Tuesday, May 13, 2008

All good things must come to an end?

During the past few weeks I have been searching for a curriculum to complement the one we are using now; plus also one for Lavagirl since I was considering of homeschooling her too. I had found very good and affordable options but I had forgotten one part of my equation: what will I do with the kids while I work either the morning or the afternoon? During the last few days my mother and father -in -law have, well, started to complain ( which is the best that they do) about our homeschooling ways and how it may be against the law..etc,etc. They simply dont and wont understand it or see any benefits whatsoever...In fact the few hours that Bb is or has been there are a huge setback...so I have to decide to either not work anymore or find a school suitable for BB and Lavagirl...For her I know its easy, but for BB...thats a whole different story.
In fact I have been to 4 schools, private of course, and I have gotten a loud and clear NO. Plus I have gone to another 2 and I was the one that declined, since the atmosphere and curriculum werent what I was looking for. I have thought of the public system but it hasnt changed much, they lack a lot of commitment and resources and I am not in the best mood to start making complaints and requests. Besides that Bb disconects very easily in loud settings, needs certain direction to keep on task, has fine motor deficiencies which make writting tasks very dificult or might lead to anxiety build up that end up in very, very bad day...Or so it has happened before...
So, yes, as of now I am very, very picky. Investing time or possibly loosing working hours in the public system is not what I am looking for...And a private setting has to meet certain conditions to invest the huge $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that they ask in payment.
Today I went with BB to an interview in a christian school, that promoted they were able to work with special needs students with Autism and ADHD in a 1to 8 ratio. That, in its own, sounds marvelous but I couldnt beleive that it was actually real or even possible. The school is really small and they work using " lecas" so the curriculum is mostly workbooks ( as most homeschool programs). The student works on its own in a small desk, at his own pace with one teacher to provide assistance as he/she might need. The whole curriculum is in English except of the Spanish class that is given in a lab; but a huge plus is that the curriculum is computarized, if he was able to bring in a laptop he would be able to use it. If he cant have the laptop, they would provide certain help so that he isnt penalized for incomplete assigments or jobs. One great thing of all the interview was that the director tried to establish a good relationship with BB and tried to make the experience pleasant for him. She made him feel welcome and introduced him to the teachers and possible classmates so that he wouldnt feel so stressed and tried on the way to get to know him. Also I was able to walk around the classes and look at the materials and different areas...Overall it all seemed very good, at the end I encountered other parents of autistic kids that were very grateful with the school and very happy of their experience there.
Mmmm......Bb seemed ok, he even said that he liked the director and that he thought that he could study there. So, now what do I do? Should I adventure in an unknown path investing what I dont have in the hopes that they might help and that he could keep on? Or should I simply stay at home with both of them and try to do best with the resources I have now? I could even be more adventurous deciding to simply fly off to the states and look for better options there...
When I decided to homeschool I was sure this was only temporary and that eventually he might be able to go back as I felt that I was not prepared for junior or high school material, but as time has gone by I wonder if going back should be an option at all. I had already made plans that seemed very good and with great future for him, they were only different. Why different has to so hard to understand? Why do we have to follow the crowd to achieve something? Why people have to be so narrow minded and blind with how things should be?
In all this I do have to accept that I have to get him away from his grandparents, since they dont do anything to help but they do critizise so much that dont allow him to work as he could. This situation in turn make him wander off and forget his schedule for class...So staying there is a no win situation...I will make an in depth financial analisys of the costs to decide what choice might be best.

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