I had a lot of misgivings about sending Noah off to middle school. I met with the counselor and SPED director last year, I met with the assistant principal over the summer, I debated contacting his teachers when we didn't have an IEP in place, I worried about what his locker would look like two days into the school year (and I worried how many concussions the kid with the locker under his would suffer throughout the school year.... Okay, so I'm STILL worried about that!), I worried about how little time he had between getting his schedule and school starting--you name it, I lost sleep over it. In the end, I decided to not contact his teachers before school started because I didn't want them to have preconceived opinions of him before they'd even met him. I wanted them to give Noah a chance, just like the rest of the students. We went through his schedule several times, and I offered to go more--and got a hand in the face with, "Mom, I totally got this. Chill." Alrighty then! And as always, Noah has surprised me--he does, in fact, seem to have this! No IEP, no inclusion classes, no "heads up" emails from Mom--he's doing it all on his own.Sixth grade started off with a bang almost five weeks ago. So far, so good! I really don't feel as though I could ask for a better school. From the administration, to the front office staff, to the nurse, to the resource officer, to the teachers, to the custodians--everyone is there for the students and their best interests. You're thinking, "Well, isn't that how it's supposed to be?" Yes it is, but unfortunately, that hasn't always been our previous experience. We are hugely grateful to be turning over a new leaf with such a great school, and looking forward to three fun years for Noah. I really just can't say enough good things about this school--we've been so pleased. It is a comfort to know that Noah is not just physically safe, but emotionally safe as well, and if any issues should arise, all I have to do is pick up the phone and I'll be taken seriously. On Back to School Night, these teachers and administration genuinely impressed me; there is no reason for any child in this school to do poorly (unless he or she just refuses to do the work), as these teachers are willing to do everything they can to make sure each child does well. I had to giggle as the assistant principal was making the announcements that night also--I thought to myself, "Oh my, did he really make a joke?" That sense of humor from an administrator, and a few other things, are new concepts to us! It's all just a very nice change.
Noah seems to be enjoying his classes, is managing his time well, mastered his locker without any issues, figured out the whole change-for-PE thing (although he has yet to figure out the bring-home-the-uniform-and-wash-it thing.... GROSS), is pulling an A average, and is well liked by his teachers. I've been in touch with them, and they all said there is no need for a conference at this time, he's doing well, participating (a little too much, but they're working with him on that!) and hasn't had any problems. This is of great relief to me, as I had nightmares of Noah sprawled out in the middle of the classrooms, completely unorganized with all of his papers, books, folders and other assorted items all over the floor, not getting it together until halfway through the class. I really feared for him, but he's got it together! I'm quite proud of him. It seems the school has thought ahead to children like him, also, and prepared well: The sixth graders are kind of quarantined in one part of the school for most of their academics, they are allowed to the lockers only at certain times and told what they need to grab while there, the teachers strategically place themselves throughout the hallways in case help is needed, and so on. The first few weeks there was quite a bit of hand holding going on, and it seems the genuine caring and gentleness has continued. As with Noah's teacher from last year, I always appreciate the teachers who can look past the extra energy and see Noah for who he really is. It seems that he has been blessed with quite a few of those this year, and I'm very grateful for them.
The students have been placed in enrichment classes based on the area they need help in the most, according to their SOL scores. I giggled a little when I found out Noah was one of the students they had difficulty placing because his scores were so high. He said they finally put him in a math class, and "Mom, I'm like, sooooo booooooorrrrrred in there." Like any mom, I told him to pay attention, maybe there's something new he'll learn. Noah loves his English teacher, but is having a bit of difficulty with her book rules (certain books can only be read in class because they work in accordance with her lessons) because he loves to read. I supposed this means she's choosing great books!
Last year before the school year ended, I invited the middle school's resource officer (a sheriff's deputy) over to our home to have a talk with Noah about a few things. There are some of Noah's behaviors that concern us, and we wanted Noah to understand what could happen if they ever happened outside our home--and even what could happen if they continue to happen in our home, or get worse. So one afternoon a few months ago, Cpl Ellis came over to talk with Noah. We talked afterward, and he agreed Noah is not your typical problem-causer. It appears that Cpl Ellis has been keeping a good eye on Noah this year, without Noah really realizing what Cpl Ellis is doing! He's a good man, loves the kids in this school, and wants what is best for them, so he looks out for them.... And it just so happens that Noah is on his radar (but not in a bad way--this is a good thing!)! It's good stuff.
I cut the apron strings a little more this year, so Noah is riding the bus for the first time in his school career. While he hasn't had to deal with any of the previous years' bullies at school because of how classes, hallway time, lunch, and everything else are handled, there is one of them on his bus. I'm beginning to understand that Noah tends to instigate some of this other boy's behavior (they are oil and water to each other), but that's not to say the other boy is without fault or Noah is completely at fault. The first few days I had to hear "J did this" or "J did that." I finally put my foot down and told Noah that he's going to have to figure out how to get along with this boy, because unless either one of our families moves, they are stuck with each other for the next 6 years. I told Noah that I don't want to hear about this boy in our house again, and he needs to learn how to make it work. And you know something? That was the end of it! I haven't heard anything about it since.
I also haven't been checking Noah's homework, or keeping track of his work like I have in the past. I thought for sure this was going to come back to bite me in the rear, but when I checked with his teachers, I learned that Noah has been turning in his homework on time, receiving full credit for correct answers, doing well on quizzes and just generally being responsible. Whew!
The teachers and staff have these yellow "praise" cards they hand out to students for any kind of good deed, good work, good behavior--just to acknowledge the student and encourage continued good behavior. Noah earned THREE last week! He organized one teacher's bookshelves for her (thank you, OCD!), was awarded another one for responsible behavior from another teacher, and received his third one from the assistant principal and resource officer for knowing what to do until the adults arrived when another student was having a seizure (thank you Scouts!). I think the one I'm most proud of for Noah is the one he received for responsible behavior because it shows how much he's matured in the past few weeks. Yes, I'm proud of him for knowing what to do in an medical emergency situation, but he was thinking beyond himself, and being responsible for others. He knew I was picking him up early, which meant he would miss the class he had a group project due in. He had the project, and realized that if he didn't turn it in the rest of his group would suffer, so he made sure to get it to his teacher before he left the school. For Noah, that is HUGE. He was thinking ahead, thinking of others, thinking of consequences, and putting it all together, problem solving on his own. This is something we've been working for years (literally) with him, and to see it come together like that was amazing. Yes, his reaction to the medical emergency shows much of the same thing, but I suppose you have to live in our world to fully understand the difference. And yes, I'm proud of him for knowing what to do in that situation also, and I do recognize that is not a trait most kids his age have.
I'm proud of Noah, and I'm proud of how well he's doing. All on his own.
What great news!! I'm so glad he is doing so well!!
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