Labels CAN Be Limiting

I don't feel the need to share or comment about everything posted by The Friendship Circle, but yesterday's article is worth passing along.  The title alone, Labels Can Be Limiting, had my full attention. 

I 'm not particularly fond of labels of any kind, period.  I think labels are basically useless and serve no purpose other than to check a box on a piece of paper.  If you didn't already know, I'm a think outside the box kind of person.  I strongly feel that labels play no role in reaching a goal or solving a problem. 

Articles like this strenthen my resolve and give me hope.  I hope it does the same for you! 

You Have the Right to Observe Your Child's Classroom

If you didn't read yesterday's offering from The Friendship Circle, it shared some really wonderful information for those of us dealing with special education.  Their article, Observing Your Child's Classroom: What are Your Rights? is an article that really struck home for me.  I was denied access to the special education classroom during Patty's first year of Kindergarten, and FERPA was the backbone of the argument used to justify the situation.

As you may remember, last summer we decided to have Patty repeat her year of Kindergarten and we also made a move to a different elementary school in our county.  During this past school year I have witnessed so many wonderful things at our new school, that I have tried very hard to forget all of the negatives from the year before. 

It's been hard.  Really hard.

The first sentence of the article says it all:  As parents of children with disabilities we are in a constant state of worry.  Really, that whole article says it all.  It feels like Mr. Dorfman pulled out things from my very own heart and mind.  And, like I've said before in comments on other blogs, it is really nice to know I'm not the only one going through these emotions. 

Sometimes, being a parent, dealing with special education and therapies and insurance approvals and IEPs, makes me feel like the giraffe in a herd of zebras.  I mean, I have no one in my physical life who is dealing with anything really similar to what I deal with everyday.  Sometimes, it can all be really tough to deal with.  Ug, the insurance approvals alone are enough to drive a person crazy.  Articles like this one help me be more diligent, more knowledgeable. 

And I now know that the school was wrong in their actions to block me from Patty's "resource" classroom that first year. Of course, the school system may have additional rules in place to, as they put it, protect the privacy of students in special education. But, I can certainly say it felt much closer to hiding something from me, than protecting my student's privacy.

ESY, a Mystery

How does the Extended School Year portion of your ARC meeting usually go?  I don't think I've ever really discussed the need, or lack of, for ESY in our ARC meetings.  I think it's kind of skimmed over, simply because there is no such thing in our county school system.  And since there are a thousand or so kids receiving special ed services, I would have to assume there are a handful of kids who would benefit/need ESY services.

I've read a thing or two over the years about ESY, and wasn't surprised to see the topic in the email newsletter from Special Education Advisor.  I'm really on the fence about ESY for Patty.  I don't like the idea of sending my kids to school during their summer vacation, that just feels like undue punishment.  Not to mention, the program probably wouldn't be at their school with their teacher.  I think it might do more harm than good.

But, there are a lot of things that worry me about summer.  I'm really concerned about the summer back slide, and the dreaded return of school anxiety that might pop up again in the fall.

What do you think about extended school year?

Helpuful IEP Info on Wrightslaw

If your child receives special education services, and you're not already receiving emails from Wrightslaw, be sure to sign up.  I can usually find something useful in the emails they send out.  Today, there is a very handy IEP Faqs that I think you'll want to check out.  I tried to pin it to Pinterest, but wasn't having any luck, so I thought I'd just post it here on the blog.

I spent a great deal of time last summer reading up on IEPs.  After all of my research, I still get baffled by them.  I can't understand how something so simple gets so complicated.  I printed out Chapter 12: Smart IEPs (available in PDF on the website) from their book From Emotions to Advocacy and added the book to my reading wish list.  I know Patty's school did an amazing job last year, but school is going to keep getting harder and I want to ensure Patty has the best opportunity to learn.

I had a conversation with Patty's advocate recently (from Protection & Advocacy) and she said something that really made me take note.  Well, she always says something that makes me take note, she's one smart lady.  But on that day, she told me that first and foremost, Patty is a First Grade student.  She's not a special education student in first grade.  It really resonated with me.  It was a light bulb moment, for sure.

So, even though we have all summer before First Grade, I'm going to be spending some time looking at the things a Kindergartener is expected to know by the end of Kindergarten.  How do I plan to do this?  Well, I am going to look at her final IEP Progress Report and go from there.  To start with.  But, since an IEP doesn't cover all areas of learning, I'll also be spending a lot of time looking at the Common Core Standards.  I was very lucky to receive a great email from Ms. P, Patty's special education teacher, where she broke down many areas and told me what Patty's weaknesses were. 

Those common core standards are a mystery in and of themselves.  Although the standards are fairly specific in what is supposed to be mastered in each grade level, the report card we receive doesn't specifically say if your child met the standard.   That's a change we'll probably see in the years to come.  Have you checked out the standards?  I wonder if there is a "common core for dummies" book out there?

Update:
My bloggy friend Joy of I Can Say Mama left a great link in the comments.  If you're looking for IEP goals/objectives, this may be just what you need!  IEP Goals and Objectives Bank

Do You Get Wrights Law?

Assessment 101: Types of Evaluations couldn't have come at a better time, Patty has a followup appointment next week.  Some of the most helpful information I come across regarding special education is delivered right to my email inbox from Wrights Law.  There's hardly anything better than a free online resource with a lot of suggestions and answers to my questions. 

During this ongoing process of tests and waiting, I have been curious about who does what and why.  I want Patty to have all the appropriate and necessary tests in the correct time frame all the while learning as much from those tests as I can.  I have yet to find a really great guide to all of this, but at least I can stumble upon great articles from time to time that send me in the right directions.  Or send me with a good list of questions to her doctor appointments.  I mean, you can't get the right answers if you can't ask the right questions.

Sequester Me This

I read somewhere that the sequester is going to impact special education.  I didn't read anything specific and I can't recall where I read it.  But, I am definitely frightened by any future that includes a loss in special education teachers.

I fear a tighter budget will cause many kids to miss out on special education services for the sake of saving money.  If that's the case, I know Patty will be okay because I won't let a lack of services affect her performance.  Patty will be college ready at graduation if it kills me getting her there.  But, I do worry about the other kids who don't have me to come home to at the end of the day.

Do you have any sequestration fears, or is it just me?

Report Card Time

Last year, I had a really hard time with report cards.  It was our very first experience with the report card and I dreaded finding it in Patty's backpack each trimester.  First, I couldn't decide what the report card was telling me...other than she was "below level" in nearly everything.  Then, she would be "on level" one semester and fall "below level" the next.  It was utterly confusing and heart breaking and frustrating all rolled into one.

At some point I came to terms with the report card situation.  I mean, we have thirteen years of those things in our future, they weren't going to go away no matter how badly I wanted them to.  You see, I was of the mindset that the only good grade is an A and it took months for me to get past that belief. 

Now, I spend more time looking at her daily work and less time worrying about the measurements on her report cards.  It's so easy to see the progress she's making each and every night as we sit down to work on her homework.  She's reading to me!  She's learning to spell!  She's doing addition!  It's amazing to see how far she's come.  That report card, which comes only three times a year, is just a vague snap shot of the things she has accomplished.  It's really not fair to judge her by that piece of paper.

I hope all of this progress means the "gap" is starting to close and that one day we will be able to shed her diagnosis of developmental delay.  I don't believe there is such a thing as "normal" just like everyone else.  But, I do believe there is such a thing as "able" just like everyone else. 

This is What It's All About

I recently found my way to a blog called Finding Ninee. I forget just how I found my way there, but after years of dealing with the term "developmental delay" I was happy and relieved to find another family in a situation very similar to ours. Kristi recently created a link-love feature on her blog where families like us can connect and share. That's what this post is about. If you found your way here from her page, welcome!

A New Director of Special Ed

Did you know the new Director of Special Education has been selected?!  You can read about it here.  I'm looking forward to seeing how a change in leadership affects the climate of special education in our district, aren't you?  Personally, I would have liked to see the board of ed select an individual who had previously served as a director of special education in another school district.  But, I have to say 17+ years in special education is promising.  I don't see a job listing for the position vacated by Fogle (district special education teacher consultant).  Any hoo, please join me in offering Ms. Fogle a round of congratulations and a warm welcome to her new position!

My child is NOT autistic!

I have a child in special education. 
I have learned very important things about special education over the past nine months. 

Special Ed Changes: Will We Get A Vote?

Did you see last Friday's edition of the Messenger?  Hopkins County is about to get a new Director of Special Education.  This change will greatly affect the learning path of many kids in our county. 

Special Education Links from the KDE Website

A few links from the Kentucky Deparment of Education worth bookmarking...if you're printing some of these, be sure you check the total number of pages carefully before hitting that print button!  Some of these PDFs are verrrrrrry long!

You Know Your Child Best

You know, when Patty began Kindergarten last year, I had no idea that things were amiss.  Some of the information I was getting seemed a bit strange, to me.  Like it was a little more than I really needed to know as a parent of a Kindergarten student.  I often compare the experience with buying a used car.  When someone is trying to sell you a real lemon, they try really hard to make you think you're getting the best lemonade money can buy, right?  Well, that "used car sales man" feeling snow balled for me during that first year of public school.  It was a wake up call.  It was the reason I started asking more questions and paying closer attention.  It was my blessing in disguise.

We're not just another ordinary family

We are the Cottons.  We are a family of four.  We are a military family.  We are a family with a son and a daughter.  We are a family with healthy, happy children.  We are a family affected by Special Education. 

The Board of Ed spent how much?

Oh my, if you haven't read it, you need to head over to SurfKY and read the summary of last night's Hopkins County Schools Board Meeting. 

Why Teaching Blogs?

Why do I follow blogs created by teachers? I mean, I'm not a college trained teacher and have never really been interested in that career. But, I am a Kindergarten Mom and I have felt terribly out of the loop as I've tried to help my daughter navigate the school system this year. I'm 34, so simply saying that school has changed since I was a kid is an understatement!  Can anyone say "core standards"?
You want to know my first impression when I started reading teaching blogs? It had to be a mixture of awe and confusion. Teaching blogs are written ideally for fellow teachers. So the bloggers speak in teacher-esse which is a foreign language to me.  Being the determined and passionate person I am, I couldn't let a little confusion stop me from gaining a great appreciation for the blogging efforts of teachers from all around the country, around the world really. One of my favorites comes from Canada.