School

We had Monster's school-end meeting on Thursday. I was so freaked out about it that I called his social worker/teacher and asked her, "this isn't going to be a meeting where you tell me that you've tried everything with my kid but you can't help him, is it?" and she said no, no. This is supposed to be a good meeting. I'm sure she thinks I'm a nut, but I could not have dealt with another doom and gloom report on my son at the time. I would have ditched out on the meeting if I suspected they were going to say bad things.

Monster has taken of academically and there seems to be no stopping him. He has in the past few months since he switched schools passed up the 1st grade-level reading and math groups he was in and is now working with a private tutor on second-grade-level work. It's as if this new placement helped my son to see what school was actually for, and he figured out he loves learning, and just took right to it.

The team had nothing but nice things to say about Monster. He works hard, even when things get tough. He is so eager to learn and improve. He is obviously happy and well-loved. He is incredibly sweet.

The afternoon social program he starts will keep M for at least a year. When school starts next fall they will squeeze all of his academics plus PE into his mornings and then feed him lunch and send him off on the bus to the afternoon program. He will do this at least through all of first grade.

I wish I had a sense of hope that this afternoon program will really help Monster. I think it will be a good place for him - a place that understands him and wants to help teach him how to get along with other kids without hitting or kicking or biting - but it is too much for me to hope that the changes will be dramatic. Will they make my son act more "normal" so the evil kids don't see him as a great target and start ripping into him? Will they give him the ability to walk away from these kids without giving a piece of himself away as he leaves? These are the things I am trying to teach him, but I don't ever know what gets through to him and what doesn't.

I am sad this school year is ending just as my son seems ready to really take off. I am worried about the summer and the afternoon program and the PCA and the respite care. It seems as if it is all in place and ready to go, but I can no longer trust that things will go as planned.