One of the things Joey finds comforting is color. When he first started talking and we were teaching him to answer questions, when in doubt, he named a color. It was safe, and he could show he knew something. Blue's Clues has an episode on color where they mix colors together to make other colors. It is Joey's favorite episode, bar none.
Joey has been a little depressed lately. Not his energetic, giggly self; a little more languid, a little tired, a little sad. The beginning of school is something he looks forward to, but it entails a lot of changes and new challenges. We also have a teacher than is less than stellar (or has been so far), and some separation anxiety from last year's teacher, who was way beyond stellar.
Consequently, color has been a huge theme of motor-mouthing here.
I set the boys up to paint today after school. I thought with the renewed comfort of color, it was just a good idea. (And I couldn't find my iron to do fuse beads. How does one lose an iron?) This is actually the first step of making stick puppets. We're making turkeys and ghosts this round. I set them up, and we were off to the races!
I crept out of the room, partly to get the camera, partly to give them some moments to just do their thing. I came back to Joey proudly displaying hands covered in paint and his puppets, as well as a paper he had gotten from the art supply shelf.
"Purple and red make magenta!" he said proudly, grinning from ear to ear. Sure enough, he had made magenta.
"Green and yellow make chartreuse!" he pointed proudly to his patch of chartreuse. We also did marigold, violet (blue-purple), and aquamarine. (He had his hands washed before I recovered, so sorry, no pic).
Happiest boy on earth. Score: Mom, one. Depression, zero.
On another grand development, Joey wanted a soda while we waited for the paint to dry. To do this, he had to:
1. Go to the kitchen.
2. Open the fridge.
3. Open the bottom drawer of the fridge.
4. Get his soda.
5. Close the drawer.
6. Close the fridge.
I told him these steps very carefully. It took two tries, but he managed to do it- all by himself. I guess grape soda is more motivating than I imagined.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Reading teacher: check.
Since we're non-plussed with Joey's self-contained class, we met with Joey's inclusion teacher today. We had a really nice short chat with Joey's autism resource teacher, then headed over to the inclusion room for another lovely chat.
In case you are keeping count, Joey has three classrooms, plus "specials." He starts off in the autism resource room with Mrs. Huff and Ms. Macy. Mrs. Huff is his "official" teacher (case manager). Then he spends time in the self-contained room with Mrs. A, doing things like math and Fast Forward and computer skills and some language arts and other standards-of-learning kinds of stuff. Then he spends time in an inclusion setting with Mrs. R for social studies and science. It was Mrs. R we met today. He also has library, art, music, and PE.
Mrs. R is also his reading teacher, and they started reading groups this week. She's a bit concerned that he is basically the top reader in the class. She doesn't have a lot of experience with autistic kids, and the special needs kids she had before were not her top-tier readers, but she was really ready to listen to us and discuss Joey's strengths and weaknesses and strategies to support him. She's going to some training in December with Mrs. Huff about inclusion and methods for supporting special needs kids in inclusion settings, and she seems very excited about it. Her concern with Joey being the top reader is that she is afraid he won't progress more in reading, that he needs more challenge than she can offer because there is only one other kid who is reading at his level, and she can separate them into their own little reading group. The next set of kids are substantially lower on the reading scale. No, this didn't bother us that much because we are basically using his strength (reading) to get him familiar and comfortable and help him work on weakness (social interaction in a small group). But she's a reading teacher, so she worries about the reading piece. I think there is going to be some discussion between her and Mrs. Huff about "what to do." I'll keep you posted.
We really couldn't ask for anyone with a better attitude. She's perfectly willing to dive in and rise to the challenge of being an inclusion room, and supporting her students. She noticed Joey liked to draw, so she sent home a book about drawing with us, partly to help us get him to focus on books better- maybe catch his interest.
So this lady seems like a solid link in the chain.
I have a meeting with the weak link on Wednesday. Stay tuned.
In case you are keeping count, Joey has three classrooms, plus "specials." He starts off in the autism resource room with Mrs. Huff and Ms. Macy. Mrs. Huff is his "official" teacher (case manager). Then he spends time in the self-contained room with Mrs. A, doing things like math and Fast Forward and computer skills and some language arts and other standards-of-learning kinds of stuff. Then he spends time in an inclusion setting with Mrs. R for social studies and science. It was Mrs. R we met today. He also has library, art, music, and PE.
Mrs. R is also his reading teacher, and they started reading groups this week. She's a bit concerned that he is basically the top reader in the class. She doesn't have a lot of experience with autistic kids, and the special needs kids she had before were not her top-tier readers, but she was really ready to listen to us and discuss Joey's strengths and weaknesses and strategies to support him. She's going to some training in December with Mrs. Huff about inclusion and methods for supporting special needs kids in inclusion settings, and she seems very excited about it. Her concern with Joey being the top reader is that she is afraid he won't progress more in reading, that he needs more challenge than she can offer because there is only one other kid who is reading at his level, and she can separate them into their own little reading group. The next set of kids are substantially lower on the reading scale. No, this didn't bother us that much because we are basically using his strength (reading) to get him familiar and comfortable and help him work on weakness (social interaction in a small group). But she's a reading teacher, so she worries about the reading piece. I think there is going to be some discussion between her and Mrs. Huff about "what to do." I'll keep you posted.
We really couldn't ask for anyone with a better attitude. She's perfectly willing to dive in and rise to the challenge of being an inclusion room, and supporting her students. She noticed Joey liked to draw, so she sent home a book about drawing with us, partly to help us get him to focus on books better- maybe catch his interest.
So this lady seems like a solid link in the chain.
I have a meeting with the weak link on Wednesday. Stay tuned.
Really Full
Just a vignette from the day:
We were heading home from our meeting with Joey's teacher, and the boys took up the regularly scheduled "I'm hungry" chorus.
"I'm hungry," Joey began the festivities. He has a renewed interest in goldfish crackers, so this was followed up with, "Goldfish, please."
"I'm hungry, too," Andy chimed in. "I want food!"
"We'll have dinner in a little bit," I assured them as I stopped for a red light.
"I want lots of food," Andy explained. "My tummy gets all full. My tummy gets big. My tummy go 'Pop!' "
It was a good thing the light was red.
We were heading home from our meeting with Joey's teacher, and the boys took up the regularly scheduled "I'm hungry" chorus.
"I'm hungry," Joey began the festivities. He has a renewed interest in goldfish crackers, so this was followed up with, "Goldfish, please."
"I'm hungry, too," Andy chimed in. "I want food!"
"We'll have dinner in a little bit," I assured them as I stopped for a red light.
"I want lots of food," Andy explained. "My tummy gets all full. My tummy gets big. My tummy go 'Pop!' "
It was a good thing the light was red.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Baby Signing Time
I’ve been getting a lot of emails asking me to review and endorse products here at Life With Joey. Is it so common for folks to endorse products on their blogs? I generally ignore these emails. If I want to talk about a product or service, I talk about it: TV shows we like, toys we think are helpful or fun, services that have helped Joey and Andy grow and develop. I share these with you.
So you all know we love Signing Time. If you don’t, check out some of my previous posts about our experience of Signing Time and Joey’s improved communication! I was honored and flattered to be contacted by Signing Time and asked if I would like to review Baby Signing Time 3 and 4, which will be released this October.
Why do we love Signing Time? Because it is a well-made series focused not really on signing, but on communicating. Signs are introduced to a multi-sensory approach: there is a picture of the word, the word spelled out, the sign (explained by Rachel so that the sign actually makes sense and connects to the word it represents), and then age-appropriate models using the signs with music. Not only is this a great way to teach hearing kids to sign, but it gives multiple avenues of access for different learning styles to learn words. Signing Time selects vocabulary that is also age-appropriate and pragmatic: words that kids will know and use. The episodes then group these signs so that they connect together and help kids remember them. The episodes provide plenty of signs, so even a single episode can get you moving on your way to communication.
The screening DVD included Episode 3 (A New Day) and Episode 4 (Let’s Be Friends.) It also included an interview about a child who learned to read as a baby, emphasizing the multi-faceted approach to the signs mentioned above. I wasn't much into the interview, it was kind of preaching to the choir, and though it mentioned not all babies will learn to read with Signing Time, just having the interview included implied this. It needed to be presented differently so it looked less like an ad, and more like a "wow, isn't this a really awesome child!" Maybe label it something about "Meet the kids of Signing Time!" or "Welcome to our community!" or something like that.
Although I know and love the regular Signing Time series, this was my first experience with Baby Signing Time.
Baby Signing Time is geared to infants and young toddlers, through about age two. If you have a three-year-old, then you might want to just jump right into the first episodes of the first Signing Time Series. If you have a child in elementary school, add Series Two as well. For middle schoolers, I’d start right in on Series Two, which is a little more connected and progressive than Series One.
Episode 3 (A New Day) was mostly introducing signs connected with the outdoors: weather, things you would see outside, bugs, useful signs for outside like stop, go, wait, and again, and night sky words.
The songs were simple, age-appropriate, and most importantly, not irritating to me as an adult. This is also part of the charm of the series- it includes music you can use to practice signs and play in your car without going nuts, because the songs don’t talk down to the children. The songs and modeling of the signs made the signs relevant to young children, which will hold their interest. Seeing Rachel in bug headgear is worth the price of admission. At the end, parents get a treat with the song Little Hands.
Episode 4 (Let’s Be Friends) provides a wide range of general-communication signs, relevant to young children at play: signs about friends, opposites, feelings, toys, and foods.
The episode is upbeat and stresses positives, even when introducing signs such as “sad” and “cry” (the song talks about the fact that feelings aren’t good or bad; they are just how you feel!) Again, the episode is a string of simple, listenable songs geared to very young children. The parent treat song at the end is Show Me A Sign.
The episodes use a few strategies that worked with my kids when they were very young to hold interest and keep the boys focused. First, Rachel exaggerates her facial expressions more than in the regular Signing Time videos. For young children learning to read other people’s emotions, this is really helpful. Another good technical point as the use of bright, bold backgrounds behind the models before switching to natural settings. These bright backgrounds attracted my kids when they were very little, and I think it makes the models and signs easier for young children to see. Another really great thing al the Signing Time videos do is to use age-appropriate models, but also some models slightly older than the target audience. Baby Signing Time uses infants, toddlers, and preschoolers of diverse backgrounds and abilities to show the signs in action. Disabled children are included. Perfect signing isn’t the point; showing a variety of children signing gives young children confidence in using their hands to communicate (even when their motor skills might be sketchy).
Do I think Signing Time and Baby Signing Time are good investments? Let’s just say, I’m saving up my money to get Series Two for my guys for Christmas, and I'll be getting Baby Signing Time for several families with new additions.
Getting children access to communication early, especially if there appears to be communications issues, is something I think vital to early intervention programs, and Baby Signing Time is an excellent tool for teaching communication skills to young children. Allowing a child to communicate can make a huge difference in their ability to function without frustration. Do we believe in using sign? Yes, we do. For Joey, it has made all the difference in the world.
Visit the folks at Signing Time:
www.signingtime.com
www.babysigningtime.com
The websites a worth a look: message boards, Rachel’s blog, and of course, products to help your child learn to communicate!
So you all know we love Signing Time. If you don’t, check out some of my previous posts about our experience of Signing Time and Joey’s improved communication! I was honored and flattered to be contacted by Signing Time and asked if I would like to review Baby Signing Time 3 and 4, which will be released this October.
Why do we love Signing Time? Because it is a well-made series focused not really on signing, but on communicating. Signs are introduced to a multi-sensory approach: there is a picture of the word, the word spelled out, the sign (explained by Rachel so that the sign actually makes sense and connects to the word it represents), and then age-appropriate models using the signs with music. Not only is this a great way to teach hearing kids to sign, but it gives multiple avenues of access for different learning styles to learn words. Signing Time selects vocabulary that is also age-appropriate and pragmatic: words that kids will know and use. The episodes then group these signs so that they connect together and help kids remember them. The episodes provide plenty of signs, so even a single episode can get you moving on your way to communication.
The screening DVD included Episode 3 (A New Day) and Episode 4 (Let’s Be Friends.) It also included an interview about a child who learned to read as a baby, emphasizing the multi-faceted approach to the signs mentioned above. I wasn't much into the interview, it was kind of preaching to the choir, and though it mentioned not all babies will learn to read with Signing Time, just having the interview included implied this. It needed to be presented differently so it looked less like an ad, and more like a "wow, isn't this a really awesome child!" Maybe label it something about "Meet the kids of Signing Time!" or "Welcome to our community!" or something like that.
Although I know and love the regular Signing Time series, this was my first experience with Baby Signing Time.
Baby Signing Time is geared to infants and young toddlers, through about age two. If you have a three-year-old, then you might want to just jump right into the first episodes of the first Signing Time Series. If you have a child in elementary school, add Series Two as well. For middle schoolers, I’d start right in on Series Two, which is a little more connected and progressive than Series One.
Episode 3 (A New Day) was mostly introducing signs connected with the outdoors: weather, things you would see outside, bugs, useful signs for outside like stop, go, wait, and again, and night sky words.
The songs were simple, age-appropriate, and most importantly, not irritating to me as an adult. This is also part of the charm of the series- it includes music you can use to practice signs and play in your car without going nuts, because the songs don’t talk down to the children. The songs and modeling of the signs made the signs relevant to young children, which will hold their interest. Seeing Rachel in bug headgear is worth the price of admission. At the end, parents get a treat with the song Little Hands.
Episode 4 (Let’s Be Friends) provides a wide range of general-communication signs, relevant to young children at play: signs about friends, opposites, feelings, toys, and foods.
The episode is upbeat and stresses positives, even when introducing signs such as “sad” and “cry” (the song talks about the fact that feelings aren’t good or bad; they are just how you feel!) Again, the episode is a string of simple, listenable songs geared to very young children. The parent treat song at the end is Show Me A Sign.
The episodes use a few strategies that worked with my kids when they were very young to hold interest and keep the boys focused. First, Rachel exaggerates her facial expressions more than in the regular Signing Time videos. For young children learning to read other people’s emotions, this is really helpful. Another good technical point as the use of bright, bold backgrounds behind the models before switching to natural settings. These bright backgrounds attracted my kids when they were very little, and I think it makes the models and signs easier for young children to see. Another really great thing al the Signing Time videos do is to use age-appropriate models, but also some models slightly older than the target audience. Baby Signing Time uses infants, toddlers, and preschoolers of diverse backgrounds and abilities to show the signs in action. Disabled children are included. Perfect signing isn’t the point; showing a variety of children signing gives young children confidence in using their hands to communicate (even when their motor skills might be sketchy).
Do I think Signing Time and Baby Signing Time are good investments? Let’s just say, I’m saving up my money to get Series Two for my guys for Christmas, and I'll be getting Baby Signing Time for several families with new additions.
Getting children access to communication early, especially if there appears to be communications issues, is something I think vital to early intervention programs, and Baby Signing Time is an excellent tool for teaching communication skills to young children. Allowing a child to communicate can make a huge difference in their ability to function without frustration. Do we believe in using sign? Yes, we do. For Joey, it has made all the difference in the world.
Visit the folks at Signing Time:
www.signingtime.com
www.babysigningtime.com
The websites a worth a look: message boards, Rachel’s blog, and of course, products to help your child learn to communicate!
Finding One's Calling
So we were sitting around the kitchen table, having dinner, and taking advantage of a sudden increase in words from both little guys. They wanted to chatter, so we set to modeling dinner-table conversation with questions and answers. What did you do in school today? Did you start your reading group? What did you make today?
We rounded out to more abstract questions, like, "what would you like to do tomorrow?" and "why do you like the color blue?" We finally came to that ever-popular, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"
We explained that Mommy is a teacher, and Daddy is a businessman, and then put it to the boys: what do you want to do when you get older? When you are grown-up like Mommy and Daddy?
Joey wanted to be a teacher. We then asked about some other jobs- did he want to be a chef? Cook for people? No. Perhaps a doctor and help sick people? Or a veterinarian and work with animals? No. A teacher.
Then Andy piped up, "I want to be a dinosaur!"
Well, that child knows his calling.
We rounded out to more abstract questions, like, "what would you like to do tomorrow?" and "why do you like the color blue?" We finally came to that ever-popular, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"
We explained that Mommy is a teacher, and Daddy is a businessman, and then put it to the boys: what do you want to do when you get older? When you are grown-up like Mommy and Daddy?
Joey wanted to be a teacher. We then asked about some other jobs- did he want to be a chef? Cook for people? No. Perhaps a doctor and help sick people? Or a veterinarian and work with animals? No. A teacher.
Then Andy piped up, "I want to be a dinosaur!"
Well, that child knows his calling.
Monday, September 22, 2008
A Day at The Fair
We had a lovely day at the fair. Last year this week, we had been sick as the proverbial dogs after our beach vacation*; but this year, despite my own headcold, we were determined. Joey went to his swimming lesson (he just loves them!) and then we were off to St. Mary’s.
The main attraction for the guys this year was the pigs, followed closely by the sheep. They could have looked at pigs and sheep all afternoon. We also looked at the chickens, the turkeys (the boys still don’t like turkeys), the rabbits (fuzzy!), the goats, the Clydesdales, and the alpacas. We zipped through the 4-H building looking at the veggies, but the boys weren’t really into that this year. I think if we had taken them through the ag building with the pumpkins, we would have had better luck. Anyway, we had some lunch, then off to the rides (light lunch- didn’t know what was ahead of us.)
They had some pretty new rides this year, which was nice. One of them was a dragon roller-coaster that the boys hopped on and were very, very happy “driving the dragon.” Then it was time for Joey to pick a big-boy ride.
He picked the Hurricane.
Note to self: before putting your six-year-old on a big ride, watch the ride in its entirety.
It started fine, going around in a circle. Then it sped up and the cars started to lift, and Joey wasn’t happy about that.
Then it did its thing. Oh. My. God. The arms went up and down while you were in the car sideways, and spinning around. He actually liked that part, but then it slowed down to ta spin and down again, and I think his tummy was a bit off. Talking later to other folks with kids on the ride, apparently a lot of crummies in tummies from that ride. Yikers.
We went on a few more, slower rides, and the dragon again, and then did some moon bouncing. By the time they got out of the moonbounce, they were both ready to fall over. That’s a good day.
So we ran through one of the commercial buildings looking for pens from our presidential candidates- and they weren’t giving out pens. In fact, only one place in the whole building had pens. That sucks. But we got our one pen and let the tummies calm down, got some ice cream, and headed home.
I won’t say there were no rocky moments in our trip, but what trip with kids has no rocky moments? They were few, brief, and the boys had a fabulous time. It’s nice to have an A+ trip now and again.
Happy Autumn Equinox!
*There was a LOT going on this week last year. But the reason we skipped the fair was we all had colds.
The main attraction for the guys this year was the pigs, followed closely by the sheep. They could have looked at pigs and sheep all afternoon. We also looked at the chickens, the turkeys (the boys still don’t like turkeys), the rabbits (fuzzy!), the goats, the Clydesdales, and the alpacas. We zipped through the 4-H building looking at the veggies, but the boys weren’t really into that this year. I think if we had taken them through the ag building with the pumpkins, we would have had better luck. Anyway, we had some lunch, then off to the rides (light lunch- didn’t know what was ahead of us.)
They had some pretty new rides this year, which was nice. One of them was a dragon roller-coaster that the boys hopped on and were very, very happy “driving the dragon.” Then it was time for Joey to pick a big-boy ride.
He picked the Hurricane.
Note to self: before putting your six-year-old on a big ride, watch the ride in its entirety.
It started fine, going around in a circle. Then it sped up and the cars started to lift, and Joey wasn’t happy about that.
Then it did its thing. Oh. My. God. The arms went up and down while you were in the car sideways, and spinning around. He actually liked that part, but then it slowed down to ta spin and down again, and I think his tummy was a bit off. Talking later to other folks with kids on the ride, apparently a lot of crummies in tummies from that ride. Yikers.
We went on a few more, slower rides, and the dragon again, and then did some moon bouncing. By the time they got out of the moonbounce, they were both ready to fall over. That’s a good day.
So we ran through one of the commercial buildings looking for pens from our presidential candidates- and they weren’t giving out pens. In fact, only one place in the whole building had pens. That sucks. But we got our one pen and let the tummies calm down, got some ice cream, and headed home.
I won’t say there were no rocky moments in our trip, but what trip with kids has no rocky moments? They were few, brief, and the boys had a fabulous time. It’s nice to have an A+ trip now and again.
Happy Autumn Equinox!
*There was a LOT going on this week last year. But the reason we skipped the fair was we all had colds.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sleepover: Joey's Turn
That's right. Joey is at Grandma's. By himself. Sleeping overnight.
I, of course, am beside myself.
Oh, and Andy isn't too happy, either. He wants his Joey!
I, of course, am beside myself.
Oh, and Andy isn't too happy, either. He wants his Joey!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Kickin' and Takin'
I made some phone calls this morning that needed to be made. I got some stuff to the framers that needed to be framed. I got my dining room table cleared off and the potpourri out. I got the mantel cleared and arranged for fall. I made orange-glazed chicken for dinner. I guess the aliens really did get my brain jumpstarted. ;)
Andy was a doll in the framer's. As I explained that yes, I wanted them to frame a napkin with a crayon drawing of a bear on it (Joey's first clear picture of Little Bear), along with several other children's art pieces, a photo a friend gave me, a poster of dinosaurs, and a postage stamp, Andy wandered about the store... keeping his hands to himself. It was incredible. I was so proud of him. As we left, hand in hand, he looked up at me and said, very matter-of-factly:
"Mommy, let's pop into the toy store and look at some toys."
So we walked down the block to the little toy store, and bought a little dinosaur. Because who can resist such a little charmer?
Andy was a doll in the framer's. As I explained that yes, I wanted them to frame a napkin with a crayon drawing of a bear on it (Joey's first clear picture of Little Bear), along with several other children's art pieces, a photo a friend gave me, a poster of dinosaurs, and a postage stamp, Andy wandered about the store... keeping his hands to himself. It was incredible. I was so proud of him. As we left, hand in hand, he looked up at me and said, very matter-of-factly:
"Mommy, let's pop into the toy store and look at some toys."
So we walked down the block to the little toy store, and bought a little dinosaur. Because who can resist such a little charmer?
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Trouble brewing
Joey participated in a summer reading program, and for a treat, the school let families come to a picnic lunch with the kids today. Actually, there wasn't much special, you showed up, and ate a crummy school lunch with your kid. But Andy got to come, and I got to have extra minutes with my Joey, so we were all about it. Woo-hoo!
So the invitation said to come five minutes early and meet the children in their classroom to go to lunch. So we pack up Andy and Grandma, and off we go to Hugh Mercer. The parents are arriving in a staggered timing because the picnic is during "your child's regular lunch period", which is also staggered. Consequently, we managed to sneak into a parking place just as the first wave of parents were leaving. We present our IDs, get out passes, and go to Joey's classroom- but he isn't there. He now has lunch with the self-contained teacher rather than the autism teacher. Fortunately, Mrs. Huff is a wonderful lady, and she takes us around to Joey's new inclusion room.
Last year, we were very spoiled, and unfortunately, I was unable to take full advantage of it. Joey's kindergarden teacher, Mrs. S (they really do call her Mrs. S), is a gift from heaven- a truly talented teacher. Whenever you appeared in Mrs. S's room- announced or otherwise- she had a big smile and a welcome-come-in-and-join-us attitude. There were no bones about it- we were the moms and dads, important to our children and their education, and we were always welcome to come participate in the classroom. Spoiled. Rotten.
We appeared in the door of Mrs. A's room (I'll leave off the full name for right now), escorted by Mrs. Huff, and five minutes ahead of lunchtime, as the invitation stated; Mrs. Huff announced us. We were greeted with, "Well, we're still doing instruction. They have to meet him in the cafeteria!"
"Oh," I responded, taken aback. "We're sorry, we were told to go to his classroom." We retreated with Mrs. Huff continuing to apologize, and hotfooted it to the cafeteria.
Not impressed. For one, I'm a parent. I should be welcome to come witness my child's instruction time. For two, she should have addressed me, as I was standing there, if she wanted me to go to the cafeteria. For three, we were instructed to go to his classroom, and she should have been aware of that. All the other teachers were- all the other parents arrived in the cafeteria with their child's class.
So we are now in the cafeteria- where to wait? The tables each have signs on them to say which teacher sits there, and when. Mrs. A is not listed anywhere. We double-checked. We triple-checked. No sign of her. We finally ask, and apparently Mrs. A has been relegated to the "Quiet Table" due to shortage of room (? Don't they know each class that needs a table for lunch before school starts? Even Mrs. S has a table sign!) So we go to wait at that table, and here they come. Dexter and Joey are in the middle, but end up at the end because they both want to hug Andy. We get into the lunch line, and I help Andy and Joey (and mom helps Dexter) get their lunches, and we emerge to find... no-one we know. So we follow Dexter to the table. Where has the rest of the class gone?
Note that no-one has introduced themselves to us, nor really asked who we are. One lady asked if we "belonged to Joey and Dexter", and I later discovered this was the classroom aide. Joey's usual aide was out sick, and her sub was not there at the moment (I think she was taking another child somewhere- Joey technically does not have his own aide- and this is a different person from the classroom aide). Suddenly this same person appears and asks Dexter and Joey is they are going to join the class outside for the picnic, and again if we belong to "Joey and Dexter." I corrected her ("I'm Joey's mom") but I am not happy that the class was already out the door, and our guys had time to go to the entire other side of the cafeteria and sit down before anyone corralled them. Were they watching? What if Joey had decided to scoot out the door- especially with the change in routine?
We are still not introduced. We scurry after the boys, outside to a grassy spot around the corner. The teacher (I later learned this was the teacher) as two blankets and eight children. She spread one blanket, and Andy, Joey, and Dexter sit there; the other children, the teacher, and an aide sit on that one. The classroom aide sits in the grass between the two after kindly fetching a chair for my mom, who really can't sit on the ground. The teacher finally says something like, "I'm Mrs. A" before joining the rest of the class on the other blanket as a few other parents start to arrive (they had gone to the classroom, but had missed the class.) A few stray parents from other classes wandered out to the other huddled groups.
What did I notice about this? For one, my child and his friend were separated from the other students in the class. Was this just because we were already there (whereas the couple of other families arrived shortly after we came outside)? Mrs. A seemed to have no interest in speaking with me whatsoever. Not a good sign. Sometime over the course of the lunch, she did thank everyone for coming, but didn't even know my name ("Thanks to Mrs. C, E's mom.... oh, and thanks to- uh- Joey's mom for coming. Oh, and Joey's Grandma.").
Even after the lunch is over, and we're marching the class to the computer lab, it is like we were dismissed-by-snub. Andy said his goodbyes, the classroom aide and the aide sub (who arrived as lunch was ending- probably lunch was her break time) said something, but the teacher? Not a word. She was "busy."
Instead of feeling like we were a part of the classroom and Joey's education, we felt like we were annoying this woman and in her way. Not impressed.
Now, I'm not going to stomp my feet over a single negative encounter. But the first impression was definitely not good. If I don't see a definite change in attitude and understanding in the next encounter, we are definitely going to have issues. If this person thinks I'm going to take being treated like this again, she's going to be in for a big- unpleasant- surprise.
So the invitation said to come five minutes early and meet the children in their classroom to go to lunch. So we pack up Andy and Grandma, and off we go to Hugh Mercer. The parents are arriving in a staggered timing because the picnic is during "your child's regular lunch period", which is also staggered. Consequently, we managed to sneak into a parking place just as the first wave of parents were leaving. We present our IDs, get out passes, and go to Joey's classroom- but he isn't there. He now has lunch with the self-contained teacher rather than the autism teacher. Fortunately, Mrs. Huff is a wonderful lady, and she takes us around to Joey's new inclusion room.
Last year, we were very spoiled, and unfortunately, I was unable to take full advantage of it. Joey's kindergarden teacher, Mrs. S (they really do call her Mrs. S), is a gift from heaven- a truly talented teacher. Whenever you appeared in Mrs. S's room- announced or otherwise- she had a big smile and a welcome-come-in-and-join-us attitude. There were no bones about it- we were the moms and dads, important to our children and their education, and we were always welcome to come participate in the classroom. Spoiled. Rotten.
We appeared in the door of Mrs. A's room (I'll leave off the full name for right now), escorted by Mrs. Huff, and five minutes ahead of lunchtime, as the invitation stated; Mrs. Huff announced us. We were greeted with, "Well, we're still doing instruction. They have to meet him in the cafeteria!"
"Oh," I responded, taken aback. "We're sorry, we were told to go to his classroom." We retreated with Mrs. Huff continuing to apologize, and hotfooted it to the cafeteria.
Not impressed. For one, I'm a parent. I should be welcome to come witness my child's instruction time. For two, she should have addressed me, as I was standing there, if she wanted me to go to the cafeteria. For three, we were instructed to go to his classroom, and she should have been aware of that. All the other teachers were- all the other parents arrived in the cafeteria with their child's class.
So we are now in the cafeteria- where to wait? The tables each have signs on them to say which teacher sits there, and when. Mrs. A is not listed anywhere. We double-checked. We triple-checked. No sign of her. We finally ask, and apparently Mrs. A has been relegated to the "Quiet Table" due to shortage of room (? Don't they know each class that needs a table for lunch before school starts? Even Mrs. S has a table sign!) So we go to wait at that table, and here they come. Dexter and Joey are in the middle, but end up at the end because they both want to hug Andy. We get into the lunch line, and I help Andy and Joey (and mom helps Dexter) get their lunches, and we emerge to find... no-one we know. So we follow Dexter to the table. Where has the rest of the class gone?
Note that no-one has introduced themselves to us, nor really asked who we are. One lady asked if we "belonged to Joey and Dexter", and I later discovered this was the classroom aide. Joey's usual aide was out sick, and her sub was not there at the moment (I think she was taking another child somewhere- Joey technically does not have his own aide- and this is a different person from the classroom aide). Suddenly this same person appears and asks Dexter and Joey is they are going to join the class outside for the picnic, and again if we belong to "Joey and Dexter." I corrected her ("I'm Joey's mom") but I am not happy that the class was already out the door, and our guys had time to go to the entire other side of the cafeteria and sit down before anyone corralled them. Were they watching? What if Joey had decided to scoot out the door- especially with the change in routine?
We are still not introduced. We scurry after the boys, outside to a grassy spot around the corner. The teacher (I later learned this was the teacher) as two blankets and eight children. She spread one blanket, and Andy, Joey, and Dexter sit there; the other children, the teacher, and an aide sit on that one. The classroom aide sits in the grass between the two after kindly fetching a chair for my mom, who really can't sit on the ground. The teacher finally says something like, "I'm Mrs. A" before joining the rest of the class on the other blanket as a few other parents start to arrive (they had gone to the classroom, but had missed the class.) A few stray parents from other classes wandered out to the other huddled groups.
What did I notice about this? For one, my child and his friend were separated from the other students in the class. Was this just because we were already there (whereas the couple of other families arrived shortly after we came outside)? Mrs. A seemed to have no interest in speaking with me whatsoever. Not a good sign. Sometime over the course of the lunch, she did thank everyone for coming, but didn't even know my name ("Thanks to Mrs. C, E's mom.... oh, and thanks to- uh- Joey's mom for coming. Oh, and Joey's Grandma.").
Even after the lunch is over, and we're marching the class to the computer lab, it is like we were dismissed-by-snub. Andy said his goodbyes, the classroom aide and the aide sub (who arrived as lunch was ending- probably lunch was her break time) said something, but the teacher? Not a word. She was "busy."
Instead of feeling like we were a part of the classroom and Joey's education, we felt like we were annoying this woman and in her way. Not impressed.
Now, I'm not going to stomp my feet over a single negative encounter. But the first impression was definitely not good. If I don't see a definite change in attitude and understanding in the next encounter, we are definitely going to have issues. If this person thinks I'm going to take being treated like this again, she's going to be in for a big- unpleasant- surprise.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Coiffure
Andy and I had some time before Joey came home, so we made some play dough today. Andy wanted red, so he dumped half a bottle of red dye into the batch. He stirred it himself. He helped knead it, and sprinkled the counter with flour. He pretended he was making pizza until Joey came home.
Joey is harder to make things with, but I got him to decide on red and squeeze the rest of the dye bottle into the pot, and stir it a couple of times. It was too hot for his hands to help knead, but he waited patiently and repeated lines from Blue's Clues in anticipation. I distracted him from the hot dough by cleaning, and then presented him with his new treasure.
Then I put some cookies in the oven, and settled for a peaceful play-dough afternoon. I put Mr. Rogers on the TV, so they were less tempted to abandon the kitchen to watch TV, yet if they decided to invade the livingroom, the show was appropriate and peaceful.
A boy appeared. His head was encased in red dough.
"Look! Mom! I have red hair!" Joey announced, glanced at the TV, said, "Hello, Mr. Rogers!" and retreated to the kitchen.
Apparently I laughed so hard, he decided it was the thing to do with playdough, and spent the next fifteen minutes with the play dough on his head (then they lost interest and we bagged it up for next time).
Joey is harder to make things with, but I got him to decide on red and squeeze the rest of the dye bottle into the pot, and stir it a couple of times. It was too hot for his hands to help knead, but he waited patiently and repeated lines from Blue's Clues in anticipation. I distracted him from the hot dough by cleaning, and then presented him with his new treasure.
Then I put some cookies in the oven, and settled for a peaceful play-dough afternoon. I put Mr. Rogers on the TV, so they were less tempted to abandon the kitchen to watch TV, yet if they decided to invade the livingroom, the show was appropriate and peaceful.
A boy appeared. His head was encased in red dough.
"Look! Mom! I have red hair!" Joey announced, glanced at the TV, said, "Hello, Mr. Rogers!" and retreated to the kitchen.
Apparently I laughed so hard, he decided it was the thing to do with playdough, and spent the next fifteen minutes with the play dough on his head (then they lost interest and we bagged it up for next time).
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Genealogy
I've been fiddling a lot with genealogy and scanning in a lot of family pics (did you notice?) I'm working on becoming a genealogist. Looking at the pictures and working with names has been a little surreal. Most of these photos are images that have been in my life all my life- faces of people I never knew, images of people I did know, and do know; frozen upon paper and caught in time. 
The older photos, the ones of my great-grandparents and great-great grandparents, they have a special quality of both familiar and strange. I look at those faces, and think f them- this is great-grandmother Heinz, This is great-grandmother Conway (actually, great-grandmother Phillips, she got remarried). The photos my mom knows and points out, set in the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1940s, the 1950s.Then I have the names. My grandmother's parents were Bertram Evan Heinz and Elsie LaBlanche DuPler. Actually, Elsie LaBlanche DuPler Heinz, but I don't think of her that way, because in genealogy charts, you record women by their maiden name. Elsie LaBlanche DuPler has been tough to find. I' not sure when she arrived in Maryland, but I suspect her family is not there. I have photos of her mother and father, but I have no idea when the photo is taken, or where (though it is around the turn of the century).
Like my grandmother, Elsie LaBlanche DuPler was an artist; I have some of her work, including a line drawing for a magazine. I've been told she did some drawing for a magazine, but no one seems to agree which magazine. She was French, and her parents were born in France; the photo I have of them does indeed look like something out of Gigi. This French lady married into a family of German Methodist ministers (the kind that don't like comfortable furniture). She had five children, four girls and a boy. The last art I have evidence of her doing is in the 1920s- apparently being a mother took precedence over self-expression. 
As I was flipping through the photos of great-grandmother Heinz, it really hit me that this was her- this was Elsie LaBlanche DuPler. It was kind of like looking into the Mirror of Erised. That is her. So many stories, so much research, so much delving into records and pasts trying in vain to find her. Yet there she is. She lived. She was. I want my boys to understand their connection to the past. Understanding history is understanding the development of thought and understanding of the world. To progress with thought and understanding, to move truly forward, to choose to move forward, you have to have an idea of where you have been. There is also something about not letting people simply fade away, lost in an oblivion of time. To make lives have worth, to not forget. To realize the impact of people you never knew, never met, upon your own life. To know that Joey's impact, Andy's impact, upon our lives will echo, will continue, will be and have been.
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