Cassidy is off to hero first day of middle school. She was excited and a little nervous.
So happy for her and so very sad too , missing Alec so so so much.
Alec loved, loved ,loved school, but it wasn't always this way.
Alec had home therapists and a vision teacher that came to our home, but when Alec turned 3, that all stopped and he had to go to Project Support a pre-school for special need children. I did not want to send him at all, he was my baby and 3 is so young to go to school, I fought it all the way , but in the end knowing it was the best for Alec won. His therapists recommended that I go to an IEP workshop to help me to push for Alec's needs. In this class they scared me into thinking that I had to fight for everything and the school would try to get away with the bare minimum. So I sat at the meeting being very cautious. When I was told that the teacher was a special needs teacher who is also a teacher of the visually impaired, I thought yeah sure she is. I was on guard.
This teacher was Carol. She was warm and reassuring. But when she told me that I would drop Alec off and leave him with his para ( his one-on-one), and leave, I was not ok with this. I told her that I could not leave Alec and asked if I could just sit in the hallway outside her classroom in case Alec needed me. She told me I could not sit in the hallway, but I could sit down the hall near the office at their meeting tables. What a relief, I know she completely understood how I felt and bent the rules for me.
There was no way I was leaving Alec, and she knew this.
So there I sat every day with coffee and my magazines, I was not going anywhere. It was weeks if not months before I got the courage to leave.
Alec did great with Carol , he loved her, and he loved Kate his one on one helper. But he cried every time I had to leave him. This was so hard, but eventually this subsided and I would go home for a bit. Then after some time, Alec started getting upset at school and needed me and if I wasn't there he would cry and work himself up and throw up. I got there as fast as I could but I was 10 minutes away which was too far for my comfort. This happened a few times, which was too many for me so I told Carol that I could not bring Alec to school anymore, this was not fair to him, I was keeping him home with me. Carol was amazing, she knew Alec needed to be in school because he was delayed and needed his therapies. So she told me to come sit in her classroom at her desk, and when Alec needed me , I would be right there. Alec could not see that far, so he did not know I was there until he needed me. Unless one of his classmates shouted out, Alec's mom is here. This worked out so good for both me and Al. He had me right there when he got upset, and I could see him and know he was ok and comfort him when he needed it. I got to feel like a part of the Big Bird family Classroom, (Carol's class is Big Bird's room.)
That Carol is something so very special, she has a gift and she truly loves her students and is so dedicated to helping them grow and learn , she teaches them all that she possibly can. She and Alec had a special bond, a special love between them.
I begged her to follow Alec to Elementary school because she was so amazing and I was scared of leaving her. But once again , Alec was given another amazing, caring and very special teacher--(Miss Correia ) Mrs. Sterling. ( more on sweet Miss Correia to come)
Turns out, I did not need that IEP prep class, because everyone teaching and caring for Alec always had his best interest at heart. They went out of there way to provide for and help Alec, but I do know that not all schools/teachers are this way. I read a book "Jesse", by Marianne Leone -Cooper, about the loss of her son and whose son had really awful care at school , right here in here in Mass. ( So sad that teachers and therapist could treat a child this way).
We were always so blessed to have the most caring teachers and therapists for Alec.
So happy for her and so very sad too , missing Alec so so so much.
Alec loved, loved ,loved school, but it wasn't always this way.
Alec had home therapists and a vision teacher that came to our home, but when Alec turned 3, that all stopped and he had to go to Project Support a pre-school for special need children. I did not want to send him at all, he was my baby and 3 is so young to go to school, I fought it all the way , but in the end knowing it was the best for Alec won. His therapists recommended that I go to an IEP workshop to help me to push for Alec's needs. In this class they scared me into thinking that I had to fight for everything and the school would try to get away with the bare minimum. So I sat at the meeting being very cautious. When I was told that the teacher was a special needs teacher who is also a teacher of the visually impaired, I thought yeah sure she is. I was on guard.
This teacher was Carol. She was warm and reassuring. But when she told me that I would drop Alec off and leave him with his para ( his one-on-one), and leave, I was not ok with this. I told her that I could not leave Alec and asked if I could just sit in the hallway outside her classroom in case Alec needed me. She told me I could not sit in the hallway, but I could sit down the hall near the office at their meeting tables. What a relief, I know she completely understood how I felt and bent the rules for me.
There was no way I was leaving Alec, and she knew this.
So there I sat every day with coffee and my magazines, I was not going anywhere. It was weeks if not months before I got the courage to leave.
Alec did great with Carol , he loved her, and he loved Kate his one on one helper. But he cried every time I had to leave him. This was so hard, but eventually this subsided and I would go home for a bit. Then after some time, Alec started getting upset at school and needed me and if I wasn't there he would cry and work himself up and throw up. I got there as fast as I could but I was 10 minutes away which was too far for my comfort. This happened a few times, which was too many for me so I told Carol that I could not bring Alec to school anymore, this was not fair to him, I was keeping him home with me. Carol was amazing, she knew Alec needed to be in school because he was delayed and needed his therapies. So she told me to come sit in her classroom at her desk, and when Alec needed me , I would be right there. Alec could not see that far, so he did not know I was there until he needed me. Unless one of his classmates shouted out, Alec's mom is here. This worked out so good for both me and Al. He had me right there when he got upset, and I could see him and know he was ok and comfort him when he needed it. I got to feel like a part of the Big Bird family Classroom, (Carol's class is Big Bird's room.)
That Carol is something so very special, she has a gift and she truly loves her students and is so dedicated to helping them grow and learn , she teaches them all that she possibly can. She and Alec had a special bond, a special love between them.
I begged her to follow Alec to Elementary school because she was so amazing and I was scared of leaving her. But once again , Alec was given another amazing, caring and very special teacher--(Miss Correia ) Mrs. Sterling. ( more on sweet Miss Correia to come)
Turns out, I did not need that IEP prep class, because everyone teaching and caring for Alec always had his best interest at heart. They went out of there way to provide for and help Alec, but I do know that not all schools/teachers are this way. I read a book "Jesse", by Marianne Leone -Cooper, about the loss of her son and whose son had really awful care at school , right here in here in Mass. ( So sad that teachers and therapist could treat a child this way).
We were always so blessed to have the most caring teachers and therapists for Alec.
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