Mia at school
I mentioned that last week was Mia's first week at school. I have been busy, so I haven't posted about it. But now it's Sunday afternoon, both kids are sleeping, Krys is shopping, Rush Hour is on the television, and I figured it's about time.
She loved it. I knew she would. I took her to school on Monday (she attends Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9.15-11.45 in the morning) and dropped her off. She just waved to send me on my way. Krys still thinks it's a bad idea to put her on the bus, and I'll take her for a while, but I don't think she'll have any problem with it. She's in a class with only five other kids, all boys, which is nice, because we want her to get some good attention. So the teacher and the aide came out (she meets the class outside) and I left her. I doubt she even noticed I was gone.
It's kind of nice having her out of the house. Even though she's much more interesting than Norah, because Norah doesn't have much of a personality, I still like to bond with Norah and hang out with her and get on her good side so she doesn't hate me anymore. It's also nice for Mia, I think, to hang out with kids her own age and get out of the house more. So it works for all concerned.
They love her at school, of course. Having therapists from the time she was eight or so months old has really helped her interact well with adults, so that she is not freaked out at all by strange newcomers. While I was waiting for her to come out of school on Monday, a teacher came out and told me how delightful she is. She really does has a wonderful personality, so I'm not surprised she is digging school. The teacher told me she played outside and sung and ate some crackers. This week they also worked on saying "pop," and Mia enjoyed it a lot. We have been working on "p" sounds with her speech therapist, so this dovetailed nicely with that. She has been coloring and going on the swings, and basically having a grand old time.
The interesting thing about the class is the kids in it. I'm dying to know what is "wrong" with these kids. The five other kids can all walk, and although it doesn't seem that they can speak too well, they're only three. They are probably special ed. because of the fact that they can't talk, which is fine. We wanted Mia to be in a class with kids who were higher-functioning than she was because then they could motivate her to work, and it appears that ALL these kids are higher-functioning. I haven't spent enough time listening to them to see about their communication skills, but at least they can walk, and we hope that will inspire Mia to walk. She really enjoys cruising around in her gait trainer, so we're hoping this pushes her even harder.
She has been out of her wheelchair quite a bit, which is good, because we don't want her confined in it all the time. The school has a small chair that offers her some decent support, and she hangs out in that and uses crayons and snacks. The school does not have a gait trainer yet, but the teacher told me the in-house physical therapist is looking into it. That would be helpful.
I haven't actually been into the classroom during the class yet, although I want to hang out at least once. I might have to call a babysitter this week and drop by and hide in the corner so Mia doesn't see me. I don't necessarily want to be a nosy parent, but I would like to observe just once to check out the scene. That's just the kind of guy I am.
I'm glad she's enjoying school. I had no doubts that she would, but it's still nice to see. We think this will be a great help to her.
She loved it. I knew she would. I took her to school on Monday (she attends Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9.15-11.45 in the morning) and dropped her off. She just waved to send me on my way. Krys still thinks it's a bad idea to put her on the bus, and I'll take her for a while, but I don't think she'll have any problem with it. She's in a class with only five other kids, all boys, which is nice, because we want her to get some good attention. So the teacher and the aide came out (she meets the class outside) and I left her. I doubt she even noticed I was gone.
It's kind of nice having her out of the house. Even though she's much more interesting than Norah, because Norah doesn't have much of a personality, I still like to bond with Norah and hang out with her and get on her good side so she doesn't hate me anymore. It's also nice for Mia, I think, to hang out with kids her own age and get out of the house more. So it works for all concerned.
They love her at school, of course. Having therapists from the time she was eight or so months old has really helped her interact well with adults, so that she is not freaked out at all by strange newcomers. While I was waiting for her to come out of school on Monday, a teacher came out and told me how delightful she is. She really does has a wonderful personality, so I'm not surprised she is digging school. The teacher told me she played outside and sung and ate some crackers. This week they also worked on saying "pop," and Mia enjoyed it a lot. We have been working on "p" sounds with her speech therapist, so this dovetailed nicely with that. She has been coloring and going on the swings, and basically having a grand old time.
The interesting thing about the class is the kids in it. I'm dying to know what is "wrong" with these kids. The five other kids can all walk, and although it doesn't seem that they can speak too well, they're only three. They are probably special ed. because of the fact that they can't talk, which is fine. We wanted Mia to be in a class with kids who were higher-functioning than she was because then they could motivate her to work, and it appears that ALL these kids are higher-functioning. I haven't spent enough time listening to them to see about their communication skills, but at least they can walk, and we hope that will inspire Mia to walk. She really enjoys cruising around in her gait trainer, so we're hoping this pushes her even harder.
She has been out of her wheelchair quite a bit, which is good, because we don't want her confined in it all the time. The school has a small chair that offers her some decent support, and she hangs out in that and uses crayons and snacks. The school does not have a gait trainer yet, but the teacher told me the in-house physical therapist is looking into it. That would be helpful.
I haven't actually been into the classroom during the class yet, although I want to hang out at least once. I might have to call a babysitter this week and drop by and hide in the corner so Mia doesn't see me. I don't necessarily want to be a nosy parent, but I would like to observe just once to check out the scene. That's just the kind of guy I am.
I'm glad she's enjoying school. I had no doubts that she would, but it's still nice to see. We think this will be a great help to her.
posted by Greg at
2:58 PM
3 Comments:
They are such lucky kids!
By
layne, at 23/8/05 3:52 PM
Hi Tracy. Nice to see you.
I don't know how lucky they are, Layne - they have me as a father.
By
Greg, at 25/8/05 4:01 PM
I'm the same way . . . I LOVE to observe my son's classroom, find out what they're working on, etc. I wish that I coudl know EVERY detail (what they had for snakc, if he liked it, how much he did independently on the art projects). But I know that the aides and teacher have 5 other boys' parents to report to, so I'm happy with the notes they send home everyday. My boy is the least functioning one in his calss as well. He has classmates who have Downs, autism and simple speech delays.
By
Unknown, at 14/9/05 5:07 PM
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