Im cooking dinner tonight mama.
Oh. I think you might need some help?.
No. You Just do the boring stuff that I dont want to do. Ill do everything else.”
Well, we might not have enough time for you to do it all.”
But you see, its not just about dinner. I need to learn these skills for life.”
Squishs classmates have discovered the Im not your friend any more game. His two best friends from last year are in his class again this year, but seem to have found other things to do rather than play with Squish. As is normal for him, he welcomes all comers to Planet Inigo, but doesnt really seem interested in visiting the “play spaces of others.
Last week he was playing after school with some friends while I waited to chat with the teacher*. When I went to find him, he seemed upset. His friends had been throwing rocks and acorns at him, and hitting him. The young brother (pre-school age) of another kid was with them. The little one had been hitting him really hard, and E. said to Inigo, you better run away, he might kill you. Both comical, and deeply disturbing, as I have no doubt that this particular kid was giving it all he had.
So teachers and head teachers have been consulted, and we are trying to repair the relationship with the two others. I had a chat with him about popularity, and how things tend to work in schools.
“There will be the popular kids, the ones everyone likes and wants to be around. The ones who seem to always be happy and never have a problem. The ones who seem to pull invisible strings and make things happen. Then there are the ones with the invisible targets painted on them. The ones that always get picked on and harassed, who never seem to catch a break. And then there are the truly cool kids, the ones that (even if the other kids dont get it) will be the artists and the rock starts and the ones who change the world. The ones who know themselves, and know what they like, and just get on with what they want to do, regardless of what anyone around them thinks, or does to try to stop them.
I think that sounds like me, mama.
Hell be ok.
(*issues with school are ongoing. Kid is still refusing to prove what he is capable of by doing any actual schoolwork, but complains endlessly about school being boring. Stay tuned for discussion of my efforts to navigate the system on his behalf)
Location:Dominion Road,Mount Eden,New Zealand
Squishy made me coffee, and brought it to me in bed, since daddy is in Sydney for work.
Lee Daniels sat down on May 12 for a genuine talk published from the Authors Guild. The co-creator of the strike Monk Kingdom was registered by co – inventor Danny Strong. Columbia College mentor Jamal Joseph at the Newschool located the lively discussion. His peers and Lee had visited the new expanded second time to be promoted by the Fox Upfronts to marketers. Continue reading “PASSIVE INDIVIDUALS”
Up near Leigh, there is great snorkeling and diving. And Mark hasn’t been diving in ages, so I arranged for him to go out today on a charter boat.
But cyclone Pam is on her way, and the charter was cancelled. So we drove up to Leigh anyway, to check it out and have a picnic. The beach at Leigh was already under the influence of the cyclone, the water was way to rough for swimming, so we drove south a bit to Mathesons Bay.
A lovely picnic, a quick swim (Squish got dumped!), an ice cream, then we drove into the city to see Nano Girl, with free tickets we got through the school. A fab day all round!
Location:Webber Street,Westmere,New Zealand
The New Zealand government has a philosophy that all kids should be catered to in the school environment.
“The New Zealand School Trustees Association describes school policy as a framework that integrates culture and practice, values and actions. Inclusive schools ensure that the principles of inclusion are embedded in their policies, plans, and actions. They develop specific policies for the inclusion of students with special education needs ”
Which is great, right?
So Squishs school has approached me to ask if I might consider helping out as a teachers aide for a few weeks while they get a more permanent person in to work with a new kid. Ive started back at uni, so I dont know if Ill be able to juggle work and uni and family in the longer term.
The new kid has a global developmental delay, and he needs an aide with him the whole time while he is at school. I did my first shift today.
And it was fine. Hes a lovely kid, responsive and keen to try new things, and he has loads of energy and enthusiasm. It was hard work, but I can see that working with him has the potential to be quite rewarding in the long term.
But yesterday, a teacher in the same school told me that there simply wasnt enough resources to be able to give my kid the differentiation and attention that he needs in order to be integrated into exactly the same school. That he would need to be home schooled if I wanted his learning to be tailored to his needs.
So much as I hate the whole my kid is a precious snowflake syndrome, it is rather a double standard to claim that the school can be all things to all kids – except the ones at the wrong end of the bell curve.
At the Mind Plus information session we went to last week, I asked about emerging research and best practice in the field of teaching gifted kids. Internationally, more countries are starting to have classes just for gifted kids, and that these classes give kids the best opportunity to develop their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
NZ policy is to cater to everyone, and giving extra support where it is required within the school setting – just not to kids like Squish, who struggle at the other end of the spectrum.
Disco Knitter 