Friday, August 17, 2012

And so it begins...

So we came back from our quick trip, which you totally know I'm going to post on, but right now we're looking down the barrel of the gun called SCHOOL.

We had our annual IEP/meet the new teacher meeting a day or so ago and I'm nervously optimistic.  Every year, our school does this big thing where you gate rush the main doors of the school at 4:30PM.  That's when they post the student/teacher list for the year.  Right after that, everyone goes into school and spends time meeting the teacher, sorting through their school supplies and generally getting to know everyone.

This has always been a mess for Alex.  Let me rephrase that, it's what I call:  A Cluster-fuck of Epic Proportions.

To go into school with every single student, with parents and siblings in tow, is meltdown producing.  To go late in the afternoon is mind blowing.  And to not know what's going?  It makes him sick to his stomach.  Add all the excitement, the bustle, the noise and pushing and shoving and its all too much.  

Our school works very closely with us and for that I am grateful.  I know the teachers took out time from their day to help us, to help Alex.  To those teachers that are like mine--thank you.

We no longer do the massive meet and greet at 4:30PM.  We have a separate meeting a few days before.  I take Alex in to school and he gets to spend about 1/2 hour or so with his new teacher.  They sort out school supplies and they figure out where things go.  He gets to see his desk, where he's sitting and what the classroom looks like.  He finds his cubby, puts his supplies away and this is a big one---he gets to see the classroom schedule.

We just had our meeting for this upcoming year.

His teacher went over some of what they are going to learn this year and you could literally see him take it all in.  "Mom, we're going to learn cursive!  We're going to learn how to write in cursive!  Quick mom, where's my pencil?"

It was quiet.  It was calm.  He was nervous and he stimmed.  He sized up his new teacher and they nervously chatted.  He met his other teachers as well---he has three new teachers this year, so for us, this year is already one of tremendous change.

The first day of school was yesterday.
So far, so good.

He did so well meeting his teachers.  So incredibly well.  Sure, he stimmed and he was anxious and nervous beyond belief but he was also excited.

Excited.

And I'm hanging on to that excitement.  I have a feeling it will wear off sooner than we all expect and we'll be dealing with sensory overload and meltdowns but for right now I'm excited with him too.

Wish us luck.

31 comments:

  1. Good luck, Lady!:-) Does your school do the cluster program too? Or why so many teachers? ~Cassie

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    1. It's a total cluster, I'm glad we missed it. And thanks!

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  2. What a great start. Kudos to the school for taking the extra time to spend with your boy. It really is great that they didn't lump him in with all that heaving mess of kids, noise and pandemonium.
    Lets hope that he really has a good term. x

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  3. I so get this. Hope the excitement continues a while longer!!

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  4. Good luck!!! The regular meet and great sounds awful. Yikes. That's much better that they let him come in and see everything one on one.

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  5. Gah! This post (and your updates on FB) make me want to cry with joy... big, happy, wine-laden, tears! I'm both jealous and thrilled that Alex has such a fantastic teacher. Hooray!

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    1. I am too! He almost puked from nerves this morning so I'm hoping it will calm down for him...

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  6. He's excited for cursive writing?! Look out woman! That means he's ready to forge some absence notes or excuses for PE - no wait! That was me....back in the day!

    I knew you were too smart to let him go through the flash mob meet and greet! That would suck.

    Cute picture. Why is the grass so dead? Do they not water there?! Hoping Alex has the best school year ever!

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    1. It's a total flash mom!!! And we had to go to that same mob for Lizzy. The grass is dead everywhere here!!! Extreme drought. :( We're to the point where we're cutting our losses and watering the shrubs/trees and foundation...its really bad here.

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  7. I wish my son's school did that. Students at our school don't find out whe their teachers are until the first day. But we find out at the end of the previous year. A lot of teachers left our school this summer, but Jacob's new teacher has been there for years, and his EAs are still the same. I'm glad things went well during your mee the teacher event. And I hope you guys have a good start to school.

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  8. I love that they make special accommodations for him. It really sets the tone for the school year when he has the opportunity to being in a calm, relaxing manner, instead of a crowded frenzy.

    It's going to be a great year!

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  9. I like the sound of all of this. Keeping my fingers crossed that it continues down the right path!

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  10. Oh you had me worried there! What with the LOTR reference and the hanging sentence, I was expecting a battle of epic proportions! So glad that I was wrong xx

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  11. What a fabulous feeling!! It's like the total opposite of puking.

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    1. Total opposite although he did say he wanted to puke this morning....

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  12. So glad you guys had a great start to school! I thought they were doing away with teaching cursive. I don't know where I heard that. I really loved learning cursive when I was in school. The Boy not so much.

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  13. Best wishes for a good school year. We started earlier this week. It's going to be a challenge -- but our guy is growing and wants to be with his peers. Fingers crossed!

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  14. Those backpacks are huge. But I remember carrying piles of books in my arms.

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  15. How cute do they look on their first day of school. Hopefully this wonderful start will carry over way into the year! Thinking of you and hoping for the best for Alex!
    Hugs...

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  16. Well cursive writing is pretty epic! So glad you have some joy to harness!

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  17. I am so excited for you guys!! Glad it went well, and I am super happy he is actually excited!

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  18. I think it is so wonderful that his school works so well with you. I'm happy they are still teaching cursive. My students tell me I write "fancy" because they don't know how to write cursive. I hope you all have a fantastic school year!

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  19. Cursive might actually be easier for your son, which would be so cool. Maybe the routine of going to school, even if each year is a little different, is helpful to Alex. I am glad that the intro went well, and I hope that the excitement continues!

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    1. You know, his OT was saying that. I think the key is going to be in finding the right pencil. I'll let you know...

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