"I Fought The Teacher and I Won!"

At least she won today. Her teacher was out sick most of last week and today was her first day back after nearly catching pneumonia. Let's just say that Raquel didn't take it easy on her. When Eva (her teacher) handed her over to me and I asked her as I do every day how she did, she gave me a look, paused, then said, "Great - as long as she was doing something she wanted to do when she wanted to do it." At that point, Raquel cracked up laughing and I asked her what was so funny. Eva replied: "She's saying, Mom, I fought the teacher and I won!" I really hope Eva had a restful lunch before starting her afternoon class. The aide did tell me that most of the kids seemed a bit out of sorts today - probably because of the weekend off.

I know I haven't posted for awhile and that most of you are assuming (or hoping) that things have been moving right along. They're moving - don't get me wrong - but not really in the direction I had hoped. Raquel continues to be her stubborn self and the teachers/aides continue to struggle with what works and what doesn't.

As a parent, this is one of the hardest positions to be in. Dealing with daily therapy in addition to the weekly ones provided me with a lot of tools I can use to handle Raquel. And now that she's just a number in the district, we're back to square one. No one around her knows the signs of her getting aggitated, or how to effectively redirect her. Last Friday when I picked her up, she was carrying on in the parking lot with the substitute teacher, who was really happy to see me.

By no means am I implying that this is an isolated situation geared towards me personally. This is just how the transition works. You go from dealing with all of these wonderful therapists in your home on a daily (and/or weekly) basis, showing you how to manage challenging situations, and then once your child turns three, you are expected to put them on the bus both directions and hope for the best. It's scary to think of all the information I would not have been privy to if I would have done just that. My personal opinion: the transition needs to take place months before their 3rd birthday so everyone is aware of a child's individual needs, teacher's questions can be answered by those that have worked with her and actually know her best, and that everyone can work together to find the most appropriate class placement. Maybe one day it will work that way.

This is pretty much the last opportunity for my district - and they know this. If this class is the best they have to offer, and we continue to take two steps forward and one step back, I'll need to bite the bullet and start over in another district. I will say that because they know that I am at the end of my rope, they are bending over backwards to make this work. Last week, the principal personally worked with Raquel for about an hour one day, and then when Eva got ill, the principal had the district psychologist come and work with her in the classroom to help the substitutes deal with any behaviors that may have occurred.

Last Friday we were supposed to have an IEP and put together a Behavior Support Plan (BSP), but that was cancelled because the teacher was sick. I'm still waiting for the reschedule date, but am feeling pretty good about it right now. This new panel of people I am fortunately dealing with seem to understand my concerns, and, even seem a bit irritated by how things have been handled thus far. I think that once they get my input for the BSP, things will flow a bit better. I am also planning on having my regular respite worker, Christy, attend class a couple times a week after the Thanksgiving break to show them what works for her when she's taking care of Raquel. I would go in a heartbeat but everyone tells me I'd be too distracting and that she needs to associate school with mom not being there. I understand their point.

The good news is that Raquel really seems to like going to school. Every morning when I ask if she's ready to go, she runs to the back door with a big smile on her face. Once we get there, she stops and greets her previous class, and then walks with her new class to their room without the slightest hesitation. With the exception of last week, she seems perfectly content when I pick her up, grinning from ear to ear when she first spots me at the fence waiting for her. And I think going to school every day is a great thing for her. She needs to get out of the house and be around other kids.

At home, Raquel continues to be a difficult piece of work to figure out. Sometimes I think she's just messing with me. The other day, she said, "What are you doing?" as plain as day, so much that I automatically answered her question before realizing who it came from. When I said, "Are you talking to Mommy?", she smiled and went back to what she was doing. She really does have a mind of her own. I wonder where she gets that from. :-)

Hoping she'll have a better report card tomorrow, but am still feeling optimistic and am pleased that she has a teacher who is up for a challenge.