Going Back To School

[matika]

Hi all.

Well I think the title says it all. After over a year of homeschooling, I have found it lately more and more difficult to homeschool 2 special needs kids. I could do one just fine, but when I turn around to talk to one, the other one goes gets distracted, and so if I turn back, the other one walks away.

Both Joshua and Rachel have still been going to speech therapy and social group at school twice a week. A couple weeks ago when I went to pick The kids up, I asked Rachel, who looked dissapointed to have to go home. I said "Did you like it" she says "Hmmmm, Yeah!" (to cute, lol), then I commented, "well maybe we will think about bringing you back to school next year", to this she replyed when I was not expecting a response "Hmmm, Sure", I stoped and asked her "Do you want to come to school everyday?" she said "Hmmm, Sure". Now remember my daughter is quite non-verbal, so to this, I was surprise especially in public, at home she talks a lot more, especially lately.

Sooo, I had a meeting last week with the school Special needs director and worker and the speech therapist. I was so glad the speech therapist was there, because she just loves Rachel, she advocated for her and said she needs an aid, and she plants to do all this speech work for her, and work with her teachers, etc, etc, and I belive she will too, I was just in chock, so the special ed just sort of back off and pretty much nodded yeah lol, he is a nice person, but to hear this coming from one of his workers seemed more real then If I would of said, Rachel needs an aid, and have to work the guts to do this. Well, I have two IEP's meetings on Wednesday, so please keep me in your prayers. Taking them back to school just makes me so nervous, and at the same time I feel like I am letting them down, but, I also feel I let my kids down when I see the look in their eyes, especially in my son, when he tells me he has no friends and his eyes get all teary it is quite sad. So at least this way I feel I get a break, that I need desperately, I am getting so down depressed at life as it is with no break whatsoever, and, I can still be home and help them with homework, sooo, anyways. .... Call this venting, crying on a sholder, failure, life,, I just needed to share, sorry I haven't been much support lately, perhaps things will look up for me and I will see a new prespective in life, or, I will get a job.

matika

[Mother's Heart]

wow, you're so brave. I'm not so. This is a big step, just like deciding to homeschool them was. You probably have done better than you know. It says something that you are listening to her ( how Cool is THAT? to be able to listen to her? ) and choosing what path seems to be what SHE needs right now.

When I first started reading I assumed you were going to send just her back and keep your son at home. Both are going back?

i have one at home and one in school. Works for us....I could never do two special needs at home. There's just not enough of me to go round.

Sounds like you're already lining up the school to do well with her.
Praying for the best out of school for her and the best IEP mtgs you can have this week!
cj
\o/

[milivica]

((((((((((Matika))))))))))

I marvel at all home schooling moms, and you started with 2 kids at once, that's amazing.

So now they are going back to school, and you'll have to see how that goes before you decide it's not good for them. Okay? Does your school allow you to volunteer in your child's classroom? Might help ease you and the kids into the new schedule if you could.

If I were closer, I'd cheer you up by taking you to the Oregon Aquarium out there and also buy you some caramel coffee with whip cream.

[matika]

Aw thanks Mili hehe.

Mother's Heart.. Yes I am putting both of them back to school. I can't see leaving one at home, the one that would do best going to school is Rachel, and she is so happy there. Joshua, well if I just keep him at home, he would be even more lonely and I know he would resent his sister. However, if things go really bad for him at school, I will have to take him out and homeschool him only, but I just can't do both of them, my sanity can't do it, and I find my self avoiding it lately more and more just because I can't handle it, see me been in the spectrum gets to me too, so anyways.

Mili,, I take the Aquarium trip any day girl,, and what the heck, give me the coffee too, just skip the Caramel and whip topping lol, better in your hips then mine hehehe!!!

matika

[tgrimes]

Matika -
I feel for you. It's a tough decision. I tried to bring Theo back this year and it didn't work out. So we reduced him to a one hour day and that was too much ... and the HOMEWORK for one day was about what he's capable of in a week. So we reduced it to just art once a week and he even had anxiety over that and ran out of class. So he can visit his brother for lunch once in a while and that's about it.
His younger brother went back to school, and loves it. He wanted to be homeschooled last year because I was already home with Theo and he didn't like his teacher, so I let him. He was pretty bored, though, because I do not have a real high functioning 'school' here. When we didn't feel like school we went fishing or whatever was more fun than worksheets. I don't think we were social enough for him either!
My oldest was home last year too, because of some anger problems that seemed to be coming from the stress of school. He's over it now, and seems to love high school, mostly because he got to choose three electives.
So for my other two, I think homeschool taught them it's better to deal with your stress or a teacher you don't like in order to get to do many more things.
(But they'll never get weekly field trips again.)
But for Theo, school is still a chronic stressor and he is not ready for it.

[JungleWoman]

I have SOOOOO been in your shoes!! (partly LOL)

I had to make that decision this year too. I was going absolutely INSANE trying to homeschool my older two. I knew I couldnt do anything effective for Aaron on my own, so he went to school. But I felt like I HAD to homeschool the older two to teach them the values I wanted them to have.

It took a while to realize, though, My parents taught me values in spite of public school! And I still hold onto them! I made it!!

Now, we may bring them back after 5th grade, unless we can afford private schools then.

My kids LOVE being with other kids!! Aryeh seems a lot like Joshua-- very sensitive. Aryeh is thriving where she is because she has a social outlet.

I hope things go well for both of your kiddos!!! I know this is hard, but I seriously know how you feel!! (((hugs)))

[matika]

I had IEP reviews for both my kids this week, and now they are set to start school on Monday.
Rachel is not getting an aid like I wanted her to, so that is a minus, however, the suppose to have support available and plans to make it all work out. I hope that she does good, if not, they will very quickly will find out she needs and aid, someone with her ALL the time, not necesarily working with her, but overlooking her work and security. She will be pulled out of class to work in small group settings with supervision 21-60 percent of the time, so i feel ok abou that,, speech will be implemented through out the day, and the speech therapist is going to be working with her a lot more then just regular therapy sessions, that I am very glad to see. As of now she does not have an issue with having several people work with her, so she won't be attached to just one.
Joshua will not have an aid, he will be dealt by the teacher and if needed pulled out to spec ed class to let him work it out, he gets so frustrated, I am just gonna have to be open to be on call at first all the time just until I feel comfortable about things. After that, I might look for a job, even if it affects the SSI we get, I just feel I will need something. Thinking about puting in at the health clinic in town, right now they are not hiring, but I hear they will be open for that soon, so who knows, their insurance is great I hear, so that would be nice to have, since I have none right now and neither does my husband.
Ok, well I will let you all know how things go after Monday, please keep us all in prayers, my kids and I, as I am getting down on this, I have had my kids all the time with me and this will be quite the change.

matika

[Lara]

Will be thinking of you all!
It'll be a big day for them and for you. Keep us posted.