Category Archives: School

7 Quick Takes: Flu Shots, the VP Debate, and Other Fun Topics

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

The hazards of sleeping in. Daniel’s quarterly ADHD appointment was yesterday and I somehow set my clock forward an hour while trying to turn off my alarm so I was an hour early getting dressed, getting my latté, and arriving at school to pick up the kid. Of course, I discovered this when I looked at my watch while signing him out… and had to tell the secretary (who was on the phone with his teacher) that I was an hour early and would be coming back an hour later to get him. (I ended up going home and doing accounting homework.) When I came back to get him, his incredibly awesome teacher managed not to laugh when she brought him out and I explained what had happened. I’m also very thankful that she came out personally to bring him to the office because other schools would just send an aide. (Then again, his classroom is right across from the office so it was a matter of just popping out of his classroom.)

— 2 —

Blown away. We managed to get what I thought was the first appointment after lunch because the waiting room and office were pretty empty. (I later learned that his pediatrician takes a late lunch.) Kiddo was in a relatively good mood because it was a school day (he would go to school seven days a week if we let him) and was unusually chill when Dr. Awesome and her medical student came in and talked to us. (As it was an autism appointment, she just needed to make sure the meds were working and continuing to be a blessing for Daniel instead of a curse.) He was totally happy with her until she wanted to take a listen to his lungs. He was not amenable to this but having her listen to his lungs was not negotiable, so kiddo ended up on my lap with me holding him and telling him over and over that she was not hurting him. Other than that, she was fine with just watching him play tablet, talking to me, and surreptitiously observing him.

The nurse had asked when we came in if I wanted my kiddo to have a flu shot and I said “yes” because having to come back again for it was not going to make me happy. Once Dr. Awesome and her student were out the door, two nurses came in and while one of them prepped, the other one explained the game plan to me: put the kid on the table and have me hold down his upper body while one nurse held down his legs and the other one gave him the shot. I’m not even sure that more than five seconds elapsed between me setting him on the table and them being done with the shot — they were that fast! (Then again, they do this all the time so they have a good system.) In any case, I was incredibly impressed and told them this.

— 3 —

Baseball!!! DIDJA HEAR ABOUT MY BOYS ANNIHILATING THE METS IN THE NL WILD CARD GAME?!?!!?!? DIDJA?!?!?!? DIDJA?!?!?! The trash-talking has already started in anticipation of their play-off games with the Cubs starting Friday.

— 4 —

My pretty notebook. Jenny of Unremarkable Files asked for pictures of my notebook. I aim to please so here you go, Jenny! I apologize that my lines aren’t straight — I’m drawing all those things freehand and I’m incapable of drawing a perfectly straight line.

My pretty notebook
My pretty notebook
My pretty notebook
My pretty notebook

— 5 —

Prerequisite take on the VP Debate. I didn’t watch the debate for obvious reasons (as in, I already know who I’m voting for) but I find it amusing that two of my friends who are on opposite sides of the political spectrum and who don’t know each other came up with the same suggestion: each candidate has a shock collar and gets shocked every time they interrupt the other candidate or the moderator. Shocks also happen if they go over their allotted speaking time. THAT would be entertaining!

Another friend (completely unrelated to the other two) suggested that the moderator should get a taser. I’m thinking I like this one better?

— 6 —

Worth a read. My priest shared this piece on the art of condolence by Bruce Feiler on Facebook this week. I thought it was pretty awesome and a good read for people of every age group.

— 7 —

You mean my college education is actually a good thing? I saw this story on the news a few days ago and it reiterates why a college degree or at least *SOME* form of post-secondary credential is essential. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a bachelor’s degree but at least some kind of specialized study is needed. So, if you’re going to claim that “not every kid needs to go to college”, think again. 😀

As for my “useless” degree in Religious Studies, it taught me how to learn, how to find research (a skill which I have heard my professors here say is sorely lacking across the board in students from homeschoolers to public schoolers these days), and proves to employers that I can stick something out long-term. If I was still at the import brokerage in Montana, I’d be eligible for management training simply *BECAUSE* I have a bachelor’s degree.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

31 Days of Parenting Kiddos with Special Needs: IEP’s and 504 Plans

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31 Days of Parenting Kiddos with Special Needs

I’ve heard some of my homeschooling friends on Twitter talk about how they’re homeschooling their kids so that they’re not forced to have an IEP or 504 plan. I really wish I could tell them that neither one is a bad thing and that they ensure that their kids will have access to what they need in order to succeed in school.

So what are they, Jen?

An IEP is a written-out plan that spells out the special educational environment in which a student learns. (“IEP” stands for “individualized education plan”.) Putting it simply, it describes what needs to be in place instruction-wise in order for him to succeed. His covers not only educational goals but also goals for physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Every three years, they do what is referred to as a “triennial IEP” where they do very thorough testing (which is paid for by the school and/or district) to make sure that the student still needs an IEP and also to see where the student is in terms of their therapies and their psycho-social-behavioral development. To qualify, a student needs a diagnosis of one or more of 13 different disabilities and need a very specific environment in order to make progress in their education because of that disability. It came out of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which states that individuals with disabilities are guaranteed a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment possible.

A 504 plan deals with ensuring that students get accomodations needed to make progress in their education. It covers things like audiobooks, notetakers, and extended time for tests. It basically exists to level the playing field for general education. A child qualifies if they have a disability and that disability makes it harder to learn in a general education classroom. The qualifications are a little more broad than they are for a child to qualify for an IEP. It comes from Section 504 of the Rehibilitation Act of 1973.

Which one does Daniel have?

Daniel has an IEP and has had one in place since March 2012. In order to put one together or make changes, an IEP meeting or IEP amendment meeting has to be called and the IEP team has to gather. The team is comprised of me, his special education teacher, a general education teacher for the same grade level, his various therapists, a special education person for the district, and a school psychologist. If a meeting is called and someone cannot attend for whatever reason, I have to sign paperwork excusing them from the meeting. Otherwise, everyone has to be present.

What happens at an IEP meeting?

At the beginning of every meeting, I get handed a thick packet which contains all of my rights and the procedural safeguards. They are required by law to offer it to me, even if I choose to refuse it. (I usually do unless it’s the first time I’ve met with the team at that particular school and/or that particular school district.) Everyone has to sign a paper saying that they were present and I have to sign something saying that the procedural safeguard paperwork was offered to me and that I chose to refuse it, because an IEP is a legal document and could be admissible in court if I sued the school or district for violating Daniel’s rights under the IDEA Act. We go over the various goals spelled out in the previous IEP, talk about any meeting of goals and/or progress made, and what new goals they are setting or new services they want to add. At the end, I have paperwork to sign, stating that I agree with everything outlined in the plan. If I don’t agree with something, I have right to refuse to sign it and they need to fix the issue to my satisfaction.

Honestly, it’s ~2 hours once a year for the yearly IEP review and maybe 20-45 minutes for an amendment meeting which is maybe once or twice a year (if even that often).

If you want a lovely table that illustrates the similarities and differences between the two, click here.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 2, 2016

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For Today… October 2, 2016

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was allegedly 70F but felt colder. It’s down in the 40’s right now.

I am thinking… about what to write tonight for the Write 31 Days challenge.

I am thankful… that my boys (the Giants) clinched a play-off spot. (Yeah yeah yeah… the Dodgers clinched the NL West but I don’t give a crap about that.)

One of my favorite things… Tillamook ice cream.

I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes were my indigo shirt, black slacks, my black cardigan, and black flats. I traded the flats and slacks for jeans and a hoodie after church.

I am creating… Excel files to submit to my Excel teacher.

I am watching… The Big Bang Theory re-runs.

I am hoping… my boys win the NL Wild Card game!

I am learning… how to do T accounts and various kinds of financial statements. I have a test on Tuesday!

In my kitchen… Mom made stroganoff and apple pie tonight.

In the school room… Daniel continues to do well and his teacher is smitten with him.

Post Script… Here are some American foods that foreigners find absolutely disgusting. I knew about some of these from the various exchange students that I interacted with in two of Jon’s parishes.

Shared Quote… From Nadia Bolz-Weber several years ago:

Reporter from the Grand Forks Herald: “what would you say to the folks who think that tattooing the body is a desecration of God’s temple”

Me: “that they should for sure not get any”

A moment from my day… I was telling someone about Tim Hawkins’ “hand-raising church” schtick today.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

31 Days of Parenting Kiddos with Special Needs: My Story

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31 Days of Parenting Kiddos with Special Needs

It’s interesting that this covers the month of October because I found out I was pregnant with the kidlet on October 11, 2008. It was simultaneously a joyful and terrifying thing. 🙂 I was due around Father’s Day 2009 and it seemed like it was going to be a semi-normal pregnancy… until my hands started swelling in March 2009 and strange symptoms started happening. I had no idea that I was going to have to have an emergency c-section at 29.5 weeks gestation because of Class II HELLP Syndrome and that Daniel’s birth weight was going to make my 3 lb 12 oz. one seem gigantic. (Kiddo weighed 1 lb 15 oz. and was 14 1/4 inches long.) I think it’s probably good that God didn’t let me in on that little fact when Jon and I decided to try for a baby because I can *TOTALLY* see myself pulling a Jonah and figuratively fleeing to Tarshish!

Daniel was pretty tiny and he did have a lot of growing to do… but he is definitely *MY* child because he ignored the memo on all of this and decided that 3-4 months in the hospital was a little too long to hang out there. He came home on his 2 month birthday and did not require oxygen. He did have an inguinal hernia that we eventually had repaired (once he was old enough for anethesia) and ROP but that corrected itself as well.

While he was as fierce as I am about overcoming things, he did unfortunately have a 50% developmental delay and we started him in physical therapy at 13 months old, occupational therapy at 17 months old, and speech therapy a little after he turned 2 years old. He didn’t sit up until he was a little over a year and a half old and didn’t take his first independent steps until he was 2 1/2. He is only now really using a pencil well with special grips and is finally developing speech and sentence structure. The good thing is that when something developmental comes for him, it takes off like wildfire so I’m thinking he’ll probably be talking somewhat well by his next birthday?

His immune system was also compromised because of prematurity and that unfortunately meant that he could not fight off basic infections, especially respiratory ones. The scariest one was probably the one that landed him on a ventilator for a week and a half in the PICU at UC Davis Medical Center followed by a bit more than a week on the pediatric unit. We’ve also seen quite a bit of time in various pediatric ER bays at UCD and had a couple more smaller hospitalizations, the most recent one being a week-long one three years ago.

He was diagnosed with autism at age 2 1/2 and started school in an ABA preschool class at age 3. We added in-home ABA therapies a year later. Four years later, he is still in an autism-specific class but we’re OK with that and he seems to be thriving with it. Let’s just say that I have become almost an expert on IEP’s. 🙂

A year ago, his pediatric neurologist diagnosed him with ADHD and put him on Adderall. While this is not a popular decision in some of the circles in which I travel (because, you know, ADHD *TOTALLY* isn’t a thing… except when you have a kid with no off switch), it’s been a lifesaver for us and for Daniel. He can sit down to play and focus on what he is doing, freeing me up to take care of my own school, do housework, take a shower, eat a meal sitting down… We’ve seen a child psychiatrist who met with us monthly and his pediatrician up here in Washington sees us regularly as well as his Adderall requires a special prescription and in-depth supervision.

So what would you like me to write about this month? Leave me a comment to let me know and I’ll see what I can do. 🙂

7 Quick Takes: The “Your Notebook Is So Pretty” Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Apparently, I might be able to #bulletjournal? On Monday, my Accounting teacher collected all of our notebooks before giving us our homework quiz so she could grade our outlines (for those who decided to do theirs on looseleaf paper, she collected those) and upon seeing my notebook, someone blurted out that my notes were so pretty and precise and that I must be an engineer. Considering that I can barely draw a straight line even with the help of a ruler, I was suitably honored to hear this. #egostroked

Apparently, I might be able to do a #bulletjournal someday… if the #bujo can be in pencil. 🙂

— 2 —

A song for today. I went to the chapel service held by the Campus Christian Fellowship this week (think Intervarsity or Cru) and this song was sung. I’m kind of in love with it.

— 3 —

Interesting… Apparently, the Depression changed our eating habits and how we look at food. I might have to check out the book reviewed in this article.

— 4 —

Proud of my home state. Because of the accounts scandal at Wells Fargo, California’s State Treasurer John Chiang has suspended business relationships with them for the state because he feels they should be punished for their wrongdoing. Considering they’re a crappy bank to use (I just ended my banking relationship with them after 18 years because of bad behavior on their part in the last few years), I’m happy that he’s taking a stand against them instead of being bowed by them because they are kind of a goliath entity in the financial world.

— 5 —

An interesting suggestion. Elizabeth Scalia of Aleteia.Org has an interesting suggestion: read aloud to someone. Even though I can read by myself now, it’s fun to be able to sit and listen and crochet while listening to someone read.

— 6 —

*facepalm* This personal anecdote about racism has been making the rounds on Facebook. My question to y’all: would you have stepped out of your privilege and comfort zone and stood up on behalf of Ashley (the protagonist)?

— 7 —

An explanation on the Dr. Sears sitch. Last month, I blogged about anti-vaccination law activist Dr. Robert Sears being charged with gross negligence and facing the possibility of losing his license to practice medicine in California and shared the story on Facebook. One of my more crunchy friends from college is a fan of his vaccine book and schedule and emailed me to ask why I thought this was such a big flipping deal.

Well…

1.) His failure to actually research the kid’s vaccine reaction (and it would have been very well-documented if he had done so) if he had another one. I know from my own kid that having a paper trail is essential and having all of the records is vital if your kid has any problems, so much so that one specialist will not rule on anything unless they’ve seen all the records. I have never had a doctor take my word for it on almost anything related to Daniel — everything has to be backed up and it is considered to have never happened if it isn’t documented. This means that he would have needed records from the kid’s prior physician, ER records, or urgent care records from when the mom got the kid treatment for the vaccine reaction… because what mother wouldn’t take their kid in if they were having a reaction like that?!?!?

2.) By excusing the kid from future vaccines (and not just the one to which he reacted badly), he put both the kid at risk of contracting a disease that could have landed him in the hospital or killed him as well as anyone else who can’t be vaccinated for health reasons. One of the reason that they started requiring such a strict policy in California is that there were outbreaks of diseases like pertussis (for which you cannot vaccinate infants) and measles in the state that could have been prevented if parents hadn’t claimed phony “conscience” reasons for not vaccinating themselves or their kids. Having been in this situation, it is *HORRIFICALLY PAINFUL* emotionally to have to watch your kid suffer to breathe or to have your kid end up with a horrible side effect from a hospital stay. I know I would be angry beyond words and pondering a lawsuit if Daniel had gotten something like pertussis as a baby because someone unvaccinated (for no rational reason) was in the waiting room with him and Daniel died as a result. THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY IN 2010!!!

3.) For the love of all things holy, IT HAS BEEN PROVEN BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT THAT VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. Dr. Andrew Wakefield lied and his lie was heinous enough (he spread false information for his own gain) that The Lancet had to retract what was written (a big deal because lawsuits had been decided using the false information which created an entirely new headache for the legal system in the UK and the US) and his name was stricken from the British Medical Record (a.k.a. he lost his license to practice medicine in the UK). There is a lovely infographic which gives all of this information PLUS links.

4.) After one appointment, the child claimed he had been hit in the head by a hammer and Dr. Sears did not report it to CPS. He is a mandated reporter and if he heard something like this, he is required by the state of California (and every state in the nation) to report this to CPS and do an in-depth evaluation. He didn’t. That is a serious breach of protocol and could mean that the child (if he was being truthful) could be an abusive home and in danger. That’s lawsuit material right there.

An interesting response detailing why he’s being charged with gross negligence is here.

And yes, I know that this was not a quick take but I felt like this explanation needed to be presented. 🙂

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 25, 2016

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For Today… September 25, 2016

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was in the low 60’s today and very nice.

I am thinking… about how to structure my study time this week.

I am thankful… that they arrested a suspect in the Cascade Mall shooting.

One of my favorite things… Homer being a snuggly kitteh.

I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes today were a black cardigan and jeans from Kohl’s, a black t-shirt from Old Navy, and my black flats. I ditched the flats and cardigan after church. I was also wearing my 49’ers necklace that Rebecca made for me so I could rep my boys at church.

I am creating… plans for Write 31 Days.

I am watching… “Lock-Up: San Antonio — Extended Stay”. I’m kind of addicted to police/jail/forensic shows.

I am hoping… the Giants make it to the wild card game!

I am learning… how to write and solve problems with T accounts in my Practical Accounting I class.

In my kitchen… Mom made Guinness stew tonight.

In the school room… Daniel continues to do well in his autism program.

Post Script… I love this piece on how to live through anything.

Shared Quote… I seriously feel like this is a fitting quote that refers to everyone who tells me that Daniel’s autism is due to us vaccinating him. (For the 1500th time, vaccines do not cause autism.) Let’s also not even get into the political applications of it…

A fitting quote for these days.

A moment from my day… I’m enjoying the various videos on bullet journals out there. I would love to have one but I am too much of a perfectionist and I lack the ability to draw a straight line.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: First Week of School Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

My Practical Accounting class. I love the class so much that I made myself late for choir practice last night so I could get the worksheet of class examples to balance. (The fact that Mount Vernon has the crappiest way of doing street repairs and closures also made me late because a large chunk of Division was closed and I had to take Fir to Riverside to Fulton to some other street to Kincaid to get to my church on 18th.) I also worked through some things in my workbook that aren’t required just to give myself some extra practice.

— 2 —

My Excel class. The book and workbook are still MIA so we have some temporary online codes for the e-book and SNAP. I’m really wanting my print book because it’s kind of annoying to have to jump between the window with the e-book and Excel while working on projects and exercises.

— 3 —

Fitting in. I thought I’d be the oldest in a class of 18-20 year olds. I was wrong. My Practical Accounting class is a good mix of ages and I’m liking this mixture a lot. We do have some youngsters but also people my age and some who are older.

— 4 —

CCF. When I walked into the student center on Tuesday at noon, the Campus Christian Fellowship was tabling. (“Tabling” means that they had a table with information and a sign-up sheet for emails about activities.) I signed up to get emails on events and I’ll be heading to hang out with them for dinner and Bible study tonight. They also have a chapel service on Tuesday during the noon hour and I will definitely attend those as they seem like a nice break in my day.

Honestly, I’m looking forward to religious activities like this where I’m just going as “Jen” and not “Pastor Jon’s wife Jen who we expect to know everything about all that is happening despite the fact that we did not call HER as the pastor and she has her hands full with a full-time job or a kiddo with special needs”.

— 5 —

Prayer request. Please keep my dear friend Eileen and her family in prayer as she deals with the passing of her father. She is one of the deepest and wisest people and I hate that she is having to grieve, though she would be one of the first to tell me that it is a part of life.

— 6 —

The Skittles meme from Donald Trump Jr. In case you didn’t read my post from Tuesday, let me explain why Donald Trump Jr.’s Skittles meme is so horrific.

1.) Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. Wrigley, the maker of Skittles, responded as such to Trump Jr.

2.) Trump Jr. used the picture from a refugee photographer without said photographer’s permission. The photographer is horrified by how his picture was used and has emphatically said that Trump Jr. did not have permission to use it. Seriously, Junior. Didn’t your dad teach you not to take things without permission??? Oh wait…

3.) The idea behind the Skittles example originated with a children’s book by Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher. Lest you think I am making this up, the link to my source is here and Snopes.Com backs me up.

And for the record, I would totally eat a handful of Skittles and I would joyfully accept every refugee. SKITTLES ARE CANDY AND REFUGEES ARE PEOPLE, CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD WHO DESERVE BETTER THAN TO BE TREATED LIKE A DISPOSABLE COMMODITY.

— 7 —

Srsly?!?!? My backpack with my accounting book and working papers fell off the chair next to me at Starbux and the two people in my part of the restaurant gave me nasty looks even after I said, “Sorry.” Y’all, I’m sorry that my accounting book weighs more than Daniel does and that the sound disturbed you sitting there and drinking coffee. To be fair, the two of you are now having incredibly loud conversations with other people and I’m not giving you snotty looks. Try to show a modicum of compassion, m’kay?

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.