Sorry for the long story here guys but I'm just so proud of my boy that I can't hold it in!
My youngest, Norman, was labeled AD/HD in Kindergarten and placed in Special Ed.
Then, by the time he was in third grade they told me his IQ score was so low that
he would be considered mentally retarded. Yet everyone remarked at how quick
he was to come up with a joke or a play on words!
We continued going to the IEP (individual educational program) meetings and hearing
about how slow he was; one teacher even recounted that Norman had told her that
he wanted to go to college and become a doctor. She sat there and laughed about it.
That well, you can imagine, really ticked me off. But, being non-violent I spared her my wrath.
I asked them why he was still having to do redundant practice with his times tables;
in the 6th grade no less. This boy has a knack with numbers, puzzles, and patterns
that just boggles my mind!
I got to thinking about it and remembered how Einstein, Thomas Edison, and others had
been labeled addled by their teachers. Now I'm not saying my kid's an Einstein but I know
he's got a lot more going on upstairs than these "educational experts" are seeing.
So, I pulled him out of school to homeschool him. I threw some higher math at him just to
see what would happen. Not only could he grasp the concepts of Algebra, but even some Calculus!
He's a slow reader so he and I went to the bookstore and I let him pick out a few he liked. He got
some that had a lot of pictures, but that's ok. Stuff he was interested in like snakes, puzzle books,
and he also wanted a Chess set.
After a few months he started missing his friends and begged me to let him go back to school. So,
I took him back and re-enrolled him. But, I also showed the special ed team the work he had done
as proof of what he was capable of. I said, "look, start moving this kid forward instead of holding
him back. He simply has a processing deficit and very slight Cerebral Palsy. I'd like for you to start
searching for and helping him develop his talents like I do at home, and I guarantee you'll never laugh at him
again. Oh, and one more thing, if this boy wants to be a doctor then who are we to tell him he can't?"
And I walked out.
Well, now he's almost 17, he's been out of Special Ed and mainstreamed for the past 2 years.
Last night he brought home a report card with A's and B's in Biology, English, Geometry, and History.
He's a whiz at Chess and other strategy games.
Where he used to fight us tooth and toenail to get him up to go to school; he now goes to bed on time
without being told, gets up every morning, dresses nicely, and reminds us often that he's working very
hard to get into College so he can go to medical school.
I can't wait to give him that Graduation present that says, "Norman L. Denning M.D." to hang on his door someday!
~Karen
Your Go to Gal
Topic: One Proud Mama Here! (Read 2595 times)