We had some back to school drama having to do with his class placement. At the end of last year, they told us they recommended he go to Developmental Kindergarten, which is an all-day program. We didn't have time to find out details before school ended, and there was no one there all summer. When we did finally catch up with the Kindergarten teacher, we found out that DK (as they call it) consists of regular K with 18-20 kids in the morning, then the smaller class with extra help in the afternoon. Two days before school was to start, she knew nothing about his individual special needs.
Gabriel really doesn't do well in groups or noisy places. When we took him to meet the teacher, there were 4-5 strangers in the room and he literally hid in the corner for half an hour. Not to mention the fact that Kindergarten now is what First Grade used to be. His academic progress has been very slow and he qualifies for K only based on age. So like any good mother, I was completely upset and worried for 2 days.
Finally I realized that I just had to say no. I also asked for help from one of the educational specialists from his preschool last year. I'm happy to say that everyone involved--principal, teachers, special ed folks--rallied to the occasion and reached a compromise. We are going to have him go back to preschool in the morning (small group, familiar setting) and go to the special Kindergarten class in the afternoon only. They will even bus him at noon between the two schools, which are fairly close. In the meantime, we are doing parent pick-up and drop-off until he gets used to it.
The picture above was today, the third day of school. It was the first day he wasn't sobbing and begging to stay home!
No comments:
Post a Comment