Back to school update...

Well, my sweet children have been back in school for three days and for the most part, we've had some positive feedback... but as usual, there are a few stumbles to overcome...

For Robyn, there is one teacher who has decided that instead of focusing on the tasks at hand, she will spend most of every class time lecturing on discipline and behavior issues... which frustrates my child to no end :) seeing as she's very rules oriented already - and the subject that the teacher is supposed to be teaching is one of her favorites... we've talked about it and at this point are hoping to give the teacher the benefit of the doubt and hope that come next week, she will be more focused on her topic than on creating her image... fingers crossed xx

For Liam, it's all about finding the routine again - the actual activities he's being asked to do are falling right into his skill and development areas, it's the transitions that he's having trouble with... and the biggest transition is how he leaves class at the end of his time there... which is causing daily meltdowns and making our drive home difficult... my heart breaks every time I pick him up from school because I know he's screaming the place down as he leaves... I'm sure the other teachers in the kindergarten hallway can set their clocks by my son's outbursts... but I digress..

The issue is that, in order to make the school 'safer', they have gone beyond just locking all of the entry doors, save the main doors - they've now erected a large black chain link fence around the area where I used to meet him and locked the doors, save for the times that a bus comes to pick up the children, forcing us to change our exit door to the main school doors and for whatever reason, this doesn't sit well in my little guy's mind...

This is just another case where I would love to be able to get inside his brain and see what he's really thinking!  His mind works on such a unique plane and I'd love to know what causes the abject sadness he feels when leaving out a different door... for those of you who have read this far and are wondering why I don't just ask him... he has autism and while he is making strides in his ability to communicate, a conversation like that will have to wait... he's just not ready to have it...

I do have to say that this development bodes well for me, as I become an increasingly large waddler and then have the baby in tow when I pick him up, because he can be walked out of class with one of the wonderful educational assistants and brought right to my car in the car rider's circle - which is totally cool, especially on rainy or cold days!

I am really hoping, for both kids, that we are able to overcome these minor issues so that they both get the full enjoyment out of their school year and maximize their potential!

As for me, I've started back into volunteering - still on the PTSA at Robyn's school and taking on more fundraising projects and managing the volunteer list, as well as helping out 2-3 days a week at the school media center.. although shelving books has come off my duty list for now... some of the shelves are too low for my awkward center of gravity to handle!

Wayne officially heads back to school on Tuesday, so he's been busily prepping and copying for the classes he's going to teach, and attending all the back to school meetings, parties and hoopla, but seems ready for the new semester to begin!

Have you or your kids headed back to school yet?  If not yet, are they ready?  How are things going?

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I'm linking  up with the Lady Bloggers' Tea Party again this week, as well as:










ToBeThode