God only gives you what you can handle. The line popped in my head as I pulled away from the school this morning, and I haven’t been able to get it out all day. OK, so first of all, as a committed agnostic, I’ve got some issues with the whole concept, right off the bat. But […]
Someone pinch me. I had a feeling it would be a good meeting after the principal sent that email with the exciting news that he and Sophie share a birthday — but still, I held my breath as I walked into the school yesterday afternoon for a gathering of Team Sophie. And when we all […]
I’m accustomed to correcting grammar and fixing mistakes as I read aloud — Junie B. Jones taught me well — but I admit I stumbled over Chapter 13 in Because of Winn-Dixie, the book Sophie’s been reading for class. I didn’t expect to encounter the word “retarded” in my kid’s school assignment. Why is this […]
I just got an email from the new principal at Sophie’s school, entitled “Guess What???” UGH. I can guess A LOT. Turns out, it wasn’t one of those emails. Inside it said: I am in the process of reading all of the…children’s IEP’s and you won’t believe what I discovered! Sophie and I share the […]
I can’t believe Sophie’s in fourth grade. Neither could the girl behind the counter at our bagel shop. “It’s the first day of school,” I told her. “Cool!” she told Sophie. “What grade are you in?” “You tell her!” Sophie said. “Fourth,” I said. “Really?” She peered over the counter to take a closer look. […]
My friend Cate’s daughter Abby is staring kindergarten this fall, and watching the preparation play out in Facebook posts over the last few weeks brought me back. Like Sophie, Abby has Down syndrome. Like me, Cate had to fight to get Abby into the school that her older child (who, like Annabelle, does not have […]
Sophie takes the AIMS test next month, along with her third grade classmates. There will be some accomodations — more time, some (literal) wiggle room — but she will take the AIMS test. Let that sink in. It drives me nuts. I get the argument for standardized tests — I just don’t agree with it, […]
“Do you think we’re doing enough to make Sophie feel like it’s a special day?” Ray asked as he grabbed his stuff and headed out the door to work yesterday morning. It was a good question. Ray wasn’t sticking around for The First Day of School. But he’d taken most of last week off to […]
Annabelle slept til 8 yesterday morning. No, it wasn’t the first day of summer. It was the last day of school. Who’s ever heard of an elementary school that starts at the civilized hour of 8:50 a.m.? Me. And since we live just a few blocks from school, we slipped out of the house at […]
Earlier this week, Sophie’s teacher sent home a note asking that students bring a “sturdy” bag to school to pack up their stuff from second grade. Yesterday was Christmas in May. Along with the random spelling tests and half-finished worksheets were several treasures. Like a haiku (I had to count the syllables to be sure) called […]
