Graduation Day is Almost Upon Us

My oldest son is graduating high school (hopefully) in 10 days.  There were more than a few moments of doubt that we would ever get to this place.  Yeah, my kid has got some issues and I have more than a few issues with school, with expectations, and with life in general.

So, it is as a parent of this type of child, and as a person who hated and did not fare all that well in school, any school, that I look at these commencement exercises as not a beautiful stepping stone, but something to be done with, preferably quickly.

First of all, the ceremony is on my birthday.  Name for me one person who wants to sit at a graduation ceremony on any day, much less their birthday. Seriously, please, tell me and I will call them up so that they can take my place.  My kid will never know.

Second of all, I received in the mail a laundry list of rules of etiquette that irritatingly took the jam out of my doughnut.  One of the bolded headlines is MARCHING INSTRUCTIONS.  Is this a class of Hitler Youth, or just, you know, regular kids?

A few tasty excerpts that really get my blood boiling are:

" you have paid for your cap and gown so you can "keep it" as a souvenir"  

Whoo, whoo, whoo!  Effing really?  How much did that cost?  WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO WITH A GRADUATION GOWN AFTER GRADUATION?  And why is "keep it" in parentheses?  Is it because you won't "keep it"?  Your "parents" "will" in their "garage"?  

What a total waste.

" boys should wear a dress shirt and tie, dress slacks with dark socks and dark dress shoes.  Girls should wear a dress or a skirt and blouse "

a)  Great.  There goes another $150
b)  What century is this?  Why do girls have to wears skirts or dresses?  

Gross.

" A professional photographer will be taking a picture of each graduate as he/she receives the diploma. (this part is inexplicably underlined)  These pictures will be available for purchase on line on a secure website. "

Meaning:  Cha ching  

I will take my own shitty pictures, thanks.

Oh, and " the ceremony will be recorded and you will be able to order a copy."

Oh, goody.  Nothing better I can think of than fast forwarding through two hours of yawn-tastic ceremony to watch three seconds of my kid NOT looking at the camera.  And I get to pay for it?  Where do I sign?!?  

One last thing:  "you will receive your diploma only if all financial obligations with the school have been cleared, and if you exhibit appropriate behavior during the entire ceremony."

I would love for them to try and tell me that my kid did not behave, so therefore, he does not get a diploma.  Nice try.  We are finally out of here, I think the kid is entitled to flip off the principal, no?  I mean, NO.  I don't want my kid to flip off the principal, but seriously?  Way to try and scare us into being good little automatons one last time.

Maybe I am just an antisocial jerk.  Maybe I just don't get it.  I mean, I get (to a point) rules.  I get (to a point) ceremony.  I just don't get why my kid can't wear sneakers.  I don't get why there is not an open bar for parents (they would clean up!) to make the ceremony more enjoyable.  And I really don't get mortarboards.  

Anyway, Happy Graduation, everyone!  ***takes a shot***
 

Unreasonable

I am a passionate person.  I say passionate because it sounds way better than "jerk face" or "crazy" or "bitchy".  As in: "I am not a crazy, jerk-faced bitch, I am just passionate! (damn it)".  I told someone the other day "I feel EVERYTHING".  There are worse issues to have.

So, when I woke up this morning and saw that the Blackhawks had won***, I was (unreasonably?) happy.  I mean, I know; it's just a game and in the grand scheme of things it means nothing; but living in Blackhawks country during the playoffs when your team is on fire is really, really fun.  Because I am such a sap and my heart is just millimeters beneath the surface, I get choked up seeing the buses pass by with "GO HAWKS" on their marquees.  I crank up the TV during the ridiculously loud National Anthem and cheer and whistle along.  I clap and yell at the refs and whoop and curse.  In those moments, I am one of the herd and I love it.  It is so unlike (most of) the rest of my life when I am in that weird 10% that goes against the grain of seemingly every situation.  

*** it ended at one a.m. after starting the THIRD overtime.  I get up early.  I stayed up for the first OT, then went to bed hoping for the best.

BLACKHAWKS WIN!

This morning I also found a prom invitation for my middle son.  My Charles got invited to...the "Special", district-wide prom.

I wanted to scream.  

After reading the handout that came along with the invite, I wanted to scream some more.  This is an actual excerpt:  We encourage the students to enter independently to make it as much like a REGULAR prom as possible (emphasis mine).

WHAT?!?  So...it's a prom but not a regular prom.  Ohkaaayyy...

I just don't get it.  Will someone please explain to me why my kid can't just go (or not go!) to the ACTUAL PROM like everyone else?  Seriously?!?!?  Why is this even a thing?  

Like most things like this, I am sure that it was started out of love and concern and wanting something nice for our (different) kids; but as with everything else, separate is NOT equal.  Separate classes are not equal.  Separate schools are not equal.  No matter how inclusive and welcoming you think your school is, these types of classes and events only shine a spotlight square on differences and it is not a flattering glow.  

Let's be real.  The prom is a rite of passage, but the event is not equal for everyone, anyway.  Not everyone has a date.  Not everyone can afford a tux rental or a $600 dress, hair stylist, manicure, pedicure, limousine and on and on.  Not everyone has a gaggle of friends to hang out with and eat dinner with and (ZOMG!!! iamsowasted) party with afterwards.  Not everyone wants to, either.  For some, it's too mainstream, too bourgeois, too everythingtheyhateabouthighschool, and that is fine.  Some of us went to our senior proms with boyfriends they should have broken up with months before so that they could dance with the ex-boyfriend they should have gone with, instead.  

I mean, I have heard.

So, here I am again, in that seeming minority of people that thinks these things are a horrible idea.  And I am sure to get crapped on for crapping on it.  Let's think about it this way, though.  Is a "whites only" prom a good idea?  Or is it totally backwards?  Seriously?  How about proms that keep out kids because of their sexual orientation?  Effing REALLY?!?  No?  Not a great idea, you say?  Yeah, this is the same.  It is EXACTLY THE SAME THING.  Many people just don't see it, yet.  Am I unreasonable?  Maybe.  Maybe I would have more friends if I just kept my mouth shut and went along to get along.  Maybe... and, maybe my middle son will go to his Junior or Senior prom and maybe he won't. 

Just like everyone else.

Why, Birdman? Why?

The movie Birdman made me long for NYC in the way that so many movies set there, do.  I was warmed by the sticky, Spring air and I smelled it's gritty fragrance in my olfactory memory and felt like I had gone home, though I never did actually live there.  I wanted to, but that's a long story.

There was so much to like about this movie:  Edward Norton and Michael Keaton were impeccable.  The music was fun and silly and loud and perfect.  The story was funny and real and brilliant.

But, 

You could feel that But coming, couldn't you?

There was that word:  Mongoloid.  

It was there and gone so quickly that maybe if you were not me you might have missed it; but it was there, I assure you.  

And I thought "why?".  There were so many other ways to convey the image.  So many other words to choose, but that was the one the writers went with.  I kind of crumbled inside.  It gets really tiring getting punched in the gut again and again.  Here I was, going over the old arguments in my head.  Hearing the voices of those that don't "get it".

"It's just a word"
"We didn't mean it that way"
"They aren't talking about your son"

"It's our right to say this stuff"

That last one gets me.  Effing OF COURSE it's your right to say whatever hurtful, crappy thing that comes out of your mouth.  You have every right to be a jerk.

Of course, I have the right to be hurt.  I have the right to write about it and you have the right to agree with me or dismiss me or ignore me or mock me.

I have thought about whether it might not be a language thing.  The writers are Mexican and English is not their first language.  Maybe the word they were searching for was "retard".  This does not make me feel any better.

Why does anyone need to use a person with Down syndrome as the butt of a joke?  Or even worse, as a throwaway observation in an otherwise really great movie?

There are bigger fish to fry.  I understand this.  I CARE about those bigger fish.  This is just something that gets thrown in my face again and again and as hard as I try to move past it and move on to those bigger issues, I keep getting hurled right back into this ridiculous r-word debate because it refuses to die.

Part of me wants to just give up.   Maybe it is a lost cause.  If "mongoloid", as hideous an outdated a term as could be is the new "retard", then I don't know how to fight it.  Just like "thug" is the new N-word.  There are always going to be people that want to keep those that are different over there...in that "other" place.  I cannot reach those people.  

I can appeal to the people that think kids like mine deserve dignity and respect to speak up, though.  I can remind them that words matter.  

What Ifs

They really aren't helpful, are they?

We all have them.  

Mine range from the superficial "what if I were taller/thinner/better looking?" to questions about my path in life "what if I had moved to NYC instead of Los Angeles?" to "how would my life be different (better/worse) if I had never had kids?"

Yes, I have thought about that last one.  I'm not saying I wish I hadn't had my kids, because that is totally untrue.  Sure, there are moments when I look around my tiny, cluttered house and wish I was living in a loft in Paris...alone.  Who doesn't have these kind of daydreams?  (Angelina Jolie)  I'm saying that maybe I could have been thinner, traveled the world, made some more money, etc, etc, if I hadn't.  And maybe not.  Maybe I would be just as poor, chunky, travel deprived as I am now.  Who really knows?

It's a trade-off.  Okay, for some, it isn't (Hello, Angelina!), but for most, having kids means your life will be somewhat messier and you will be somewhat poorer.  For most parents it is a welcome trade-off.  Our kids enrich our lives in big and small ways every day.  My kids make me laugh, make me proud and make me yell in frustration, sometimes in the span of two minutes.  It's crazy and chaotic and I am happy and feel privileged to have such great kids.

I thought about these "what ifs" when I read an article about a mom with the headline "Mom of son with Down syndrome, 47, wishes she had had an abortion"...or something along those lines.  I refuse to post the article here, but a little Googling on your part will bring you to the story I am referring to.

I read it because a few of my friends had posted it, incredulous that this hateful piece was out there, complete with pictures of the family.  I repeat, pictures.

I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around putting your kid (he's an adult, but still her child) out there with the words "I wish he were never born" or actually, even worse, "I wish I had known what you would be so I could have aborted you" alongside a brand new family portrait.  I am no psychiatrist, but I think there is something deeply, fundamentally wrong with this person.

My first reaction was "how dare she?!"  Seriously, how dare she put her kid's name and picture out there with those words?!?  How dare she pose with him like they were a family?!?!  What purpose does this have?  We should feel sorry for her?  We should pity her?  What does she get out of this?  I have to wonder.  Maybe ( I think, definitely) she has some serious mental disorder.  Maybe she was duped into telling her sensationalized story by some unscrupulous editor (the source it comes from is known for it's outrageous stories and is no friend to the disability community).

Maybe.

I feel awful for her children.  She has another, older son who is missing from the latest family portrait; I would be very interested to hear what he has to say about all of this.  As for her younger son, I just feel so much sadness.  How awful to be the subject of so much loathing and misplaced anger and self-pity.  This woman has decided that her life would have been better without her younger son in it.  Meanwhile, she institutionalized him, so he really wasn't in it much, anyway, so I don't understand how he ruined her life.  She is blaming her crappy life on a child; a child that didn't ask for his issues, or choose his parents.  I have to believe that all any child really wants from their parents is to be loved and accepted.  Feeling like a disappointment is no way to go through life.

I feel sad for her, too, though it's a grudging feeling.  I really don't think she deserves my pity, but I do pity her.  I pity her crappy life.  I pity her inability to see the good and that it outweighs the bad.  I pity the small, sheltered space she must inhabit.  I pity the hatred she must feel for herself.

Yes, I am angry.  I am angry that she put this out there for expecting parents to see.  Will their fears be confirmed with this story?  I hope not.  I hope that they know that there are many, many more parents of kids with Down syndrome who feel pretty much the exact opposite of this one, myself included.

I am angry that people say she is a product of her generation.  That statement is a slap in the face to any parent that chose the hard road of keeping their kid home and fighting for inclusion in those earlier days.  She could have been a pioneer and she chose to be a coward.

Parenting is not for the timid.  At least, parenting well isn't.  

IEP Hell: The Neverending Headache

If you have been following along with the saga of my middle son's IEP's, you will know that we have had our ups and downs.  Mostly, luckily, thankfully, our experience with these meetings has been positive.  Until last year, with the start of his transition to high school, we never really had any kind of problem that we could not solve.

I am feeling that those days are behind us.  Even after a somewhat positive resolution to our last meeting before this school year started link here , we find ourselves baffled by school officials' lack of understanding of what inclusion looks like.

For instance, it does not look like a modified gym class for kids who are recovering from injuries.  Seriously, it does not.  

Charles is not injured.  Down syndrome is NOT a reason to be left out of a typical gym class.  In fact, Charles has ALWAYS been included in a typical gym class...until this year.  They decided (unbeknownst to me) that it would be better (their word was safer) to put Charles in a class where three or four other kids were getting therapy for injuries, rather than with the "general population". I am using that term with no irony whatsoever.

The gym teacher, who, all in all, seems like a very nice person who is trying to get a handle on how to include and teach Charles, is completely overwhelmed by this task.  I am not exactly sure why, but lack of understanding about what Down syndrome is and isn't seems to be a big piece of it.

I really didn't know what to say in the moment, because to me, it seems like a no-brainer that you would just assume he can do stuff until you see that he can't and then modify from there.  In the case of gym, the only modifications Charles needs are the ones that address his AAI What? and those are minor.  He can run, shoot hoops, play games, do bench press...pretty much everything that gym entails.  Can we just for a second assume that he can do stuff before we decide (with no evidence other than ***whispering*** psst, he has Down syndrome ) that he can't?

The problem "they" say is that Charles once left the gym without permission and they are worried that it would be hard to watch him in a large group setting, such as a regular gym class.  I get the need for safety, but let's break it down a bit.  He left this gym class/therapy and went to the next class on his schedule; most likely because he was TOTALLY BORED!  Who wants to sit around watching other people get therapy?  Further, they decided this BEFORE he started school! They had it in their heads that he could not handle the larger class and put him in this poor excuse for a gym class instead, without consulting me (I would have laughed at them) or even trying out the regular class first.  

Seriously?  

So, I told them that we needed to get him into a regular class, like YESTERDAY and they brought out the standard, tired argument of who was going to "watch" him, since, you know, they are so understaffed and the district won't give them another aide and yada, yada, yada...

I'm sorry, what?  

I pay taxes and ridiculous school fees for this "free" education and my kid will get what he needs; and if you put him in a class that actually has activities to keep him engaged, I am pretty sure that he won't feel the need to wander off to the math lab for some excitement.  Besides, my kid is LEGALLY entitled to receive a free, public education in the least restrictive environment; in this case, the high school that his brothers also attend, five blocks from our house.  This is not special treatment.  It is legally protected and socially just inclusion.

His case manager actually started complaining that there were so many kids "like mine" coming down the pike that they didn't know how they were going to handle it. And I said (trying to restrain myself from rolling my eyeballs out of my head) "Yes, you had better believe they are all coming!"  The insinuation was that "we" were the problem.  We.  Us pesky parents and our stupid kids.  

Are you freaking kidding me?!?!  These creative, bright individuals can't think of a way to revamp the system to accommodate children AT THEIR HOME SCHOOLS IN REGULAR CLASSES?!?!?  How about take 75% of the teachers and aides in the segregated classes and put them in the others?  Co-teaching?  Extra hands?  Spending less money busing kids to other schools also means more money for extra teachers.  For the other 25%, we can have some smaller classes for those kids that really, really need it and even those could go away in time, in my opinion.  We are finding out that our kids learn better together.  ALL our kids learn better together; no matter where they are on the continuum. Read This, this, and this.  

I am SO TIRED of having to educate the educators.  I am tired of getting beaten down to the point where I feel like my only choices are to pull him out altogether or leave him to rot in "life skills".

I have more to say, but right now, I am just so freaking tired.

An ode to my BFFFF

Oh, yes.  All the F's have meaning.  :)

We met about eleven years ago.

Our kids were attending the same preschool and after a few months of fawning over the adorable, blue eyed and blond haired kid with Down syndrome in my son, Evan's class, I decided that I would seek out his mom when I got the chance.

The chance came when Evan was turning four and we decided to have a party for him.  Since Nick was in his class (and I was in love with him), he got an invitation.

And his mom called me up, clearly emotional at the invite.  It turned out that it was his first invitation to a party and it was a pretty big deal.  Most parents of kids with obvious differences would probably agree.  We are all pretty sensitive when it comes to our kids being included and when it happens, we bawl.

One of the things I have come to realize about being a parent of a kid with Down syndrome is that when Charles was born, I was immediately given membership to a very cool and exclusive club.  I'm not saying all the members are awesome.  All Ds parents are not created equally.  We are not all "special" or "patient" or even "nice"; but, I have met some very, very cool people because of it.

Christy is one of these cool people.

So, we had our first phone conversation and by the time it was over, I knew that we would be at least BFF's if not BFFFF's.

I knew this because in the first five minutes I had already told her about my love affair with Dave Matthews and how I didn't want to actually, physically stalk him because I loved him so much that I didn't want to mess up his life.

Yes, I realize that this confession makes me sound like a lunatic.  (and just as a side note, I have calmed down over Dave Matthews, though I would never kick him out of bed turn down an invitation from him to play Canasta.  Jon Seda, on the other hand)...ahem...anyway...

I think the fact that she did not scream "WRONG NUMBER" and hang up on me, but patiently listened and then confessed her own super weird celebrity love affair fantasy cemented our friendship like crazy glue sticks to fingertips.

We were bonded for life.

I am grateful to her for so many reasons.  Here are a few:

1. I am kind of a shitty friend.  I am super demanding and I have very, very thin skin.  She lets me rant like a two year old who dropped her ice cream and patiently waits for me to stop my temper tantrum so I can apologize and we can move on.
2. Because of number 1, I have very few, real friends.  She is the kind of person that has people lining up to be her BFFFF and the fact that she gets me makes me feel pretty good.  
3. Even if I am not her number one BFFFF, she never lets on.  I am sure she reassures those other friends that they are number one with her AND THAT IS OKAY WITH ME.  But, I know the truth <<< wink >>>
4. She has my back, always.
5. She is incredibly funny and she has started her own blog.  I promised I would try not to be jealous even though she out-funny-ed me in the first day.  Remember number 1?  Yeah...

Here is the link to her super funny, new blog.  Please check it out, but don't leave me, okay?  I am ridiculously competitive and I have huge abandonment issues...

Mitochondria

It has been too long since I have written a post.  I have been consumed by a bunch of crap, not the least of which is getting my middle son placed at his home high school.  

Here is how it is going so far, in a nutshell:

• Have first meeting cancelled
• Freak out
• Finally have meeting three months later
• Find out the "team" has no intention of letting my kid attend his school
• Fake smiles all around
• Virtual head pats for the adorable boy who brought his own notes to advocate for himself
• Mom ends meeting by admonishing the team for their lack of creativity

Before this meeting I was pretty sure that the "team" besides me and my husband were not going to be keen on Charles attending his home school, but I maintained the optimism that comes from knowing that you are right and they are wrong.

This was so, so stupid of me.

Here is the letter I handed out to the group before the meeting:

Dear Team,

This is my son, Charles.  We are here to find the best possible placement for him.  Before we do that, however, I want to remind you that he is not just a set of strengths and weaknesses.  He is a teenager, a much-loved son and brother, a good friend and a bundle of wit and sarcasm.  

He wants what all of us want out of life:  To love and be loved, to have friends and to be included.  That last part is tricky, because it can't really be quantified.  I am afraid that sometimes, the human being gets lost in the graphs and percentiles.  I am afraid that for some, my Charles is a challenge at best and a problem at worst.

Numbers are not my son's best friend, whether they are problems on a math worksheet, IQ points or figures on a percentile chart.  I realize that teaching involves testing and reporting, but I urge you all to look beyond that towards what really makes a life:  Being accepted and included.

Inclusion is not a pie in the sky fantasy, it is the only way to ensure that my child's life is seen as having as much value as those of his typical peers.  If you think I am exaggerating, consider what happens when people are segregated from society.  

Times have changed for people with Down syndrome, but until stories of prom kings and queens and team managers are more than feel good anecdotes, people like my son will not be fully participating members of society and that is what I want for my son.  My husband and I want full participation in life (not just school) for Charles and every child who comes after him.

I look forward to the day Charles walks across the stage in his cap and gown, ready to accept his certificate and to step into a world that is more accepting and inclusive than it is today, because of the work of teams like this.

Thank you.

(Charles' parents)

Having Down syndrome is like being born normal. I am just like you and you are just like me. We are all born in different ways, that is the way I can describe it. I have a normal life.  

~ Chris Burke

And they loved it. They thanked me for writing it. They had real tears in their eyes. And I thought: YES! They get it! It will be fine!!!

And then, Charles read his prepared notes; just a little bit about himself.

AND THEY ATE IT UP!!!

SO CUTE!!!

SO GREAT THAT HE IS SPEAKING ON HIS OWN BEHALF!!!

I THOUGHT SOMEONE MIGHT PEE THEMSELVES FROM SHEER GIDDINESS!!!

No one did, but they all beamed at Charles, like they were watching a monkey play the piano or a squirrel water ski.  

THEYCOULDN'TBELIEVEITWASHAPPENING!!!

And I was thinking, "Really? You know people with Down syndrome have thoughts, right? They are not smiling dummies. They have independent thoughts and likes and dislikes and dreams for themselves."

I think somewhere along the line, they missed that memo. They were so busy putting kids "like these" in a little box, that they couldn't see all the stuff that made them individuals.

The box is called Life Skills class.

After Charles spoke and after we talked about his current "levels" the meeting changed from 

this

 

to this.

They had to break us.

They had to break us and fold us into the little Life Skills box to make their lives easier.

I want to know who coined the term Life Skills as the name of a legitimate class. I get it for kids who grow up in institutions (horrible) and might need to learn how to navigate life, but kids with families? Isn't it my job as a mom to teach my kids how to be safe and read a recipe and navigate a grocery store? Seriously, shopping at a grocery store is a big part of the curriculum, because they go there once a week.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?

Frankly, I find it insulting that this is the bar that has been set for my kid's high school career.  

"you know, we are gonna teach him about life and stuff; mostly, about buying Wonder bread and ordering at McDonald's".

What really stood out to me in the meeting (one of the things, anyway) is that they had a hard time wrapping their brains around how they would teach Charles about mitochondria in Biology.

I am not kidding.

Um, how about don't worry about it?

How about give the basics?

How about using the model from the science they teach in the life skills class as a start? ***headdesk***

Raise your hand if you have needed to know about mitochondria (unless you are a Biology teacher) in your adult life...hmmm, I thought so.

So, we have another meeting tomorrow and knowing what I know now, I am not overly confident that it will go well. My kid is not even coming, because I don't want him to hear (however nuanced and nicely sounding they put it) that he is not wanted at his own school.

I still know that I am right and my husband is 100% on board with me. That helps. But, knowing I am right and putting my kid out there are two different things. It is absolutely in their power to make things a living hell for him. And no one outside my little band of true believers will ever know that it was them that failed my kid and not the other way around. And who knows what kind of torment my kid will have to deal with if they don't give him appropriate support?

I believe inclusion is the only way forward. It's the only way my kid will ever be seen as an equal participant in life's journey. I also know that I will not sacrifice my kid on the alter of inclusion, either. I won't make him a martyr.

If I feel that they are setting him up to fail, I will relent and put him in the "other" class, or, I might just pull him out altogether and start a homeschool co-op with some of the other parents who are dealing with this.

It really shouldn't be this hard.

Here is the letter I wrote to keep myself on track at tomorrow's meeting. Please wish us luck.

Here we are again talking about Charles’ placement.  I appreciate this team giving thought to what my husband and I have said previously.  I realize that you don’t all necessarily understand why we are pushing so hard for inclusion.  The bottom line is simple:  It is Charles’ right to be educated amongst his peers.  As I have said before, it is not inclusion if it happens “somewhere else”, no matter how inclusive that environment may be.  Inclusion, to really, really work for Charles’ future needs to happen at his home school.  I understand that it will take some creativity on the part of this team, but more importantly, it will take open minds and hearts.  We are not alone in this thinking.  I know of many other parents in this district who want and are pushing for the same, simple thing.  

Yes, Charles will need supports and modifications, some of which will be major and ongoing.  He will need a modified curriculum, modified grading and supports with which to implement them.  Modified grading is not the same as “merit grading”.  Grading according to Charles’ progress on his IEP is not a ribbon for “trying”, but progress, which is all we ask for.  

As far as Algebra and Science go, there are ways to make these topics accessible.  If they are teaching a version of them in the self contained class at (the other school), they can be taught to Charles; again, this would just be a modification of the curriculum and it is a modification that already exists.  The tools are already out there in the district.  They just need to be implemented here at (the home school).

These many modifications will require a strong, one on one para-professional to implement.  Having a para would serve two very important functions:  Charles will have help and support for the classroom work and he will have someone to help him navigate a large school during passing periods and during less supervised time, like in gym and during lunch.  It will also alleviate some of the stress of the “unknown” in this inclusion process.  

Another benefit of having a para with Charles would be giving him the option of leaving a class and working in the library for a time, or taking a sensory break when things get overwhelming.  This will be paramount to Charles’ success.

While all of this sounds great and perfectly doable, I realize that there will be a learning curve for everyone involved.  My only real fear for Charles is the resistance to his being there.  Whether it be fear, or prejudice or outright hostility, I harbor no illusions that this transition will happen without a few issues.  Once Charles leaves my care and is in the school setting, it is up to the professionals present and in the larger school to take Charles’ success seriously; not just his academics, but his social/emotional wellbeing.

Let’s make this work.  Let’s not just “try” it, with an eye on the (other) program as our fall back.  Let’s just make it work for Charles and for the next child whose only wish is to remain with his friends and brothers where he belongs.  Let’s make (the home school) a model; not just for grades and academic achievement, but for inclusion as well.

Amy Dietrich Hernandez

*** UPDATE*** via my Facebook status

Success! They saw how passionate we were about keeping Charles a (home school mascot) and he will be one! We've worked out a collaborative program with (other school) where he will start his day there, get a few of the harder subjects in the morning, then spend the afternoon at (home high school) every day. We will push for full time as the years go on, but for now, this is the best of both worlds: more support in areas where he needs it and VISIBILITY at his home school. Whooo!