School Frustrations, Voting etc.

Tyler voted for the first time today. Yay, Ty!








Three weeks into the school year last year we transferred four of our children to the public school system.











I didn't want them exposed to the swearing and bad attitudes but unfortunately there was plenty of that at the Christian school in the high school since our school would take kids who got kicked out of public. But it was more hidden at least. And the teachers never ever swore and the kids weren't assigned to read books for literature littered with the f word. The Bible was used in the classroom. But Tyler and Jessica didn't have any suitable electives. Tyler was assigned to home ec, which was taught by a computer program. That was when I knew it was time for a change with them being college bound.






I really didn't want to take Jasmine out of the school but if I left her in, she would have first child tuition and I would also be driving 24 miles twice a day with high gas prices. I was hoping that she would get extra help in the public school not available in the Christian school and that would make up for taking her from her cozy environment where her teacher really loved her.













But extra help is not to be had. There are a multitude of forms required for special help and it varies school system to school system but the one I have for Jasmine says "Physician's Statement required for orthopedically impaired/other health impaired/traumatic brain injured." I went in with this form and requested help for her fine motor skills--after all you do have to write, cut & paste, trace etc. at school--and for her adhd and lack of organizational skills which also effects her math.




This is Jasmine's writing homework today. This took her a long, long time and is her very best work but I know that it will get a S- at best because the letters aren't the same size and it starts out spaced and then gets more cramped because it is very hard for her to do this.

















I met THREE times last year with the child study team and was told she didn't qualify for any help. She had to be failing in those areas. But she had an "N" in writing and "N" in behavior, to me that is failing and makes her eligible for special accommodations--occupational therapy and maybe special seating or a separate testing area. NOPE.



Here is what the Shand's team at the UF wrote on her paper in addition to what was checked.


EEC sydrome, fronto-nasal dysplasia with abnormal brain development, syndactly of hands and feet, leg length discrepancy, ADHD symptoms. Needs OT/PT, supervision for classroom accommodations with IEP. ADHD section 504 accommodations including preferential seating, positive reinforcement, organizational skills, small reachable goals. Jasmine needs psychometric testing for IQ and development/academics and to rule out learning disabilities. She may have difficulty with executive function and and impulse control due to her brain

malformation.



But with all this, I still can't get her any help. Even if the teacher would sit her off to the side for testing and would understand that Jasmine's best may differ from the norm it would help.







They have this chart at school and almost every day now it has a number on it. The number 2 means that seatwork isn't done. By the "Character Counts" at the top, I assume this is a behavior chart and I don't consider seatwork not being done as a behavioral problem unless it is because she is busy talking or playing.



Today she got a #2 with a note on the back "Jasmine said she didn't have time to do her homework." I wrote back, "No, she didn't. That's my #2 not hers." There were six worksheets and two stories to read and we had dance and soccer. We worked 45 minutes and got done what we could. I meant to have her finish after soccer but it went late and she needed to shower and get to bed.









Here is an example of why I think there is a problem. Jasmine did a four minute time test at school today and only answered a few problems. There was a blank time test on the back. It's not suppose to be used as a time test, just homework, but I decided to time her on it. I set the timer for four minutes same as she did at school. I told her to answer the problems that had a 1,2 or 3 in them first because she can count those quickly. She doesn't have any memorized because they don't stick but does understand how to just count one more or two more. I told her when she did all the 1s, 2s and 3s, then go back and start trying to figure out the harder ones. She got 18 out of 25 right in those four minutes. If she can do it here, she should be able to do it there. If she can't, then there is a problem that needs to be addresses. Like maybe she needs to take the test separately or sit by the teacher or be reminded to do the ones she knows first. And it's not that I haven't met with this teacher twice already this year.




Okay, I'm done venting for now. Whew.





After this week we all needed a pick up so here's what we had for supper. (That's chicken breast, mashed sweet potatoes, potatoes and stuffing. We had an Asian salad too.








Erg. Dessert has ten more minutes to cook then has to cool 30 before it can be frosted!

The Good, the bad, the ugly

It has been quite a weekend and some of it has already been posted, such as the home coming activities.



Saturday mornings are always soccer--reffing for Jessica and playing for Jasmine. This week Jessica reffed our game. And she had to call our only goal illegal--so no goal. Our coach was all over her. There was a goal kick and the ball has to leave the goal box before it can go back into play. One of our players charged into the box and intercepted the ball and put it in the goal. Jessica kept saying, "wait, wait, wait," but no go and so it wasn't a goal. Jessica was following the play book and I think our coach needs to review it.

Then our goalie caught a ball but instead of doing a drop kick, she sat the ball down and backed up to kick it. When she sat the ball down, it was legally back in play and one of the players on the other team booted it right into the goal behind our goalie. Again the coach yelled at Jessica and said the ball was not in play because our goalie had it. But she didn't. We got beaten about 8-0 and our coach was not happy.



(This is a real picture of the church)
On Sunday, Tyler, Jessica and I went to try a new church. (If you missed the start of this, go back to the Oct 10 post) I was not thrilled. When we went in, a bunch of teens were on the stage goofing around with guitars and a keyboard. A few minutes before the service, they started singing. One girl messed up the song and they all started over. I am all for teens being involved. But not necessarily in charge of starting the service and leading all the singing. The service did not feel like a worship service to me. It felt more like high school chapel or a camp chapel. I guess I am very traditional. At our church, the teens do special music during the service, but we have a music director who leads the singing and an adult choir.

However, Ty enjoyed it and he's really the one who needed a change of churches. So we've decided, at least for now, that Ty (who is 18) will attend the new church and Jessica and I and the rest of our family will stay at our old one. It really works best for our family as a whole. It's large and has a lot of choices of activities for each age group. The church we visited was small and we would really stand out. And it doesn't have the same quality of programs. I just can't see us worshipping and serving there as a family.

This doesn't mean that I in any way agree with what our church did to Tyler, but that was a few people not the whole. (And I don't think we needed a $24 million dollar new sanctuary!) Since I quit my job, which I was going to do either after Christmas or at the end of the school year anyway (it is no longer any fun and the joy is gone since C. took over), I will not encounter these people until the twins come home and are on the preschool floor.



I miss serving in the church. I lived on the preschool floor both as a volunteer and as a paid worker later. I may see if I can work with the older children. G. is in charge of that and she is a wonderful person.












This was a very stubborn weekend for Adam. He won't tell himself "no" to anything so if something pops into his mind, he does it. No thought about injury to himself or someone else or consequences of any sort. He also works harder to get out of working than it would be to just do his jobs.

He is on restriction but can earn privileges by doing things listed on his chart. He has a chart of everything he has to do everyday because he tells us he can't remember what to do. This includes things like what time to be up and dressed, making his bed, even eating breakfast. So, do what you are suppose to, have fun time. Don't do it, sit in your room.

So this weekend he spent a lot of time sitting in his room.

In the meantime, the rest of us went to read chapter six of Purpose Driven Life. (He will read it on his own). This chapter was on life here being temporary and how that should cause us to focus on things eternal.
We had hotdogs.
Marshmallows.

Smores.

This is the walking path.



After the park, the girls and I went to rent a movie and the guys went home. We chose Spiderwick Chronicles for the girls and then we got Ironman for the guys because we didn't know if they'd want to watch Spiderwick.

Off to Homecoming

Homecoming weekend

Thursday.
Parade during school hours down to the elementary school (not the one Jasmine attends.) This is when some of the problems I talked about in the last post happened.
Friday. Home made shirts for school spirit day.




Ready to march at the football game. We lost. Jessica says we lost by 12 inches.

Homecoming & typical teen drama

It's homecoming week at the high school. They dressed Hawaiian, worn Greek togas (twin size bed sheets), had sombrero/hat day and today is school spirit day. I don't have pictures because most days they took the outfits with and changed at school. The only pictures I have are from yesterday.






I thought they were both cute. Ty's friends thought his get up was cool. I actually got that serape in Mexico when I went down with friends in a pick up truck when I was 16. The one Jessica is wearing is from either Brazil or Peru and my uncle (Terry Bowers, father of Jim Bowers who was shot down over Peru and his wife and baby killed)brought it back and gave it to my grandmother and it was passed to me. But a bunch of Jessica's "friends" made fun of her and called her some rude things. When she tried to ignore them or act like it didn't matter they called her a bi---. Aren't kids charming?? Some things don't change over the years. She came home in a horrible mood and started taking it out on us and got sent to her room to cool down and adjust the attitude. That's all it really takes with her. She can get a real attitude but self adjusts. The only thing I ever have to do with her is take her iPod for a day or two.

Tonight is the homecoming game and Jessica is marching with the band. There was a homecoming parade at school yesterday and they marched down by one of the local elementary schools and threw candy. I think that's part of what set Jessica off. She hasn't had as much experience as the others due to being in a Christian school with no band until we transferred to public two weeks into the year last year. She is still learning the steps and routines and the kids can be vicious.

Tomorrow is the home coming dance. It's not just a guy-girl type dance. They do limbo, line dancing and all sorts of fun stuff. Jessica isn't going because she doesn't have a fancy smancy dress. So much pressure in high school. And no one asked her. The guy she went to the fair with turned out to have no belief in God so that relationship is going nowhere.

Tyler is going alone. He was too late in asking the girl he wanted to ask. A girl asked him but he decided to go alone and meet up with friends.

So that's the drama of our week.

More Dance

This is the lady who is here from the Moscow ballet. She looked a little scandalized at what Jasmine was wearing but I told her Jasmine had hip hop today not ballet. I'm not sure if she understood.
Jasmine in hip hop.


















I forgot to post these Monday. We had the day off school and played our usual games and then decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and go to the driving range. I like it because you can get a bucket of balls for $2 so we can turn the kids loose with their own buckets without going broke.









My lefty hamming it up. She only has one golf club which we got used at a sport's store. She was suppose to ask her Aunt Lou for her lefty clubs this summer while we were up in Indiana and forgot.
Jasmine has her own little club we got at the same place.





This deer was in no danger from us!