Potpourri

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A quick potpourri of thoughts tonight...

I had a quick talk with my friend again today. She apologized and I was able to awkwardly explain why what she had done had upset me. Thank you SO much for all the advice (keep it coming!) I realize I need to set boundaries in my mind on the friendship and decide ahead of time what I am and am not willing to do for her. When she catches me off guard, I need to delay giving her an answer until I can think about it.

On to my latest gripe. Today I received an email from my MysterE's gifted education teacher. She complained about his lack of enthusiasm and participation in a recent group and said (an exact quote):

"If he doesn’t demonstrate the ability and need for additional challenge, he will not be able to continue with [the group]."

Holey Swiss cheese! I had to read the email three times to make sure I wasn't having a knee-jerk response. Hello! My child is autistic. You cannot define his abilities by his level of participation or his perceived enthusiasm.

Don't worry, I didn't go mama-bear on her. The teacher is new this year. I calmly replied that we'd talk to our son about his attitude and gave her a gentle reminder that he is twice excepti0nal and may not respond the way she'd expect. I trust that if she's not familiar with the term "twice excepti0nal" she will look it up. (the substitution of zeros for o's is intentional. God forbid that she actually googles the term and stumbles upon my blog)

Why, is there such a division between "special education" and "gifted education?" They are not opposite extremes of a spectrum. I understand that many people don't understand this but she is a licensed teacher who has additional training in gifted education.

So now I'm back in search of resources for an un(der)-educated teacher. Ideas?

On the topic of special education. I just started reading another new book: Messy Play: Ideas and Activities for Children with Special Needs by Tracey Beckerleg. It peaked my interest because my son has severe sensory issues secondary to his autism. The book jacket summary talks about "sensory awareness" activities that normally are "not usually allowed in most homes and schools for being too messy." Some of the materials listed on the book cover? Bizarre, yet intriguing. I'll let you know more after I read the book.

Final topic (sorry, I know I said this would be quick). My good friend has several inoperable tumors and has been undergoing chemotherapy now for several years. The good news is that a combination of an experimental procedure and the chemo have shrunk the tumors. The bad news is a new one showed up red-hot on her latest scan. Given the organ involved, they fear it's the big C (cancer). She is a brain cancer survivor so the C word is not new for her. So, regardless of your beliefs, please add her to your prayers/positive thoughts/whatever tomorrow as she undergoes a surgical biopsy.