Chance Goes To School
Chance started his new school on the 11th. Well, they had an open house for it on the 11th. It still wasn't ready, so they started the 12th. It was nice to see other parents reacting to their kids the same way we react to Chance. Sometimes you think you're such a bad parent for losing patience, or yelling at him. But some of these teachers have kids like this of their own, and they do the same thing.
It's a charter school for kids with a disorder on the autistic spectrum who don't fit into any of the classifications the school districts have. They aren't severe enough for the Carmen Pingree school, and the behaviorally disturbed classes are full of defiant bullies who target kids like Chance, making their school experience painful for all. These kids can't settle sown enough, or shut out extraneous stimuli well enough for the Aspergers classes, and they aren't stupid, so resource classes are a waste of time and effort for everyone. This school is a real blessing.
HOWEVER.....the second day i picked him up from school, I looked at the hallway full of kids like Chance and thought, "Is this really a good idea to get 200 kids like Chance in the same place at the same time?" So far, he's learning things we have tried for 3 years to teach him. He used to hit kids with chairs when he got angry at school. With fear of being sued looming over our heads we tried to tell how bad and wrong it is to hit kids with chairs. His first day at Spectrum Academy, a kid threw a desk at him. He ducked and the kid got in trouble. Bruce and I laughed. "Welcome to being with you" we told him. Each day holds a lesson for Chance in what it's like to be around him.
Later,
JP
It's a charter school for kids with a disorder on the autistic spectrum who don't fit into any of the classifications the school districts have. They aren't severe enough for the Carmen Pingree school, and the behaviorally disturbed classes are full of defiant bullies who target kids like Chance, making their school experience painful for all. These kids can't settle sown enough, or shut out extraneous stimuli well enough for the Aspergers classes, and they aren't stupid, so resource classes are a waste of time and effort for everyone. This school is a real blessing.
HOWEVER.....the second day i picked him up from school, I looked at the hallway full of kids like Chance and thought, "Is this really a good idea to get 200 kids like Chance in the same place at the same time?" So far, he's learning things we have tried for 3 years to teach him. He used to hit kids with chairs when he got angry at school. With fear of being sued looming over our heads we tried to tell how bad and wrong it is to hit kids with chairs. His first day at Spectrum Academy, a kid threw a desk at him. He ducked and the kid got in trouble. Bruce and I laughed. "Welcome to being with you" we told him. Each day holds a lesson for Chance in what it's like to be around him.
Later,
JP