Tuesday, April 13, 2010
School Choice Agony Again
With public school being out for our Caroline in our district (much too rough) we are looking at the fall again and trying to decided if we should keep her at the private school she is at (doing fine academically, but hates it socially), or if we move her. But if we move her, what other private school would that be, or do we look at homeschooling her with a lot of extra help (core classes taught by someone else?) There is a university model school about 15 minutes away, and I visited it today, loved it, think it would be perfect, but the application says they do not accept kids with "behavioral" problems. Thing is, she doesn't have behavioral problems at school, the teachers love her. She only has issues at home with her sisters. Do I try to apply? Should I call and ask? I am totally unsure. I am interested in trying to get my three youngest on one school schedule because this year I am juggling three different school schedules and homeschooling the other, which has been hard. I just don't know what is best, and what we can afford too. I really need lots of wisdom and to move beyond fear.
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7 comments:
YES, call and ask them to send you information without offering information of your own yet. Allow them to elaborate on what they mean by "behavioral" problems/issues. This way, hopefully you can get your ducks in a row and prove to them that Caroline will be a good fit at their school with teacher and psych input. Good luck!
I would consider confiding in the principal. If the pricipal backs you up she has a great chance to succeed. The principal can match her with a teacher who is suitable.
If the pricipal bulks she did not have a chance there. The principal and the teacher are the most important players in my opinion.
I can relate to not knowing what to say to the school -- Gabriel is an angel at school and horrid at home. I hear that is common with BP kids (??), but it sure is hard to explain. I always feel like if I am not honest with schools/staff, then it is like I am *hiding* something, which seems in the long run like I am doing Gabe a disservice. Ugh.
Good luck --
Hartley
www.hartleysboys.com
Have you considered virtual school? I don't know if it's available in your state, but it might be worth looking into. I'm a teacher, and it's something I was going to look into with my daughter, but her meds have her stable for now.
I really enjoyed reading your blog. Our stories are very similar-- my son, 10, was discharged from Meridell a month ago. My blog:
http://njmomblog.wordpress.com
I agree with the other posters. By all means apply and talk to the principal in private. I'd downplay the behavior issues (as some "common symptoms of her disorder" if you choose to mention BP at all).
Mary in TX
As a classroom teacher and mother of a BP child, I would recommend being very straight forward with the principal and ask to meet with the special ed director. Not all special ed teachers have specialized knowledge of BP, as I had to help educate my daughter's teacher this year. The more they know, the more helpful the staff can be. I also talked with some of her other classroom teachers and they appreciate knowing what to expect. Suprises are usually hard to deal with. My daughter's sped teacher and I email back and forth about how her days go. I always inform the teacher of any med changes so she's knows to be aware. My daughter has a back-up plan to go to the counselor's office to regain control, if that's an issue. Best of luck!
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