How in the world has it been two years since I have even had an inkling of wanting to post our lives out there?
So much has changed and transpired.
The good part is that Mikey is still playing football and loving it. The bad part is that we are still struggleing with the acedemic side of life. The CVU graduation challenge requirement will be a fight for Mikey and for me. I don't agree with the fact that CVU has this requirement for all seniors, nor do I agree that a kid who has struggled all his acedemic career has to add another element to his plate his senior year. I don't agree that any CVU senior should be penalized for not meeting this requirement. CVU is the only high school in the state with this outrageous requirement. I would much rather have my child concentrate on the classes that are required of him to graduate, versus doing some public speaking and community service.
Obviously this is my opinion and my feeling, but if I have to, it will be known to the school.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
October 24, 2007
It's been a bit since I posted, so thought it was time to do an update.
Interim grades came out a week ago. I got nothing in writing from the school as Mikey is apparently on "obligations" for a library book he took out last year as a freshman. I only got his grades because I can see them on line. So he has a B, 2 C's, a D, and an F. What strikes me as funny is that his D and F are in the two classes that I was told he was doing the best in. I guess it's time to call another IEP meeting and see what is going on. Sara has been in touch with me, but it's time for me to get back in touch with her and make sure the 1st quarter ends on as good a note as is possible.
Sports plays a big factor in Mikey's motivation. He already sat out his two games at the beginning of football season, as his "punishment" for bad grades from his Freshman year. He didn't try out for basketball last year, knowing that he would have to sit out the first two games because of his grades. He is waffleing this year about trying out for basketball again. I hope he does, but I can't force him to. He has lost 30 pounds since this time last year. I hope he tries out so that he doesn't just come home after school and sit around with the damn playstation.
Time for me to e-mail Sara and get the ball rolling again in a positive direction.
Interim grades came out a week ago. I got nothing in writing from the school as Mikey is apparently on "obligations" for a library book he took out last year as a freshman. I only got his grades because I can see them on line. So he has a B, 2 C's, a D, and an F. What strikes me as funny is that his D and F are in the two classes that I was told he was doing the best in. I guess it's time to call another IEP meeting and see what is going on. Sara has been in touch with me, but it's time for me to get back in touch with her and make sure the 1st quarter ends on as good a note as is possible.
Sports plays a big factor in Mikey's motivation. He already sat out his two games at the beginning of football season, as his "punishment" for bad grades from his Freshman year. He didn't try out for basketball last year, knowing that he would have to sit out the first two games because of his grades. He is waffleing this year about trying out for basketball again. I hope he does, but I can't force him to. He has lost 30 pounds since this time last year. I hope he tries out so that he doesn't just come home after school and sit around with the damn playstation.
Time for me to e-mail Sara and get the ball rolling again in a positive direction.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
09-25-07
Well the meeting set up for 09-19-07 was a complete bust, and believe me, I have to hear about it from Mike, who was none too happy. Mike took time off from work to attend, only to have to deal with house director, Connie Metz, saying that no one followed the rules of the cut/appeal process. Rick Imes never showed up for the meeting, I'm guessing he was never informed. Mikey had sent him an e-mail apology on the 18th after our meeting, in which Rick responded to very positively, and I thank him for that.
The cut/appeal meeting was rescheduled for today, again, Mike took time off from work only to be in the meeting for maybe 90 seconds. Everything had already been resolved between Mr. Imes, the teacher, and Mikey, the student. Since I wasn't there, I can only report on what was said to me. According to Mike, dad in this case, the house director is all about her power and nothng else. We had a run in with her with Krissa four years ago. I seriously believe she does not see that our 3 kids are completely different from each other. Kelsey avoids her like the plague, and I don't blame her one bit. It's probably a good thing I wasn't there, as I may have gone off on her.
According to Mikey, the accused, he had already resolved the issue with his teacher before the meeting. In my opinion, it all boils down to the teacher/student relationship. It seemed to have resolved itself before the official meeting. It's too bad that no one ever recognized it
Hopefully this is just a bump in the road and we all can move on from here.
Mikey does seem to be doing more homework at home, which is a good thing.
Charging on!
The cut/appeal meeting was rescheduled for today, again, Mike took time off from work only to be in the meeting for maybe 90 seconds. Everything had already been resolved between Mr. Imes, the teacher, and Mikey, the student. Since I wasn't there, I can only report on what was said to me. According to Mike, dad in this case, the house director is all about her power and nothng else. We had a run in with her with Krissa four years ago. I seriously believe she does not see that our 3 kids are completely different from each other. Kelsey avoids her like the plague, and I don't blame her one bit. It's probably a good thing I wasn't there, as I may have gone off on her.
According to Mikey, the accused, he had already resolved the issue with his teacher before the meeting. In my opinion, it all boils down to the teacher/student relationship. It seemed to have resolved itself before the official meeting. It's too bad that no one ever recognized it
Hopefully this is just a bump in the road and we all can move on from here.
Mikey does seem to be doing more homework at home, which is a good thing.
Charging on!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Proud Mommy
I have to be the proud Mom here and say that Mikey, who is a sophmore, started his first VARSITY football game on Saturday! I have told him how proud I am of him, but he (of course!) blows it off saying I am the over protective Mom!
I can also be proud that last year his football weight was 258 lbs, and this year he is listed at 227 lbs. I know that he is proud of this accomplishment too.
Kids, gotta roll with them and support them any way we can!
I can also be proud that last year his football weight was 258 lbs, and this year he is listed at 227 lbs. I know that he is proud of this accomplishment too.
Kids, gotta roll with them and support them any way we can!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
September 18, 2007
Well, 6 days later, I'm adding my second entry, and it's long.
Today we had our first official IEP meeting for Mikey. We met at 7:30 am in the Nichols House conference room. My ex-husband, Mike, and I attended, along with these teachers:
First to the meeting was Chrissie Burg - History
She is new to CVU and is co-teaching with Sue Frederick - English.
She is very energetic, had good things to say about Mikey. She said that Mikey used Jr or the Second or the Third on one of his papers. I confronted her, saying that he has never done that before and isn't any of the above. Mikey believes she may be confusing him with Ben Brownell. She has asked that he types his assignments, as she doesn't want him to lose points because she can't read what he writes. We have heard this before and it is a legitimate request. Mikey seems to like her and she reminds him of Deb Taylor, his 5th through 8th grade teacher who stood up for him.
Sue Frederick - English
Says Mikey is not as much of a class clown as was the first couple days of school. Says he has participated well in class, she took notes, seemed very interested and says she will try to include the "planner" language in her classroom and try to relate it to football. Mikey seems fairly comfortable with Sue, although it may take a bit longer for him to be won over by her. A few good interactions will seal the deal.
Rick Imes - Human Bio
Houston , we have a problem. First off the bat, we are confronted with Mikey "cutting" class last Friday with an excuse that he had a Physical Therapy appointment. Mikey is not in PT of any kind. Mikey apparently produced a bogus note with an illegible signature that allowed him to leave class with his teacher fearing he would be late for an appointment. According to Mikey, he did attend class, did his assignment, and then produced the bogus note. I'm not sure how this is considered "cutting" class, as he did attend and do the work, but that is not the issue. The issue is that Mikey was not correct in his action or decision and he will have to confront that tomorrow at his meeting with all involved and Connie Metz, the Nichols House Director. I will not be attending. I am leaving this to Mike and Mikey to attend. I got the impression today that Mr. Imes had no clue that there was an IEP in place, he asked many questions of Sara regarding the goals in the written material provided by her. He did take notes and highlighted his copy of what Sara provided. According to Mikey, he teaches for a short amount of time during class and leaves the rest of the time to complete whatever assignment is given. In my opinion, Mikey is not comfortable around Mr. Imes, and this may turn out to be confrontational in the future. I am pretty timid and stand off-ish, I don't usually look people in the eye and have been told that on many occasion, so I am going to have to excuse Mr. Imes for not being able to look either Mike or I in the eye when speaking. This bothers Mike, and Mikey, more than myself.
Steve Carey - Advisor - former English teacher
According to Steve, he sees improvement from last year already. He seems to be happy with what Mikey is doing. According to Mikey, Steve spoke to Mikey after the meeting this morning and was positive with his comments to Mikey. Mikey likes and is comfortable with Mr. Carey. I'm sad that Krissa (Mikey's oldest sister) didn't get the Steve Carey experience her Freshman year, it would have benefited her greatly!
Sara Crum - Case Worker - Skill Building
Wow, I can not say enough good things about Sara, she was succint, had hand outs for everyone and went though it point by point. She seems to know Mikey so well, she knows his tactics. She doesn't let him get away with all the things he has gotten away with in the past. She seems to be able to deal with Mikey on his level and doesn't let him "slide" or "con" her. Where has this person been the past 11 years! He still needs to concentrate on the planner, although, Sara is right, he does keep alot in his head. He needs to be told that he needs to attend Skill Building even if he has no homework to complete. This needs to be followed through on. Mikey is very comfortable with Sara and I get the impression that she cares about him not only as a student but as a person. I do wish she had come along sooner in this journey...........
My own generalizations and information for all involved with Mikey:
Mikey and Ben Brownell are very close friends, they may need to be separated at some point in time as they will cover for each other.
It's taken 11 school years for an IEP to be in place. My frustration level is higher than Mikey's and Mike's. We need to stay on top of this and I am always available by phone or e-mail.
Mikey's parents are divorced. We have joint physical and legal custody of all 3 of our children. We talk, we communicate, and we attend meetings and sports events together. If something is said to one parent, it is said to both. We would both like Mikey to be encouraged to pursue any and all interests he has, and that includes trying out for Basketball this year.
My personal observations, questions, and concerns:
Mikey can type without looking at the keyboard, I watched him tonight. He does not hunt and peck and he does make sure his spell check is on.
He wrote his letter of apology/cut/appeal tonight without having the guidelines to go by and he is nervous about it. He knows he made a mistake and is willing to fess up to it.
He also did History homework tonight at home on the computer.
I raised a question in our meeting about when and where Mikey is doing his homework. According to him, he has had plenty of time in class to complete his assignments. This may be why there is nothing in his planner. If it's already done, he doesn't deal with it again.
Where does he sit in his classes? Is he near the front?
Is he still getting notes from Cindy if needed, or does he rely on Sara for that?
Did Chris Hood (math teacher) and Deb Higgins (Personal Fitness) get copies of today's meeting? Do they know about his IEP and what obstacles he faces on a daily basis?
We'll see what tomorrow brings!
Today we had our first official IEP meeting for Mikey. We met at 7:30 am in the Nichols House conference room. My ex-husband, Mike, and I attended, along with these teachers:
First to the meeting was Chrissie Burg - History
She is new to CVU and is co-teaching with Sue Frederick - English.
She is very energetic, had good things to say about Mikey. She said that Mikey used Jr or the Second or the Third on one of his papers. I confronted her, saying that he has never done that before and isn't any of the above. Mikey believes she may be confusing him with Ben Brownell. She has asked that he types his assignments, as she doesn't want him to lose points because she can't read what he writes. We have heard this before and it is a legitimate request. Mikey seems to like her and she reminds him of Deb Taylor, his 5th through 8th grade teacher who stood up for him.
Sue Frederick - English
Says Mikey is not as much of a class clown as was the first couple days of school. Says he has participated well in class, she took notes, seemed very interested and says she will try to include the "planner" language in her classroom and try to relate it to football. Mikey seems fairly comfortable with Sue, although it may take a bit longer for him to be won over by her. A few good interactions will seal the deal.
Rick Imes - Human Bio
Houston , we have a problem. First off the bat, we are confronted with Mikey "cutting" class last Friday with an excuse that he had a Physical Therapy appointment. Mikey is not in PT of any kind. Mikey apparently produced a bogus note with an illegible signature that allowed him to leave class with his teacher fearing he would be late for an appointment. According to Mikey, he did attend class, did his assignment, and then produced the bogus note. I'm not sure how this is considered "cutting" class, as he did attend and do the work, but that is not the issue. The issue is that Mikey was not correct in his action or decision and he will have to confront that tomorrow at his meeting with all involved and Connie Metz, the Nichols House Director. I will not be attending. I am leaving this to Mike and Mikey to attend. I got the impression today that Mr. Imes had no clue that there was an IEP in place, he asked many questions of Sara regarding the goals in the written material provided by her. He did take notes and highlighted his copy of what Sara provided. According to Mikey, he teaches for a short amount of time during class and leaves the rest of the time to complete whatever assignment is given. In my opinion, Mikey is not comfortable around Mr. Imes, and this may turn out to be confrontational in the future. I am pretty timid and stand off-ish, I don't usually look people in the eye and have been told that on many occasion, so I am going to have to excuse Mr. Imes for not being able to look either Mike or I in the eye when speaking. This bothers Mike, and Mikey, more than myself.
Steve Carey - Advisor - former English teacher
According to Steve, he sees improvement from last year already. He seems to be happy with what Mikey is doing. According to Mikey, Steve spoke to Mikey after the meeting this morning and was positive with his comments to Mikey. Mikey likes and is comfortable with Mr. Carey. I'm sad that Krissa (Mikey's oldest sister) didn't get the Steve Carey experience her Freshman year, it would have benefited her greatly!
Sara Crum - Case Worker - Skill Building
Wow, I can not say enough good things about Sara, she was succint, had hand outs for everyone and went though it point by point. She seems to know Mikey so well, she knows his tactics. She doesn't let him get away with all the things he has gotten away with in the past. She seems to be able to deal with Mikey on his level and doesn't let him "slide" or "con" her. Where has this person been the past 11 years! He still needs to concentrate on the planner, although, Sara is right, he does keep alot in his head. He needs to be told that he needs to attend Skill Building even if he has no homework to complete. This needs to be followed through on. Mikey is very comfortable with Sara and I get the impression that she cares about him not only as a student but as a person. I do wish she had come along sooner in this journey...........
My own generalizations and information for all involved with Mikey:
Mikey and Ben Brownell are very close friends, they may need to be separated at some point in time as they will cover for each other.
It's taken 11 school years for an IEP to be in place. My frustration level is higher than Mikey's and Mike's. We need to stay on top of this and I am always available by phone or e-mail.
Mikey's parents are divorced. We have joint physical and legal custody of all 3 of our children. We talk, we communicate, and we attend meetings and sports events together. If something is said to one parent, it is said to both. We would both like Mikey to be encouraged to pursue any and all interests he has, and that includes trying out for Basketball this year.
My personal observations, questions, and concerns:
Mikey can type without looking at the keyboard, I watched him tonight. He does not hunt and peck and he does make sure his spell check is on.
He wrote his letter of apology/cut/appeal tonight without having the guidelines to go by and he is nervous about it. He knows he made a mistake and is willing to fess up to it.
He also did History homework tonight at home on the computer.
I raised a question in our meeting about when and where Mikey is doing his homework. According to him, he has had plenty of time in class to complete his assignments. This may be why there is nothing in his planner. If it's already done, he doesn't deal with it again.
Where does he sit in his classes? Is he near the front?
Is he still getting notes from Cindy if needed, or does he rely on Sara for that?
Did Chris Hood (math teacher) and Deb Higgins (Personal Fitness) get copies of today's meeting? Do they know about his IEP and what obstacles he faces on a daily basis?
We'll see what tomorrow brings!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
09-12-07
Hi there,
Well this is my first blog ever! I have wanted to do this for a while now and I guess the time is just right for me.
My background information is this. I am a single mother of 3. Krissa, my first born is 19, soon to be 20, and out on her own. Kelsey, my second daughter, is 17, and a senior in high school. Mikey, my only boy, is 16, and a sophmore in high school.
The reason for my blog is Mikey. I have fought with the school system for 10 years to try to get them to recognize that my son has a learning disability. Finally. at the end of his freshman year in highschool (Eeeks!), they have agreed with me, and he was diagnosed as having a Written Expression Learning Disability, also known as Dysgraphia, from what I can find on the internet. He now has an IEP in place and hopefully things will go better from here on out. We have our first official IEP meeting next week and I need to be as prepared as I can possibly be.
I am an emotional Mom, so I want to try to project the image of a tough mom, without breaking down. I think I will need to put in writing all that I want to say. Hopefully I can do this without looking like a fool. Any suggestions?
My plan is to use this blog as a diary of sorts, post some pictures when I can figure that part out, and hopefully connect with any other parents out there who are in the same situation as mine.
Other things of interest, I am a rubberstamper, a glass bead maker, and I work full-time. Krissa is in college part time, owns a pug dog, Spencer, and lives with her super cool boyfriend Kory. Kelsey is a band geek (I can call her that because that is what she calls herself!), has a full school schedule with 3 Advanced Placement classes and has a job, along with looking at colleges as far away from home as she can get. Mikey is a sports nut. He plays Football and lives and breathes it during this time of year, so do his parents!
Other than that, things are pretty much normal around this household! Ha Ha!
For now, hugs to all,
Wen
PS I am also an avid Red Sox Fan!!
Well this is my first blog ever! I have wanted to do this for a while now and I guess the time is just right for me.
My background information is this. I am a single mother of 3. Krissa, my first born is 19, soon to be 20, and out on her own. Kelsey, my second daughter, is 17, and a senior in high school. Mikey, my only boy, is 16, and a sophmore in high school.
The reason for my blog is Mikey. I have fought with the school system for 10 years to try to get them to recognize that my son has a learning disability. Finally. at the end of his freshman year in highschool (Eeeks!), they have agreed with me, and he was diagnosed as having a Written Expression Learning Disability, also known as Dysgraphia, from what I can find on the internet. He now has an IEP in place and hopefully things will go better from here on out. We have our first official IEP meeting next week and I need to be as prepared as I can possibly be.
I am an emotional Mom, so I want to try to project the image of a tough mom, without breaking down. I think I will need to put in writing all that I want to say. Hopefully I can do this without looking like a fool. Any suggestions?
My plan is to use this blog as a diary of sorts, post some pictures when I can figure that part out, and hopefully connect with any other parents out there who are in the same situation as mine.
Other things of interest, I am a rubberstamper, a glass bead maker, and I work full-time. Krissa is in college part time, owns a pug dog, Spencer, and lives with her super cool boyfriend Kory. Kelsey is a band geek (I can call her that because that is what she calls herself!), has a full school schedule with 3 Advanced Placement classes and has a job, along with looking at colleges as far away from home as she can get. Mikey is a sports nut. He plays Football and lives and breathes it during this time of year, so do his parents!
Other than that, things are pretty much normal around this household! Ha Ha!
For now, hugs to all,
Wen
PS I am also an avid Red Sox Fan!!
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