Letter to the Counselor

Sort of like a 'Letter to the Editor'.

OK- maybe not.

Anyway, I just wanted to cut and paste the letter I just emailed to Will's counselor. I am done playing these head games with myself. I am making a decision, finally, and acting on it. Thus, this letter:

S,

I am definitely going to pursue having Will tested formally. His issues have certainly fluctuated this year and made it hard for me to know, at times, whether this is the route to take. But the issues always seem to come back and I think that is the bottom line. I worry that he is going to get to 4th grade and the same problems will keep cropping up and we will be no closer to solving his problems than we are right now.

He is not failing. But he is consistently getting B’s and C’s. That is fine with me if that is the best he can do, but I don’t think it is. I have a question for you. Do/Can most kids get straight A’s in 3rd grade? It seems like that must be more typical. 3rd grade is still “easy” and the teachers still provide a lot of guidance and help. I know that Lori and Molly have made modifications for Will in the classroom to help him, yet he still is not getting A’s. I can’t help but feel like there might be something underlying there. Only testing is going to provide that answer.

If we do the testing and nothing turns up then I know I have the problem of a child that really needs extra motivation, pushing and prodding and may not be a straight A student. At least I will know. But, if something does turn up then we can get to the root of what is going on and deal with it. His teachers from here on out could be made aware and hopefully he could be placed with teachers that would be accommodating to him. I think Will is in this fuzzy area between not having a “huge” problem and yet not being able to excel. I worry that those are the kids that fall between the cracks and I don’t want that to happen with Will.

So, what is my next step? Do I seek a private psychologist to do this testing? Do I have the testing done through the school system? I really have no idea which is the best route to go. I know it can be very expensive which is why it might be best to start with the school. But, it is the end of the year and that may not be an option at this point. Either way I plan to get it done so that I can have some answers before 4th grade.

Thanks so much for your help with this S!