the temperature is perfect!!
and my daughter can read!!!
ok... it's not exactly a revelation that Brittin can read... but today is a GREAT day in the world of Brittin!!
as parents of a child with special needs, it's easy to get wrapped up in what your child CAN'T do.
she can't ride a bike
she can't count money
she can't read chapter books
sometimes, it can get downright depressing!
last week brittin's team of educators (principal, special ed teacher, teacher, personal aide) sat down with mike and i and expressed their concern at britt's recent test scores. i'll admit, i cried during 95% of the meeting!! it was during that meeting that a "life skill program" was brought to our attention. maybe... that's the direction brittin's education needed to go.
at first i was admittedly AGAINST it. but the more mike and i discussed it, we agreed it was more important for brittin to learn to read a recipe, measure ingredients and use the stove than to attempt to understand double digit subtraction. we, along with the jimtown staff decided it was important for us to visit the "life skill program" classroom.
now here's a BIG issue... the program is NOT at Jimtown. WHAT? mike said "but brittin is a jimtown ICON!" and that she is!! everywhere she goes, someone knows her!! WE usually don't, but SHE does! the idea of her going anywhere else was... horrifying. no joke! and not only is it NOT in Jimtown, but it's in ... CONCORD!
now... for those of you from this area, you know those are rival schools!!! neither mike nor i went to jimtown, but it seems once you move in, you never want to leave! we are jimmies all the way!! as a disclaimer, there is NOTHING wrong with concord... i'm sure they are lovely schools... we just happen to be jimmies!!!
so we went to visit the class this morning. mike and i went with OPEN MINDS!! we only want what's best for brittin... even if it's not what we envisioned.
so here we go. we go to Concord Intermediate. nice building. we, along with the special ed teacher and brittin's aide, are escorted to the classroom. my reactions: (brutal honesty alert!!)
1. this is a small room. i pictured something much larger in my head.
2. 9 students... 4 adults... that's nice.
3. look at the little girl in the wheelchair. :( this was REALLY sad. immobile and nonverbal.
4. i LOVE the little girl who has downs! (she's a jimmie too!!)
5. they are doing pre-school "calendar time". brittin jumped right in. she actually wanted to take over!
6. we've been here 45 minutes... when are they going to do something brittin DIDN'T know 4 years ago?!?!?
7. the daily schedule is on the board in picture form. "restroom time" includes changing undergarments. very very sad. :(
8. several children are doing sign language. that's cool. wait... its because their speech is difficult to understand. still cool.
9. "snack time" isn't as much about eating as it is about communicating what the children want. brittin sat with the verbal children. now i'm really freaking out...
after 60 minutes of observation, it's time to discuss what we all think....
the Jimtown Special Ed teacher comes up to me... about 5 inches from my face and whispers "brittin is NOT coming here". good. we finally agree!
i want to say... this program is Elkhart County wide. it is WONDERFUL! it's just not appropriate for britt.
out of the 9 students:
5 are verbal ... to varying degrees.
0 have ever been in a standard education classroom
0 are able to read
right there... that was enough for me to make a decision. the director of the program even agreed, this was not the class for britt.
now, we also agreed that at some point... maybe junior high... maybe high school... we'll visit this concept again. it's not totally out of the question, but in a much higher functioning class.
here's what i learned today:
1. i need to THANK GOD EVERY DAY for the enormous list of things brittin can do!!
2. on days when i am whiny about how bad we have it, i need to reflect back to the children we met today.
3. there is a serious GAP in our education system where students like brittin fall. too high functioning for a "special education class" but not able to fully function in a standard class.
today is a GREAT day!! in every way! we have an awesome school system who's ready to make a "brittin plan". we have teachers and administrators who truly care about brittin and her needs. and we met some beautiful children this morning with the purest of hearts!!
everyone, HUG your children today! and say an extra thank you to God for everything they CAN do!
have a BLESSED day!!
here are some of my favorite BRITTIN PICS!!
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