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Autumn Story

posted Wednesday October 6th, 2010

Watch this video.

Oh please, watch this video! I know you are busy. Me, too. But my dear friend Claire sent the link over — she’s also the one who showed me how to embed video! — and I was dumbstruck.

So lovely.

I’m a sucker for a title, and “Autumn Story” fits today perfectly. Yesterday summer cracked in half and drenched this city with rain and hail and it might not last but today is pitch-perfect and I broke out the black tights in celebration.

I considered dusting off the cowboy boots, but decided the message was a little too strong for the parent/teacher conferences I have this afternoon. So I’ll be conferencing in patent leather clogs (a bit rebellious, still, I suppose) — apologizing to Annabelle’s teacher for daring to ask which math group she’s in, and having a heart-to-heart with Sophie’s teacher
about
just
what
to
do.

Lately, I can almost feel Sophie’s downward slide in a physical way. Her red folder of Important Papers has been making it home only in her backpack only a couple days a week. Last night, it was in there but her math homework wasn’t. I sighed, then flipped through a large pile of work returned by the teacher — most of the worksheets are blank. Sometimes Sophie’s drawn hearts and love messages to her friend Sarah on the back. Sometimes her name’s on the top, sometimes not. She’s lost.

The other day, Sophie told me that second grade is distracting. I think she meant that she gets distracted in second grade. Sophie’s solution: She thinks she’d do better in Annabelle’s fourth grade class. Probably not the way to solve the problem.

A lot more to discuss than will fit into a 20 minute conference.

That’s my Autumn Story. So I was grateful for someone else’s, particularly one as beautiful as this. Watch it.

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Tags: Filed under: culture, Down syndrome, public school by Amysilverman

7 Responses to “Autumn Story”

  1. Great video and great blog post.

    Yesterday summer cracked in half and drenched this city with rain (brilliant)

  2. Do you ever wonder if maybe it’s not as bad as you think or maybe it’s way worse? I know my situation is different, but I never know if I need to back off a little or if I’ve kept my rose colored glasses on too long. We’re looking at the 504 plan before high school and have no idea.

  3. I’m so sorry – are they doing ANYTHING right for her? What are the other options? It hurts a little reading this and knowing that might be us in a couple years.

  4. oh, they are doing a lot right for sophie at this school! first and foremost, they adore her. truly. not in that “look at the cute retarded girl way.” (well, with a few high-placed exceptions i’ve learned to live with.) she’s become a part of the school family, which is why i want to keep her there. and i am madly in love with her teacher. she’s an incredible person. but i’m worried that second grade is gobbling sophie up. we’ll get it figured out — i hope.

  5. That video is indeed amazing. and I love the song, too.

    That conference sounds hard. Good luck.

  6. I read your blog every so often through another friend. I’m on the road with my own two special needs children we are adopting. I know I’m just starting on this road but I hear from parents who have high school children and one whose son is an adult. I shudder. I wonder if Sophie isn’t right though… 2nd grade is distracting… she has another mission in her life and she’s being distracted from that rather than she’s being distracted… she may have more wisdom in words for all of us. School is an institution and while we crack the whip here (so to speak) with our older kids to get good grades, pay attention and behave (thank God these are kids who have not lost their hearts and souls to the system and the teachers are great) I don’t want my children to “be distracted” from their own hearts and souls.

  7. isn’t that the BIG question, karen? whether it’s not as bad or it’s worse? you certainly distilled it! ah, if life’s problems could be solved by a trashy fashion show EVERY day….

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