the autism spectrum (I hadn't prepped him for that previously because then he would have been trying to figure out what to do differently and probably would've skewed his own results). He was thrilled that he had done things "right." Boo was just happy that she's still advanced in reading and had done all right in the math portion.
Will there be gaps in what they know compared to what their peers know this fall? Probably. But nobody in that room today seemed concerned. They can read. They can write. They can compute at least at age level.
Mostly what I heard today - in my head - was this: "You didn't screw up. You have a clear picture of where they are, and you planned properly. Good job, Mom."
So far, all goes well.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Stress & Testing
The public schools have had their annual tests over the last couple of weeks. I remember taking the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills when I was in elementary school, and while there was some emphasis placed on getting a good night's sleep and eating breakfast and all that rigamarole, I don't think it quite had the same impact that it has today, and I certainly don't remember actually giving a rat's hindquarters about it.
To be fair, I test well. I could usually 'get' what test-takers are after, and I like to think I was pretty good at weeding out crappy answers. Thus, I always scored in the 99th percentile in everything. I'm not saying that to brag; I don't consider myself any smarter than a lot of other people who don't test well. I just could work that particular system.
On Monday I hauled Doodlebug and Boo in for testing at the public school administration building. Doodlebug worked with a school psychologist for his part, since his testing was more extensive; Boo was supposed to have taken hers separately. However, the woman who had her tests had gotten stuck in a meeting and her office, understandably, was locked. So we had to reschedule. It worked out well in the end because after 2.5 hours, Doodlebug still wasn't finished, so we set up a time for the kids to come in today (Thursday) so they could both be done at the same time.
Today, back we went. Now, before we went in on Monday, I had told the kids several things:
1. You will not know everything. They are going to ask you questions that they know are beyond your level just to see if you can do them or can figure them out. Skip them. It's okay to say, "I don't know."
2. You are smart. I know this. They will see this. Don't worry.
3. If you need help, ask. Nobody is going to get you in trouble for asking for help.
Doodlebug, of course, didn't have any issues since he was working face-to-face with someone for most of his tests. Boo, however, was largely on her own, and I guess she had somehow expected the math questions to be just like what she was used to on her math worksheets here at home, and she got really upset initially. The psychologist got her straightened out - he did a few questions with her orally to get her jump-started and then she was all right - and then she said the reading and spelling questions were easy.
So it's done, and now we wait. Both kids are completely brain-fried, and I don't blame them. It took Doodlebug almost two hours again today to complete his stuff, and Boo took nearly two hours herself. That's a lot of brainpower being used, especially after doing some school today. It's interesting to see how they're handling their stress. Doodlebug is parked in front of the Wii; Boo has taken the dog for a walk and is now running around outside hooting and singing at the top of her lungs.
No matter how they do - and I suspect they both did just fine - I am proud of them. I know they're progressing and have the capability to learn. I know they did their best. I'm anxious because I'm a mom and that's what us mom types do. I know that if they did poorly (which, again, I doubt) it will be a reflection on me to some extent, but at the same time I know that if they did well, I'm just as likely to turn around and say that they did well because they're really smart kids who can absorb things easily (which is also true). And I'm not good at waiting.
Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend, and if you celebrate Easter, have a good one!
To be fair, I test well. I could usually 'get' what test-takers are after, and I like to think I was pretty good at weeding out crappy answers. Thus, I always scored in the 99th percentile in everything. I'm not saying that to brag; I don't consider myself any smarter than a lot of other people who don't test well. I just could work that particular system.
On Monday I hauled Doodlebug and Boo in for testing at the public school administration building. Doodlebug worked with a school psychologist for his part, since his testing was more extensive; Boo was supposed to have taken hers separately. However, the woman who had her tests had gotten stuck in a meeting and her office, understandably, was locked. So we had to reschedule. It worked out well in the end because after 2.5 hours, Doodlebug still wasn't finished, so we set up a time for the kids to come in today (Thursday) so they could both be done at the same time.
Today, back we went. Now, before we went in on Monday, I had told the kids several things:
1. You will not know everything. They are going to ask you questions that they know are beyond your level just to see if you can do them or can figure them out. Skip them. It's okay to say, "I don't know."
2. You are smart. I know this. They will see this. Don't worry.
3. If you need help, ask. Nobody is going to get you in trouble for asking for help.
Doodlebug, of course, didn't have any issues since he was working face-to-face with someone for most of his tests. Boo, however, was largely on her own, and I guess she had somehow expected the math questions to be just like what she was used to on her math worksheets here at home, and she got really upset initially. The psychologist got her straightened out - he did a few questions with her orally to get her jump-started and then she was all right - and then she said the reading and spelling questions were easy.
So it's done, and now we wait. Both kids are completely brain-fried, and I don't blame them. It took Doodlebug almost two hours again today to complete his stuff, and Boo took nearly two hours herself. That's a lot of brainpower being used, especially after doing some school today. It's interesting to see how they're handling their stress. Doodlebug is parked in front of the Wii; Boo has taken the dog for a walk and is now running around outside hooting and singing at the top of her lungs.
No matter how they do - and I suspect they both did just fine - I am proud of them. I know they're progressing and have the capability to learn. I know they did their best. I'm anxious because I'm a mom and that's what us mom types do. I know that if they did poorly (which, again, I doubt) it will be a reflection on me to some extent, but at the same time I know that if they did well, I'm just as likely to turn around and say that they did well because they're really smart kids who can absorb things easily (which is also true). And I'm not good at waiting.
Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend, and if you celebrate Easter, have a good one!
Thursday, March 27, 2014
I Fold. The Week Wins.
I have a headache this evening. It's threatening to turn into a migraine, but it hasn't crossed the magic line yet, so I'm hopeful that taking Aleve and not eating dinner will be enough to keep the pain at bay. I'm not sure if the headache is due to the events of the past 36 hours or if it's just due to the horrific wind and weather blowing through today.
Yesterday morning we went to the pediatric ophthalmologist for Doodlebug. We go every year. When he was 2 1/2, he had to have eye surgery for strabismus, and I can always remember the exact date because Oz and I sat in the waiting room of the surgical area and cuddled an itty-bitty Boo and watched on TV as Hurricane Katrina flung herself at the Gulf Coast. We've been fortunate - even though Doodlebug has a couple of odd quirks in his vision, he can see well and we've never had to have the surgery repeated. So when we got a call from the ophthalmologist's office saying that our regular doctor had been called away by an emergency and we could either reschedule or see the doctor who'd agreed to substitute, I was fine with the substitution.
When we went in, we were immediately called back, and the intake tech started her process. At one point during the exam, when Doodlebug's right eye was covered, he said, "I can't see that letter. There's a line over it." It caught my attention. The intake tech didn't say anything, but she was writing notes so I assumed she had noticed as well. (Hindsight: One should never assume.) When the doctor came in, Doodlebug again mentioned during a test that he wasn't able to see something with his left eye because of the "white line." The doctor held up a few lenses to his right eye - not the left at all - pronounced him good to go for another year, and we went on our merry way.
While we were in the elevator, I asked Doodlebug what he meant about not being able to see, and he told me that there was a blank spot in his vision. At the time, and because this weather front has been sitting here not moving but causing all sorts of problems since yesterday, I assumed that he was having a pre-migraine symptom. No biggie. When we got home, I asked him if his head hurt. He said no. I asked him if the line was still there if he closed his right eye. He said yes and told me where it was and described it exactly the same as it had been when we were in the office. Throughout the day, I asked him about it several more times. Each time the answers were remarkably similar. By 4 p.m., I was getting mad that the doctor hadn't taken him seriously and at least asked what he meant. By 7 p.m., (and with the help of the Internet), I was in what might best be described as a panicked rage.
Sleep didn't help much.
I called the ophthalmology office this morning. The woman who answered the phone was wonderful. She said that "we cain't have him goin' around not seein'!" and said that if there wasn't an appointment available, she'd go back and "be very firm" that we needed to get in. Thankfully there was an opening, and I jumped at it. Back in the car we got, and back to the office we went. I gathered from the way things were said that our story had made its way around the office, and the (regular) intake tech and our (regular) doctor were both very attentive when Doodlebug said, yet again, that there was a line in his vision.
The doctor dilated his eye to get a better look… and couldn't really figure out what was going on. I felt better after that, in that at least the other doctor hadn't missed something obvious (though it still irks me that Doodlebug wasn't taken seriously the first time), but at the same time I felt worse, because the news itself wasn't great. The doctor seems to think that there's something going on with the vitreous fluid and it's somehow pulling on the retina and causing just a little bit of a wrinkle, which is the cause of the line. As for what caused the vitreous fluid to mess up in the first place, that's anyone's guess. The doctor was optimistic and thinks the line will sort itself out in a few days, but in the meantime I have to keep a close eye (no pun intended) on things. Obviously if it gets worse, we go back in immediately and/or we'll be sent to a retinal specialist. That thought terrifies me. I hope it really is nothing and dissipates. Send up any thoughts you might have to spare, would you?
-----
Immediately after we left the ophthalmologist's office, we had to race across town, grab some lunch, and head to the local school administration building for my initial meeting with the school psychologist. We were there for nearly two hours, during which time he and I talked and he filled out a stack of forms. The amount of paperwork is mind-boggling. I knew teachers had to deal with a lot of crap and that there would be a lot of paperwork, but I don't think I was entirely prepared for what I brought home - a stack of copies of all the forms we filled out, a small book (well, more copied papers, but altogether they amount to a small book) of parental legal rights in the system and legal definitions and all that sort of thing, and four assessment forms for behavioral, ADHD, and ASD that Oz and I get to fill in before I go back. And this is only the beginning.
Next time we go in, we'll meet with the psychologist again as well as the gifted coordinator. We'll meet with her because she's the one with the grade-level assessments, wherein my kids will get to show off their smarts and I'll get to nibble my fingernails down to the quick over the idea that I'll have forgotten to teach them something major. We'll also probably start some of the other assessments that Doodlebug will have to have in order to qualify for any sort of special services. I'm sure it'll be another long meeting.
-----
And so I have a headache today. Whether it's the weather or just dealing with stress, I don't know, but I do know that I'm canceling our plans for tomorrow. We were supposed to go to a couple of events, but we all need a day to stay at home and ooze. Oozing sounds delicious.
Yesterday morning we went to the pediatric ophthalmologist for Doodlebug. We go every year. When he was 2 1/2, he had to have eye surgery for strabismus, and I can always remember the exact date because Oz and I sat in the waiting room of the surgical area and cuddled an itty-bitty Boo and watched on TV as Hurricane Katrina flung herself at the Gulf Coast. We've been fortunate - even though Doodlebug has a couple of odd quirks in his vision, he can see well and we've never had to have the surgery repeated. So when we got a call from the ophthalmologist's office saying that our regular doctor had been called away by an emergency and we could either reschedule or see the doctor who'd agreed to substitute, I was fine with the substitution.
When we went in, we were immediately called back, and the intake tech started her process. At one point during the exam, when Doodlebug's right eye was covered, he said, "I can't see that letter. There's a line over it." It caught my attention. The intake tech didn't say anything, but she was writing notes so I assumed she had noticed as well. (Hindsight: One should never assume.) When the doctor came in, Doodlebug again mentioned during a test that he wasn't able to see something with his left eye because of the "white line." The doctor held up a few lenses to his right eye - not the left at all - pronounced him good to go for another year, and we went on our merry way.
While we were in the elevator, I asked Doodlebug what he meant about not being able to see, and he told me that there was a blank spot in his vision. At the time, and because this weather front has been sitting here not moving but causing all sorts of problems since yesterday, I assumed that he was having a pre-migraine symptom. No biggie. When we got home, I asked him if his head hurt. He said no. I asked him if the line was still there if he closed his right eye. He said yes and told me where it was and described it exactly the same as it had been when we were in the office. Throughout the day, I asked him about it several more times. Each time the answers were remarkably similar. By 4 p.m., I was getting mad that the doctor hadn't taken him seriously and at least asked what he meant. By 7 p.m., (and with the help of the Internet), I was in what might best be described as a panicked rage.
Sleep didn't help much.
I called the ophthalmology office this morning. The woman who answered the phone was wonderful. She said that "we cain't have him goin' around not seein'!" and said that if there wasn't an appointment available, she'd go back and "be very firm" that we needed to get in. Thankfully there was an opening, and I jumped at it. Back in the car we got, and back to the office we went. I gathered from the way things were said that our story had made its way around the office, and the (regular) intake tech and our (regular) doctor were both very attentive when Doodlebug said, yet again, that there was a line in his vision.
The doctor dilated his eye to get a better look… and couldn't really figure out what was going on. I felt better after that, in that at least the other doctor hadn't missed something obvious (though it still irks me that Doodlebug wasn't taken seriously the first time), but at the same time I felt worse, because the news itself wasn't great. The doctor seems to think that there's something going on with the vitreous fluid and it's somehow pulling on the retina and causing just a little bit of a wrinkle, which is the cause of the line. As for what caused the vitreous fluid to mess up in the first place, that's anyone's guess. The doctor was optimistic and thinks the line will sort itself out in a few days, but in the meantime I have to keep a close eye (no pun intended) on things. Obviously if it gets worse, we go back in immediately and/or we'll be sent to a retinal specialist. That thought terrifies me. I hope it really is nothing and dissipates. Send up any thoughts you might have to spare, would you?
-----
Immediately after we left the ophthalmologist's office, we had to race across town, grab some lunch, and head to the local school administration building for my initial meeting with the school psychologist. We were there for nearly two hours, during which time he and I talked and he filled out a stack of forms. The amount of paperwork is mind-boggling. I knew teachers had to deal with a lot of crap and that there would be a lot of paperwork, but I don't think I was entirely prepared for what I brought home - a stack of copies of all the forms we filled out, a small book (well, more copied papers, but altogether they amount to a small book) of parental legal rights in the system and legal definitions and all that sort of thing, and four assessment forms for behavioral, ADHD, and ASD that Oz and I get to fill in before I go back. And this is only the beginning.
Next time we go in, we'll meet with the psychologist again as well as the gifted coordinator. We'll meet with her because she's the one with the grade-level assessments, wherein my kids will get to show off their smarts and I'll get to nibble my fingernails down to the quick over the idea that I'll have forgotten to teach them something major. We'll also probably start some of the other assessments that Doodlebug will have to have in order to qualify for any sort of special services. I'm sure it'll be another long meeting.
-----
And so I have a headache today. Whether it's the weather or just dealing with stress, I don't know, but I do know that I'm canceling our plans for tomorrow. We were supposed to go to a couple of events, but we all need a day to stay at home and ooze. Oozing sounds delicious.
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