While I wait for Etta to head my way I thought I would do a brief catch up. There is no way I can even remember what has happened these past few weeks while I have been away, it is strange once you take a break it is hard to get back in the blogging groove. When I was at work this morning we got a notice school was being dismissed at 11:00 because of the storm. I had to make a quick decision to pack things up and head back up towards my house to pick up Little Buddy. I managed a quick trip to the grocery store and to the pet store for food. I already had batteries and water, flash lights and candles ready just in case. In Florida you have to be prepared. This storm took me by surprise. Last I looked it was headed up to the panhandle of Florida, I really did not give it a thought. But now we are home anticipating some rain and some wind, nothing really crazy but it will be an interesting night. Mr. 23 and Ms. L arrived with Luna this afternoon. They live in a low lying area of St Petersburg and it is just safer for them here. Plus we are fully stocked with food which is important to a 23 year old young man. Mr. 27 (his birthday was on Halloween) and Ms. B headed up to Dayton, Ohio to visit her family today. They got out before any bad weather started. It was nice to spend some unexpected time with Little Buddy this afternoon although most of it has been completing work from school. Thank goodness Ms. L is here to help, writing a comparative essay about Canadian Geese and Monarch butterflies and migration might have put me in the looney bin. Yes, he is in third grade and apparently that is what they write about now. I was ready to throw it all away and let him get a bad grade before she patiently stepped in to help. Tomorrow is a hurricane day, the weather should be breaking but some of our county floods so it is not safe for kids, parents or busses to be out. We have lots more work to do for school, but for now that little nine year old brain needs a break and so do I.
Hank and Bear have had a much needed haircut but I don't seem to have a photo of it. Bear must have had his hair pulled while the groomer was brushing him because he literally almost chewed a hole in his leg after his appointment. He has had a cone on for almost two weeks because he won't leave it alone. Again no photos because along with no blogging I apparently can't take a picture either. He is healing up although a big patch of fur is off his leg. He doesn't even seem to mind the cone anymore, that is how long it has been on.
We are waiting the final copy on some educational testing for this cute boy. His school is not understanding him. Teachers are amazing and dedicated but they just don't understand the way his brain works. It is frustrating for me to see assignments and tests returned with bad grades because of specific wording of the questions or because he did not complete the busy work on time.
This is one of those examples. The vocabulary word is compile.
Please compile a list of two items you would like on your ice cream.
LB: Mom I don't like anything on my ice cream, I like vanilla ice cream and that is it.
Me: Okay, please compile a list of two items Mom would like on her ice cream.
LB: Mom you can't eat sugar, you don't eat ice cream.
Me: Okay, please compile a list of two items Dad would like on his ice cream.
LB: Oh, Dad likes Oreos on his ice cream, do you think he would like skittles?
Do you see the issues? His brain just does not work like everyone else. He would have been stuck on this problem and not been able to finish the assignment if he had not been at home and the problem was reworded. He is unique and wonderful but not a neurotypical child and frankly the public school system does not do well with a non-neurotypical child in a regular classroom. I am still searching out options for him for the rest of the year and frankly until he graduates from high school.
Just because I post this photo every year I had to post it again even though we are well past Halloween. Little Buddy was a Minecraft Zombie but for some reason those photos did not download on my computer. Imagine a 100% polyester zombie body with a big square mask that looks like a green cube and there you have it. We were the only ones trick or treating in my neighborhood. Most people had a bowl of candy on their porch or had their lights off. Still my little boy thought it was fun to walk around in the dark and ring peoples door bells.
I do have a finish to show you. A gift for Mr. 27 and Ms. B for Christmas. It is based on the
Equinox Square with a few modifications. I added many rows to each square to make it larger and joined as I went along. Made with We Are Knitter's pima cotton in a beautiful soft gray although it looks green in the photos. It is a big throw, size 51 by 65 inches and it is really soft. I used a size J hook and I believe 2,600 yards of yarn. After joining the squares I added a 4 1/2 inch border with a variation of double crochet and treble crochet clusters. That is about all I remember because I appear to have not made many notes about this project. I am on blanket number two for Mr. 23 and Ms. L. It is made with smaller squares and I am really enjoying it. I wish I could be working on it right now but since they are at my house that is not going to happen.
Okay time to go make tacos for all the family staying here tonight. Hope you are all well. Hope you are recovering from all the election stress. And here is a bit of a reminder, you may not agree with me or my beliefs but I am who I am and have never, nor will I ever shy away from my deep beliefs about voting for the greater good of all people, not just me. If you do not like what I have to say I wish you well and good-bye. If you leave me a nutty anonymous comment lacking facts I am going to ignore you and delete it. Just saying.
35 comments:
Wow stay safe, and how nice to have the family gathered. We are expecting an awful storm here in Oregon starting tomorrow night through Friday (60 MPH winds).
Oh dear.. how scary to have Etta decide to head your way when you thought you were safe. The upside is your son and his lady friend to come to shelter from the storm with you and your handsome young man.
It's a good thing you understand how your son's thought processes work so you can be an advocate for him. I hope the right answer for his schooling presents itself.
The throw you made is such a wonderful gift! You're such a giving and generous mom.
I agree with you on comments - I had one person leave 3 negative comments in a row and I don't appreciate it.
Stay safe, my friend!! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Lovely to read this chatty post. I hope the storm passes without incident. Do take care.
I got an abusive comment marked Anonymous, too. I also deleted it. Your post today was so funny. Buddy cracks me up. I love how he enjoyed ringing people's doorbells in the dark. He seems like very happy boy. You are such a great writer; you have a gift for finding the humor in difficult situations. Sending you love...ignore the nutcases. haha
I think that Lil B has such an amazing mind! Overall , I think schooling in the USA leaves very little room for the unique ness of each child. I was a fabulous student, but I cried for all of kindergarten and first grade. I Was not ready to separate from my mom. So I cried going to school and during school. I zipped though assignments with a's and was known as a cry baby.
Here Lil bi is using his brilliant mind and not getting any credit for it.
My Husband said you all got hit hard in Tampa area. I hope you have power. life is just getting a bit more hopeful, and then you get stuck with a powerful storm. Gheesh. Big hugs to you and all.
And poor Bear and his grooming ouch !!!
Thank you Meredith for writing today. You have been very busy I know - dogs look happy, and Buddy looks great (and Halloween in the dark - just what a trick and treat guy loves - and you have the best guests too - and all your wonderful crocheting... and it is a relief that you are all OK and safe. Hugs and Love
Joy
Stay safe and button down. I'm glad you're home with family and it sounds like you will make this as fun as a big old superstorm can be. I feel for you with Buddy's school work. He's very logical and if only they could learn how to address a question logically -- or explain well -- it would make everyone's lives so much easier. Ever vigilant. That's so exhausting.
That throw is a stunner! Well done. And I love the photos, hearing about Halloween.... I have a big smile and a little concern till the storm is over. Take care.
Hello Meredith!
I was so glad to see your post pop up tonight. I'll be praying that all will be safe around you during the storm. It's been a bad, horrible, nasty year for storms hasn't it?. Along with so many other things too. I think we may be headed for another lockdown out here, although I've put myself on lockdow already anyway.
I'm sorry the schools don't seem to understand LB. It seems that if you don't fit into their box, a lot of schools don't know what to do with a student. I have a friend with an autistic child who is facing many struggles too. She's at her wits end.
Love the picture of the fur boys. Poor Bear, please give him an extra hug for me. The cone of shame is never fun but I'm glad he's doing well with it.
Ignore the nasties my dear friend. Some people can't seem to think of anything nice to say. We need to get past this negative stuff as a country. Between the virus and politics, we are so divided. We are sending a terrible message to the rest of the world about our country. It saddens me so.
You are in my prayers dear Meredith. Be safe and well.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy
Hope Eta doesn't cause too much damage. Apparently there was an earthquake 65 kms away from us. Crazy times (in more ways than we can count). I think kids should be able to creatively answer questions without being boxed in. Little B obviously understands the question, but he is thinking quite literally about real life experiences to answer rather than making something up. Nothing wrong with that. A friend's son used to write pages for spelling words in first grade and his teacher would reprimand him because he was only supposed to write a sentence for each word. He was highly imaginative and decided that school was a prison where you couldn't actually think outside the box. Her other son loved drawing, and in 4th grade, he would draw pictures to go along with any report or essay, but his teacher told him he was too old for that and should stop. I certainly do not understand why any teacher would want to deter a child from free thinking, creativity and imagination.
Nice blanket. I've not been crocheting much. A little bit of cross-stitch, but my left wrist and thumb are giving me problems so I'm taking it easy.
I left a comment on a friend's blog who is also happy about the election results, but there was one person trying to extol all the good Trumpster had done and I made reference to how that person needed a history lesson. Turns out she found my blog and decided that it was an adult thing to do to call me a typical snowflake and that I was so filled with so much hate that I couldn't see the truth. HA-HA-HA-HA! Perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black.
Take care. Stay safe.
So nice to read you are safe and well. Hopefully the storm will pass without incident. It was lovely to catch up with you and see the handsome Little Buddy and those adorable dogs. Love the throw, a gift made with love is always well received. Thrilled you got the result your wanted from the election, hopefully this will make a big difference to your country. Take care.
Sorry that Little Buddy is not being helped by the school in the way that he should. Great that he has you and your son's partner on his team at home though, that counts for a huge amount I think. I hope you can find the right school solution for him though. I hope the storm passes through without any damage. Lovely to see a post from you, look after yourself, CJ xx
Lovely post Meredith and so great to see Little Buddies sweet smiling face, I don't understand why the education system is so rigid in it's thinking it must be so damn frustrating for you, I really hope that it gets sorted. Hank and bear look very handsome with their haircuts I'm glad Bear is healed. The throw is lovely Mr. 27 and Ms. B are going to love it. I hope Etta passes by without incident! take care and stay safe. xx
So nice to see you smiling boys again!
Pup's been in a cone for months now too. That leg chewing thing is not fun and it's cost me tons of money. If we would only get a freeze her allergies would go away but we're still in the 70s in November. Jeesh.
Just wanted to pop in and say Hi, I haven't done so for a while. I do think schools are too rigid on this cookie cutter teaching. Every teacher I ever had, had a real personality and it came through in the way they taught, how they taught and what they taught. I do not think curriculums were so set back then, we just learnt and had fun. Sure we had grueling exams at the end of the school year and you had to work hard.
I see the problem, he's so literal. But just with a little coming at if from a different angle he's there.
Take care, Keep safe.
Meredith, I hope you find an answer for your son. In Ohio students like him can be assigned instructional aides. That aide would be in the classroom by his side and would have gone through all those questions with him about the ice cream. The aide would be a requirement written into his Individual Education Plan.
Please do not hesitate going to the district's administrator who is in charge of pupil personnel or whomever has this under his/her purview and advocate for your rights. Your son deserves to be in a classroom with any modifications necessary to accommodate and facilitate his learning. That is the law, period, in any and all states.
Take care, dear friend, and don't give up.
I love your explanation of how Buddy 'thinks'--it is a perfect example of how schools are set up for the middle cookie cutter group of kids. Sorry. I'm glad YOU know how to help him get there! The throw is beautiful! Nice work on it! I'm always glad to hear differing views than mine--I'm never threatened by differences! We both might learn something, right?!
Very interesting to see how Little Buddy's brain works, and I can definitely see how conventional education would be a problem.
The pups are handsome as always. Love the throw!
Stay dry and warm!
I appreciate your honest, busy, informative blog! You share so much of your life with us - the ups and downs (and all the in betweens!) I hope you find a solution for LB - he is lucky to have you fighting for him.
Stay safe!
Hopefully, you will find a place where Little Buddy is fully accepted.
In fact he is really clever. Who else would notice that the question is in fact so complex and the answer can't be a plain list?
A teacher who doesn't see Little Buddy's point of view is not able to think outside of the box.
However, my understanding of teaching doesn't help you unfortunately.
All the best regarding the hurricane.
Regula
Hope the storm was not too scary. Just catching up with all your posts. I am glad the election went as you wished, we were rooting for him too. Your crochet looks so delicate and beautiful. Jo xx
Glad you're set up for hurricane. Its same name that was close Nicaragua. I know a few people that live there. Lots of wind and ☔. We're supposed to have rain and wind on Friday with snow in the mtns in Oregon. Its been chilly and wet here lately. LB is still working on learning. Doesn't the teacher understand what LB's special needs are? Glad you gave Missy to help you. Have a safe days ahead. Praying for you and family. ×
"Compile a list of two items..." I got stuck on wondering, Do two items constitute a list? Don't you need at least three? Stay safe in the stormy weather!
I think Little Buddy's thought processes are perfectly normal for a boy his age, I applaud him for questioning this silly vocabulary exercise. I can imagine the ice cream topping/compile conversation with all four of my children. The school system is wrong, it doesn't allow for thinking outside the box and tries to reduce the learning process into some sort of checklist exercise. I hope you can find a school that allows Little Buddy to be himself. He is a wonderful little boy! Lots of love xx
hope all is well with the storm and I hope his testing gets him the teaching plan that he needs!
Meredith, I've responded to your Comment over at my blog, too. XO
I can't overstate my admiration for you, your patience, your love, your dedication, and your ingenuity. Stay you.
Welcome back to blogland. It is good to read your catch ups.
Stay safe in the storm! (now I am going to text my cousin and see if she is ok!)
The lesson dialogue made me chuckle. LB's logic and honesty are brilliant to me! I so admire your mothering, productivity, and creativity, Meredith. The blanket is beautiful, a lovely gift. Sending love pats for Bear and Hank. xx
I hope you all are staying safe from that storm...so scary!
Love that throw that you made - what a beautiful gift.
Unfortunately, one of the negative things about public schools is that they only have one type of curriculum and it's "one fits all". I can understand 100% why so many people choose to homeschool their child(ren) if they can.
Stay safe, get some rest, have a great weekend!
xoxo
I hope that storm wasn't too bad for you and your town!! Unless you work in a school or have a child with different learning styles, people don't get it. Infact, sadly, there are some teachers not trained, that don't get some learning styles either. I love your crocheting, that has turned out fabulous, and the color!!!!! xxxxxx
I hope everyone's through the storm safe and well and that you haven't suffered any damage. I don't think anyone knows a child as well as their mum, hope you can find the best way forward for Little Buddy, one type of teaching doesn't suit all so I hope you can find a solution.
Dearie me!!! I am a bit late posting to your blog Mere!!! I have been totally distracted with this annoying blog list thingy which I cannot use...blogger is decidedly tiresome!! Seems to me that in some ways Little Buddy and I are one of a kind because his response to that test might just have been my response. He digresses and goes out of the box so........ Have they not evaluated his learning styles and abilities??? As a teacher myself I would say Little Buddy is a fascinating challenge!! Don't they have SE teacher assistants in the school? Do remember that Albert Einstein flunked exams too!!!. Your two furry lads look very handsome after their haircut. I am trying to work out what those big beseeching eyes are saying...LOL! Well done with the throw a beautiful gift!! I hope you have weathered Etta well and all your family are safe and sound! It has hit the Canary Islands but friends there tell me that it was just terribly windy and very little damage. keep well Amanda x
I am having an awful day at work, and your discussion of school and LB confirmed my frustrations! Teacher quality is dropping every year, and we are left largely with a group of people who don't get it! Your example was perfect. LB is not the only student who would read it that way.
And I don't know where to begin with that bizarre essay.
LB's case manager should be accommodating ALL his work. It sounds like he is doing the "regular work". That is not legal. Does his IEP stipulate for accommodated or modified assignments and assessments? If not, they need to revise it.
If you would like me look over his IEP and make suggestions, I would be happy to. Families line up to be on my caseload. I am very thorough and very child-oriented. Remember, I was a special ed parent for a long time before I became a teacher.
I hope that you are keeping safe and warm! A hug.
Amalia
xo
Oh Mere, I totally get the way LB's mind works, because mine works in a similar way. And yes, people often don't get it. I hope you'll be able to find some good options for his schooling, and some educators who are able to make the most of his obvious intelligence and abilities.
Hope the storms treated you gently. You and another Florida friend have been much on my mind with all that crazy weather.
The blanket is gorgeous! What a lovely gift for Mr. 27 and his love.
I pray for sanity and peace for our nation, and for honesty and truth to prevail.
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