PYHO: Always Obstacles

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from the County School Board two weeks ago granting Little E's variance for the 2012-2013 school year. I wrote about my concerns back in May whether or not he would get to attend Miss K's school. I was stressing about the long wait I may have been facing and if he didn't get it.

I thought all my worries were over now that I had this piece of paper in my hand. I was wrong again.

I went by the school this Monday to drop off the letter for the school registrar and talked to my friend in the front office. She is like the school secretary/ school website web master. I asked her about the teacher list for the upcoming year so I could confirm which teachers I would request for Miss K and Little E. She told me she had just posted it online just a few minutes before I walked in.

Which meant if the new list was up, the teacher request form would be up also. Nope. My hopes were deflated. There's always an obstacle in my way, it seems.

She told me that the principal has decided to do away with teacher request forms due to new salary regulations on teachers being based on student performance. She is hoping to have the classes more balanced without having all the high scoring kids in the top two favorite teachers rooms.

The plus side, is that she is accepting letters of your child's needs and will take that into consideration when choosing the class for your child. She will not accept letters with a teacher request in them.

I am more worried about Miss K than Little E because it's only Kindergarten. The school handles this grade with "kid gloves" and I'm sure he will do just fine with minor adjustments from his new teacher. He aims to please.

I didn't know that I had a choice when his sister entered school and we got what teacher the school chose.  Which was an awesome teacher and one of the top picked Kindergarten teachers in the school.

Having dealt with several years of inability to focus, short attention span and limited short term memory with Miss K, she really needs a compassionate teacher. Some one who can understand that she has ADHD and won't treat is as a label. A teacher who can have open communication with me and be able to recognize when she is "slipping" and needs positive encouragement with a firm tone.

Miss K is a loveable child who has three previous teachers (not counting 1st grade-she was not a great teacher) who absolutely love and adore her. Especially last year's teacher who was the most help in accomplishing many goals we had set out for the school year.

I'm hoping that I can get this across to the principal that is is very important for Miss K academically, to be placed with a teacher like we hope for.

I'm praying this all works out for the good. I know that my prayers may be answered differently than I expect and I am prepared for that. I'm willing to deal with that but hoping for an "easy button" this time.

Friday Fragments #201

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of these funny yourecards on Facebook or other social media sites. I was browsing on the internet and couldn't resist posting this one. I have this fetich with grammar and spelling, so it only makes sense. And since most of the cards are quite vulgar, I wouldn't post many of them anyways.

Today( Thursday) at Miss K's school, the awards ceremony for the third graders was held. This year has been an amazing school year for her, starting with her most wonderful teacher. Without this teacher, Miss K may have struggled yet another year academically. She excelled in many areas, academically and socially. In the second quarter of this school year, K received the Citizenship Award for the first time since entering elementary school. Today, she received the Citizenship of the Year award in her class. It was a proud moment for the hubs and I.

I was reading in a moms group for parents of children born in November 2012 today. The topic they were discussing was "have you bought anything yet for your upcoming new baby. I have not, am I behind?" I have actually bought a few things for baby #3 only because the items were in excellent used condition and I couldn't pass up the deal. Except for the stroller system, which was new. But it was also a great deal that may not be when we get closer. When I think back to both my other children, I don't remember being as eager to buy things so far in advance. Except for Miss K, we did buy packs of diapers every other week before she was born.

For the summer our church will not be having any enrichment classes or children's ministry on Wednesday nights. I'm sad that we won't be meeting during the summer. I am looking forward to more time with the kids, especially since Miss K does not have dance classes in the summer either. Time to catch up on reading for all of us. I'm looking forward to teaching Little E to read more than just sight words. One of the websites we'll be using is www.Starfall.com . Miss K's elementary school uses this website in the classrooms during free time.

After three days of rain, rain, rain. It has finally subsided. Even though Friday has a 70% chance of rain, it has not rained very much. I'm thankful for all this rain we have been getting but wiping the dogs' feet every time after they go outside has become a tiring task. My plants and lawn are very happy with all this excess water.

Today was the last day of school for our county! I went in to help with a party that Miss K's teacher and I planned for the last day. Unfortunately her teacher was diagnosed with the flu on Tuesday and was told by her doctor to not be at work the rest of the week. The last week of school no less. :(  thankfully by today, she was feeling a little better and made a surprise appearance in class for 30 minutes, during the party. We're going to miss not having her as Miss K's teacher. She was such a blessing. If only we had her every year!

PYHO: Fear of the Unknown

My fear that Little E may not be able to attend the school his sister goes to have resurfaced again. Last year I wrote about this worry and later felt that it could have been premature. I felt relieved that he would more than likely get the variance and be able to attend at least two years in the same school as Miss K. That would have given me more time to prepare for homeschool or any other option.

So last week I signed Little E up for Kindergarten at our zoned school. I requested the variance form and informed the registrar why I was asking for it. While going over Little E's paperwork she stated that this coming school year, the state had not listed "Choice Schools" for the NCLB Act. She said it was talked about that students who were going to other schools besides their zoned school could be required to go back to the school they were zoned for. I was in shock!

This whole time I was worrying about getting my son into the same school as my daughter and I never thought about her losing her spot.

So today I called the zoned elementary school to inquire about Little E's variance form. The registrar told me that she had sent it on to the other school early this week and it might be at the School Board Dept. She gave me their phone number and the extension of the department I would need to speak to. What a very helpful and thoughtful thing for her to do. Especially for a parent who doesn't want their child going to her school.

I debated on whether or not I should call. I didn't know how my inquiring would affect my son's forms. I went ahead with the motherly instinct and called. I'm not sure if I'm glad I called or not. I spoke to the lady in the zoning department and she told me that his variance form had not come in yet. Not surprising. I'm not too worried because it's not like my answer will come quicker if it was.

I was told that I would have to wait until at least July 1st or later to know if we have been denied or accepted. I was concerned about Miss K's position at the school and was routed to another department. The lady that I spoke with was very helpful too. She reassured me that Miss K would not lose her place at the school she currently goes to, even though the NCLB Act has been rewritten by the Florida Department of Education.
 Without going into much detail, the Act that the Federal Dept of Education created did not accomplish the goals that it set out. 

The bad news, Little E could be denied and have to attend the zoned school while Miss K gets to stay at her school. Which is not an option I want to go with. I do not want either of my children to attend that school. The lady told me if that happened, I would need a Plan B. Whatever my Plan B is. She said I always have the option to appeal the school boards decision. Which if turns out to be the case, I will have to build a rock solid case. Not just gut feeling or mother's intuition. My other option would be virtual school at home. Which essentially is home school. Or private school, which in no way I could afford. Or charter school for both kids or just Little E.

I never thought that this could happen when I signed him up for school. I thought it was an open and shut case and then I would have to worry when Miss K left the elementary school to go into middle school. Nope. Life is never that easy. So I will now have to sit, worry and pray my hardest that God works this all out. Please God, just give me one more year. Just let Little E go to Miss K's school for one year. He really wants that opportunity. Please pray for us that it all works out.

I am posting this late for PYHO and glad that I did. Since this all came to light on Thursday.

Content Brew-Coffee is Brewing

Read the first post here.

Day One of Content Brew was a success for me. Our first assignment was to work on our spreadsheets, virtual of course, tentatively where we want our blog posts to be. Being able to visually see where certain topics are each day; even every week, it makes it easy to see where you might want to adjust patterns of subjects you write about. With the awesome spreadsheet that Melissa designed it was almost a breeze to copy, click and paste each color coordinated tab into place.

The spreadsheet is set up for the entire year, but for now I've filled mine up for just a month. Melissa set us up with a suggested minimum amount of topic colors to use but I added a few more for myself without going overboard. It was suggested that less is more and if you have more than one blog that you're writing content for, it might be easier to use two sheets.

I'm using my spreadsheet in Google Docs after reading that my sheet can be accessed anywhere, from any computer, since it's online. So there is no reason for me to forget what posts should be written and posted. I'm loving this! Having lists online, instead of in my head or on a random post it note lost in the shuffle placed safely on my desk is a dream for me. It's a dream come true!

I'm waiting impatiently  with anticipation to get home this evening to start on Day Two! Today we're working on generating content for our Topics. We're even having another Twitter class to discuss what has been covered these first two days.  If you haven't looked into getting a spot in the class, I suggest you head over to momcomm to see if you can get a seat.

Content Brew

Schedules couldn't have worked out more perfectly for me this week. A few weeks ago when Melissa from momcomm announced that the was going to be leading a content planning course for bloggers I was dreaming like a little child who wants to see Mickey Mouse. I signed up for her newsletter and waited patiently like a four year old for information to hit her blog. Of course like any great blogger would do, Melissa promoted it through Twitter and had a party. I attended with many other great ladies and as my luck would have it, I won a spot on the class for March. I couldn't believe that I, little ol me, won a spot.

So after waiting, chewing at the bit the time has come and the class starts this week. My luck couldn;t have been much better either. Little E and Miss K are on Spring Break this week also. Which is a good thing because that means there are no dance classes either! So no late nights this week for this family. Even with my trips planned for the kids I should still have plenty of time in the morning or evening to sit down and do my class work.

If you're looking for a great way to plan out content for your blog. I suggest you look into momcomm's Content Brew course. I know that for myself who is like a butterfly, a happy puppy in the pet store window,  busy mom who works part time outside the house who wears many hats, it makes sense to organize and pre plan my blogging content. Not that I still won't be spontaneous some days. 

Pour Your Heart Out: Are you Listening?

I know I haven't talked much about Miss K and her academic performance in over a year. Actually since I wrote the post about her being tested for the Gifted Program at her school. The test was given last year while she was in second grade and unfortunately she did not pass.

I was disappointed and relieved at the same time. Disappointed because I truly believed she was smart enough to go into the program. Relieved, because at the time she was in a great class with an awesome teacher and I didn't want to pull her out of that class.

Then the realization hit me, that it was the best thing that she didn't make it. Miss K struggled with staying focused and on task. And she would have done poorly in a class that requires student independent working quite often.
We continually struggled with Miss K not paying attention, talking in class, getting out of of her seat and just "checking out" (mentally) during class. It was an uphill battle and tested my patience on many levels.After trying rewards for good behavior I thought I had gotten through to my daughter.

Thankfully with an understanding teacher, she did well and sometimes above average during the year.

So with all the hard work on both ends, for the teacher and I, Miss K passed second grade.

After experiencing a teacher who wants to work with me and my child, and sometimes going above and beyond, I chose Miss K's third grade teacher. It has been such a blessing. 

At the beginning of the school year, just like the past two years, Miss K was like a new child. Motivated, paying attention and listening to direction. Then it started all over again.

She has been coming home with "sign ins" in her daily report book, and has had to be constantly reminded to get back on task during class and at home with her homework. She not only struggles with school work but with everyday regular tasks at home.

The final blow came this week. Her teacher requested to talk to me about last week's math test. Miss K did not get a passing grade and the test makes up 40% of her final grade in math for the first nine weeks of school. I was crushed.

The thought has been in the back of my head for years about Miss K's inability to stay focused and perform everyday tasks. Then it bled into her performance at school and she has survived. But now it's affecting her ability to pass tests and will affect her ability to take the FCAT this coming Spring.I'm worried.

I decided I wasn't going to take no for answer with her pediatricians office about having her tested for a medically diagnosed problem. For years at her well visits, they brushed me off about her lack of focus, blaming on her age. Not anymore.

I was surprised that during my phone yesterday, the nurse said that they have a packet that needs to be filled out by me and her teacher. We are now taking the first step to trying to determine the issue. I am not afraid. I do not want my child to"slip through the cracks" in school because no one cares. We will conquer this and let no one step in my way.




So sorry to those of you who are regular readers of my blog. I am sure you have noticed that I have MIA for a week or so and I feel terribly for that. I have started so many posts and have not been able to finish them. I have had so much on my plate recently that even escaping to blog is not an option. Please bear with me and I will be back to normal soon. I love you guys.

Writer's Workshop- School Days

Top ten reasons why you’re glad you’re done with school.

Drama. The social drama of dealing with who's popular, who's not. Is your friend going to be your friend today. Or with they make you a social outcast again. I really, really detest drama.

Facebook. I am so glad they didn't have this when I was in school. Refer to the first reason and it goes hand in hand. I enjoyed being able to go home and get away from all that. Now, you're expected to have a page and have 500+ friends.

Clothing styles. I know that they say all styles rotate through generations, but they can keep the skinny jeans. They make girls like me look like a pear. I would have to opt for shorts and freeze my butt off during the winter.

Digital cameras. Growing up in the 80's we lived with film cameras and it was fun to have your photo taken and the film developed. You never knew if you weren't in some ones photos, because it wasn't digital.

Cursive writing. Many schools are not teaching this anymore. I can't wait to see the future generations signatures.

Texting and cell phones. What happened to passing notes in class and the adrenaline rush of not getting caught.? Those were the days.

Music and arts classes. School funding is in the toilet and has depleted the amount of creative arts classes from elementary school all the way through high school. One of the reasons I have my daughter enrolled in dance classes and taking art camps in the summer. Where are my ta dollars going??

Dating. It isn't the same anymore. Boyfriends breaking up with you via Facebook or texting. Where is the dignity?

I can't think of 2 more. Some things haven't changed since I went to school. So using some of the reasons wouldn't make sense for me. I pretty much focused on how different things are now to as they were over 20 years ago for me. I would never want to repeat school and go back and have to do it over now. Most of my information is derived from my own daughter going to school and my niece and nephew who are 12 and 16. You hear the horror stories about school life and the trials they have been through. It's no walk in the park, whenever and wherever you go.

Little Miss Citizenship

It's the last week of school for Miss K and she will no longer be a second grader. This year has had it's highs and lows, struggles with behavior ( my little girl loves to talk) but it has been well worth the ride with her amazing teacher. Last year's trials with her first grade teacher resulting in many visits to the principal paid off. My little girl was placed in a much better class with an awesome teacher who took the time to figure out what it took to keep Miss K on task.

With positive reinforcement for this last nine weeks, improving her behavior to almost perfect and being a model student Miss K was awarded the Citizenship Award today at the Second Grade Awards Assembly!!

I am so proud of my little girl! She finally figured out what it takes to be a great student and person at school. She didn't even expect this award which made it so more deserving.

PYHO: 2nd Grade Blues

Up until this school year I have always thought my seven year old, Miss K was a intelligent child. At six months she starting talking, at nine months she crawled, at ten months she walked and at two years old she sang the Pledge of Allegiance.
Learning the basics for entering school came to her so easily and upon entering Kindergarten I was not nervous about her ability to learn. We had our struggles with her social behavior because she likes to talk. Other than that he classwork was average for a five year old.
First grade was another struggle with her inability to stop talking to friends but her classwork was a breeze. Her handwriting skills were above the rest of the kids in her class and she was in the highest reading level.
But this year has been a struggle. It's not just the homework that she is having difficulty with she is also having a hard time taking tests. Miss K can read a 40 page book quite well but if you ask her the point of the story. Blank stare. We have tried breaking down the story into sections and she still has a hard time with that. Reviewing the story several times still doesn't help much and when she has to answer a question about the book she looks to my husband or myself to give her the answer. She won't try.
I try not to get frustrated with her but when reading books turns her to tears it breaks my heart. I don't know how to help her. We have requested easier books to see if we can step back a little and find what works for her. We skipped doing the reading homework this evening since we spent four, yes four hours working on it last night.
We tackled math which is another subject she is currently struggling in. I'm not sure what these teachers are teaching her or if she is even listening. I have questioned the possibility of ADD to her pediatrician and he turns a blind eye. He feels it's her age that is causing her to be unable to pay attention and focus in class.
We are having a parent/teacher conference this Friday. I'm hoping together we can find the problem with Miss K and find what works for her. Maybe her way of learning is different and we have to find it. I'm hoping to find answers.