Monday, April 30, 2012
It could be worse....
I guess we should be grateful we dont' go to this school!
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/kindergartener-charged-battery-why-criminalizing-kids-175600847.html
Friday, April 20, 2012
Contacts woes
Calvin has been begging for contacts for years. At our appointment last summer we asked our Dr. about getting them (thinking he'd say no, Calvin is too young, but instead he said, "sure, why not?" It took a few months to get an appointment with the optrician we needed to see and to get our first contact lens to try. We noticed Calvin turning his head and favoring his good eye and he also said he liked his glasses better. So, we went back to the optrician to try another lens. We did this 4 times and nine months later we finally have a contact that works. I'm not sure if Calvin is super fussy or if he has tricky eyes. He only needs a contact in one eye.
Meanwhile we have had some trouble with taking care of the contacts. Early on, he lost one at school, he took one out at a football game. A little later, he took one out and threw it on the floor when he was mad, he took one out and tore it in 1/2 when he was mad, took one out and accidently ripped it while holding it and waiting for mom to wash her hands. He took one out on the bus becuase he was mad and didn't want to ride the bus! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! We were quite understanding of the first few times Calvin lost or took out a contact since this is a new experience for him and it was truely an accident if he lost or took one out while not at home. Now he is a somewhat more experienced contact user and he has decided to take out a contact and destroy it when he's mad, we are a little less patient and understanding. In fact, a few weeks ago when ripped a contact on purpose Dave threw away the WII. (Funny thing about this is that Clare cried more than Calvin. She is a sweet little person).
Each contact is supposed to last one month. So far the longest we've made it is 2 weeks. Calvin only gets one contact/month so if he loses it early then he wears glasses until it is time to try the next contact. This month he got his contact April 10th. Tore it up on the bus less than a week later. He will get a new contact May 10th.
The crazy thing about this is that he LOVES to wear his contacts and it really only hurts himself if he breaks one.
Life all other aspects of Calvin's life I hope that this will pass and he will eventually learn to be more responsible!!
I do not like this new blogger format!!!!!!!!! Where has spell check gone?
Sunday, April 15, 2012
follow up with Dr. Cohen - cranial facial surgeon
Last week we saw Dr. Cohen, the cranial facial plastic surgeon at Children's hospital. He is a very good surgeon. He runs a very nice plastic surgery practice for adults and works at children's 1 and a 1/2 days a week. Dave says his work at the Children's Hospital is practically charity and that he is there for the love of his patients and the good he does. Dave used to operate with Dr. Cohen 1 day a week when he worked there.
A review of Calvin's head CT shows that his brain is normal and healthy. It also shows some minor deformities of his skull which remain. Dr. Cohen recommends a surgery to correct the recessed brow and forehead area. It is a simple, outpatient procedure. He will use the old scar line on Calvin's head and will go under the skin (but not cut the skull), use liquid bone stuff on top of the current bone to reshape the brow area.
We decided we would go ahead and book the surgery for fall.
When Dave looked carefully over the CT scan he saw several areas where the bone is very thin and also many little holes where the skull. Dave was a bit concerned about this and wondered if we should re-think Calvin's clearance to play football and any other contact sport. Dr. Cohen assures us that the holes are teeny tiny and nothing to worry about. I am not sure that it makes any difference since Calvin is not very athletic but it is nice to know that should he one day try to realize his dream of playing Michigan football, he will allowed to go forward!
A review of Calvin's head CT shows that his brain is normal and healthy. It also shows some minor deformities of his skull which remain. Dr. Cohen recommends a surgery to correct the recessed brow and forehead area. It is a simple, outpatient procedure. He will use the old scar line on Calvin's head and will go under the skin (but not cut the skull), use liquid bone stuff on top of the current bone to reshape the brow area.
We decided we would go ahead and book the surgery for fall.
When Dave looked carefully over the CT scan he saw several areas where the bone is very thin and also many little holes where the skull. Dave was a bit concerned about this and wondered if we should re-think Calvin's clearance to play football and any other contact sport. Dr. Cohen assures us that the holes are teeny tiny and nothing to worry about. I am not sure that it makes any difference since Calvin is not very athletic but it is nice to know that should he one day try to realize his dream of playing Michigan football, he will allowed to go forward!
Friday, April 13, 2012
1st week
Overall the first week went well.
Good things:
Calvin likes his new school.
He had a good week.
His teacher called today to tell me he had a good day! (they try to re-train parents not to panic when the school calls home)
Calvin was well behaved on the bus when he took it.
Not as good things:
Calvin took the bus only one way each day. It is a long trip to school. Two mornings Calvin wouldn't get on the bus in the morning. Yesterday Calvin did not get on the bus at school to come home. I am hoping we work into a good routine with the bus. I'm not panicking yet since it is just the first week and there is so much new going on. We'll see what the next week brings!
One thing that is really different and is taking some getting used to is not getting daily behavior sheets. For the last year we have gotten detailed reports sent home. Now we get NOTHING at all. We will get a written report quarterly and other than that there is no written communication. I will speak to Calvin's case manager once a week.
Good things:
Calvin likes his new school.
He had a good week.
His teacher called today to tell me he had a good day! (they try to re-train parents not to panic when the school calls home)
Calvin was well behaved on the bus when he took it.
Not as good things:
Calvin took the bus only one way each day. It is a long trip to school. Two mornings Calvin wouldn't get on the bus in the morning. Yesterday Calvin did not get on the bus at school to come home. I am hoping we work into a good routine with the bus. I'm not panicking yet since it is just the first week and there is so much new going on. We'll see what the next week brings!
One thing that is really different and is taking some getting used to is not getting daily behavior sheets. For the last year we have gotten detailed reports sent home. Now we get NOTHING at all. We will get a written report quarterly and other than that there is no written communication. I will speak to Calvin's case manager once a week.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
are you kidding me?
So Calvin got off the bus today at 4:15. (school gets out at 2:30). I was kind of surprised that it was so late and asked the driver if there was anything unusual about today. She said that they were actually missing two kids so the route is usually going to be LONGER. So, you're telling me my kid is going to have over two hours on the bus ride home each day??!! I think I'll give it a week and then start to make some phone calls. That is pretty insane. Especially since probably all of the kids on the bus are there because they don't know how to behave themselves in school.
the honeymoon is over
I always try to remember this simple rule of parenting: Enjoy the good times when they come and don't be surprised when they disappear. However hard I try, I never can master this simple advice. When the hard times come I find my self in total shock and not knowing what to do.
This morning Calvin would not get out of bed. After being totally frustrated for a short while, I finally had the presence of mind to ask, "Are you nervous to go on the bus?" The answer was yes! . . . . long story short.....
The bus showed up at 6:55. We told the bus driver "sorry, but he's not getting on the bus today!" They were totally understanding. The morning was total chaos and insanity until I left at 8:45 to take Clare to school and then Calvin to his. We made a few stops to pick up food at various locations and eventually made it to school by which time Calvin had turned himself around. We arrived home again at 10:15 having spent about an hour and a half on the road. I felt it was kind of ironic to spend an hour and half on the road since that is how long Calvin's bus ride would have been. I realized two things: 1. I don't really feel that bad about having him on the bus for so long (as long as he's not into trouble). His time is not so precious or so carefully spent that he can't afford a little down time. In fact, I think it is good for him to have some down time. 2. During my busy days when I have errands and kids to drive around, I OFTEN spend hours in the car, driving, waiting and sitting. If I can do it, so can Calvin. It really isn't that big of a deal.
This morning Calvin would not get out of bed. After being totally frustrated for a short while, I finally had the presence of mind to ask, "Are you nervous to go on the bus?" The answer was yes! . . . . long story short.....
The bus showed up at 6:55. We told the bus driver "sorry, but he's not getting on the bus today!" They were totally understanding. The morning was total chaos and insanity until I left at 8:45 to take Clare to school and then Calvin to his. We made a few stops to pick up food at various locations and eventually made it to school by which time Calvin had turned himself around. We arrived home again at 10:15 having spent about an hour and a half on the road. I felt it was kind of ironic to spend an hour and half on the road since that is how long Calvin's bus ride would have been. I realized two things: 1. I don't really feel that bad about having him on the bus for so long (as long as he's not into trouble). His time is not so precious or so carefully spent that he can't afford a little down time. In fact, I think it is good for him to have some down time. 2. During my busy days when I have errands and kids to drive around, I OFTEN spend hours in the car, driving, waiting and sitting. If I can do it, so can Calvin. It really isn't that big of a deal.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
first day of school and transportation issues
Calvin had a good first day of school today. I drove him down to school this morning so that I could do some paperwork. We left pretty early in case of traffic but made great time. School is about 25 minutes from our house. He was excited to be there and happily went with his case manager to start the day!
After school he said he did math, spelling, reading, etc. etc. He said he has a binder that he carries around and he can get stars in each class when he is on task the whole time. He is not sure yet what the stars can help him earn.
He is very enthusiastic and seems to feel really good about his school situation so far. I'm sure eventually the super fun will wear off but hopefully by then he will have settled into a good routine.
Calvin will be riding the bus to/from school. Our home school district provides transportation. It can take up to 10 days to get the bus route worked out. I decided that rather than drive both ways for 2 weeks I'd have him piggyback onto another stop already in place. He rode the bus home from school and I picked him up at a bus stop about 10 minutes from home. I had planned on having to do this for the first week or two of school but was pleasantly surprised to get a call from the transportation department today saying that the route is ready for tomorrow!
The HUGE down side to the transportation provided is that Calvin will spend 1:35 minutes on the bus EACH WAY. That is such a long time. Calvin gets picked up at our house at 6:55. He arrives at school at around 8:20. Unlike regular school, the kids sit on the bus until school starts as there is no playground. So at 8:30 when the bell rings, the kids start getting off the bus and head to class. In the afternoon, Calvin gets on the bus at 2:30 when school ends and arrives home around 4pm. (Tuesday school gets out at 1pm and he will get home at 2:35).
I have a lot of worries about Calvin being on the bus for such a long time. The main worry is that he will get bored and get into trouble. I am hoping he will use his bus ride home to do homework or sleep. I think for the first week or two it will all be so new to Calvin that it will be interesting and exciting for him.
The reason the bus ride is so long is because Calvin is the first stop in the morning and the last stop in the afternoon. We live pretty close to the district bus yard so it makes sense that we are first/last. There are 10 kids who ride the bus and each one of them is picked up at their own home. It takes a lot of time to make those stops and then move onto the freeway to school. Buses aren't allowed to drive in the carpool lane so they experience more morning traffic than I do.
I was quite surprised that they'd have the bus route so packed and make the kids be on the bus so long. The transportation lady who makes the bus routes said that they have ordered more buses which were supposed to be here in January but never came. They hope to shorten the routes but can't until they get more buses. Once regular school gets out for the summer, they will re-do routes when they have more buses and then by fall new buses should have arrived so that the route will never be this crowded. (insert major frustration at the way government run stuff is so inefficient and ridiculous)
On the plus side, since Calvin is an early riser, I actually think it'll be nice to get up and get ready and then have him out the door first thing in the morning. Usually he is up around 6 and is ready to go by 7. It won't be hard for him to be ready at that time and he will probably have some positive momentum carrying him out the door!
I hope the kids on the bus are nice and he enjoys being with them.
BTW, there is an aide on the bus to help with any problems that may arise.
After school he said he did math, spelling, reading, etc. etc. He said he has a binder that he carries around and he can get stars in each class when he is on task the whole time. He is not sure yet what the stars can help him earn.
He is very enthusiastic and seems to feel really good about his school situation so far. I'm sure eventually the super fun will wear off but hopefully by then he will have settled into a good routine.
Calvin will be riding the bus to/from school. Our home school district provides transportation. It can take up to 10 days to get the bus route worked out. I decided that rather than drive both ways for 2 weeks I'd have him piggyback onto another stop already in place. He rode the bus home from school and I picked him up at a bus stop about 10 minutes from home. I had planned on having to do this for the first week or two of school but was pleasantly surprised to get a call from the transportation department today saying that the route is ready for tomorrow!
The HUGE down side to the transportation provided is that Calvin will spend 1:35 minutes on the bus EACH WAY. That is such a long time. Calvin gets picked up at our house at 6:55. He arrives at school at around 8:20. Unlike regular school, the kids sit on the bus until school starts as there is no playground. So at 8:30 when the bell rings, the kids start getting off the bus and head to class. In the afternoon, Calvin gets on the bus at 2:30 when school ends and arrives home around 4pm. (Tuesday school gets out at 1pm and he will get home at 2:35).
I have a lot of worries about Calvin being on the bus for such a long time. The main worry is that he will get bored and get into trouble. I am hoping he will use his bus ride home to do homework or sleep. I think for the first week or two it will all be so new to Calvin that it will be interesting and exciting for him.
The reason the bus ride is so long is because Calvin is the first stop in the morning and the last stop in the afternoon. We live pretty close to the district bus yard so it makes sense that we are first/last. There are 10 kids who ride the bus and each one of them is picked up at their own home. It takes a lot of time to make those stops and then move onto the freeway to school. Buses aren't allowed to drive in the carpool lane so they experience more morning traffic than I do.
I was quite surprised that they'd have the bus route so packed and make the kids be on the bus so long. The transportation lady who makes the bus routes said that they have ordered more buses which were supposed to be here in January but never came. They hope to shorten the routes but can't until they get more buses. Once regular school gets out for the summer, they will re-do routes when they have more buses and then by fall new buses should have arrived so that the route will never be this crowded. (insert major frustration at the way government run stuff is so inefficient and ridiculous)
On the plus side, since Calvin is an early riser, I actually think it'll be nice to get up and get ready and then have him out the door first thing in the morning. Usually he is up around 6 and is ready to go by 7. It won't be hard for him to be ready at that time and he will probably have some positive momentum carrying him out the door!
I hope the kids on the bus are nice and he enjoys being with them.
BTW, there is an aide on the bus to help with any problems that may arise.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
new school
I am so excited for Calvin to start as his new school Tuesday morning. We need tomorrow to finish making arrangements and the school needs to be sure they are set up with enough staff in the right places to be ready for him. I am really hoping that this will be a good change for him. I feel like I'm having a little deja vu saying this because it was just a few months ago that we were making a school change and to be honest it was kind of disastrous.
We had our IEP meeting last friday to discuss Calvin's annual goals. He only met one of his 15 or so goals. By any measurable standard he has had a terrible year. Any doubt I had that he needed new placement was washed away as we reviewed his goals for the year and saw that he is not making any progress on them. His teacher kept saying stuff like, "if he were more cooperative . . . " or "We could have met this goal if he had not refused to work" or "I was not able to complete this evaluation because he was not compliant." I so wished I could have just said "STOP!!! It is obvious he is failing here! Let's just move on and discuss placement!" But, it was not my first miserable hour in an IEP meeting so I just bucked up and moved forward.
Calvin really needs a place to teach him HOW to respond to, deal with and meet challenges that he faces daily. I am hoping that his new school will do this. That is what they claim they do well. Looking back I see that the special education class he had been attending at Painted Rock was more of a place where bad behavior was tolerated rather than a place to learn how to rise above the bad behavior.
Dave and I still have the fear that he will spend a few months here and be kicked out but the school personnel assure us that they are NOT AT ALL worried. They have seen Calvin's file, they know what they are getting and they said they have seen much worse. They also say they LOVE to get kids so young! They often get older kids - in the teens - and they are much harder to work with than the young ones like Calvin. They are completely confident that they can help him. He was accepted at 4 different schools and all 4 of those schools said the same thing.
I also think it is great timing to start a new school. We have just finished a nice spring break week. We didn't do too much or go too far from home, but we did enjoy a few fun family activities and Calvin had time to rest and rejuvenate and be ready to go! He got a new backpack and some new shoes (he needed both desperately), so that he is ready for a fresh start! I am glad that he is also excited to go to this school. Even though he can't articulate it, I know he also feels hope and excitement for his future!
We had our IEP meeting last friday to discuss Calvin's annual goals. He only met one of his 15 or so goals. By any measurable standard he has had a terrible year. Any doubt I had that he needed new placement was washed away as we reviewed his goals for the year and saw that he is not making any progress on them. His teacher kept saying stuff like, "if he were more cooperative . . . " or "We could have met this goal if he had not refused to work" or "I was not able to complete this evaluation because he was not compliant." I so wished I could have just said "STOP!!! It is obvious he is failing here! Let's just move on and discuss placement!" But, it was not my first miserable hour in an IEP meeting so I just bucked up and moved forward.
Calvin really needs a place to teach him HOW to respond to, deal with and meet challenges that he faces daily. I am hoping that his new school will do this. That is what they claim they do well. Looking back I see that the special education class he had been attending at Painted Rock was more of a place where bad behavior was tolerated rather than a place to learn how to rise above the bad behavior.
Dave and I still have the fear that he will spend a few months here and be kicked out but the school personnel assure us that they are NOT AT ALL worried. They have seen Calvin's file, they know what they are getting and they said they have seen much worse. They also say they LOVE to get kids so young! They often get older kids - in the teens - and they are much harder to work with than the young ones like Calvin. They are completely confident that they can help him. He was accepted at 4 different schools and all 4 of those schools said the same thing.
I also think it is great timing to start a new school. We have just finished a nice spring break week. We didn't do too much or go too far from home, but we did enjoy a few fun family activities and Calvin had time to rest and rejuvenate and be ready to go! He got a new backpack and some new shoes (he needed both desperately), so that he is ready for a fresh start! I am glad that he is also excited to go to this school. Even though he can't articulate it, I know he also feels hope and excitement for his future!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
dental problems
Calvin has terrible teeth! As a littler kid it wasn't anything out of the realm of normal. He always had lots of cavities, like his dad! In the last couple of years, especially this year we have had some other concerns. First is that he doesn't seem to be losing his baby teeth in time. At the age of 9 he had only lost 3 baby teeth. Most kids his age have the front 8 adult teeth in. Also, Calvin has ground his teeth so much that he has totally flat teeth. Even his molars are totally flat. It is crazy inside his mouth! His baby teeth that have been ground down are so small they don't look like they even belong in there!
We have talked to our dentist about this a couple of times but he said we shouldn't be too concerned. however, at our last visit he did tell us that a consult to orthodontics would be a good idea. The orthodontist was able to answer our questions. He recommended that 4 of the baby teeth get pulled to allow the adult teeth to come. The roots were not disintegrating as they should and it seemed that if they didn't get pulled he might have his permanent teeth growing in behind those baby teeth. He also recommended a couple of baby molars get pulled.
He said that though the baby teeth are ground down quite a bit, the newer adult teeth don't show that they are being ground so perhaps Calvin doesn't grind his teeth anymore. We will check again in 6 months and see if they still look okay. If there does appear to be severe grinding we will have to think about a mouth guard.
This week Calvin went in to get 1/2 of the work done - - they work only on one side of the mouth at a time. So, he got 3 teeth pulled and 1 cavity filled on his left side. In two weeks he'll get 3 teeth pulled on the other side of his mouth and some sealant put on adult molars in the back.
Calvin was a real trooper and very well behaved at the orthodontist and dentist.
We have talked to our dentist about this a couple of times but he said we shouldn't be too concerned. however, at our last visit he did tell us that a consult to orthodontics would be a good idea. The orthodontist was able to answer our questions. He recommended that 4 of the baby teeth get pulled to allow the adult teeth to come. The roots were not disintegrating as they should and it seemed that if they didn't get pulled he might have his permanent teeth growing in behind those baby teeth. He also recommended a couple of baby molars get pulled.
He said that though the baby teeth are ground down quite a bit, the newer adult teeth don't show that they are being ground so perhaps Calvin doesn't grind his teeth anymore. We will check again in 6 months and see if they still look okay. If there does appear to be severe grinding we will have to think about a mouth guard.
This week Calvin went in to get 1/2 of the work done - - they work only on one side of the mouth at a time. So, he got 3 teeth pulled and 1 cavity filled on his left side. In two weeks he'll get 3 teeth pulled on the other side of his mouth and some sealant put on adult molars in the back.
Calvin was a real trooper and very well behaved at the orthodontist and dentist.
Monday, April 2, 2012
extended school year (ESY)
I am so excited that Calvin will attend school until July 30th. For me and for him. For me because it will be so nice to have some care free summer days with my girls and for him because I think he will do really well to have some extra time in school especially since he is moving to his new school in April. The transition will be better, I think, because he has 4 full months of school instead of just 6 weeks, which is all that would be left in the regular school year.
I said I am so excited but it would be more correct to say I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!
Regular school gets out the second week of June. ESY is a special education term. There are 5 different ways to qualify for extended school year. Each has to do with the idea that if the child isn't in school they will lose skills at such a rate that they will fall behind before the start of the next school year. The category that Calvin qualifies under is behavior. There are other areas such as basic life skills and academic skills.
The month of august will be a fun month to have everyone home because our pool is warm and we will enjoy swimming until school starts again!
I said I am so excited but it would be more correct to say I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!
Regular school gets out the second week of June. ESY is a special education term. There are 5 different ways to qualify for extended school year. Each has to do with the idea that if the child isn't in school they will lose skills at such a rate that they will fall behind before the start of the next school year. The category that Calvin qualifies under is behavior. There are other areas such as basic life skills and academic skills.
The month of august will be a fun month to have everyone home because our pool is warm and we will enjoy swimming until school starts again!
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