School Troubles?

***WARNING: FRUSTRATION VENT AHEAD!!!

We are beyond frustrated with school. Anna has a major test again tomorrow on vocabulary words that are way beyond 3rd grade. I received them tonight. The test is tomorrow. By the time I got home from work, that didn't give me much time to make sure she knows them all. These words are hard. We will be going over them again in the morning.

They keep pulling her out of PE for finishing class work, which results in her needing to do make up work for PE. She has this make up work completed and on time, but she never gets to take it to PE with her and she has a different teacher for that class. UGH! So, we spent the time doing the work, but she loses points for not turning it in. Not fun.

Math is hard too. We have been working on it and working on it, but she is still behind. I received a timed math paper back with a "memorize facts" comment written on it. That's all we've been working on. She had completed 4 questions out of 25-30 in the 5 minute time period. Anna has gotten better at the math and even a little faster, but when she feels the least bit threatened, she shuts down. I'm not sure how else to drill it into her. We started touch math with the intention of it making things faster, and it does, but not fast enough.

I love the school that we picked out and the things that they stand for. I like Anna's teacher, but I also feel like they are not giving her enough to work with. They just expect her to pick up with the other kids and be able to perform at the same level. She is trying hard, but still struggling. I have e-mailed the teacher and the principal. I have tried keeping a daily log open with the teacher. I have tried watching her in class and observing the teacher's technique. I have tried doing the work at home, but that is paying to have her in a good school and still homeschooling. I just don't know what else to try right now. They are not willing to work with parents and get the student to feel confident. They are not making it easy to transition. I am just beyond frustrated. I do not feel that they are working with us or with Anna and her learning disabilities. She is trying hard and we are trying hard with little results. There is no one else to contact at the school. No one.

I just do not know what to do right now. I do not know if I should move her to another school, where they are better equipped or do I move her back home with me and go back to working full-time nights again. (I really am enjoying my days. REALLY!) I will not got back part-time. I am working full-time. I took a promotion at work to be able to put Anna in school and I will not go back on that. I will have to figure this out. This will require a lot of prayer. I really wanted to give it till Christmas break to decide, but it is obvious to us that something will have to be done sooner. There is just too much stress involved in schooling her where she is at. We need something different.

All I'm asking for is prayer and guidance. We don't need criticism. We just need prayer. Thanks all and thanks for understanding.

New Doctor

Well, after four years of no health insurance and over five since my last complete check up, I finally have health insurance and a new doctor who I love! He is so kind and gentle. I like him already!! Just wanted to share! I am a very happy person today. (Even though he is sending me for a billion tests. LOL!!)

I will get to see a dermatologist and get skin tags removed and he is referring me to a Rheumatologist, hopefully different from the last one I saw, so I can get a full RA work up again. If I can't get in with a different one, he is referring me to one in Midland. There is one there that he likes. (Could mean some road trips in our future, but it would be worth it.) I also get to have my first mammogram, based on family history, among other reasons. (YIPEE...NOT!)

Anyhow, I am hoping that I can keep this doctor for a very long time. He's good. (Prayers needed for the good Rheumy here. I wouldn't mind driving to Midland, but would rather stay here.) Thanks all.

Meeting Done

We met with Anna's teacher and the principal briefly today. Her teacher and I feel that it is more the fact that Anna has never been in the school setting till this year. She is passing all her classes, and doing better in some than others. Her teacher is doing her best to help her along. I will continue to keep in touch with her teacher on a regular basis and we will continue to do a little bit of extra work at home. She will catch up to the class and she will do fine. I am very glad that we had the meeting. I was able to go over the work with her teacher and we both think that it would be more detrimental to her for her to go back a grade, so we will continue to work hard to make this transition work for her. I am very glad that we had the meeting and now I know exactly where she sits and how she is doing. We are seeing great progress with Anna in school and she is starting to understand what she needs to do. By the next progress report we should see considerable improvement and she should be fully adapted to her class and routines. Thanks for all the prayers. They were very much appreciated.

Meeting

Tomorrow we meet with Anna's teacher and the principal about her schooling. She seems to understand and know how to do the work, but has absolutely no idea how to work independently to complete it. She is too used to me sitting there saying do this one and do this one and now do this one. She has absolutely no idea how to do work on her own and especially not with all the distractions of a classroom. She doesn't understand the consequences of not getting her work done and even if she says she does, she doesn't remember when she would need to. We are going to try and set a plan in place between us, the teacher and the principal. It may be that she needs a "buddy" to check in on her and make sure that she is doing the assigned work, not helping her, but just making sure she has done it...kind of what I do, but someone in her class. We may just need to let her see the grades she'll get if she doesn't do her work. Maybe threaten her with repeating 3rd grade? UGH! I don't know. I just know that we are meeting them tomorrow. I'm praying for understanding and results. We will need to have a plan in place.

We started working on her diorama today for her reading project. She seems set on doing this, so even though she has absolutely no clue what one is, we are doing one. She will still have a written portion of the project, but it will be her work. Today I showed her how to make 3-D grass with her construction paper. That was fun to watch. I'll post pictures of her progress and the finished work next week when she's completely done. YES, I have been taking pictures of her working on her diorama. It is her first big project. I am not reading the book. This is all on her. Her project and her work. I may show her how to do things, but I am not doing it. The pictures ought to be fun to watch.

Alright. Time for me to crash in bed. Have a good night. Take care all.

An hour of Awe

Well, today Anna had an appointment with her allergist, so when I took her back to school I sat in on the class for an hour. My child is very lost. She can't follow more than one step directions and they were giving her a page with 10. I also talked with the secretary AND the teacher has NEVER seen all her file, so she has absolutely no idea about Anna's testing we had done at the middle of the last school year. SO, needless to say I will be scheduling a conference with Anna's teacher after I know she's had time to read over the file. I will also be making more class visits to observe again and see how things are going. Still have no further information on the tally slip, but hope to have more today after school. But I do get the sense that this class is run on a LOT of independent work and Anna is not used to working like that. It explains a lot of the incomplete papers that we have coming home to finish. It also explains the grades she's been getting. I should have observed sooner, but I really wanted to make sure Anna knew what she was doing and that she had time to learn the whole routine of the classroom. I'm very glad that I stepped in for a few minutes...okay an hour (that I'm sure Anna just wanted me to go away.) I'm hoping that after her teacher reads the file it will all be a bit better. I'm praying for that. It was very insightful. Should have done this two weeks ago!

At Odds with the Teacher

Yes, already! My daughter came home with her homework folder and it says to pick a fiction book for book project. What book project? I look online where it lists this info and its no where to be found. Of course it is now after 7pm and she doesn't know, maybe make a diorama she says about the book. Sheesh. That's a lot of help there! Good grief.

Next thing in her folder is a sticky note with three pages listed on it. I have no idea what it is for, so I ask Anna if she was missing these pages. She said yes. SOOOO, off I go to dig through the stacks of papers she has already brought home and low and behold, at least 2/3 were in the stack. UGH! They are only in that stack if they are in the keep at home section of her folder, so I put a note with them and place about 5 other pages that "might" be the third paper and place those back in her folder for the teacher. Its a very good thing I had kept all her papers to now, otherwise we might be in trouble. I also took the rest of her school papers and placed them into a large three ring notebook with dividers. I have a feeling this won't be the first time I have to dig through work that had already been sent home.

Then, as I'm digging through my daughter's backpack the rest of the way, I find a tally slip. A tally slip is only given if they've been in trouble, BUT the dang thing is not dated or filled out. It has to be from today as she got a new backpack this weekend. UGH again. SOOOO, she's been in trouble at school for something, but since the teacher can't be bothered to fill out her section, I ain't signing the darn thing. All I have is Anna's word that she wasn't paying attention. I don't know in what subject or anything.

I'm already having a HUGE issue with this teacher. She does not do her job. I don't care if she's been teaching 4 years or 40(ding ding ding), she needs to do her job. I try to keep Anna current on things, but if you send home papers in the keep at home side, I should not have to file them to be able to find them again for you when you decide to record the information. Most parents trash most of those papers anyhow. She should be very glad I had not done so...at least not yet. I also should not have to take a tally slip and figure out what my lovely child did during your class. It is your job to fill out the date, time and infraction. IT is NOT mine!! I have her correct work and send it back. I will discipline my daughter IF you can be bothered to do your job and fill out the proper spots.

I WILL NOT try and figure out this school thing on my own. So FAR, the only warm welcome we have gotten is from the office staff. The rest has been trial and error. No one tells you anything. The handbook is not clear. Everyone treats you like you've been there the whole time your child has been in school. It has not been very fun for me to figure this mess out. I am NOT a happy momma right now!!!

P.S. I taught for 5 years in a public school, so YES, I do know what the teacher's should do! DO NOT try to tell me otherwise!! UGH!

Bio-Letters

UGH!!! I absolutely wish we had only agreed to once or twice a year on letters to bio-mother. UGH!! We are having to write 4 times a year, but I just don't want to. She shows little interest in my daughter most of the year and she doesn't understand the fact that we will not let her see Anna again for a very long time. The whole content of her letters is asking for a visit. Not just once, but the last letter she wrote asked us to meet her once a week. YEAH right! First of all, we live 6 hours away. Second of all, the last visit we had was detrimental to Anna's well-being. Third of all....N_O_ NO!!!! Its not happening.

Its not that I'm not happy to have some contact with bio-family, its just that I don't want to write 4 times a year. I have nothing to say to the woman. Honestly. NOTHING! I tell her the same things every letter. (Anna is tall. What size she is currently in, even though she will never get anything from her. How school is going. What she likes in school and what she doesn't like. BLAH! BLAH! Blah!) I stopped sending a whole bunch of pictures each time as well and now only send 1-2 per letter. I bet that wasn't well received, but oh well.

The point is, I just don't want to write these letters anymore. Unfortunately, we are bound by the stupid agreement, until Anna turns 18. Not that bio-mom would know the difference, but if she did figure it out one day and realized we weren't holding up to our end of the agreement, she could sue us. Anyhow. I guess that's all. Its just one of the parts of our adoption I don't like. I regret signing that agreement, completely. I can't wait till we're done with it. Praying I can make it another 9 years and a few months.