A SPECTRUM OF POSSIBILITIES

An Unfortunate Series of Events

2010-02-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

In the wake of my son's first-ever disciplinary action at school, my husband spoke this week in person with BES's principal. BES had not given her all of the details of the incident that led up to him chasing, grabbing and pushing a student last week. He told her simply that the other student "had gone like this" [placed hands near his chest] and so "he'd lost his temper".

When she found out what had actually been taking place, she labelled it sexual harassment and promised to re-open a discussion with the perpetrators. She is aware of my son's autism diagnosis--in fact, she stated that last week she was reluctant to give him the one day of suspension--but felt that according to school "zero tolerance" policy, she had no choice. We seem to have a shared sense of what happened and what should be done.

Still, as they say in Wrightslaw, if it is not in writing, it didn't take place...so here is my written response...

Dear Principal:

I wanted to clarify the events that led up to my son BES’s In School Suspension last Friday, February X, 20XX.

On Friday, as BES was standing at his locker, a boy came up to him and called him “scoops” and cupped his chest. This kind of transgression has been going on for some time, as evidenced by my January 8 email to BES’s inclusion teacher. At that time, I wrote:

BES has been telling me that there are boys at school who are making fun of his weight (specifically, they are going up to him and cupping his chest)…I am concerned that BES might need some additional coping skills in dealing with the teasing and I wanted to make you aware of what was going on. My feeling is this: I hate to see my son teased. At the same time, I understand that dealing with challenging social situations is an important part of growing up...it is, in fact, one of the reasons that I felt it was time for him to return to public school.

Mr. Inclusion told me that he would look out for this behavior. Later in the day he wrote back to me and said, “I have spoken to the boys who have been bothering BES, hopefully it will stop.”

While BES did not continue to communicate this to Mr. Inclusion, Ms. Psychologist, or myself, this was still apparently continuing to take place in gym and less structured social settings throughout the day. In fact, it had become something that many students were doing to BES. And so, last Friday morning, he had had enough and he decided to take matters into his own hands. When a student went up to him, cupped him in the chest and called him “scoops,” he ran after the student, grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him into a door.

This is a slightly different version of events than the paperwork that was sent home detailing the reason for BES’s In School Suspension, which states:

BES was angry at another student who was insinuating an insult at him. In response, BES chased him, grabbed him by the shirt, and pushed him into a door.

I understand that BES might not have conveyed the events that led up to this behavior to you in their entirety—probably out of embarrassment—and that this is the reason why the paperwork was filled out to imply that BES responded to an “insinuation” as opposed to a chronic and pervasive stressor in his educational environment. Additionally, my husband and I felt that it was very important for BES to understand that he did have some culpability in this event. He did touch another student. And he did this after opting not to use the adult support structures he has been provided with in school. As I wrote to Mr. Inclusion on Monday:

When I asked BES, "Why didn't you speak about your frustration with this problem with Mr. Inclusion or Mrs. Psychologist? Why did you let yourself get to a point where you acted out physically against another student?" he said that he has been getting this treatment from a lot of the boys but that he "didn't want to rat out another student for only doing something once.”

I felt that he needed to see that there could be a negative consequence for “not ratting someone out.” For this reason I did not question the one day of In School Suspension.

As you are probably aware, BES has a diagnosis from the local university that has implications for mood regulation, gross and fine motor skills, and use and understanding of social and pragmatic language. Because of this set of developmental differences, he is more likely to experience bullying, more likely to be weak in athletics and refrain from physical activity, and more likely to make poor choices when confronted with challenging or complex social situations.

We work very hard at home with BES to teach him how to negotiate these challenges and I know that Mr. Inclusion, Ms. Psychologist and his teachers work hard with him at school, as well. However, when you are working with a child who has a degree of social blindness, it makes sense to me that social mistakes have a greater likelihood of occurring along the way. What I am hoping to do now is maximize the learning opportunities of this incident.

We have spoken to BES about this incident. We have impressed upon him the importance of using his adult supports while in school if he is feeling overwhelmed. We have recently enrolled him in a Running Program through Local College (which he is actually enjoying very much) so that he feels healthier and is not as vulnerable to remarks about his appearance.

Under the circumstances, I believe a revised Discipline Letter should be placed in BES’s school file explaining more fully what lead up to this suspension. Is this possible? Additionally, my husband and I would like to know, as they are developed, what actions the school will be taking to make sure that our son is not bullied in school in the future.

Please feel free to contact me by email , by phone, or in writing if you would like to discuss this further. And thank you very much for your time and effort in dealing with the complexities of this incident.

A.S.

5 Reasons Why I Get My Family Flu Shots

2009-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

...and why others should consider getting them, too.

FLU SHOTS ARE BENEFICIAL FOR MANY (BUT NOT ALL)
CHILDREN WITH PRIMARY AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS

FACT: I have a child with an impaired autoimmune system. SOMEWHAT RELATED FACT: He tolerates flu shots well. I believe (and his immunologist concurs) that his annual flu shot minimizes his risk of developing more serious flu complications, complications that could land him in the hospital. Any time that I can avoid an unnecessary stay in a germ-laden waiting room--or worse yet: an emergency room filled with antibiotic-resistant bugs...is absolutely a good thing.

The older my child gets, the better he is able to fight illness (discounting staph aureas and aspergillus which will be life-long problems). However, his disease-fighting system will never be optimal--he will most likely need antibiotic therapy his entire life. It stands to reason, then, that the more people in his community that opt for a flu shot, the lower his chances are of exposure to an illness that is absolutely primed to attack his greatest area of vulnerability, his lungs--ergo: the more time we buy. The longer he goes without an extended illness, the more even his social, emotional, and educational development will be, the better his life outcomes are. These are all mightily beneficial things for him and my family.

FACT: If you vaccinate your child against the flu, against any illness, it benefits my son.

But let us assume, for the sake of argument, that you have not succumbed to the many charms of my younger son. You see flu shots (perhaps all innoculations) as "an unnecessary danger" and so see no reason to potentially jeopardize your loved one for the sake of my loved one. Fair enough. I am primal enough in my love for my child to actually understand that concept.

I need to ask every parent unwilling to vaccinate their child, though: what are you basing that decision upon? Are you basing your decision on a hunch supported by a few possibly-spurious news segments? Or are you basing that decision upon multiple studies done by reputable scientists, published in peer-reviewed journals, providing replicable results? Because, to me, that is the definition of science, ie: the definition of sound decision-making. Those are the game-rules my family is required to play by...

But I digress. Let us assume you do not know anyone with a primary autoimmune disorder--so this argument truly does not resonate with you. You still question the need to vaccinate against the seasonal flu or H1N1. We shall move on, then...

H1N1 FLU SHOTS ARE SMART CHOICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH
DISABILITIES AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

You may not know my son, but perhaps you love someone with a disability. According to the blog Disability Scoop:

Unlike the traditional seasonal flu which targets the elderly and the very young, H1N1 is predominantly affecting children and young adults.
The following groups are at high risk, according to Georgina Peacock, a developmental pediatrician who is co-leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s children’s health team responding to H1N1:

• Children under 2-years-old.

• Individuals with neurologic disorders like epilepsy, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability or developmental delay. This risk is further heightened for those who have multiple disabilities or respiratory problems.

• People who have problems with immune functioning, heart disease or their endocrine system, plus those who have conditions like diabetes or a metabolic disorder.

H1N1 FLU SHOTS HAVE DOCUMENTED

HEALTH BENEFITS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

Did you see former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist last week on Real Time with Bill Maher? I adore Bill Maher. He is prickly and entertaining and fearless and IN THIS CASE DEEPLY FLAWED IN HIS LOGIC. He at one point in this interview accuses Dr. Frist of trying to make his case for vaccination via anectodotal evidence. However, when Dr. Frist brings up a New England Journal of Medicine study that claims that women are nine times more likely to die of H1N1 while pregnant, Maher immediately changes the subject to Bono and Africa. This is the difference between "hard-hitting journalism" and "news as entertainment" in my opinion, but that is a post for another day...

Perhaps you know someone that is pregnant? Or are someone who is pregnant? According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease:

As of Sept. 3, 2009, 6 percent of confirmed fatalities from 2009 H1N1 influenza infection have been pregnant women (note: pregnant women make up less than 1% of the general population), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pregnant women infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus also have a higher rate of hospitalization than the general population.

Essentially, what we are being told is that H1N1 is more dangerous for pregnant women to contract than many other demographics of the population. How do we help and support pregnant woman in this instance? By limiting their exposure to H1N1. By getting flu shots.

Let's expand the sphere of benefit even further, though, and say that:

FLU SHOTS BENEFIT WORKING MOTHERS--PARTICULARLY SINGLE WORKING MOTHERS WITHOUT ACCESS TO FLEX BENEFITS OR SICK LEAVE

According to the blog Care2:

Approximately 57 million Americans, 22 million of them women, have no paid sick days. The H1N1 virus is not just a health issue. It is a social and an economic issue. Working parents need options to care for their sick children without the fear of losing their daily wages or perhaps their jobs.

Now this decision to innoculate or no becomes a social issue and a woman's rights issue...interesting, right? There are many sometimes surprising groups benefiting from your decision to receive a flu shot.

FLU SHOTS BENEFIT THE ECONOMY & SOCIETY AS A WHOLE

And yeah, just in case you didn't already think I was some sort of obsessive nutcase, I offer a quote from everyone's favorite socialist rag, The New Yorker:

In fact, the new H1N1 virus is similar to seasonal flu in its severity. In the United States, influenza regularly ranks among the ten leading causes of death, infecting up to twenty per cent of the population. It kills roughly thirty-five thousand Americans every year and sends hundreds of thousands to the hospital. Even relatively mild pandemics, like those of 1957 and 1968, have been health-care disasters: the first killed two million people and the second a million.

In short: even in a good year, the flu is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Even in a good year, up to 1 of every 5 people in the country will have to take time off from work because they are sick, costing businesses money, filling emergency rooms, disrupting lives, jobs, educations...

1 out of 5. Cross-reference this statistic with the disability community, with single, working and pregnant women, and with the rare people like my son. Now we're starting to talk about real people...people you might know and care about...who are affected by your choice to vaccinate. Are you still comfortable with your choice to avoid vaccination? Are you absolutely sure that your perceived dangers to vaccination are legitimate? Would you bet your child's life on your decision? Because my child's life is potentially on the line.

Now: you can call this post a big, juicy rationalization based on one woman's personal experiences/biases as a mother to a child born with a primary autoimmune disorder. Or...preferably...you can call it a well-reasoned treatise on the near-universal benefits of flu vaccination. (Individuals with egg allergies are excused from this dialog.) Your call. What you cannot do, however, is malign what I perceive as a sound health practice, without expecting me to speak up and defend it.

/rant

Sometimes a Rose is Just a Rose

2009-10-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

At the end of the summer, at a meeting with district CSE chairs to discuss my sons' re-introduction to the public school system after our two years of homeschooling, it was suggested that I convene immediately with James' school team to explain his unusual health issues, due to his Hyper IgE diagnosis. To this end, I sent in a formal meeting-request to his classroom teacher on James' second day of school.

Early the following week, the meeting took place. At the time, my husband asked if I needed him there. I assured him that I did not, that this meeting would not be worth taking a half-day off from work.

So. I show up. Introductions are made. I go through James' timeline of illnesses, including his most recent bout of pneumonia (with concurrent pneumatoceles) last spring. Then I explain the components of Hyper IgE: skin, lungs, staph aureas, asperigillus, antibiotics, blood tests, teeth, bones. I also explain how James fell off a scooter at a friend's house last spring, refused to get up because he claimed to be in pain, and was taken by ambulance for a full body scan at the local hospital, where he was found completely healthy. I emphasize repeatedly, as I recount this, that James is beginning to become aware of his health differences and that this is causing him some anxiety.

When I explain that a predisposition to long bone breakage is a component in 65% of the 200-plus people world-wide diagnosed with Hyper IgE, and that this has implications for my son's safety/vulnerability in school, the school nurse loudly slaps a series of forms on the table in front of me and emphatically states:

Your son will not be able to take part in recess or gym until these are filled out.

I look down. The forms are checklists of activities, with boxes indicating to what degree they are allowed.

Skipping? Vigorous skipping? Jumping? Jumping from 1 foot? Jumping from 3 feet? Jumping on 1 foot? Jumping on 2 feet? Jumping rope? Running jumps? Skipping jumps? Often? Sporadically? Never?

My first thought is: WOW! no one has ever asked me to fill one of THESE out before! I wish I'd known these existed. I would have been able to do SO MUCH LESS explaining!

This thought was followed quickly by: How long have they had a form like this? Why haven't I ever seen one before?

And finally: No gym or recess until the forms are filled out? So my son will be segregated from his peers during all opportunities for recreation until the forms are filled out? He attended school here for YEARS going to gym and recess. What is the difference now?

I give voice to this last thought. I am immediately told:

You know: there is *nothing* in your son's file to indicate that this is necessary.

I am thunderstruck. My son's unusual health concerns are such an integral part of my life, my thought processes, my parenting experience. It hadn't ever occurred to me that I would be disbelieved. Had apparently been disbelieved.

I turn to the the school nurse. I remind her that while James was attending this school in kindergarten, first, and second grade, she had applied suntan lotion to him every day prior to recess...because he was photosensitive...because he was taking bactrum...because he had an AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER.

I am told, again:

There is nothing in your son's file saying that he has an autoimmune disorder. Your son had a prescription from his pediatrician for sunscreen, that was all.

And I realize. This all suddenly makes sense. Why I always received such an odd reception from all of my sons' teachers, why my older son's fourth grade teacher had once shouted at me:

I have heard all about you. Don't think I haven't! And don't think I am not writing down everything you do or say!

And, when my son with a diagnosed predisposition to long-bone breakage was being hit, kicked and bullied by another child and repeatedly sent to the nurse's office, why the principal would not return my concerned phone calls...

She'd thought I was crazy. They had all believed that I was making up this whole autoimmune disorder thing.

And at every IEP meeting, and every parent-teacher conference I had ever attended, everything I had said had essentially gone unheard. I had not been part of an IEP "team" for my child, I had been a voice to be put up with. All of the time that I had spent learning about my son's health and neurological needs had actually worked against me. My intimate knowledge of my sons' health had confirmed this school's suspicions of Munchausen's by Proxy.

But it gets better. Because once MBP seemed a viable option, then all of my actions, everything I said, seemed to confirm it...

So. After the official team meeting, everyone but the school psychologist and James' classroom teacher get up and leave. The teacher then opens a folder and takes out a class assignment: a picture that James drew as a birthday card for a friend. Each child had been asked to create a birthday card for another child in the class on the first day of school.

I take the sheet of paper. On the front is a very good likeness of Boba Fett. Who is shooting a child (with a shirt that says "James") who is yelling "nooooooooooo." On the inside of the card are the words

Happy Birthday, bub. Enjoy your cake.

There is no question, the card seems in poor taste--does not...immediately evoke a festive ambiance. I'm not quite sure what my son was trying to communicate. My hand flies to my mouth and I whisper, "Oh, GOD!"

This is when the school psychologist explains to me that she is seriously concerned about James' mental health. That "depression can take on different guises in children than in adults."

"My son is not depressed!" I state. Just like someone in denial. "Whatever else is going on with him health-wise, learning-wise, he is not depressed. You just have to spend five minutes with him to see that."

As James, himself, later explained:

I was just trying to be funny.

However, at the meeting, it was explained to me that parents are not always the best judges of these things...

Now, I want to go on record as saying that the school psychologist always acted in an extremely professional manner towards me. Additionally, she made a point of saying in front of my son's entire team at a later meeting:

"I have absolutely taken suicidal ideation out of consideration for James."

But as a parent...to realize that someone considered suicidal ideation AS A POSSIBILITY for your child, even for a moment...well, if you are like me, you will be hit with a sudden need to cry briefly a couple of times a day until the reality of it all sinks in. And some of these times will unfortunately be while you are working.

The day after this first team meeting, I sent in a copy of James' diagnosis letter, date-stamped by the school district as received in May of 2004. Just as he was transitioning out of preschool, and immediately before the district secretary typed up a new folder for him: a folder that would hold all the records produced during his years in elementary school.

Transitioning Back into Public School

2009-10-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

In the past week, Boy the Second has come home most days with a new "how I horrified my teacher today" tale to share...

Monday:

You know, I was talking to my teacher and SHE SAYS that it was against the law for dad to let me drive the car around in the old Home Depot parking lot...

Wednesday:

You know what MY TEACHER SAID? She said that I'm not allowed to sell my toys at lunch time to the other kids, and she made me give back the money I got for my Pokemon pencil sharpener. I mean...it was a fair deal and the other kid seemed really happy with the sharpener. I'm not sure what she was so upset about...

Friday:

So I asked my teacher if she thought that (can I say it? the 'h' word?) hell was the worst curse word in existence, because I didn't think it was but some of the other kids were thinking that it WAS THE WORST CURSE WORD IN EXISTENCE...because I'm thinking that the three 'D' words are at least as bad...

"Waitaminnit," says the husband, looking to me for confirmation. There are three 'D' words?

"Um?" I reply helpfully.

"Well, there's, damn," the firstborn offers helpfully. "And you know, THE GUY ONE..."

"Do you need me to say it?" Boy II offers.

"No, no, we get it," their dad and I say quickly.

"...And?"

"Well, the one that ends in -bag," Son II explains.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight," I nod. "Please. PLEASE TELL ME that you DID NOT USE THIS WORD IN FRONT OF YOUR TEACHER."

"No, just hell. She says that her kids are 23 and 19 and THEY don't use that word. Do you think that's true?"

I Love Web 2.0 (The Update)

2008-11-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Yet another reason to madly covet the iPhone (you will be mine, most gorgeous piece of technology! I do not care if AT&T regularly drops calls on Long Island!) is iPhone apps: little programs that one can purchase to customize the iPhone experience...little apps that may be built upon creative commons-licensed bits of data, for instance.

Enter: Schmap! An app that maps your destination for you AND provides you with pictures of top points of interest. A very nice representative from Schmap apparently did a flickr search for Fort Myers and came upon some of my older son's pictures from our trip last winter, and requested permission to use them.

How cool is that? To be twelve and to be able to say, "Yeah, this company asked my permission to use some of my pictures in their map software."

Well...in certain extremely nerdy but lovable circles, it would be considered cool...

Do You See What I'm Up Against?

2008-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

Photo Title: The Secret Life of Boys

In the younger son's science textbook:

Question: In your own words, explain the reason why the teacher added food coloring to the glass of water.

Answer: Yoxp fxou Pplm Oooooommpa.

Says the boy: Well, it says "in my own words..."

With All Due Respect to Rudolf Steiner

2008-04-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

There are many, many things that I find compelling about Rudolf Steiner's ideas on development and pedagogy--mostly because Steiner believed in allowing children to fully inhabit their childhoods. Ideally, Waldorf-educated children are allowed to unfold, not forced to leap from phase to phase of development as though they were being chased by wolves...

But where Steiner and I have always parted ways...is over the use of technology in youth. Although, since Steiner was born in 1861--well before Gates or Jobs or Case--I guess I mean "those who interpret Steiner today." The views of his apostles, as it were. These followers of Steiner's pedagogical philosophy, anthroposophy, emphasize personal experience over technology:

A central aim of Waldorf Education is to stimulate the healthy development of the child's own imagination. Waldorf teachers are concerned that electronic media hampers the development of the child's imagination. They are concerned about the physical effects of the medium on the developing child as well as the content of much of the programming.

And, while I absolutely get this idea--I regularly limit my children's use of screens-- anthroposophy as it is currently interpreted still flies in the face of an idea I strongly support: the concept of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL. UDL is a theory of learning that says that the teacher can foster necessary analytical skills in students with learning differences, when necessary, by circumnavigating the disability through the use of appropriate assistive technology:

The dyslexic child can use technology to circumnavigate literacy issues;
The fine-motor-impaired child can use technology to assist with, for instance, writing;
The visually-impaired child uses technology to assist with visual issues...

Etc., etc.

Because: there is a point where the learning style and differences of the atypical child must be acknowledged: political correctness (the "handicapable" mind-set) and dogma (adherence to a philosophy at the expense of an individual's development) can both become a barrier to learning instead of a support. A teacher's responsibility under these circumstances is to provide a developing mind with the tools it requires to fully flower...tools that may even require electricity...LED screens...

Too: sometimes technology can just be fun--in the best, most child-like sense--like these Pivot animations the boys have created and that Ben has uploaded to his Flickr page...

(Note to self: show the first-born the sound-editing software that comes with his laptop.)

A Call to the Community

2008-04-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Read through to the bottom to find out how you can help!

Review:

In January of 2008, as a result of a new, narrow interpretation of IDEA (federal special education law), the New York State Education Department sent a memo to all state school districts informing them that special education services to homeschooled special education students would have to be terminated no later than mid-March, 2008. Essentially: because IDEA 2004 does not specifically identify homeschooled students as possible recipients of IDEA funds and only identifies "public" and "private" students as eligible for these federal funds, transmission of services to homeschooled students (who are considered "other schooled" in the state of New York) could possibly put New York "out of compliance" with IDEA and could possibly jeopardize New York's continued ability to receive federal monies under IDEA.

This act was done despite:

The fact that these services had previously been budgeted for the year and had already been guaranteed to these students.
The fact that the families involved were provided with little notice or recourse to due process.

In response, a group of parents from around the state who were affected by this decision joined together to create a task force to reinstate services. They were joined in this effort by, among others, John Munson of NYHEN, Attorney Bridgit Burke from Albany Law School and Attorney TJ Schmidt from the Home School Legal Defense Association. The task force has convened weekly via conference call these past two months to strategize.

The task force was set up with two aims:

To re-instate transmission of services to homeschooled special education children.
To achieve goal number one in such a way that the homeschooling community at-large is impacted as little as possible.

Big News:

The Task Force to Re-Instate Services to Special Ed. Homeschooled Students has obtained a meeting with Dr. Rebecca Cort, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), scheduled for this Friday. Dr. Cort is a high-ranking member of the State Education Department (SED) and it is the hope of the task force that this meeting will result in a "meeting of the minds" regarding the language to be used in an upcoming "program" bill. The task force has been advised that a "program bill" (a bill that is generated from within the state government infrastructure) would be our best hope for a successful outcome, as these bills are nearly automatic in their passage.

If this meeting goes successfully, we could be well on the road to reinstating services.
Dr. Cort has already made it clear to the task force that she is unwilling to accept either of the two bill-proposals previously generated by the task force. This means that the task force's best hope for success lies in respectfully tweaking the SED-generated proposal.

This is a point the task force feels the homeschooling community should be fully cognizant of: based on the realities of this situation, of the personally-held philosophies on homeschooling held by Dr. Cort and other members of the State Education Department, if we do not hew as closely as possible to the language previously proposed by the State Education Department, the task force has very little chance of achieving its primary mission. We have been invited as guests to the decision-making table. We are not, as it were, the hosts throwing the party.

The task force has three objections to the language of the SED bill to reinstate services to homeschooled special education students. They are:

1. Location of Services

Dr. Cort's office wants to make sure that the language of the bill does not guarantee that services for homeschooled students take place in the home, but only that they may take place in the home, at the discretion of the district.

The task force believes that the language in this part of the bill should be made more explicit. Additionally, the task force would prefer that the decision for location of services take place at the "Committee for Special Education" level and not at the district level, as the CSE would have specific knowledge regarding the needs and situation of the individual child. This issue is particularly worrisome for parents of medically fragile children and parents within the New York City school system (who often must receive services at home because the city schools do not have the space or time to accommodate homeschooled students).

2. The IHIP

Dr. Cort's office wants to make sure that homeschooled students do not receive special education services unless they are in compliance with state law, so no child can receive services until an IHIP has been filed with the district.

The task force is concerned that the language of this section of the bill will lead districts to believe that they have a "perceived duty" to more-closely scrutinize the IHIPs of special education students, and would like to add clarifying language to the bill to avoid that possible interpretation. Additionally, the task force is concerned that provision of services will be delayed until an IHIP is approved, as many districts do not review IHIPs over the summer when the majority of the staff may be on vacation.

3. Use of the term 'Homeschooled'

Since the term 'homeschooled' is not defined elsewhere in the legislation, the task force is concerned that confusion might ensue between students that are homeschooled (most often by their families) and students that are home-educated (due to health issues, rule infractions, etc. and who are educated by the district). The task force would like to explore the use of other terms already established within the legislation.

What You Can Do:

Members of the task force have also been in touch with the media on this subject. For instance, a piece recently aired on ABC News (or copy and paste this hard link: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/education&id=6071194). By April 20, we should have posted a link on NY-Alert to a story in the New York Times on this issue as well. We encourage members of the homeschool community to visit these links and offer commentary in the discussion section of the story and also then ask that they encourage their friends and family to do the same. This will be one way that the State Education Department will see that ours is a relevant cause that is being followed by the public and that special education homeschooled students are not a vulnerable subset standing alone within the homeschooling community.

So, please, visit the ABC link and make a comment. Additionally, check NY-Alert next week for the Times link, as well!

On behalf of the the task force: Thank you!
Andrea Stolz

Methinks that Something Indeed Be Rotten In the State of Denmark...

2008-02-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

From my perspective, the most important part of this story is that I did not get to sleep until 5:00 this morning. But I get ahead of myself...

Yesterday was drama class with the home school kids--we're re-interpreting the myth of Perseus and Medusa. Many important life lessons to be learned via a trot across the boards: the supporting cast member can oft be a rewarding role...when individuals come together to create, the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts...if your mom has just married your uncle two brief months after your dad's untimely death, maybe cut the crazy schtick long enough to send your girl friend a card and a bouquet of violets...

Scene: car ride to drama class. Mother explaining to son the younger that he needs to stick to the script and not spend quite so much time ad-libbing because it disrupts the rhythm of his scenes, and, in certain circles, is known as "hogging the stage."

mother:
Quit the ad-libbing. Stick to the script. Nobody likes a stage hog. Yadda yadda.

son:
But I want to make people LAUGH! [eyes tear up]

mother:
I get that! But you're best bet is still to STICK TO THE SCRIPT. Use a funny voice! Do something funny with your body. Look, the Oracle of Delphi is a GREAT PART. You're spooky! You tell the FUTURE because you sit in a cloud of hypnotizing gas all day long! People think the GODS talk through YOU! This is really. good. stuff!

son:
[to himself] I SHOULD be able to do something with hypnotizing gas...[looks at his older brother, waits a beat, mutters] hmmmph, you'd think HE'D be able to tell the future...

In keeping with this foray into the dramatic, as a family, we watched The Reduced Shakespeare Company's The Complete Works of William Shakespeare last evening--because, really, what better way to instruct on the magic of dramatic theatre (pronounced: THEE-uh-tah) than via the Bard, himself?

The upshot being that Ben laughed so much...and with such...tectonic force...that I think he made himself nauseous. (Now in theatrical release: You'll LAUGH! You'll CRY! You'll...BLOOOOUH! BLOUUOOGH-BLUH-BLUHHHHHHH!). Later that night, (BLUHHH!) the husband and I heard him moaning volubly (stoicism apparently being THE ONE RECESSIVE GENE NOT DANGLING PRODIGIOUSLY FROM OUR COLLECTIVE FAMILY TREE).

So I'm gonna 'workshop' this next scene with you. I, a mere mortal woman, am with my children ALL DAY. And then, because they by the grace of God actually seem to require LESS SLEEP than I, am also with them ALL NIGHT. I love and adore my children. But sometimes? At the end of the day? I just. don't. have. words. left. Any. I like to think of this not so much as complete mental and physical exhaustion, or, as it might justifiably be called in some lesser social circles, sheer orneriness...so much as SATISFACTION IN A JOB WELL DONE.

Energy and for that matter, compassion, were apparently at ebb tide. Because I greeted the sound of moaning misery emanating at 2:30 in the morning from the boys' room with an incredibly dismissive, "Gohd! He'll be fine!" This aimed at the husband, who was fussing about as if SOMEBODY should get up and check on the child. I mean: what can you do? You can't vomit FOR the kid, right? And I was just finding out how Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza first meet, after looking longingly at Love in the Time of Cholera on my nightstand for the last three months...

Anyway--OF COURSE--these words, in a just world to be inscribed on my headstone once I pass on, were of course immediately followed by the distinctive peripatetic patter of the eldest son dashing to the bathroom before erupting with what I now like to think of as "THE SPLOOSH HEARD ROUND THE WORLD."

"Wow!" I told him, honestly impressed. "Not only did you make it to the toilet--you threw your retainers in the sink first before you got sick. You're awesome!"

And thus, another day ends. Adieu! Adieu!

Curtain close.

4th Iteration of Email to Gov. Spitzer: Getting Close to Done

2008-01-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

I am a native Long Islander with two sons--an 11 year old dually-diagnosed with PDD-NOS (autistic spectrum disorder) and anxiety, and an 8 year old dually- diagnosed with ADHD and an autoimmune disorder called Hyper IgE Syndrome. I also happen to be a straight-A graduate student at Long Island University's School of Education, four classes short of a degree in elementary and special education.

I began home schooling both children last year after my younger son (whose diagnoses, according to research appearing in peer-reviewed scientific journals, is prone to both bullying [ADHD] and long-bone breakage [Hyper IgE]) was physically attacked two days consecutively by another student. These attacks ultimately resulted in bruising around the neck and the small of the back.

While the school's nurse called me both days to report what had transpired, the elementary school's principal would not return my concerned phone calls until days after I had subsequently placed a phone call with the superintendant of the P-M School District. Even after I explained to the school secretary that I would not be sending my children back to school until I had a verbal guarantee on my child's physical safety, the principal initially continued to ignore my calls. When she ultimately deigned to call, the principal opened our conversation by stating that she "could not GUARANTEE that my child would always be safe."

I am not paraphrasing that last quote.

At this point, my crisis of confidence in the public system was enough to overcome any concerns I might have had about home schooling. I will add: since we've begun home schooling, my older son has made great strides toward overcoming his severe math anxiety and my younger son has graduated to reading chapter books independently. What is more, both children are learning how to overcome the executive-functioning deficits that accompany their respective disabilities--due in large part to the extra one-on-one attention they are receiving.

This year, as home schoolers, both of my children were receiving social skills classes in their respective public schools, in accordance with their IEPs. Now, however, this service is about to abruptly end, due to a new, extremely-narrow interpretation of the federal IDEA legislation from the Board of Regents and NYS Ed. Dept. This new interpretation states that IDEA funds can only be used on public and privately schooled students, not on home schooled students.

My feeling is that the public school system, as it now exists, is not capable of providing my children with the level of care, attention and pedagogical scrutiny they require.

I am not a zealot. I am a concerned parent, who at great personal and financial sacrifice, is trying to provide her two exceptional children with the tools needed to become life-long learners and independent, creative problem-solvers capable of living their lives to the fullest their capabilities allow. I am of the belief that the state simply cannot provide services to all of the children who, with the recent rise in accurate disability-diagnostics, deserve them--not without making sweeping changes to how it collects and spends its funds.

This act by the NYS Ed. Dept. (revoking services to home schooled IEP kids) feels like a slap in the face for families whose financial and emotional resources are already spread thin to breaking. I would like to see Mr. Spitzer introduce legislation to protect the rights of special- education home-schooled students here in New York.

With regards to special education services received by home schoolers, this could be done in two ways:

1. By revising the current interpretation of the 2004 IDEA legislation (IDEA does not STATE that New York CANNOT provide services to home schoolers, it simply does not address home schoolers in New York at all, because New York does not legally identify home schooled children as "privately schooled," as is the case in many other states, including California). This option would require no further legal action on the state's part.

2. Alternatively, Mr. Spitzer could introduce legislation (that, given the political clout of the teacher's union, may or may not pass, but would at least open a forum for discussion on the topic) legally identifying home schooled children in New York as "privately schooled."

Personally? I'm hoping for option number 2!

Thank you for your time.
Andrea Sz

Picture #1: Home schooled kids at a "Wagons West" presentation at Stony Brook's Long Island Museum that gave students a "first-hand," "hands-on" lesson on the rigors endured by 19th century American pioneers.

Picture #2: Drama class with other home schoolers--reinterpretation of the myth of "Perseus and Medusa."

Picture #3: "What Have I Read Lately?" class with other home schoolers.

Why I Home School...Well, One of the Reasons...

2007-12-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

Been quiet, right? But here's a very worthwhile Wall Street Journal article on the fickle financial forces of special ed., and, right behind it, a very complete thesis on the pros and cons of neurodiversity as presented by my all-time fave indie mag, Brain, Child.

The WSJ article, in particular, was interesting because it specifically dealt with the school district of Greece, New York--the school system that was in the news last year when a 17 year old autistic boy named Jason McElwain scored 20 points in the last four minutes of a varsity basketball game. McElwain had been the team's equipment manager. Team members had begged that the student get an opportunity to play in an actual game before he graduated--success beyond anyone's wildest dreams ensued. At the time, the media presented the event as an inclusion success story.

But here's the seamy underbelly of the mainstreaming philosophy:

Special-education budgets plummeted, too. Between the 1998-99 and 2004-05 school years, Greece reduced its spending on programs for disabled students by 26%, to $13.1 million from $17.6 million. Spending on special education dropped to 8% from 15% of total expenditures.
Upset at what they describe as the district's increasing refusal to provide services, a group of parents began meeting and comparing notes. They suspected that the district was effectively mainstreaming by simply capping the number of students eligible for services. Some children who were classified as special-education students were declassified and placed in regular classrooms with little or no additional help.

This kind of info...it's like Christmas coming early, ain't it?

Born in Babylonia: He Gave his Life to Tourism...

2007-09-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

A synopsis of our recent King Tut experience--as lifted near-verbatim from a note to a friend...

We stayed at the Loew's Philadelphia at 12th and Market (least expensive hotel with a King Tut Package, pool for the boys, and decent accessibility). Really cool-beautiful design: all streamlined and art-deco modernist. NICE!

But:

My dad has arthritis/joint-deterioration/swelling issues. He walks with the help of a cane but can't stand for extended periods and really can't *walk* all that far. Oh. And would BURN SLOWLY IN THE ETERNAL FIRES OF HELL before he sat down in a wheelchair...

Add to this:

My mom--who, when not *worrying* about my dad--spends her time either yelling at him or stridently begging the holy family for the strength to continue...

James--who doesn't walk down blocks so much as ROCKET down them...whether he knows where he's going or no...

and Ben--who likes to examine EVERY particle of every THING he passes. And perhaps construct a spontaneous ode in iambic pentameter to the more interesting images. But only after deep, deep consideration...and perhaps a voluble argument with his brother...who HEY! Seems to have run completely around the block and so is back with us!

So, for eating, we just ate at the sports bar across the street the first night (after sampling cocktails and listening to some light jazz at the bar attached to our hotel [SoleFood]). Note: we could not EAT at SoleFood because Ben would have had a heart attack and preached on the evils of over-fishing, man-created ecological imbalance and, in particular, the plight of (shrimp-eating) whale sharks...

The next morning, however, we ate at the Reading Terminal at the breakfast-y diner-ish landmarkish place whose name currently escapes me. Best sausage and bacon I've had in a loooooooooooooong time. And buttermilk pancakes. No scrapple. We walked around a bit inside before heading back to the hotel, checking out, and driving over to the Franklin Institute.

I got a pretty good look at the region of the city we were staying in because I DROVE THROUGH a good portion of it. Some of it twice. I was trying to make a left onto 12th (parking garage) while heading east on Market--but EVERY TIME I wanted to turn left...there would be a sign saying "NO TURNS". "What is it with this place?" thought I. Do you have to drive into Jersey to make a left hand turn?

But no. Those signs meant no RIGHT HAND TURNS...the wrong way...onto the one-way streets...

Ah, the perils of literalism...in my defense, my mom (next to me in the car at this point) was JUST as confused as I was...

Most memorable part of the Tut Exhibit: calling James name in an EXTREMELY CROWDED room and receiving no immediate reply. Repeatedly calling the full name of "the spare". Still, no answer. Pushing through people, beginning to worry...and finally spying what looked SUSPICIOUSLY TO ME like BUNNY EARS gamboling about behind a bust of Nefertiti. He'd squeezed into the space between the glass case and the wall. Thought the goers-by would appreciate a moment of humor in the midst of all the 'really old stuff'...

After that, I held the boy's hand. Isis, goddess of motherhood, would have been proud. We went through the exhibit more quickly than the rest of the family--yes... But, on the plus side, at no time during the subsequent afternoon did I develop a stuttering eye-tic. And, too, I was almost rendered incontinent with love when this same child ultimately went into the gift shop and asked to buy a small Egyptian head-dress to wear as part of his Halloween costume for this year. He does learn and appreciate. In his way...

James' Syllabus for the Year

2007-08-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

JAMES’S SYLLABUS FOR THE YEAR

August
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Rivers of the World (Core Knowledge)
o Looking at a Map Legend (Core Knowledge)
• Reading:
o Poetry Selections
o Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (Picture Book)—Leo and Diane Dillon
o Anansi, The Spider (Picture Book)--Gerald McDermott
o Beautiful Blackbird (Picture Book)—Ashley Bryan
o Uncle Remus: Brer Rabbit—Julius Lester
o “Rivers” Kids Discover Magazine
o Minn of the Mississippi—Holling Clancy Holling
• Math:
o Unit I,—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Rivers, especially The Nile—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Ecology, World We’re In (Core 339-344)
• Field Trip: King Tut Exhibit, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark

September
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Bill & Pete Go Down the Nile
o I Wonder Why Pyramids Were Built
o Mummies Made in Egypt—Aliki
• Reading:
o Festival of Freedom: Story of Passover—Maida Silverman
o Moses in the Bulrushes—W. Hutton
o Hundredth Name(Picture Book)--Oppenheim
o Yussel’s Prayer(Picture Book)--Cohen
o Tales of the Old Testament (Audio)—read by Jim Weiss
• Math:
o Unit II, Lessons 7-14—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Middle East—www.worldatlas.com

• Science
o Scientific Method—habits of the scientific mind (shell lesson plan)
o Brain and Nervous System (Core Knowledge)
o The Brain: What it is, What it Does—Bruun & Bruun
o Hands-On Science Mysteries—James Robert Taris and Louis James Taris
• Movie: Fiddler on the Roof
• Field Trip: The Cloisters Museum

October
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Ancient Greece—Core Knowledge: 92-98
• Reading:
o Greek Myths for Young Children—Marcia Williams
o Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War—Marcia Williams
o Wings—Jane Yolen
o Athens vs. Sparta—Nov/Dec 96 Calliope Magazine
• Math:
o Unit III—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Ancient World Rome/Greece—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Understanding the Metric System-- http://edhelper.com/metric_system.htm
o Skeletal & Muscular System (Core Knowledge)
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Movie: Jason and the Argonauts
• Field Trip: Greek and Roman Galleries, Metropolitan Museum of Art

November
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic

• Social Studies:
o Ancient Rome—Core Knowledge: 88-114
• Reading:
o Myths from Ancient Greece & Rome—Core Knowledge: 47-56
o Classic Myths to Read Aloud—William Russell
o Pompeii: Kids Discover Magazine
o Pompeii: Buried Alive—Edith Kunhardt
o The First Thanksgiving—Jean Craighead George
o Squanto and the First Thanksgiving—Joyce Kessel
o Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors—Dennis Fradin
o Our Solar System—Seymour Simon
o Space---Ian Ridpath
• Math:
o Unit IV—Math U SEE (Beta)

• Science:
o Astronomy as it relates to the myths: Stars: A New Way to See Them—H. A. Rey
o Astronomy: Core Knowledge (320-333)
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City

December
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Early Explorers in North America (130-139)
• Reading:
o The Apple and the Arrow: The Legend of William Tell—Buff
o People of the Breaking Day—Marcia Sewall
o Christopher Columbus: From Vision to Voyage—George Ancona\
o Exploration & Conquest: The Americas after Columbus: 1500-1620
• Math:
o Review & Final—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Europe—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
o Sound and Hearing—Core 315-318
• Miracle at 34 th St.
• Field Trip: New York City at Christmastime

January
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o English Colonies in N. America/American Indians (Core)
• Reading:
o The Story of William Penn—Aliki
o The Pilgrims of Plimouth—Marcia Sewall
o If You Lived in Colonial Times—Ann McGovern
o If You Sailed on the Mayflower—Ann McGovern
• Math:
o Unit I,—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o North America—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Light & Vision (Core)
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

February
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies
o The Vikings: Raiders & Traders (Core)
• Reading:
o The People Could Fly—Virginia Hamilton
o Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Man Who Changed Things—Carol Greene
o A Picture Book of Rosa Parks—David Adler
o The Story of Ruby Bridges—Robert Coles
o Mythology: Gods, Heroes & Tricksters from Scandinavia (Core)
• Math:
o Unit II—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o United States—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Movie: Raisin in the Sun
• Field Trip: Studio Museum in Harlem

March
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies
o American History—Core (120-129)
• Reading:
o Mexican Folktales From the Border—Riley Aiken
o Iroquois Stories: Heroes & Heroines, Monsters & Magic—Joseph Bruchac
o Learning About Literature—Core (58)
o Sayings & Phrases—59-62
• Math:
o Unit III—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o South America—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: Met—Art of the Spanish Americas

April
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Reading:
o Klara’s New World—Jeanette Winter
o The Lotus Seed—Sherry Garland
o Molly’s Pilgrim—Barbara Cohen
o Peppe, The Lamplighter—Elisa Bartone
o Silver at Night—Susan Bartoletti
• Math:
o Unit IV—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o World—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: Lower East Side Tenement Museum
• Movie: Avalon
• Movie: I Remember Mama

May
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Civilizations in Asia—Core (2nd Grade) 97-112
• Reading:
o The Arabian Nights—Brian Alderson
o Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves—Walter McVitty
o Just So Stories (selections)—Rudyard Kipling
• Math:
o Review and Finale—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o Asia—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: International Center of Photography
• Movie: Stolen Childhoods

June
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Review
• Reading:
o Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes…--Kathleen Krull
o Round Buildings, Square Buildings and Buildings that Wriggle Like Fish—Philip Isaacson
o Tar Beach—Faith Ringgold
o Faith Ringgold—Robin Montana Turner
o John Muir: Man of the Wild Places—Carol Greene
• Math:
o Review, if necessary
• Geography:
o review—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
o What were your favorite experiments from this year? Why?
• Movie: Miracle Worker
• Field Trip: Fun day in New York/Central Park.

Quiet, Right? Look here!

2007-08-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Ben contributes money saved from tooth fairy and lemonade stands to Riverhead Foundation affiliated with Atlantis Marine World. Total contribution (given in Boy Scout popcorn can in cold, hard cash) exceeds $60.

BEN’S SYLLABUS FOR THE YEAR
(Created by his mom with help from E. D. Hirsch's Core Knowledge series and Books to Build On.)

August
• Writing Theme:
Years from now: what will I remember from my experiences this summer?
• Social Studies:

Deserts

Plants and Animals of the Deserts (Core Knowledge: 75-81)

• Reading:

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Picture Book)—John Steptoe

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (Picture Book)—Leo and Diane Dillon

Anansi, The Spider (Picture Book)--Gerald McDermott

Abiyoyo (Picture Book)—Pete Seeger

Beautiful Blackbird (Picture Book)—Ashley Bryan

The People Who Could Fly: American Black Folktales—Virginia Hamilton

• Math:

Unit I, Lessons 1-6—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

Africa—www.worldatlas.com

• Field Trip: King Tut Exhibit, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark

September
• Writing Theme:

Why do you think that God is important?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

“Judaism & Christianity”—Core Knowledge, 83-90

How Do You Spell God? (Nonfiction)—Marc Gellman &Thomas Hartman (The God Squad)

• Reading:

Buddha (Picture Book)—Susan Roth

Parables(Picture Book)—Tomie DePaola

Hundredth Name(Picture Book)--Oppenheim

Yussel’s Prayer(Picture Book)--Cohen

Tales of the Old Testament (Audio)—read by Jim Weiss

• Math:

Unit II, Lessons 7-14—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

SW Asia—www.worldatlas.com

• Science

Scientific Method—habits of the scientific mind (shell lesson plan)

Galileo (biography)—Leonard Everett Fisher

Hands-On Science Mysteries—James Robert Taris and Louis James Taris

• Movie: Jesus Christ, Superstar
• Field Trip: The Cloisters Museum

October
• Writing Theme:

What is beauty? Why do I find things beautiful?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

Ancient Greece—Core Knowledge: 92-98

• Reading:

Myths & Stories—Core Knowledge: 25-45

Children’s Homer—Padraic Colum

Athens vs. Sparta—Nov/Dec 96 Calliope Magazine

• Math:

Unit III, Lessons 15-20—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

Ancient World Rome/Greece—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Understanding the Metric System-- http://edhelper.com/metric_system.htm

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

“Classical Art”—Core Knowledge (172-174)

• Movie: Jason and the Argonauts
• Field Trip: Greek and Roman Galleries, Metropolitan Museum of Art

November
• Writing Theme:

What is heroism?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

Ancient Rome—Core Knowledge: 100-105

• Reading:

Myths & Stories—Core Knowledge: 25-45

Classic Myths to Read Aloud—William Russell

Great Lives: Medicine (biography)—Rob Curtis

• Math:

Unit IV, Lessons 21-30—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Science:

Astronomy as it relates to the myths: Stars: A New Way to See Them—H. A. Rey

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

“Medieval” Art—Core Knowledge (176-180)

• Movie: Spartacus
• Movie: Camelot
• Field Trip: Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City

December
• Writing Theme:

Which is more helpful to mankind: science or religion?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

The Enlightenment—Core Knowledge: 106-109

• Reading:

The Universe for the Beginner—Patrick Moore

Quotes: Descartes, Hobbes, Jefferson, B. Franklin, Newton, Galileo

• Math:

Review & Final—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

Europe—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

“Renaissance” and “Neoclassical” Art—Core Knowledge (180-190)

• Movie: 1776
• Field Trip: New York City at Christmastime

January
• Writing Theme:

When is it right to go to war to create change?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

French Revolution & Romanticism—Core Knowledge: 111-120

• Reading:

The French Revolution—Adrian Gilbert

• Math:

Unit I,—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

North America—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

“Romantic” and “Rococo” Art—Core Knowledge

• Movie: Tale of Two Cities
• Field Trip: Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

February
• Writing Theme:

In an ideal society, how should workers be treated?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

Industrialism, Capitalism, Socialism—Core Knowledge: 122-130

• Reading:

Marie Curie: Brave Scientist—Keith Brandt

Read aloud: 1984

W E B Du Bois and Racial Relations—Seamus Cavan

• Math:

Unit II—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

United States—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

“Realism”—Core Knowledge

• Movie: Raisin in the Sun
• Movie: On the Waterfront
• Field Trip: Studio Museum in Harlem

March
• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

Latin American Independence—Core Knowledge: 132-141

• Reading:

Jose De San Martin, Latin America’s Quiet Hero—Jose Fernandez

Spanish South America—May/June Calliope Magazine

Living in South America—Chantal Henry Biabaud

Simon Bolivar: Latin American Liberator—Frank de Varona

• Math:

Unit III, Lessons 15-20—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

South America—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

“Latin Artists”

• Movie: Evita
• Field Trip: Met—Art of the Spanish Americas

April
• Writing Theme:

What do you think the experience was for immigrants?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

Immigration to the US—Core Knowledge: 142-148

• Reading:

Immigrant Kids—Russell Freedman

• Math:

Unit IV—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

World—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Field Trip: Lower East Side Tenement Museum
• Movie: Avalon
• Movie: I Remember Mama

May
• Writing Theme:

How did photography affect politics and law?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

Industrialization & Urbanization—Core Knowledge: 92-98

• Reading:

Read aloud: Hard Times—Charles Dickens

Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor—Russell Freedman

• Math:

Review and Finale—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

US Features & Urban Centers—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

“Photography of Urbanization and Industrialization”—selections

• Field Trip: International Center of Photography
• Movie: Stolen Childhoods

June
• Writing Theme:

Hope: Why should we feel hopeful about the future?

• Language Arts

Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

Reform—Core Knowledge

• Reading:

Story of Booker T. Washington—Patricia McKissack

The Story of the Haymarket Riot—Charnon Simon

• Math:

Review, if necessary

• Geography:

World—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

What were your favorite experiments from this year? Why?

• Movie: Miracle Worker
• Field Trip: Fun day in New York/Central Park.

Note to Self: Research Requirements for Creating a 503c Not-for-Profit...

2007-07-06T11:36:00.001-07:00

For those who empathized over Phil the Tiger Shark's mysterious disappearance--you may be happy to discover that he is once again a part of our merry household...a cleaner Phil, a Phil that arrived in a box in the mail...from Ohio...with a packing slip and bubble wrap...

My point is: Phil is among us, again. Though mum's the word on whatever happened in Nashville...what happens to tiger sharks apparently stays with tiger sharks. Or sumthin...

Around the same time as this most-felicitous reappearance, we were over at the home of a particularly crafty friend who had MADE HER OWN LEMONADE STAND OUT OF A BROKEN PICNIC TABLE. She lives on the perfect street for such a commercial endeavor and an hour later, at one thin quarter per cup, the boys were collectively $14 dollars in the green.

Now, Ben had already decided that his share of the libation-booty would be donated to The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. (This after we discussed the importance of GRASS ROOTS FUNDRAISING and where best an eleven year old boy might make a difference to creatures of the sea.) What was interesting, though, was how many of the other boys ultimately agreed to donate to Ben's pet project as well...social skills be damned! You have to respect the passion and knowledge my son brings to the table when he is interested in something (ten years later, I am beginning to see the positive side to all of that passionate emotion and energy that toddler of mine possessed!). All the children involved had seen Ben running down Maple Avenue behind every car that passed, shouting:

"Do you care about the health of our oceans?!? Do you want your grandchildren to be able to see dolphins someday or are you willing to see dolphins GO THE WAY OF THE DODO?!? Do you UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR HEALTH IS CONNECTED TO THE HEALTH OF OUR OCEANS??????? THEN DON'T BE A DODO!!! BUY SOME LEMONADE!!!"

You could see it on the faces of his business partners: THAT is a kind of lunacy that I cannot duplicate, but can RESPECT!

The only financial holdout was James, his own brother, who wanted to put his $2 towards a launching Poke-ball.

"Dodo! Dodo! Dodo!" Ben hissed periodically for the rest of the evening...

Cue: our dinner table, a couple of evenings later.

"I want to make more money for the Riverhead Foundation," my son told me excitedly. "After dinner, can we build our own lemonade stand?"

"Exhausting as that sounds," I answered brightly, "no!"

(If it weren't so irritating, I would be daily touched by my children's near bottomless well of belief in my many abilities...)

But then the wheels started turning. "What about this?" I asked. "You've been working on creating a storybook of your pictures of Phil and Hamtoro. What if we had ten turned into books through iPhoto (the little books are only about $5 apiece) and we try to SELL THEM as a fundraiser? And then, we could send the profits from your books to The Riverhead Foundation (which would require some math)! AND! We could count this as part of your school requirements for art, science and technology!"

I will do just about ANYTHING to avoid manual labor...

Shark Week is Coming!

2007-07-02T22:45:00.001-07:00

Discovery Channel's Shark week happens at the end of this month! July 29 through August 4, people!!! The boys and I had an absolute blast tonight playing with a Shark Video Mixer on the station's website--it's very similar in design to iMovie: you just drag and drop images, clips, sound effects, transitions and music onto a time-line...and then click "play" to enjoy the fruits of your labors!

It's a great exercise in sequencing events as well as a science lesson AND a creative lark.

Oh, c'mon! When was the last time YOU went on a creative lark???

So I Guess Mammoth Burgers Aren't An Option, Either?

2007-06-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm NOT having soup for lunch today! It is like the Permian mass-extinction out there, it's so hot!

--Quote and picture by Ben

If you could go back in time, who would you visit?

2007-06-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

It amazes me sometimes what I find myself YELLING OUT LOUD...today? I actually yelled out the phrase

How many times do I have to repeat myself? "Rock, paper, scissors" is a verbal contract! Once you play it, you HAVE to stand by the result! Otherwise you have just LIED!!!

Absolutely yelled it. Had a sore throat afterwards. Families all over the neighborhood can now understand, define and put in a sentence the words SOCIAL CONTRACT!!!!

I am NOT the patient mother that I envisioned pre-parent-hood--some fabulous combination of Maria VonTrapp and Annie Sullivan with just a dash of Mother Theresa thrown in. This seemed a reasonable possibility in my 20's: all I had to do was learn how to play classical guitar and, maybe, take a vow of poverty. Regarding the latter...hey, I was well on my way!

There were times when Ben was little where I would just close him in his room, lock myself in the bathroom and SCREAM! I figured that the screaming was better than hurting him--I was capable of that much rational thought. These were the days when I was ON all of the time, those first three years. When...

his sleep schedule was to fall asleep at midnight, up at 8, with a a 2-hour nap from 4-6 pm--on good days;
if he got sick (often in the toddler years), he'd cut his sleep IN HALF;
he was phobic of blood, darkness, shoe stores, hair cuts, doctor's offices, large spaces, small spaces, loud noises, nail clippers, baths, crowds, bowel movements [um, his], stomach viruses (which he seemed prone to, and which always resulted in me ultimately walking stiffly away to shower out a hair and chest-full of vomitus)... and being alone--like, for instance, when his mother was taking a shower;
phobias were expressed through terrified, hysterical crying--for hours, often taking the place of sleep periods;
he was hyperactive and accident-prone (I mentioned the blood phobia, right?)
he narrowed his diet to grapes, peanut butter crackers, cereal bars, milk, apple juice, hamburger and ice cream for an entire year--FYI: seedless grapes in February will run you $7.99/pound;
his father was in the Navy--crummy health insurance, low pay AND a complete lack of family values? YES, PLEASE!!!
his father was also going to graduate school full-time...
oh, OH! AAaaaaaaaaand: I'd given birth in a military hospital 3,000 miles from anyone that I knew and then moved across the country to another town (albeit, a pleasant one) where I had no friends.

So, sometimes? I went in the bathroom and screamed. Scrunched up my eyes, put my head between my legs and bellowed. Probably akin to the sounds I made during childbirth--definitely the same position. To this day, I do not know what the neighbor on the other side of the wall might have thought of this behavior. God willing, she was at work and not sitting in her kitchen, checking her calendar and muttering, "yup: day 22 of the cycle. Again."

I was pretty sure, however, that this type of behavior would not qualify as the requisite miracle the Vatican seeks out in all its petitions for sainthood...

After my personal pity parties, though, I would go back to my little boy, who would no doubt be hysterical in my absence, standing at the gate I had in his bedroom door, looking like the littlest, most unhappy inmate at Alcatraz: face red and wet, body hot from crying, nose running copiously, arms outstretched and jittering for me to hold him.

And I would take him and hold him. And sometimes we'd both cry some more. The reasons I was able to keep any sanity at that point were pretty simple: he was mine. I loved him. He was made more miserable by his senses, his whacky sleep schedule, the way the world crashed in on him, than I was. He loved me. He needed me...

What I realize now, in retrospect, is that I created my own "therapy" for him, on the fly, out of a need to survive. We read together because it was something that we both found soothing. For hours, most days. Bedtime began at ten in the evening and didn't end until midnight. Book after book after book. And then three more readings of THE POLAR EXPRESS. That Van Allsburg draws AMAZING pictures...but his text is for crap...

Nap time would also be preceded by an hour or more of reading. What we didn't spend on grapes or Thomas the Tank Engine trains, we spent on books. (So, it floored me, down the line, when the child with the professorial vocabulary had such a HARD TIME learning how to read...)

There was the language therapy the child should have been eligible for, if anyone could have diagnosed him at that point...

When we weren't reading, we played together. At two and a half, the child could tell the difference between an isosceles and an equilateral triangle, an octagon and a hexagon. He liked the Tupperware shape sorter, so by golly, THAT'S WHAT WE PLAYED WITH!

That is: when I wasn't setting up lavish train layouts with wooden track. Those train layouts taught a great deal: accidents happen, problems are solveable--not scary, tipped bridges can be turned upright, magnets go front to back, everyone makes mistakes--even mommy...

There were our beginnings of life skills and parallel play...what Dr. Stanley Greenspan now calls "floor time" and what many progressive educators are beginning to prefer to the rigid therapy of ABA...and we definitely did it the prescribed 30 or 40 hours a week...

What I realize now is that I wasn't a saint--absolutely not. But I did do a good job. I wish I could go back and tell that younger mom, "Hey! What you're doing is really, really hard! You're not crazy to be exhausted and scared. But he's gonna be amazing."

Absolutely amazing.

I'd probably wind up screaming it at her, though. My days are easier but I'm still no paragon of patience.

Inside the Belly of the Beast

2007-06-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

We had the boys' annual IEP reviews this morning. Even though we are home schooling, the district keeps paperwork on the boys so that if we decide to send them back to public school, my guys won't have to wait months for needed services and programs to kick in. Additionally, any services that they are eligible for continue as long as I am willing to bring them to the school to receive them.

Services, as it turns out, are different from programs. So, even though the boys were found eligible for resource room (ie: small group instruction), they do not receive resource room if we home school, because resource room is a program. They are eligible, however, for the service of social skills classes. And I said that, yes, we would be interested in taking advantage of that program for both boys--I'm good, but there are certain programs even I cannot duplicate at my kitchen table...

Ben would also have been eligible for a full-time aide if he were in public school, but would not have been found eligible for the inclusion classroom. Least Restictive Environment, in our case, would apparently mean that having Joe-in-eighth-grade's mom standing next to Ben and his locker, reminding him to pack his math book for sixth period would be preferable to keeping him in the same classroom all day long without a locker while his teacher helped him develop requisite organizational and planning skills...

Not only is the stigma of having a neighborhood mom as a shadow undesirable when one is in middle school (particularly when one is socially handicapped already)...my experience is that a neighborhood mom's first instinct is to do for the child rather than to teach the child so that he can develop the requisite skills for himself. This, to my mind, is the key difference between using moms-- as opposed to teachers-in-training--as aides. Well, and the mom is less expensive. And easier to find...

So, our first half-hour was spent going over Ben's paperwork. A couple of eyebrows were raised when the idea of inclusion was so summarily shot down for him. Particularly those of the school psychologist--who had strongly encouraged this option for Ben when we met last fall for his triennial review...

His teacher actually started to shake her head, but then caught herself...

I would have been heartbroken if Ben were still in public school--and then readied myself for yet another battle, yet more lost time, more disappointments and failures for Ben before he was found eligible for treatment he legitimately needed. As it was, I just shrugged. It was so freeing: not having to take on that worry...

The second half-hour was spent talking about James. Many of the same people were present: school psychologist, resource room teacher, CSE (Committee of Special Education) chairperson...but this time James' old teacher sat to my right, replacing Ben's teacher.

Mrs. Resource Room spoke of James' willingness to work but difficulty with sequencing and organizing thoughts when writing, and also about his inability to generalize skills learned with her into the general ed. classroom. Mrs. Psychologist talked about James' positive attitude and willingness to search out help from an adult when he was confused, but also emphasized his difficulty in negotiating new social situations and his lack of eye-contact when dealing with peers.

"Is he coming back next year?" his teacher asked then.

"No, not next year," I told her. "I have the ability to help him with skills one-on-one right now and I believe that is what he needs at this point."

"But the socialization!" his teacher began...

"We belong to a home school group now," I tried to assure her.

She shook her head, "It's not the same, it's not the same! Look, we can make sure that he isn't put in the same classroom with...certain other students..."

"James may come back to public school at some point," I told his teacher, "but it will only happen when I believe the skills he needs to do well in a public school environment are in place."

"Well, you are his parent--you have the right to make these decisions for him," she replied, clearly dismayed.

Right!

...Said the woman who never contacted me to make sure that James was all right after the school bully physically and brutally attacked him two days in a row on school property--LEAVING BLACK AND BLUE BRUISES BOTH TIMES. (The same school bully who PS: according to a Dad I chatted with this weekend, has moved onto physically attacking yet another child within this woman's classroom...).

But sunshine and light. That was me. I am not here to seek retribution, to lay blame! NO! I am here to make sure that my children get whatever services they are eligible for...

...and, so, because it is in their best interests to create and maintain as positive a relationship as possible with the people involved this bureaucracy, I grit my teeth and say nothing.

The Joys and Drama of Gross-Motor Dysfunction

2007-06-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

(skips out of the door, leaving children behind with newfound babysitter, happy to have just an hour on my own...) Okaaay! G'bye!

Ben

Okehhh--oooooooohhhh... (crash as he falls down the last three stairs and knocks over and DESTROYS a lamp lurking there).

(thinking, to self) SO CLOSE! I almost made it to the car! DRAT! (re-enters the house, surveys the damage, hmphs at the complete impossibility of repairing the torchiere that now bears a striking resemblance to Marie Antoinette post the cake-eating remark...)

(aloud) You know, SOME people would have had the presence of mind to fall on the UGLY lamp that I've wanted to get rid of for years now...

Ben

SOME PEOPLE would stop and check and see if their son is okay after falling down the steps! Besides, the other lamp is all the way on the other side of the living room!

That torchiere really looked nice right there, too...

Ben

You mean in the space where it almost IMPALED ME? That lamp almost KILLED ME!

Ooooooooh, c'mon! I see no blood, no tears! What I see is a perfectly healthy looking boy standing next to a pile of toothpicks that used to be the best reading lamp in this living room!

An ad paid for by the "Home Schooling Moms of Spectrum Children are Not Saints" Council.

Eosinophilic Pustular Folliculitis

2007-06-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

I posted this pic in color for a reason: I thought it was important to put up a detailed image of one of these things--as detailed as James would allow. And I didn't want to make too big a deal of it, after all. Didn't want to frighten him or make him think this was too big a deal--beyond asking him to avoid picking at it, that is.

The image is enlarged--that's my thumb and forefinger parting his hair. The pustule is irritated because he'd itched it and torn part of the scab off...

EPF is what the dermatologist would call this: eosinophilic pustular folliculitis. At its worst, James would have dozens of these on his face and dozens more on his scalp. Chronically. From the time he was a year old until after his third birthday, he always had a face and scalp full of these open invitations to fungal and bacterial infection. Just seeing one today made me cringe and feel cold inside. He's been fighting a cold and a cough. Is it a coincidence or is there some other reason this showed up? I haven't seen one in years.

We don't know exactly why they abated. Going on the antibiotics probably helped. Staying healthy for more than a couple of days at a time also could not have been a bad thing...

GOHD! I HATE THESE THINGS.

Junk in my Trunk

2007-05-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

There is a young woman in my church who is about 19 years old. Very gentle. She has had a number of difficult to diagnose health issues and an unusual pattern of learning disabilities...so I of course immediately warmed to her.

She is coming to my house two afternoons a week now to help me with the boys. She can sit for them if I need to run out or can listen to one read while I spend some individual time with the other.

I figure this gives me a 1:1 student to adult ratio those afternoons...combine that with the fact that we also offer a 1:1 student to computer ratio and I'm thinking my little school sounds all manner of elite and marketable...

Yesterday the four of us went for a hike at Connetquot State Park. During one of our breaks, we discovered that Claire is particularly interested in Egyptian history and artifacts. She offered to bring over some of her favorite books and show them to the boys.

"What are some of the things you find most interesting about Egyptian history?" Ben asked.

"Well, they worshipped cats. They had all sorts of gods and goddesses that are different from our God. And when you died? You got buried with the things you loved most so that you would have them in the afterlife."

This led to one of my all-time favorite types of conversations: what would get buried with you?

"Mom would get buried with her laptop," Ben said immediately.

"There are no pop-ups and free wi-fi in the afterlife," I agreed.

"Well, if you're good," James chimed in.

"I'd get buried with my Wii and with my shark collection," Ben offered.

Claire would get buried with her favorite CD's: John Lennon, The Donnas, Mariah Carey. James would get buried with his Lego Aqua Raiders. And some chocolate. And a fuzzy blanket for if it got chilly. And the PlayStation II--since he planned on dying after Ben, so the Wii would already be gone.

Teachable Moment

2007-05-24T11:35:00.001-07:00

Ben is sitting in the study, ostensibly working on thank you cards for the Wii he received for his birthday. He's also snuffling quietly.

We went down to Nashville last weekend, visited family, celebrated the high school graduation of a cousin/niece. "We" of course is a group defined as mom, dad, boys and favorite pelagic stuffed friends--Willy the orca, Hamtoro the hammerhead shark, and Phil the tiger shark. (Yes, we are singlehandedly keeping the Riverhead Aquarium afloat (pun intended) via gift shop purchases. And your point is???)

There were a great many people staying at the house--makeshift beds and air-mattresses everywhere upstairs. And, of course, part of the fun in a situation like this (did I mention that there was also a triple bunk bed) is to sleep in a different spot every night...

Well, all we know is that by Sunday we couldn't find the much-beloved Phil the tiger shark. We looked in every room, under every bed, in between every set of sheets and inside every duffle bag. No Phil.

Was foul play involved? Maybe. Ben is the youngest in his tier of cousins: the rest are tweens and teens who might have gotten tired of hearing about the ecological plight of our cartilaginous friends. I dunno what to think. They're good kids in this family...but they are still kids. Sigh. Phil was really well hidden, if that is the case...

Ben came up with the idea of making a poster of Phil using FD's Toys and emailing it to the family. If Phil did disappear under nefarious circumstances, maybe the poster and reward will warm a hardened heart enough to bring him back to us. (If not...I've got to get out to the aquarium within the next couple of days to buy a new Phil and dirty him up just a little without anyone else noticing.) Ben made the poster himself using the "motivator" tool at Fd's and we sat down together, his first real foray into email, with the family's addresses to send them off when he was done.

It kills me, though. I know Ben is eleven. HE believes that he is too big to cry over something like this...but every once in a while, the emotion just catches up with him and it's heartbreaking. He tries to be stoic ("No, I must have gotten something in my eye--I'll be better in a minute, don't worry" [he comes from a long, proud tradition of wussy liars]). It's that struggle with his sadness and my inability to help him feel better that are making me antsy.

I guess I should get a little used to that concept. He's growing up.

We learned today that Roman women were considered legally marriageable at age 12 (though most waited until the ripe age of 14)...Ben's almost there now. And, obviously, he will experience hurts worse than this where I will be even less able to intervene.

Hate that, though. Absolutely hate that.

Clearly, We Have Not Yet Entered the "My Mom is a Fool" Phase of Development...

2007-05-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ben: Hey, mom: did you know that as a snail consumes its prey, its jaws work like a conveyor belt...much like the helicoprion, actually! I just heard that on Animal Planet's "Most Extreme Appendages."

Me: No, I hadn't heard heard that...you mean the snail's teeth move?

Ben: Yeah, I think so...I think that's what they meant. I'm surprised you didn't know that!

More From My Universal Design for Learning Paper

2007-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

...However, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer article previously mentioned, the philosophical tenets of UDL are now being combined with Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences with promising results. Additionally: the UDL/multiple intelligences juggernaut is positively affecting not just atypical learners, but general education children, as well.

"Students who put their heads down on their desks in the past got up and participated," asserted a principal in an elementary school that used UDL in all of its classrooms (Kleinerman, 2006).

This is because, just as architectural universal design promoted better physical accessibility for all to public structures, UDL provides intellectual accessibility to content for a broader range of the population. Student assessment is not limited simply to book reports and multiple-choice exams, as has occurred in the past. In UDL, authentic assessments—graphs, pictures, plays, songs, oral reports, and power point presentations (to name but a few of the many possibilities)--offer students the opportunity to show that they have internalized content. What is more, by allowing students flexibility in how they present acquired knowledge, they are encouraged to manipulate the information in their preferred modality (artistic, kinesthetic, visual, scientific, verbal, analytical, etc.) where they are going to be more comfortable stretching with the material and even, possibly, going farther with a lesson than their teacher could have predicted.

"I see higher levels of thinking emerging, not just rote facts," one teacher proponent in the Cleveland School District stated. Development of these “higher order thinking skills” (those that appear in the second half of Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy: analysis, synthesis, evaluation) is highly sought in today’s schools and from today’s parents, administrators, and politicians. Unfortunately, the recommended avenue for development of these skills currently focuses only on tweaking or revamping punitive, written-language-based, “high-stakes” standardized tests that critics claim do not provide an accurate assessment of student capabilities and actually stifle any other classroom activity beyond “teaching to the test.”

According to Margo Izzo, a strong proponent for UDL and a professor at Ohio State University, approximately thirty percent of learners excel with auditory presentations while just over seventy percent prefer visual. Yet many teachers still depend heavily on lectures as their main form of transmitting content to students while standardized tests rely completely on a language-based model of assessment (Kleinerman, 2006).

In light of Professor Izzo’s research, shouldn’t educators be searching for methods of content transmission and assessment that work with students’ preferred modalities of learning? Otherwise, don’t our public schools then become, as John Goodlad has asserted, nothing more than “sorting mechanisms” that filter out a minority group of students and label them “successful” while leaving the majority of students—including most special education students—with the belief that they are somehow inferior? If our goal as educators is not to “sort,” but in fact to create a population of life-long learners, shouldn’t the act of learning be intentionally designed to be a rewarding experience for as broad a cross-section of the student populace as is possible (Goodlad, 1994, p. 72)?

Additionally, literacy specialists and those that work with English Language Learners have long asserted (and empirically proven) that true written and oral fluency in a second language cannot be achieved until they are first firmly established in the primary language (Rief, 1996, p. 182). Would it not, then, be logical to also conclude that students might not comfortably manipulate content in their weaker learning modalities and reach for those higher-order thinking skills before their preferred learning modalities are fully up and running? What is more, if this is true, then wouldn’t the demand that teachers and students spend more and more of their class time preparing for more and more high-stakes tests--tests that will only accurately reflect the abilities and preferred learning modality of (according to Professor Izzo’s research) thirty percent of the student population--be an exercise in futility, and, in fact, result in boring and alienating the majority of our students instead of educating them?

A caveat: rewarding should not be interpreted as meaning the same thing as easy. Certainly students should be encouraged to stretch in all of the learning modalities, and as the verbal intelligence, in particular, is so valued in our culture and is associated with many of the most desirable careers, it should certainly be fostered and emphasized in any public school curriculum. However, the methods we are currently using to hone these verbal skills may possibly be counterproductive in that they may currently be doing more emotional harm than intellectual good.

A final point: A recent clinical research paper from the American Pediatrics Association emphasized just this point. Empirical evidence performed by the APA indicated that physical activities such as walking and running stimulated activity in the hippocampus of the brain, which in turn actually improved students’ abilities to read, write, retain content, and pay attention—all while simultaneously lowering anxiety levels. Furthermore, the rate of physical activity was directly proportional to the rate of task improvement (Ginsberg, 2006).

Unfortunately, in education’s efforts to boost standardized test scores, many school physical education programs have actually been cut or down-sized in the last decade—are often seen as the most expendable programs in our schools--to allow for more “time on task” in reading and math. Ironically, the noble goal of improving the quality of education our children receive may have actually resulted, instead, in providing them with less opportunity for constructivist connections and personal growth. This narrowly defined use of learning modalities within the classroom stands in direct contrast to the diverse content transmission and assessment opportunities advocated by both multiple intelligence and universal design for learning advocates.

A La Carte

2007-05-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've been going to lots of meetings lately. Most recently I attended one meeting for the new LIPC (Long Island Parent Center)--a state-funded parent and child advocacy and outreach center designed to connect members of the special education community with the knowledge and services it requires, it is set up under the auspices of VESID (Vocational Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities--a New York State educational bureau). In these days of tight budgets, knowledge absolutely is power and help from the state is always appreciated...

Then, a couple of nights later, I attended an organizational meeting to start up a homeschooling Waldorf collective here on Long Island.

And I came away from both meetings a little exhausted. Everyone's got an agenda and but no one shares miiiiiiiiiiiinnnnne!

One of the most challenging aspects of raising an atypical child is all of the extra choice and decision-making involved. If there was just A RIGHT ANSWER, you could do whatever that was and go to sleep at night thinking, "well, we've done it." We are on THE RIGHT TRACK. We are doing THE RIGHT THING.

Instead? There are choices. This is tough. Particularly for someone with perhaps the extra unresolved control issue or two. When I was pregnant with Ben I remember spending a couple of hours choosing just the right DIAPER BAG for him, for pete's sake. Changing pad: removable or attached? Insulated bottle holder: necessary? Backpack or over-the-shoulder styling? I like to research. Like to know all of my options. I can be PAINFUL to go out to dinner with. Big menus: how do you choose? How do you have time to read over and imagine all of those options before the waiter comes back with your drinks and asks for your order? BUT IS THE BRUSCHETTA MADE IN-HOUSE?????? Okay...well WHAT ABOUT THE VINAIGRETTE???

And that's just one meal. When it comes to my kids??? I want to, need to do what is best for my guys. Mistakes cost time. Affect development, self-esteem, opportunities for relationships and personal growth. Each choice echoes with that ticking clock that closed segments on 60 Minutes all those years ago. So I research. I go to meetings. I mingle. I listen. And then I sift through all of the options and perspectives. That's where I am now...sifting--with the clock ticking behind us.

Waldorf has some great ideas and methodologies. I like that in the schools teachers and students and parents come together as a family. Religions of the world are all introduced from a cultural literacy perspective so that students can ultimately be citizens of the world with tolerance for and understanding of others who are different from themselves. Teachers in Waldorf schools try to stay with their students for seven years, through an entire course of one of Rudolf Steiner's developmental phases. Students work in six-week modules where they are provided with the opportunity to do a deep-dive into the material they are learning. No textbooks or dittos--this is meaningful work because the assignments and textbooks are created by the students under the gentle direction of the teacher. Waldorf classwork is, by definition, multi-modal: there is drawing, dancing, music, movement, sculpture incorporated into all lessons...

However, Waldorf schools are also notoriously anti-technology. Children should not watch television AT ALL. There is no difference at all between the Planet Earth series currently on Discovery Channel and the latest installment of Ed, Edd and Eddie on Cartoon Network in these peoples' eyes. Computer use is severely frowned-upon before high school. And even then, it is considered antithetical to a student's development and whole-heartedly de-emphasized.

I've got a HUGE problem with that. I look at technology as the saving grace of education, the tool through which all students can be reached and taught to problem-solve.

Whenever you leave the purview of public education and delve into one of these alternative educational philosophies, there is another factor that comes into play--however subtly: If you don't like our philosophy, you can leave.

There's
the
door.

We're not here to educate everyone. We're here to educate people like us.

It is inspiring to observe a dedicated Waldorf adherent until you start to disagree or question their thought processes or philosophy. Then you become a full-fledged member of the 'losing battle' club. There is no reason for adherents to change what works. FOR THEM. And if something isn't working, it is the fault of the pupil, not the philosophy.

I've got a problem with THAT, too. Education is for the benefit of the child. If education is not working for the child then it is incumbent upon THE EDUCATOR to change the methodology to meet the needs of the child.

I can't help but think that the best methodology will take bits and pieces from a variety of philosophies and shape them so that they are deliverable to typical learners and special education students in a public education venue. And that this methodology will be a malleable, evolving school of thought open to evaluation, analysis and criticism.

They Get Their 'Cool Heads in a Crisis' From Me...

2007-05-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

Understand: In many ways, the boys and I are brave, stoic, resourceful types. You want someone to stand up for what is right and good, beneficial to both mankind and mother earth? We will COME to your peace vigil. We will MARCH in your rally. We will make and carry concise, insightful signs that will bring the brotherhood of man to its collective knees in a glorious, communal EPIPHANIC understanding of JUST WHERE THINGS WENT HORRIBLY AWRY! We are also, to the last, very, very good at regaling peers and loved ones with well-constructed tales replete with credible story arc, fresh imagery and topically relevant soundtracks!

But bugs. We are not so good there. MmmmMMMmmm!

To illustrate my point, one of my all-time favorite fraternal exchanges:

James, aged 4: ISAWASPIDER! ABIGBLACKSPIDERWITHHAIRYLEGS! (scrambles up the couch)

Ben, a very sage 7: (dismissively) THAT is a daddy longlegs. You've been reading too many books about bugs. You are developing a phobia.

James: I DON'T have a phobia!!! I'm just scared!!! (author's note: pronounced 'sceh-wid')

Ben: You do have a phobia. A phobia is an irrational fear. Like my irrational fear of boat propellers.

James: Well, I don't have a phobia of BUGS. Just ARACHNIDS.

Although, for the record, both children AS WELL AS THEIR MOTHER have always gone certifiably berzerk in the face of anything with segmented leg-pairs or waving antennae. Personally? I like to think of this as PART OF OUR CHARM.

So, you can only imagine with what chagrin one nest-building hornet-ish looking thing in the southwest kitchen window was then greeted the other day. With the above-mentioned stoic resolve and speedy reflexes I closed (and locked!) the window, moved lessons out to the couch (just to be safe!), and announced that Dad would most certainly take care of the issue when he got home that evening.

Which he did. Dad dutifully waited until nightfall, carefully slipped off the screen and storm windows, and hosed our little friend and her papery starter-home into the winged hereafter.

"Wow, she was really BIG!" the husband noted, subsequently gazing at the soggy, lifeless VERY LARGE form on the ledge. "What should we do with her?"

And here is where I had...what in literary circles is oft referred to as a moment of 'tragic hubris'. I'd just that afternoon read a WONDERFUL article to the boys from the latest edition of Home Education Magazine about a home schooling mother who decided to end a unit on Egyptian history with an attempt to mummify an oven roaster--with, of course, disastrous and unexpected results. Logically, this made me say:

"Let's keep her. Maybe the boys would like to take a closer look at her tomorrow. Maybe they'd be more comfortable around bugs if they understood them a little better. We'll just put her in a resealable bag to keep everyone safe." (See, the mummifying chicken in the article ("king cluck") was stored in a resealable baggie...)

Well. Holy chitinous exoskeleton, Batman! Guess who was alive and doin' the Texas Two-Step next to my vase of Mother's Day flowers this morning?

I ALMOST DIDN'T SEAL THE BAGGIE!!!! Me! The woman who once spent six hours alone in a garden apartment bedroom in central Florida waiting for her spouse to return from his traditional sixteen-hour work day, because a palmetto bug had flown into my living room AND IF I'D LEFT THE BEDROOM...well, then, it could GET ME.

It goes without saying that the door was also locked with a towel from the laundry shoved into the crack beneath the door...

"What do you think, now?" the husband dubiously asked this morning.

And James and I, in unison, agreed: kill it, KILL IT, KILLLLLL ITTTT!!!

The Littlest Docent

2007-05-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

A home schooling friend (and mentor) had at one point suggested that as Ben got older, if the shark fascination continued, I should look into possible intern programs at an animal shelter, museum or aquarium for him...that she knew of other home schoolers who were able to work out individualized opportunities for their children...

Yesterday, at the Atlantis Marine World aquarium in Riverhead, I had to remember that conversation and laugh. We arrived in time to feed and pet the stingrays before heading up to the shark deck to hear the afternoon shark lecture. The aquarium houses about four sand tiger sharks and as many nurse sharks in it's largest tank "The Lost City of Atlantis Shark Exhibit." (There is also a 300-pound loggerhead turtle named Jaws in the tank, who, according to our lector, rules the watery roost!)

When the shark lecture was done, I urged Ben to go up to the lector and ask HIM all of the questions he tends to bombard me with at 11:30 at night when reasonable children ARE ASLEEP.

"Maybe he has a good working theory on why steccocanthus died out, go ask HIM!" I said encouragingly. "This is your chance!"

But instead of asking any questions, Ben started pointing out possible problems with the guy's lecture.

"You know, you were wrong when you said that aquariums have never housed a Great White...the Monterey Aquarium in California had a great white for three months, but unfortunately had to let it go because it was eating its tank mates."

Poor Dave. The nervous-looking, college-aged lector. You know that all the guy wanted to do was a little quiet professional research away from the public, but that this speaking bit was somehow tied to his internship or grant money.

"Well, yeah, that's true, actually," Dave conceded. "It's just easier to explain things the way I did."

"Mmmmmmmmmm," Ben replied critically. This is a child who never sacrifices truth on the altar of brevity. Still, in this case, he was clearly willing to give a fellow scientist the benefit of the doubt.

The six-foot plus Dave and my prepubescent 11-year old son spent the next couple of minutes quizzing each other on shark knowledge. I'm not sure if Dave was surprised, impressed or deeply shaken by the results of the conversation. And, to add to Dave's already palpable tension, Ben was videotaping all of Dave's responses.

"Hun, I think you're making Dave uncomfortable," I finally whispered, and motioned that he put the camera away.

"Oh," Ben replied, looking at Dave and then his video camera in a bemused way, "sorry dude."

Later, while we were waiting for our lunch to be deep-fried, Ben went back over to the shark tank. When I ultimately went to retrieve him, he was lecturing a four-year old boy and his mom.

"Now, these sand tigers may look ferocious, but remember: in reality, they very rarely attack human beings. You are much more likely to be injured in a car accident or struck by lightening than you are to ever be attacked by a shark of any kind."

The boy and his mom thanked Ben for taking the time to talk to them as we left.

"I like doing that," Ben explained to me as we walked back to the cafeteria. "It's my way of sharing what I've learned. And I like to talk to kids because they're going to be making the decisions of the future."

Life Skills 101: Don't Let Your Uncle Marry Your Mom

2007-05-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

This right here is a wonderful article. Happiest, best, most positive thing I've read...um...definitely this week. And it's been a nice week. No complaints vis a vis the week thus far. But, still!

Here, let me read you a bit:

PEABODY - Crystal MacLarty stands at the front of the class with a sword in her hand. She is lecturing on "Hamlet" and uses all the tools of the trade to relate one of Shakespeare's most memorable plays - even brandishing the plastic prop.

On the computerized white board behind her, she beams a slide presentation full of story bullet points. A student at the front of the class uses cutouts of the main characters on a small felt board to help him understand the story. He follows along in a version of the play that has been translated into helpful word symbols.

"Put yourself in Hamlet's shoes," MacLarty declares. MacLarty asks the 18 students to draw three squares: one for their mother, one for their father and one for their uncle. She tells them to cross off their father's name and draw a line from their mother to their uncle. "This is the situation Hamlet found himself in," the teacher announces. "His father died and within a month, his mother married his uncle." Peals of "ewww" and "that's gross" carry through the first-floor classroom.

Welcome to Peabody High's Life Skills class, where MacLarty harnesses a teaching method called Universal Design for Learning. It's an idea gaining acceptance in special education classrooms like Peabody's. Universal Design taps technology to help teachers and students adapt materials to their varied needs and skills. The idea sounds simple enough, but until computers and the appropriate software were developed, students had to rely on mass-produced materials and textbooks.

"There are so many new resources," said retired special education teacher Sandra Ring. "You don't have to read to understand concepts."

Ring, who helped introduce UDL at Peabody High, said the Life Skills classroom is a model for the state. "It's about a whole high school change," Ring said. "It's here, my dream. Technology, that's the key."

Here's what I love about the effective use of technology in the classroom: it can stop schools from being (in the words of educational theorist John Goodlad) "sorting mechanisms"...places where a few students are picked out and held up to everyone else as "good and worthy." Places, for many, then, of shame. Places where the individual very often just doesn't measure up. That is not what education should be about. Certainly not taxpayer-funded, public education. How dysfunctional would that be? To be legally required to pay into a system that labels almost everyone (including you and your family) as somehow 'defective'?

I laughed when I read about the student that uses character cut-outs to help him act out the plot points of Macbeth...Ben does that. With James watching his every dramatic nuance: Every night, when I read to the boys before bedtime, Ben gets out his collection of 'pelagic friends' (yup, his words...) and physically acts out with his toys whatever I am reading.

How brilliant is my child? That he came up with this idea, his own personal comprehension aid, all on his own?

Buddha 101

2007-05-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

I get a chatty, philosophical email everyday from Brian Johnson of Zaadz. Usually a quote to urge me further down the path of the examined life with a bit at the end elucidating further on the life or ideology of the quotee. It's like a little slice of crunchy California sunshine every morning...

I've started to read and discuss some of these quotes with the boys. Today's quote was from Buddha:

"One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield."

"What do you think is meant by 'one who conquers himself'?" I asked first.

Glum silence of disinterest.

"Well, what does conquer mean?" I continued.

"To FIGHT AND KILL AND DESTROY!" the second-born shouted in a most un-Buddha-like manner, suddenly enthralled by today's lesson.

"Okay, those are some examples of conquering," I agreed. "But would you do those things to yourself? Do you think that Buddha wanted people to...hit themselves with a big hammer over the head? Would that be better than conquering a thousand times a thousand people on the battlefield?"

Upon deeper consideration...about five minutes worth...with re-enactments...and sound effects...we decided that no, that's not what Buddha was after. We decided that Buddha wanted us to look at the things we most wanted to change in ourselves.

And that's when things got good.

"I wish I weren't so quick to yell," Ben said. "And I wish I didn't argue so much with Dad."

"Kinda feels like a battle, right? Fighting against those habits?" I asked.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Absolutely."

"I wish I weren't so wiggly," James offered then.

"Do you think there's stuff that mom fights against, too?" I asked. "Stuff I'd like to do better?" We agreed that mom most certainly had her own internal struggles...rarely such unanimous assent here at home school high...

Afterwards, the boys drew pictures of some of the habits and traits they battled. I'm gonna work on my drawing later, after the boys are in bed...

Look Kids! Parliament! Big Ben!

2007-05-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

I had to drop off some paperwork at the home of a prof out in Nassau County this morning...sooooooo, it seemed like a perfect day for a beach field trip. Ever since our trip a week ago with LIGHT to the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center, the boys have been asking to go back and walk on the beach. Ben wanted to see if he could find shark's teeth (more challenging than expected, as it turns out...) and more shark egg cases, while James wanted to prove to me that the water was NOT too cold for swimming.

After forcing the boys to repeat the words, "I understand that I am not going swimming today and will not continue to torture my mother with additional requests," (no, really, I made them say it) we were on our way.

Woo-hoo! Mapquest safely gets me to the the home of the prof! Then: Jones Beach Bound! I grew up as a Wantagh Parkway girl, personally--but who am I fooling? I didn't learn to drive until I left the Island, after I was married. So there I am tooling down the Meadowbrook Parkway...the boys are quizzing each other on subtraction math facts from the back seat because I AM JUST THAT ORGANIZED and have provided them with work during the ride...

Really (I ask myself at that moment), how do I manage to do it all so well? Pshaw, I explain to myself (as if I'm giving a red-carpet interview), nothing replaces God-given talent and sma--

"Oh, no..." I mutter softly.

"What, what?!?" comes the immediate response from the back seat.

"How am I going north on the Meadowbrook?" I ask myself. "We were going south a minute ago...before that Loop Parkway bit..."

"Mom, mom!" the first-born points out (because we just went over this last week in a lesson), "the beaches are on the south shore; you're going the wrong way!"

"Oh, look! There's a turnaround up here! We're fine, fine! Anyone want to tell me what kind of plant life they're seeing outside the window?" I ask, putting us firmly back on home school terra firma.

"Pine trees and bushes?" the first born responds.

"Any maple trees or oaks like back in our neighborhood?" I query.

And then: "Oh, drat." The turnaround doesn't get me over there! Where I want to be! I can see it BUT I CAN'T GET TO IT! ARGGGGGGH!

"Don't answer her! She needs to CONCENTRATE!" the second-born shouts out. For the record, yes: this is something I tell my children while we're driving, on a fairly regular basis.

"No, no!" I respond. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but really! This could be a great teachable moment!"

"No, mom! You're cut off! No teaching time minutes until you're in the parking lot! Capiche?" my shy child remonstrates.

I realize he's probably right. Oh, hey! Another turnaround! Woo-hoo! This one is working!

"All right. Capiche," I agree.

Universal Design for Learning Assistive Classroom Modifications

2007-05-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

A segment from my UDL paper:

The following is a list of assistive-technology equipment, hardware, and software that can be used to help students with specific disabilities and challenges.

FOR HEARING

• Personal FM Listening Systems: Teachers can use wireless microphone systems similar to today’s Bluetooth telephone headsets to transmit lectures directly into the ears of hearing-impaired children via the child’s radio receiver. This technology is also occasionally used to help children with auditory processing issues who have difficulty with aural focus. Industry examples include: the Easy Listener, the Hearing Helper, and the Personal Assistive Listening System.

FOR SEEING AND/OR VISUAL PROCESSING

• Audio Books: Students who are dyslexic or blind are still able to progress independently through course curriculums by procuring oral recordings of their textbooks on tape or compact disc (Shaywitz, 2003, p. 319). Industry examples include: Audible.com, Bookshare, and Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D). Additionally, MP3 audio files readable on either a personal computer or portable MP3 player like an iPod are becoming progressively more popular now that many university and local libraries are subscribing to an online service called Netlibrary.

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR): With this technology, a visually-impaired or dyslexic user is able to scan printed material into a computer or handheld unit. The scanned text is then read aloud via a speech synthesis/screen reading system. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is available in a variety of format options including stand-alone units, computer software, or a portable, pocket-sized device. Industry examples include: Kurzweill 3000 and the Quicktionary Reading Pen.

• Speech Synthesizers/Screen Readers: These assistive technology systems can display, enlarge and read aloud text on a computer screen--including text that has been typed by the user, scanned in from books or letters, or that appears on the internet. Industry examples include: aspireReader, Read and Write Gold (mobile), WriteAway, and WriteOutLoud.

WRITING: DYSGRAPHIA

• Typing Software Programs: Before students can take advantage of many technology options they must become adept at the physical skill of keyboarding. Industry examples of keyboard instruction computer software programs include: Sponge Bob Typing Tutor and UltraKey.

• Word Prediction Software: Students with (for example) autistic spectrum disorders, mild cerebral palsy, or paralysis concurrently suffering from dysgraphia (weak muscle tone in the hands) are provided with word recognition software and portable word processors so that their written content accurately reflects the level and detail of content knowledge the student actually possesses (Moss, 2004, p. 20). Industry examples include: Aurora Suite, Text Help-Read and Write Gold, Quillsoft, EZ Keys, and WriteAway. Industry examples of portable word processors include: AlphaSmart and QuickPad.

• Electronic Text: Once a mouse-savvy student has downloaded electronic text (via Adobe Acrobat PDF file, for instance), the student can then use a color-coding system to highlight important names, dates, and events in a history article, by changing the color of the text through word processing font manipulation. This skill-building task can substitute for taking notes by hand for children with dysgraphia.

• Speech Recognition Software Programs: For students whose verbal abilities outpace their physical ability to write, speech-recognition software programs (in conjunction with a personal computer or portable word processor) can turn oral dictation into text on a screen. This can reduce student stress and task-anxiety and accurately portray the student’s true working capabilities. Industry examples include: ViaVoice, iVoice, Simply Speaking, and SpeakQ.

WRITING: EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND THOUGHT ORGANIZATION

• Graphic Organizer Software: Students with executive-functioning deficits (ie: innate inability to prioritize and organize information or a physical environment), a key day-to-day issue in many mild learning disabilities—particularly AD/HD and Asperger’s Syndrome—can be provided with organizational and analytical strategies via software “prompts” designed to help these children structure complex written responses appropriately and independently (Whitney, 2002, p. 15). Industry examples include: Inspiration, Kidspiration, and DraftBuilder.

• Proofreading Software Programs: Students with executive-functioning deficits and/or dyslexia often fail to intuitively grasp the mechanics involved in grammar and spelling. Most contemporary word processing software programs now automatically come packaged with spell-checkers and grammar-checkers. However, students that require additional help may benefit from the use of a Talking Spell-Checker. These talking devices “read aloud” and display the selected words onscreen so the user can both see and hear the misspelled word. Industry examples include: Clever Keys, Word Web Pro, and Yak Yak.

No, Really! This is What He Said!

2007-05-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

Second and third grade children playing baseball is really a sight not to be missed. Much more exciting to my mind than professional ball. When a 7-year old catches a fly-pop? I don't care how jaded you think you are, you WILL jump up and shout! A big part of WHY you will do this is that it will happen perhaps once per game. It is AN EVENT!

And, anyhow: what is not to like about a sport where games end with scores like 18-15? Where there is almost no such thing as striking out? Where the star of the team hits a homer because the opposing side commits three consecutive errors? This is THRILLING STUFF!

We headed on over to the snack shack post glorious victory to get a celebratory tootsie pop.

"You know what part I like best about baseball?" the boy asked me.

"The fabulously good-looking and yet supportive fan base?" I ventured.

(eye-roll coupled with a giggle) "No. The part at the end when the team huddles together and shouts out, 'Go Bulls!'" (the team name). The boy nodded then. "That part makes me feel happy and confident."

(just me makin sure) "That's your favorite part, huh. What do you mean when you say confident?"

"Proud," the boy replied. "Proud to be a part of something."

You Know: When I'm Old, Maybe Shaving...

2007-05-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

Jay got a letter from the pastor of our church today.

"You know, they are still asking you to join the children's chorus," I pointed out as neutrally as someone home schooling her children somewhat on the fly (and who needs to come up with a music curriculum) possibly could.

"The church music director thinks you'd be a real asset to the group. Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?" I continued, trying to maintain that nebulous tone between perky and panicked.

"...and I think you'd be great, too. You've got a wonderful sense of rhythm and a nice voice...it would be a way that you could give back to the community...by being generous with your talents..." (Too much? I'm going for subtle manipulation where the child doesn't realize he is being steamrolled. It's tricky...both of my children initially react to the novel with 'no'. There's a surgically-delicate emotional massage required to get past no to the world of "I'll think about it." If it's not done just right, I get the cognitive-emotional equivalent of the Berlin Wall.)

"I really don't want to mom. I'm shyyyyyyyy," the boy replies. "Church is just going to have to wait until I'm older and my shyness disappears."

Drat.

"Well keep us all posted on that, kay?"