New School

Leaving such a great school that Timmy was at in College Station was the hardest thing about moving for this job. Timmy had improved so much there. They were really well trained and set up for children like Timmy and had a special program there for autistic children. He was happy, learning and thriving there.Plus, the schools in College Station are just really great for all kids. I didn't fully appreciate how wonderful it was until we had to leave.

We chose a charter school here for him. The charter school is small, and we like that, but it doesn't have a gifted and talented program because it's so small. We had been looking forward to that program for Timmy when he was excepted into it last spring, but I am hoping to find the curriculum and do some of the things at home with him on the weekends that sound like fun and will engage him.

The transition has been rough. Timmy has had problems at school with grabbing, poking, rolling on the floor, acting aggressively when he's angry, and has had trouble listening and focusing on his work. It felt like we were back to where we started when he was three, and the preschool that couldn't handle him. I started living in fear of him getting in trouble and what Patrick would then want to do. He constructed a paddle. So our life was at a pretty much all time low. If we hadn't left, this wouldn't have happened. Timmy's behavior was something I couldn't really control, and I was feeling pretty powerless. We were able to take away privileges, talk and talk and talk to him, make bedtime earlier and be strict about it, and set up a reward system. I think the teachers have made some adjustments as well and put a behavior plan in place for him. Thankfully his behavior has vastly improved. Good days are the norm again. YAY!

Meanwhile, Timmy has been impressing his teacher with his knowledge and creativity, and he's been making friends. He says he likes it, but not as much as his old school because it's not as fun. We tell him that's because there's more work in first grade.

We got his first report card, and it came as a shock that two thirds of his grades were P's, which means "progressing towards grade level". So he's not testing on grade level in reading, writing, math. He really hates handwriting because it is hard. It's difficult to make him practice, but that's what we'll be doing more now. His reading is really progressing fast. We have a great reading at bedtime routine that he's really into. I remember in kindergarten he would take his sweet time on his dot counting tests and not finish them, but he was always at grade level in everything. Weird.