Drumroll please
May. 12th, 2010 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deadlightsgirl So the decision on Where Will Gracie Go To Kindergarten In The Fall has been answered.
It's a special ed school where everyone we met seems great and it really seems like she will get more of what she is getting where she is now, and that is what I wanted.
We started the day with her placement meeting at the district school, and while Gracie did well til some idiot teacher decided to manhandle her (which is apparently how they deal with tantrums in district schools, this "soft hold" thing which does NOT work with a kid like Gracie). They suggested we go to this other school, Kaplan, and said they could see us right away.
Now, I had been warned about Kaplan for her. I had been told that this is where they send the severely disabled, autistic, retarded, etc kids, and Gracie is not one of them. I went in with a bit of an attitude, but that attitude disappeared as soon as they showed me the classroom. There were all sorts of kids with all sorts of issues, and the kindergarteners looked pretty much like the preschoolers at the place she goes now. We were shown around by teachers, psychologists, social workers, lord knows who else. The facility has both an indoor playground and an indoor pool. They do shows and have a chorus, and their OT room is huge. No one was fussed by Gracie wanting to check out every room. Many of their teaching methods are ones with which she is already familiar. Everyone was smitten by her, and she liked the place so much she didn't want to leave - read "tantrum" (and the social worker and shrink were kind enough to carry her out to the car for me, to give me a break).
Do I see her going here when she's 13? No. Though the school takes kids up through age 21, I don't see Gracie as being one of those. There are parts of her development which need to catch up with the rest of her, and this place will give her the extra attention and affection she needs while we wait for that to happen, and they will teach her more and well. I feel good about them. They also apparently offer a class in sign language for their TAs, which they said I could take if I wanted (having nothing to do with Gracie, I just want to learn more sign). Once I work up the act I want to bring around to kiddies in hospitals, I may volunteer to do storytelling stuff at Kaplan too.
Anyway, that's done. I didn't expect it to be done today, but it is a load off my mind to have where she will go next year taken care of, and I think they will be good. Definitely the best place for her for the next year or two, and then we see what happens after. One teacher even gave her a small Donald Duck toy, which she was VERY excited to show to everyone at her own school, where I brought her to finish the day once all this haserai was done (among other things, so I could go home and chill for an hour. Even with Mom's help, the morning was as harrowing as much as it was gratifying) so I could go home and collapse for a bit. Mom will bring her to her play-gym later, and I will contemplate either going to yoga class or loafing, each of which has great benefits.
It's a special ed school where everyone we met seems great and it really seems like she will get more of what she is getting where she is now, and that is what I wanted.
We started the day with her placement meeting at the district school, and while Gracie did well til some idiot teacher decided to manhandle her (which is apparently how they deal with tantrums in district schools, this "soft hold" thing which does NOT work with a kid like Gracie). They suggested we go to this other school, Kaplan, and said they could see us right away.
Now, I had been warned about Kaplan for her. I had been told that this is where they send the severely disabled, autistic, retarded, etc kids, and Gracie is not one of them. I went in with a bit of an attitude, but that attitude disappeared as soon as they showed me the classroom. There were all sorts of kids with all sorts of issues, and the kindergarteners looked pretty much like the preschoolers at the place she goes now. We were shown around by teachers, psychologists, social workers, lord knows who else. The facility has both an indoor playground and an indoor pool. They do shows and have a chorus, and their OT room is huge. No one was fussed by Gracie wanting to check out every room. Many of their teaching methods are ones with which she is already familiar. Everyone was smitten by her, and she liked the place so much she didn't want to leave - read "tantrum" (and the social worker and shrink were kind enough to carry her out to the car for me, to give me a break).
Do I see her going here when she's 13? No. Though the school takes kids up through age 21, I don't see Gracie as being one of those. There are parts of her development which need to catch up with the rest of her, and this place will give her the extra attention and affection she needs while we wait for that to happen, and they will teach her more and well. I feel good about them. They also apparently offer a class in sign language for their TAs, which they said I could take if I wanted (having nothing to do with Gracie, I just want to learn more sign). Once I work up the act I want to bring around to kiddies in hospitals, I may volunteer to do storytelling stuff at Kaplan too.
Anyway, that's done. I didn't expect it to be done today, but it is a load off my mind to have where she will go next year taken care of, and I think they will be good. Definitely the best place for her for the next year or two, and then we see what happens after. One teacher even gave her a small Donald Duck toy, which she was VERY excited to show to everyone at her own school, where I brought her to finish the day once all this haserai was done (among other things, so I could go home and chill for an hour. Even with Mom's help, the morning was as harrowing as much as it was gratifying) so I could go home and collapse for a bit. Mom will bring her to her play-gym later, and I will contemplate either going to yoga class or loafing, each of which has great benefits.
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 07:26 pm (UTC)I'm glad she found a good place. :)
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Date: 2010-05-12 07:55 pm (UTC)oh, and btw, sometime in the near future when I get to improve my ASL, we should practice together because I need someone to do that with.
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Date: 2010-05-12 08:20 pm (UTC)