IEP explination

 Yesterday Steve stayed home in the morning to get Dash to the bus stop and tend Dove until I could return. Daddy Man has too many banked hours so he HAS to use them. With all the medical stuff around here the last three weeks it has been a real God send.

So I arrive at the meeting tired of course from Dove keeping me up of course.
By the way they have no school today and she is better, go figure...she still has a cough first thing this morning but her energies are up and she is much brighter. Thank you for your prayers.

Anyway the IEP
So I parked way over near that office and decided to forgo the office check in. Limping I made it somewhat painfully , looking like an old lady (no offense to anyone) I am only 48. Doves Teacher was there we spoke , she is a veteran teacher and a real gift from God. The others arrived soon after. Two special ED teachers and lastly the school psychologist. I asked them to climb the three steps ahead of me. Monday I had the last knee injections and those sweet knees of mine were non to happy to climb steps. Humbly I made it up them.

The meeting began I mentioned that her third grade teacher might attend and the eyes of the psychologist opened wide. She was a bit ill with cold poor thing. She asked me what I saw at home.
I told them of the stress that the child does not sleep. That the MD was concerned of the educational stress on her that perhaps she may need to see a psyc. Her response was "perhaps you might follow through with that."...my blood began to boil at that. I told them she works very diligently on her home work. Her esteem is faltering because of her self image as not being smart as the others. The teacher spoke up saying..."You know we are a progressive school and several of the 5th graders are working at a 6-7 grade level." I know she has a full class I told her and I am not asking her to favor my kid. Just that we all see fit to meet this child's needs. I told them the child has wholes that are hindering her. Now I did not know if the homeschooling was an issue in her k-2 years if I missed something or not. Even so this girl is not alright. She has learning disabilities and I want to discover the wholes that we as educators can fill and do so. "Look, my bag is out of tools and I am asking for your help!".
She has abstract issues that are hard for me as a lay person to explain to them that is what I am asking them to test her for that they might identify the issues.

The point being the educational stress was the issue we were all sitting there. Then the teacher spoke.
She sees a little girl who is trying so hard. She will light up when she knows the answer and then pale as she is called on...(sounds like the Attention Inactive Disorder) I said. She is imaginative and produces amazing writings but the words she should know are spelled phonetically. She pointed out that I taught her Spalding in home school. She Sees my daughter doing fairly well (this trills me) yet she does see that the issues in the future will hinder her badly once she gets to the Jr High level. She backed down from her stand a bit from when we spoke on the phone. After the special ED teacher was Sighting some testing that supposed to not pay attention to writing standards like spelling and sentence structure. Two of Doves big hindrances.

Then the Special ED teacher said this...oh yes she did!
Get ready for a jaw dropping temptation to anger.
Comparing the children to Swiss cheese...

well ya know she began..."Speaking of holes it sounds like most of our kids have way more holes than she does..."

"I understand that many children need your care but to suggest that just because her cheese is a bit more solid should dismiss her of getting the help she needs...You all need to know this When I adopted this child I became her guardian. That is my role. I am her guard and I will guard her to make sure that this kid will grow to become an interdependent adult and have the best life I can possibly give her. Although many of your kids parents may not do so for them, or may not be able too. Be assured that I am going to do so for my daughter.

They spoke a little of the kids who are in 5th grade and read at a 2nd grade level..."I said I understand that and I fight for them too.
I serve as a volunteer to the 3rd graders and help your at risk kids to learn to read weekly.

The teacher mentioned a type of computer software that might help kids like my daughter and if she could get a grant for it...I told her if I had
the $$$$$$ I would give it to her to do so. I told her to let me know what it is.

They agreed to test Dove and then if she does not qualify that they will get her a 504 writ of protection so that her needs would legally be considered...this the psyc and the Special ED teacher whispered about while the teacher was speaking.

I said I asked for this last year and I have been under the impression it was in place.

To her reply of "Oh most teacher teach like that anyway making sure that everyone's getting taught at their level, however in Jr High it would protect her." (boiling pot  at this point) I want this in place to protect her now. ( after thought ...and to empower the teachers with the equipment they need to do so for her and for other kids no one in fighting for.)

"Oh No she said it is only after the testing that it can be done if she does not quality"

...anger rose within me and I could feel it stirring me.

Breath I thought.

Then the teacher chimed in an apologized for the delay thinking it was her fault due to a short leave she took to become a grandmother. I assured her that her leave was a small measure it was the predecessor of the psyc. that dropped the ball on this.

They will test her in the Special Needs department for writing... I wish I would of caught that she needs an over all testing not just in writing elements. And the psyc will do the IQ and the observance note that she told me she would do that at the end of last year as well.

I took off my mom hat. As a woman asked them if they had children. They said yes. Then you should understand. Thanked them for their help and excused myself. The one S. ED teacher offered to get the door kindly...

OH!

The gift of the anger that came in my fatigue helped me to have the strength to do the meeting and to not be intimidated by people in authority.

the gift of anger is strength, I know that the Lord is my strength he got pretty angry too when he witnessed injustice to the needy. In fact He even was known to turn a few tables! :)