This is something that I’ve talked about in the past.  But looks like this time, it might really happen.  Steven and I are concerned about the schools here in our hometown, always have been.  Right now, the school the kids are going to are “ok”, but their future in the public school system isn’t looking that great.  Let’s just say, that when you go to GreatSchools.net, our school system ranks 2 out 10.  Yep…that’s how bad it is.

So, the other day Steven had a job interview with a casino in Baton Rouge, LA, doing the same thing he does now, and it went VERY well.  There is a little town just outside of Baton Rouge that we are looking at to live in.  It’s school district is supposed to rank #1 in the state, and has an excellent Special Education program and preschool program too.  I also have a friend that lives there, so we are pretty excited.

Nothing is set in stone, but I have been busy looking for housing and I’m calling the schools today.  So…we will see what happens.

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Technorati Tags: #1 School in Louisiana, Great Schools, Moving

Wow! Both kiddos had a great first day of school yesterday!  I took Allie first, and of course, as always, she hops out of the van, without even batting an eye.  Doesn’t even say goodbye to her Mama!  Then off we go to Christopher’s new school.  The day before he met his teacher and after explaining to her that he wouldn’t be eating breakfast, instead of him going to the cafeteria, she agreed to meet us in her classroom.  Well…I get there and wasn’t sure where to park, so I pull into the drive where everyone is dropping off the kids.  One of the ladies, helping with the drop off said that he had to go to the cafeteria, so I reluctantly let her take him.  So as I was driving off, I realized that I hadn’t pinned a name tag on him, and I started to panic.  I immediately called Steven asking him if he thought I should go back, he said I should if it would make me feel better.

So I whipped the van around parked on the street and walked towards the cafeteria where I saw Christopher sitting outside looking very alone.  I walked up to him, and I said, “Christopher, who are you suppose to be out here with?”  And there was a group of ladies standing off to the side.  One of them turned around quickly and said, “Oh…he’s with me.”  I told her that I was his mom and was just making sure that he got to where he was suppose to go.  She said that it was kind of loud in the cafeteria and he was covering his ears, and asked if he wanted to step outside.  She introduced herself, and said she is his Inclusion teacher.  She works with the SPED kids that have been placed in the mainstream classes.  So he will be working closely with her.  She seemed very nice, and I’m really glad that I got to meet her.  She did say that when Christopher was asked his name, that he said that it was “Thomas the Train”. LOL But when asked who his teacher was, he knew exactly what her name was.

Later that day, I was speaking with his Occupational therapist, and she asked who his teachers were and when I told her, her eyes lit up, and she kept going on about how wonderful they were, they have many years of experience, and that he was in the right place.  So that was really good to hear and when I picked him up, they said he had a great day.  So, I really feel optimistic about this year.

Technorati Tags: Autism, first day of school, special education

Today we are taking Allie and Christopher to meet their teachers today and drop off school supplies.  Allie we be going back to the same school (Pre-K and Kindergarten), but Christopher goes to a diffrent school (1st and 2nd Grade) this year.  Of course, I’ve already heard, “I don’t want to go to school!” a jillion times, but yesterday I drove by the school and we got to find out who his teacher was (the one I’d hoped he would be placed with, Yay!), and I think he started to get a little excited.

So today, we are heading on over to Allie’s school to drop off supplies and meet her new teacher, then off to Christopher’s school to drop off supplies and meet his teacher.  Supposedly his teacher is great with Autistic children, and she comes highly recommended and very well spoken of by his previous teacher from Kindergarten last year.  So I’m excited, and can’t wait to meet her!

I’m a little nervous about meeting Allie’s teacher, we’ve had some major behavioral issues with her this summer, and she’s STILL not potty trained!  She asbsolutely refuses to have anything to do with it.  So I’m definitely embarrassed about that, fortunately they still allow her to go to school, because she is in SPED.  They tried working with her last year, but eventually gave up, seriously, that’s how stubborn she is about it.  Believe me, I’ve tried everything.  And she is so smart, she knows she is suppose to, but just refuses.

Even though, Christopher was late being potty trained too, he had just turned four and with him, we just put him in underpants and he held it all day long until he coulndn’t anymore, and finally did it in the potty.  Then we made such a HUGE deal about it, he thought that was cool, and from that point on, would go all by himself.  It just clicked.  Allie could care less if she goes in her pants, doesn’t bother her one bit.

Oh well…maybe this year will be a better year.  I know one thing, I absolutely refuse to have a 5 year old that is not potty trained come April of next year, that’s for damn sure.

Technorati Tags: first day of school, potty training a 4 year old, school year begins

Being that it is the last day of Autism Awareness Month and as part of Blogging for Autism Awareness, I’ve decided to close it with an amazing update that I’ve received about my son, Christopher, during the IEP meeting I had with his teachers last week. I want people to know that I’m not trying to brag about my son, I am just so happy about the progress he has made, and I feel the need to share it and hopefully Christopher’s story will give hope to those parents out there, that are dealing with a similar situation.

First, these meetings always make me nervous. This time, I had a feeling it would turn out good, because of the wonderful progress reports that were being sent home. There was no doubt in my mind. But at the beginning of the year, things started out quite rough.

Christopher was having trouble adjusting to the schedule and his teacher, and I have to admit, I was very discouraged. You see…when Christopher was first enrolled and evaluated, it was recommended that he be placed in a 4 to 5 year old preschool class, that would allow him to be in a more restrictive environment. Whatever that means, but upon hearing this, my husband and I were not very happy about this placement. I wanted him to be placed into a regular Kindergarten class. Given, my son had issues, but we knew how smart he was, and we strongly felt that this was not the correct placement for him.

So, after discussing this with the SPED department, they agreed to put him in an inclusion Kindergarten class (a mainstream class, consisting of typical children and children with special needs). First day of school wasn’t too bad, but after going one day, Christopher started refusing to go, crying and pleading for me not to leave him. Now remember, this is my first child, on top of that, he has special needs, so I didn’t know what to do, but to just bring him home with me. I immediately called the school and arranged for a meeting to discuss our options. I was feeling like I had made a mistake having him placed in the Kindergarten class. The meeting was held, and although the topic of moving him back to the pre-school class was discussed, it was ultimately decided that he just be switched to the other inclusion class. The teacher in this class had a different teaching technique and her class was not as structured and a little more laid back. And I’ll admit the minute I met this woman, I took one look at her and immediately knew that she would be the perfect teacher for my son.

(more…)

Technorati Tags: Autism, Autism Awareness, Blogging for Autism, IEP Meeting

Ok…we’ve got some major decisions coming up over the next few months.  This is what we are facing.  Where we are currently living, our school system really sucks.  From what we have been told, that after the kids finish Kindergarten at the school they are attending now, the schools are downhill from there.   We do have several choices for private schools, but with the kind of money Steven is making now, and me not working, there is absolutely NO WAY we can afford it.  And to tell you the truth, I’m not really sure that they even have a decent SPED program for Christopher and Allie, and right now, that’s our top priority.

So this is what’s going on…

We have been looking around at different places that have a good school system and with a good SPED program.  One place we are looking at, is the Gulf Coast, because we’ve heard excellent things about the schools down there, and it would be perfect considering there are many opportunities for jobs in the casino industry.  Even though, Steven is really tired of working in the industry, he has pretty much resigned himself to the fact that is probably the only way he can make the kind of money he wants to make, considering he doesn’t have a degree.  And these days, most places that are hiring are looking for that.

Since it is almost inevitable that we will be moving this summer, should we go ahead and start preparing to sell our house?  Right now, in the town I live in, it’s a seller’s market, and I’m thinking we should jump on that.  There have been 3 houses go up for sell on my street in the past few months, and they have all now sold.  I would say that’s a pretty good sign that we should be able to sell our house fairly quickly.  I just don’t want to be forced to try to move and sell our house all at once.

So I could really used some advice on this, if anyone has any suggestions or feedback.  It would be greatly appreciated and welcomed.