Does It Get Easier?

So, here we are, in 2012. It's been a long time since I posted anything. I was going to shut this blog down, actually, until I noticed how many page views it has had. It's not a lot by any means, but to me, it is. So, maybe it is worth it to keep it going. To keep updating how things are going with Will.

I worry a bit though, as he gets older, that I am putting this information out there. God forbid a friend or someone stumbles upon this blog. Will would be horrified. He is pushing 12 years old and it is only a matter of time before he might find something like this. So, not sure what to do with that in mind. Maybe I remove all of his pictures? Change his name... I'll have to figure out what to do.

In the mean time, we are now, ALMOST, half way through his 6th grade year. What a big difference 6th grade is. He has 4 teachers, instead of 2. That is a huge change. After talking to Dr. T, before school began, we decided NOT to talk to his teachers about his vision issues. Dr. T, who is a retired teacher, told me that she hated hearing about student's problems beforehand. She preferred to figure them out on her own. She felt like some students were pigeon-holed by their "diagnoses". I agreed with her, mostly, though I do believe in some situations it might be beneficial for a teacher to know about a student's limitations.

But, I must say it was a good decision. He has struggled here and there, but no really big issues. But, here is where the "Does it get easier" title comes in to play. I still have to remind Will to check his planner, I have to remind him to start his homework, to finish his homework. I pretty much have to be sitting at the table while he does his homework. I have to remind him when he has a test coming up, when a project is due, etc, etc, etc...

It gets old, it really does. And part of me wants to just back off completely and see what happens. Actually, I need to do that. I am sure he has become totally dependent on me when it comes to schoolwork. I worry, though, that if I back off, his grades will plummet... Quite the conundrum. So, 2nd quarter comes to an end in the next couple of weeks. I think we will make a goal for the 2nd half of the year, of me not helping him so much. It is time for him to take responsibility for himself. I am sure it is well past time for him to take responsibility for himself, but this is how we have rolled. It has gotten him by. Time to change, though.

I'll have to do some thinking on exactly how to make those changes, but I am going to do it.

Early on this year, Will was tested in math, to see if he qualified for intervention. Students were chosen based on their OAA scores at the end of the 5th grade year. If they were in a low enough range, they were pulled out for further testing. Frustratingly, I only knew about this because Will told me. Of course, he didn't know why they were testing him, just that they were. I emailed the school psychologist and he told me why they were doing it. You would think that would be something parents would be notified about. So, weeks went by and I never heard anything about the outcome of the testing. I emailed the school psychologist again. Oops, they forgot to tell me, he didn't qualify for the intervention. He scored in the 44th percentile. :( That is considered average by the school, so he didn't qualify. Hmpf!

So, we have been working hard on math at home. He seems to be getting a pretty good grasp on what he has been learning. His biggest problem is, and always has been, transferring what he has learned to a test situation. He has never done really great on tests. Sitting at home, working on homework with someone, he gets it. Almost always. Give him a problem, with nobody to talk it through with, or worded a little differently, and he struggles.

Okay, this post has kind of been all over the place. I am going to try to keep this blog more up to date and address some specific things we have continued to deal with. I am toying with the idea of adding Ben into the mix. While he doesn't struggle with school, he has his own host of idiosyncrasies that go along with his "giftedness" we are trying to figure out.

3 months later

Long-haired Will ready for his Spring Concert

Hard to believe it has been 3 months. What kind of blogger am I? Not a very good one, apparently. It seems to me that once the new year hits, I lose my free time. Too many commitments, not enough time!

We have continued seeing Dr. T for Will's vision therapy. We have also used her for some tutoring here and there as well. She is a former teacher after all and she just loves to help Will, particularly with math, which is great cause that is where he struggles most! Chris finally got to take Will to VT and he got to try out some of the exercises Will does while he is there. He was impressed with what they do together and can see how it is so helpful to Will.

School has continued to go well. He has struggled here and there, mostly with motivation. He had a few projects during the 3rd quarter that he pretty much waited until the last minute to complete. I think 3rd quarter is the most difficult quarter anyway. It sort of drags on, it is winter and we are all stuck inside. The days are longer and there is lots of work to be done at school. But, we got through it. Report cards will come home later this week. I do think this will be the first quarter this year that he doesn't have straight A's. I think he has a B+ in Language Arts. But I see that as a good thing, really. We can get on Edline and he can see where he could have done better, particularly with some homework assignments and he could have ended up with straight A's again. I struggle with that, though. There is nothing wrong with a B+. Absolutely nothing. He should be proud, so I hate pointing out what he could have done better. But, at the same time, he really could have and should have had an A in that class based on what I see on Edline.

Will had quite a few sick days during this last quarter. A couple episodes of vomiting kept him out of school on two different days. Then he caught some virus with a fever and bad cold symptoms and that kept him out for 4 days. That resulted in lots of make up work for him. It has also resulted in some anxiety for Will. The vomiting through him for a loop. It happened at night, after he laid down to go to bed.  So, ever since then, he has had several times where he gets very nervous and anxious that he is going to get sick again. He comes in my room and says he has to throw up and he does NOT want to throw up. He gets so upset about it he causes his stomach to get upset and he ends up with diarrhea. This has happened a couple of times. He has decided he needs to talk to Dr. Nannie about it! So we are going to go see her tomorrow. Hoping that allays his fears!!!