Grinding Away

Jake actually went to school part of the day today...

oh and just a note to anyone who ever goes on vacation... do NOT open the mail the minute you get home, because at 11 pm there is absolutely nothing you can do about the erroneous letter that states your disabled and institutionally-deemed child has been dropped from Medi-Cal, and the charge that someone fraudulently made on your MasterCard in Australia buying flowers, which you had already had reversed, has been put back onto your card because they do not have all of the proper paperwork. You can however pay your bills online if you must....or , like I did, you can marvel that after a crazy spending-spree kind of summer there is still money in the bank, and auto-pay is working just fine..

okay back to Jake going to school.. new aide in the class, same aide for Jake, same great teacher....and FOUR new kids.. making a total of 14 kids. Jake is the only one with a 1:1. I walked in and it looks like daycare. The new kids.. not a good match for the classroom. and one of them definitely needs a 1:1 if he is going to stay. I am very sad. If they add another aide Janet might be able to make it work. She is a great teacher and is very calm and has things under control... but if she doesn't? Well, I have seen it before that Jake's 1:1 suddenly becomes a little bit more like 1:2 or 1:1.5 because what is the aide going to do, not help? We fought hard to get him a 1:1 and he really needs it. think this year is critical for his development, and with 14 kids in the classroom I do not think he will a)feel comfortable and b)get the attention he needs. He is capable of academics, and if the class shifts more towards life skills (which he also needs, don;t get me wrong, I know my kid is delayed.. not in denial no need to "sit me down").. anywhoo if it is shifted to an all life-skills class I will be very disappointed. I am going to talk with the principal tomorrow and ask about getting the classroom another aide. The class list on the wall outside of the office lists 10 kids.. so they dropped those four new kids on Monday morning. Kudos to Jake's teacher for being able to figure out on the spot how to organize them into work groups for the activity centers.
okay must make dinner for starving Hawaii time children... just put them in the hose in the back yard. this 90+ degree weather is killing me.