Ryan's Success in High School

One of the big decisions we made over the summer was to register Ryan at the public high school. He was home schooled for junior high, and he attended a transition program last year. He is a sophomore, and he is attending the local public high school. Although he has autism, he is mainstreamed in most of his subjects. Only biology and study skills are "resource classes", that is, special education.

We decided to try school on a weekly basis. Each Friday we evaluate Ryan's progress in academics, socializing, etc. The first day Ryan loved school. The second day he wanted us to take him out. I reminded him that we had a commitment of one week. Of course, if something unacceptable happened, we'd take him out immediately. That was not the case. Ryan just felt the transition was tough that day.

It has been four weeks now. I did have to ask the teachers for copies of notes, which I cited as "special accommodations" in his IEP. (Briefly, an Individual Educational Program (IEP) is a goal oriented program for special needs students, made for that specific individual by a team comprised of teachers and parents.)

Here is a synopsis of what the teachers have to say about Matt:

FROM HIS ENGLISH TEACHER:

Ryan did much better on his spelling test on Friday, earning a 22/24, so his extra studying definitely paid off. As far as class goes, I've been trying to get him copies of all lists and definitions so that he can study the terms exactly as they will be used on the tests. Other than that, he appears to be doing well in class.

FROM HIS BIOLOGY TEACHER:

Ryan is a joy to have in class. He works very hard.

FROM HIS MATH TEACHER:

Ryan has been doing fairly well in class. He is shy and quiet, but always paying attention. I do have to make sure he is writing down what we are going over in class sometimes. I have an itinerant in the classroom with me now, so we will do our best to keep Matt on task, especially with the note taking.

Conclusion: In the academic realm, Ryan is doing beyond what any of us imagined! Some of these comments almost had me in tears. No teacher has ever said that Ryan is a "joy" to have in class, or that he works hard. I truly consider this a miracle. If people could see what Ryan was like ten years ago to whom he is today, they would not believe him to be the same person! The hard road is worth the journey!

I'm BACK

Ok, so it's been a really long time since I've written. I have to admit I was so burned out from working in the spring and home schooling in the summer that something just had to give. The blog lost.

NOW, I have so much to write. The boys are in school. I'm home schooling a weird schedule. My second oldest is in college; well, he's still here, but he's taking college courses online.

We've weathered minimal income, our oldest son's unemployment, summer, college registration, high school registration, junior high, and elementary. Good grief, I have a kid in all levels of school.

We have also experienced some social accomplishments. My boys with autism have been asked out by peers a few times. Nothing monumental, yet incredibly so. For those of you with kids with autism, you can understand that statement.

Overall, life is good. I totally love my family!

The Family: Why I Do What I Do!

I can't believe it's almost been a month since I've written. It took so long to really recover from working, enduring finals week, cleaning a bachelor pad (see last entry), and sleeping. I am functioning on normal mode, if there really is such a thing. Just wanted to show why I do what I do. Just look at my boys! That's all that needs to be said.

Coming Home: To A Bachelor Pad

Yes, the job is done. I can sleep, eat, and work at home. What an experience! Lots of good and bad. I'll probably write a couple of entries to cover it all, including how my boys with autism managed.

The scariest part of being home is realizing how a "presentable" home can change so drastically without a woman's touch. Mind you, I am not a clean freak. Far from it. I want my home to be comfortable, livable, lovable... With my oldest son frequenting our house more, there are six males here. The house will inevitably reflect that. However, I could describe my house as a bachelor pad. They were perfectly happy with it, too.

Games systems, guitar hero, cds, and dvds were left on any open space. Pans were not left in the sink, per my strict orders. However, they could be found left on the stove. They did put the food away, but then again, six males and left over food? Not to worry there.

The dining room table had the mail, which had been neatly organized into a "junk" pile and a "good" pile. Laundry was done, but that folding part eluded all.

Dusting had not been done. Crumbs in the carpet told telltale signs of eating in the living room. Hence, I am actually splurging to have my carpets downstairs professionally cleaned.

So, for now I will catch up on the home schooling front, and organize the chaos a bit at a time.

Welcome home, Mom!

Working Full Time: Honeymoon Is Over

I'm on my fifth week of full time employment. The paycheck is nice. Very nice. Everything else is on a downward slope. Laundry is building up. Dinner isn't getting prepared. The chores are sliding. Home schooling? Don't make me laugh.

AND I'm tired.

I am not pushing to have everything done. My boys, including the two with autism, are rather typical. If they can get away with not doing their work, they are not going to do it.

It's late, even as I write, so this entry will be short and sweet. The (good) news is that I was offered another temporary full time contract, and I have accepted it. I have not told the boys yet. Can't wait to see the "surprise" looks on their faces when they find out they have a few more weeks to go.

HAHAHAHAHA

It's All Relative!

So my niece was talking about the longevity of her relationship with her boyfriend. "We've been together for 19 months."

I thought I'd tease her. "Well, 19 months is a drop in the bucket compared to 20 years of marriage," I beamed.

Little did I know that my mother was behind me and laughed. "Well, 20 years is nothing compared to 50 years of marriage."

Moral of the story: there's always a bigger and better fish than you lurking... Be humble!

The Side Effect of Working--Losing Weight

Well, I never expected to lose weight while working. I sit all day, reading a computer screen. I don't call that exercise. Yet, the scale definitely says that five pounds have mysteriously disappeared. And no, I do NOT have to turn around for someone to find them "behind" me, as my dear father joked.

I can attribute this weight loss to a few factors.

1. I don't snack.

2. I don't cook.

3. I am too busy to eat.

4. My schedule is crazy.

So yes, I eat about 1200 calories between breakfast and lunch. I don't eat dinner, not necessarily by choice. It's just the nature of my schedule for now. As soon as I get home from work, I teach piano. After sitting all day, I don't want to sit anymore. Consequently, I walk three miles. Once back home, I start checking the home schooling assignments. The boys have usually cleaned the kitchen, so that last thing I want to do is create a mess that I have to clean. Also, by the time I'm ready to sleep, I too tired to notice that I didn't have dinner.

We'll see if this keeps up.