i think i can, i think i can….

*I wrote this on Jan. 14, 2007 Nolan is doing great and will enter kindergarten in the fall.  He has two great teachers and his therapists are too awesome for words.  He is moving right along with his peers in preschool and is above his benchmarks for the first half of kindergarten.  He still struggles a bit with social skills, but he progresses everyday.*

I count myself lucky I have never had to abandon the dream of my son walking cap and gown to his high school diploma, and heading off to the college of his choice. We only has to readjust some things to get there.

My sons short lived schooling has been a roller coaster ride. I remember last year preschool I would leave frustrated. I had one teacher telling me Nolan was misbehaving, would not listen and was distracting the class. I have the up-most respect for teachers but this one was busting my buttons, not because she was informing me of my sons behavior but because she was the only one saying these things.

We had teachers in and out all week helping out Nolan, and I was getting glowing reviews. He was doing well with therapy and he was slowly getting better with his social skills. Why was I getting such contrasting reports. It is hard to hear your child isn’t the pin-up for behavior but something was not right. After talking with the school district about these issues they helped me understand. Not all teachers are going to fit into Nolan’s education needs-just as people learn differently, people teach differently. We needed to help Nolan find that balance. With better evaluation it was decided to put Nolan with a different teacher. I was happy with the decision. I know we won’t be able to switch teachers all the time but now that Nolan is in a crucial time in his education it really was best for him.

So at the beginning of preschool this year we started all over with the conflicting reports. This time it was easier to breathe take a step back and move ahead. In the end no matter how are children learn it is all a journey.