...... but he flunked. God has yet to make things easier for Son #2. No matter how hard I pray. And, it seems, no matter how hard other people pray. On a positive note, the biology teacher knows that he knows more than he can seem to put on paper. His tutor says that he knows 80-85%. So his teacher is going to keep him after school tomorrow and give him some of the questions orally. And she's going to try to get some info on tips to teach him because the boy cannot test well. So I ask the people in my school district (in the "before" Jim would know who to turn to) -- what can be done with a 15 year old who cannot test? I do NOT want him classified as special ed just because he's an oral learner. But is that my only option? To make him feel singled out and labeled? I wish God would just mess around with my life and allow Son #2 to have one stinking positive semester. (I said I was letting go of the anger about Jim's death, not about Son #2).
In other news, there is no news. Someone needs to threaten legal action to get this guy to read the films that HE insisted (when he told me Jim died) needed to be done A.S.A.P. He indicated this was a life & death issue. He's causing me stress.
And in yet other news, Jim's mom is doing very well. She was moved to a private room today and sounded great on the phone (to her Son #2). So that is wonderful and a relief. As her Son #2 says, "It's about time something went right."
Yes. It. Is.
11 comments:
Janine,
School law allows for students to have modifications, even if they are not "labeled" for exceptional student education. Check with the school. We call them 504 plans in Florida. Parents, teachers and the counselor fill out the form to request extended time for testing, preferencial seating (sit by the teacher, sit up by the board, etc.) or questions read aloud, take-home exams, frequent breaks...you get the picture. Your son is protected by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
A phone call to the principal might be all you need to get that documentation. Wish I knew someone in your neck of the woods who I could call for you.
Gail
Good evening my darling daughter. I am so very sorry that P failed his test. I'm hoping that the oral exam will do the trick. I know there must be an answer out there somewhere for him. He's not the first to have this problem.
I'm glad Jim's mom is doing so well. Give her my love.
I'm watching "Smokey & the Bandit and thinking of my kids. I sure do miss you all. I hated leaving you the other night. This really stinks. One of these days.....
Take care of yourself, Janine. You are loved beyond measure, as are your precious kids. I will talk to you soon.
As I sit here with tears streaming down my face - all I can think to say is - I care!
My love, Malinn
In my 2 years as a Special Education major, I did learn about 504 plans. Someone should call the school up to ask about it.
It's for the kids that struggle, but don't qualify for special education, and it allows for modifications in the classroom, in testing, etc.
It's worth a shot.
Love and miss you.
I-YIE-YIE!!!
If it's any comfort, I am not, nor ever have been, a TEST taker. Cannot do it. I even failed my first drivers test here in Alaska!! LOL!!
I seem to want to make things harder than they are when taking a test on paper. I have to literally sit down with flash cards, paper, whatever, with everything quiet around me just to TRY to study!! Unlike your lovely lil' bro and his oldest daughter...they just "look" at something and can pass a test on it~! UGH! thhhrrppppp!!!!!:P
Hang in there. P is a VERY smart and intelligent boy. I love him to pieces!! He may not be able to take a test dang it, but he will be such a success...he is kind and has a loving heart! And THAT is what some "SMARTER than SMART" people don't even have! You'll get through this!
(P.S. we got the pantry doors fixed, but now...nobody shuts them because they are used to them never shutting!!) sigh.
Love you
K in AK
yup, 504 plan is fairly easy to get. I will discuss this with Sarah when I talk to her tomorrow and ask her who we should speak to at the HS level- incase you want to explore this.
Love, K
Hey sis! I was thinking about son #2, and singled out and labeled? Is he not already there? He is an amazing young man. He is handsome, the girls flock to him and he plays a musical instrument. I would never think of him as specail ed just because he is an oral learner. The boy is a unique individual as are all of your wonderful children. You and Jim have done such a wonderful job with all six of your kids and they will all make thier marks in life. I saw such a different son#2 when I was there and I was impressed with him. So take that for what ever that is worth, I am the "different" one of the family (lol) what do I know???? Anyway...as for the Dr. I do know of a possee/lynch mob...ASAP to a Dr is as soon as i am good and ready to do it. You just can't read the writing and it looks like ASAP but its ASAIAGARTDI. Yeah, I know not so funny but I was willing to try! I love ya sis and as you know, wish there was something I could do or say to take this all away, my heart hurts for you, I miss you so much. I hope your day ia a bit brighter than yesterday. Let's go for Pink, shall we? We need some sun! I love you!!!!!
I fell in love with son #2 when he came to church and helped file Christmas music with my daughter K and friend. He really got down to business and understood my instructions completely, unlike K and friend. In fact he ended up doing most of the organizing and filing! I was so impressed with him.. so reading all of this really breaks my heart. I discovered that K is mildly dyslexic, MILDLY meaning that she couldn't be officially diagnosed. She had difficulty taking a test, but excelled orally when tested. They made some modifications by allowing extra time to test which made a huge difference. Mind you this was in Kentucky, but I believe they have something similar here. After K was tested she seemed to be relieved to find out that there was a reason and documentation to show why she tested so poorly. It boosted her self-esteem and confidence. Go figure. Whenever I get a chance, I highly recommend testing. I've always thought that "failing" is worse than "labelling". May God give you wisdom as you make some tought decisions.
Love and Prayers, Marilyn
Janine,
I had this brought to my attention last year by our school counselor, and I am not certain if this will apply to son #2--but who knows--
The condition is written in a letter to Dear Abby from a mom who found out what was causing her daughter to have learning problems.
I pray that it will help. I can tell from the responses that have been displayed that all of us who are in education--know that Son #2 has the right to a free and appropriate education. The modifications that you mentioned are not unusual--and if he is successful--that is what everyone wants for the students.
If I can help--please call. This is a sincere offer--this is what I do. I work with students--like Son#2. I also have a friend that is awesome with kids like him as well..
I am going to post the letter from Dear Abby...Plese let me know--you can see the symptoms described by the mom and then in the response from Abby--she contacted the Mayo Clinic to get more information.
Janine, most of all--Son #2 wants to succeed. They act like they don't care--but they do. I always think of all the "failures" of Edison while inventing the light bulb--he always saw each "failure" as something new he learned.
Love,
Marlene
uclick network: my comics page - ucomics - uexpress - the puzzle society
jump to Columns ---- Lifestyle ---- Dear Abby Consejos Cookbook Nook Creating Spaces Double Duty Dinners Focus on the Family Kids Talk About God Last Word in Astrology Mr. Handyperson News of the Weird On Computers On Ethics Pet Connection Scott Burns 7-Day Menu Planner Smart Moves Supermarket Sampler Tell Me A Story ---- Opinions ---- Ann Coulter As I See It William F. Buckley Jr. Column of the Americas Maggie Gallagher Georgie Anne Geyer James J. Kilpatrick John Leo Ted Rall Richard Reeves David Shribman Woman to Woman
To: mfrazier3@yahoo.com
From: marlene
Subject: UComics Postcard
Message:
Dear Abby More Dear Abby
DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL WOES ARE CAUSED BY DISORDER OF SIGHT
DEAR ABBY: Please help me get the word out about a common condition that severely affects children's ability to succeed in school because it inhibits reading, spelling and concentration.
My daughter, who was obviously bright, tested at first-grade reading level in fifth grade. She had undergone all the school testing for learning disabilities, plus two days of testing at a respected university hospital. None of these tests or specialists revealed what could be wrong with her.
My child's self-esteem suffered. Her confidence faltered; she began acting out in school. At home she was a great kid, until it came time for schoolwork. Then the battles began. She thought she was dumb. When studying, she could read for only a very short time. She often begged me to read things to her. When working on spelling and assigned to rewrite the words she missed five times, she often recopied them wrong. We thought she just wasn't trying.
After much research on the Internet, I came across a disorder called "convergence insufficiency disorder." This visual condition is the leading cause of eyestrain. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to have her tested at the Mayo Clinic, where her condition was confirmed, and she was successfully treated with vision therapy.
It was as though a miracle had occurred. After six months of treatment, my daughter is almost at her age-appropriate reading level. Her comprehension and retention have markedly increased, and her self-esteem and attitude about reading are much better.
Children with this condition will not benefit from tutoring, special education or extra help from teachers until the condition is diagnosed and treated. My child had 20/20 vision and still had this disorder. It's not routinely checked with eye exams, and schools don't test for it.
I suspect that many children out there are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and going untreated. The treatment for convergence insufficiency disorder is noninvasive, effective, and much of it can be done at home. Please help me get the word out so other families won't have to go through what we experienced. -- ANGIE W. IN MINNESOTA
DEAR ANGIE: I am pleased to help you get the word out to other families whose children are struggling to learn. After reading your letter, I contacted my experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and was informed that this problem, where the eyes drift too much inward (or outward) in attempting to focus, can also be present in adults.
The symptoms can include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, sleepiness and trouble retaining information when reading. Other symptoms associated with convergence insufficiency include a "pulling" sensation around the eyes, the rubbing or closing of one eye when reading, words seeming to "jump" or "float" across the page, needing to reread the same line of words, frequent loss of place, general inability to concentrate and short attention span.
The good news is: Vision exercises can fix the problem in most cases, some done at home and some performed in-office with a vision therapist. Prism glasses are another option; however, they are more often prescribed for adults with this disorder than for children.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in "What Every Teen Should Know." To order, send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $6 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included in the price.)
COPYRIGHT 2007 UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
HOME
about uexpress - about uclick - FAQ - submission guidelines
privacy policy - advertising info - copyrights - terms of use - contact us
©2003 uclick, LLC
There are some great suggestions on here so far. I was just thinking about how our education system is almost exclusively focused on math, reading, science. The kids who can excel in one or more of those areas do well - in school. Grades don't always match success in the real world. What if we had a society that happened to focus on music and art as much as it did the RRRs? (reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic) P would be considered a genius! How many people in their REAL jobs actually use algebra? I mean, seriously?! Even myself who has "almost" a PhD in biology has hardly ever used more than a modicum of algebra (stats, logic, basic math etc yes, algebra no). The kinds of jobs where he would use the skill are not the ones that he is going to end up in (most likely). That thinking doesn't alleviate the issue at hand right now, but it's just a different way to think about it. I think in some ways the most important issue is that he does not feel insecure or a lack of confidence due to the grades, but that he gets in the core of his being that God made him the way he made him for a Purpose. Sure there are still some things P or kids like P can learn like focus, determination, time management etc but from what I know he is not lacking in being a whole and happy and genuine and incredibly cool kid! (even if he does eat his watch) ;)
Looks like you have gotten a lot of wisdom sharing going on. It is so hard to know what to do with our kids and wanting so desperately for them to succeed. I took my little Griffin (adopted from Russia) age 6 to the Dr. and had him tested for ADHD. The Dr. did an eeg on him and the brain activity confirmed he does have ADHD so we will begin medication. Although I understand he might still have a learning disability it is just so hard to decipher everything that is going on. I know I have asked and prayed for wisdom in our situation and I will ask God for the same for you. So sorry the Dr. seems to be taking his sweet time with getting you the answers you need. Thanks for your daily entries. You and your children are in my prayers daily.
Love,
Julie
Post a Comment