My Kid Won The Awesome Teacher Lottery.

Game Boy has never really lucked out when it comes to the awesome teacher lottery. Oh I'm sure there is one. You have your average so so teacher that is pretty much there to do her job and that is about it. Then you have the golden teacher that not only does her job but loves it and cares about her kids. Game Boy finally won the lottery.

Here is a background on his previous teachers- His kindergarten teacher was awesome, let's face it you have to be some kind of wonderful to teach kindergarten, so she doesn't count. His first grade teacher was so so, nothing to swoon about. GB's second grade teacher had taught for 30 plus years and was on her last year before retiring. As you can probably imagine, she did what she needed to do and that was it. The burn out was obvious.
3rd grade is an important year for a kid, you've got multiplication thrown at you and cursive plus the dreded TAKS tests (Texas testing that is). I honestly don't think any of these things were solidly taught to GB. It was his 3rd grade teachers first year of teaching, not to mention the fact that she was pregnant and missed over half of the year. I rarely, if ever saw graded work taken home. I'm not sure if it was the kid not bringing it home or the teacher and many subs that didn't enforce taking it home.
I admit, I was pretty naive about the whole teacher situation. I just figured it was the "norm" for a public education. He was bringing home report cards and progress reports and his grades were "decent" and I guess I felt that was good enough. I didn't realize how much he lost out with such ineffective instruction.

Then along came Mrs. B. She not only loves her job, loves her students, but she loves the parents too and knows our(my) concerns for my child. I want to be her BFF and hang with her and do whatever BFF's do. I'm seriously serious about that. She reminds me so much of "Becky" in her personality/enthusiasm and looks that it's mind bending (maybe I've been missing on "Becky" here lately) how similar they are.

I knew I loved her after our first few e-mails. When we had our first parent teacher meeting earlier last month; she was not in the least bit of a hurry to speak with us and get us out the door. Something I felt all the time with his previous teachers. The instant I expressed my concerns about the TAKS, she knew instantly where I was going with it before I even got to the point I was trying to ask. The cherry on top is she has true concern for MY kid and knows he is smart and can succeed.

This extra attention and concern has been felt by my kid and I can tell he is truly doing his very best to succeed, not only for himself but I'm pretty sure for Mrs. B. too. He has never had this kind of heartfelt concern from a teacher and he knows this is something different.
Yesterday was the Math TAKS for 4th grade. I know that the schools of Texas put a considerable amount of pomp and circumstance for this week of testing. It really makes me sick..but that's a whole post all together. On top of all the TAKS hoopla, I found a note in GB's lunch box written by Mrs. B. It almost brought me to tears. She expressed her accolades of GB's success and knows and believes that he will be successful and that she is so down right proud of him. GB said she gave a letter to every kid, but this letter spoke volumes to me. This was not just a generic good luck on your test kind of letter, this was from the heart. You bet your bottom dollar I'm keeping that letter in his school keepsakes.

Thank you Mrs. B for your dedication and love for my child. I will always be grateful for everything you did for GB. I will miss you terribly next year and just cross my fingers that my next 2 boys win the awesome teacher lottery.

No Matter How You Phrase It, It's Still A Lie.

I've had this post conjured in my head for awhile and am just now getting to it. I know your all sick of hearing every last detail of the move but I have to document this last story to at least remind my oldest child in the distant future the torment he put me through.

The Monday a week before the move; I told the boys explicitly that they need to tell their teachers that Friday will be their last day. I meant to send their teacher's an e-mail to give them a heads up, but figured they could handle it. I was wrong.

On Friday morning, I took Gameboy into school and let the office know that it was his last day so they could prepare the paperwork when I got him that afternoon. No problems.

Friday afternoon as soon as the movers packed up; I decided to pick the boys up early since I would have paperwork to fill out. I left at 2:30 which was probably pushing it on early since school got out at 3, but I figured that was plenty of time.

The office called Gameboy in. It took him awhile, which was fine. I figured he had a bit of stuff to carry and plus it's a far walk from the annexed part of the school. When he arrived the secretary asked him directly, "Did you turn in all of your library books?" He answered with a straight, "Pretty much." I was a bit skeptical of his answer, but figured he wouldn't lie to a school authority. At this point its 2:50 a little later than I would have liked to leave to get Wonderboy but it would be ok. We walked out of the school and I looked at him and his backpack. His backpack looked nothing like a bag would look when stuffed with supplies of his to take home. I immediately started asking him if he got all of the school supplies I paid for his stuff. I took one look in his bag and what appeared before me shocked me. Not only did he have his library book but also his school math book. I almost went ballistic on him. Instead I turned him right around to explain to the secretary why he lied. His excuse was that he didn't have time to tell the teacher. I was baffled.

We sent him back to class. Can you imagine being a teacher and only assuming that your student was just leaving for an early dismissal and not having any idea that it was your student's last day of school? That causes a bit of a problem when you have a line of students waiting to be dismissed and your delayed because you have to help this student get all of his stuff together right at 3 o clock, so he can leave for good.

For most normal kids this still may have not been to much of a problem, not my kid. My kid has a pack rat problem. He has one of those desks that have the little cubbie in it. This a very bad thing for a pack rat as it's the perfect little spot to cram every paper and every reading booklet and whatever you can get your hands on, into. It was crammed full of un turned in papers and of some of the teachers reading materials. This was not a job for the faint of heart and was going to take awhile.

I had to go back to the office and ask if they could call Wonderboy's school to let them know I'd be quite a bit delayed. I returned back to his class and he hadn't even broken halfway through. A sweet little girl remained after school to help him.

While he went through his papers, the teacher and I lectured him about responsibility. She told me that he is a little genius but the effort is just not there. This wasn't news to me. She also stated that he literally sits back in his chair with his hands behind his head, lost in day dreams. That's my little thinker. Sigh.

She did tell him one thing that I thought was very important. She said; "Your lucky, you get to start a clean slate at a new school with a new teacher. Not only will this school and teacher, see your records with your grades; but they will also see your old school and your old teacher. You are representing all of us to this new school; so you better show them that we did a good job for you and that we won't disappoint them."

I think and hope he's learned a lesson. I will say this. I understood his weird way of thinking in his procrastination. We think similarily alike in these type of situations. I believe that he felt that he didn't want to "bother" the teacher about having to get his stuff together for his last day. He probably thought about what the easiest way would be to just walk away and not say anything. This way he wouldn't be bothering them and since he's leaving anyway it wouldn't matter, he would just be gone. Easier thought than done.

Since this episode, he has been carrying out his punishment for lying and un finished work..there was a lot. This Friday his punishment will finally end. It was basically no video games for a month. Quite harsh I admit, his dad when told this story was understandably furious.
We hope he's learned a lesson in all this, that lying and short cuts are not the easy way out. I question him daily on his turned in papers. He said he has even incorporated his new classmates to help him keep his desk clutter free. We shall wait and see.

We Went To The Zoo How Bout You?

I took the day off to go field trippin with GB. Despite the dooming threat of storms and a looming rat over my head at the cheetah exhibit it was pretty good.
I'm not really sure where the rat came from, all I know is it freaked the other mom I was hanging out with and it was not reassuring that she was literally pointing right above my head. Heebie Jeebies? Yes.
I love our little zoo in getting to big for it's pants medium size town. I used to really love it when it was free. I could sit all day in the elephant look out just watching them.
The only other halfway interesting thing was the way the leopard.. ahem... did his buisness. I know you really didn't ask to know, but it really was quite entertaining to a bunch of third graders. Lets just say he squated on his big rock. He certainly was the center of attention.
We were very lucky that we just got a slight shower as we were waiting to get into the zoo classroom. The wind though was sure whipping down the plains.

I really have no point to this post. I just wanted to share with you my close encounter with the rat, that I never did see. Oh and maybe to show off a few pics..cause I really have nothing else. I didn't get as many as I wanted. Something about actually having to help GB do his zoo project. They were there to actually learn.



We did leave early due to the threatening storms. What did I do? I went home and took a nice long leisurely nap. I declared it a mini early mother's day gift to myself.

What's Normal Anyway?

I probably never mentioned anything about Wonderboy and how he's doing in school. I guess it's a sensitive subject for me, similar to my sisters situation. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about...let me explain.

Wonderboy is not in the typical grade that he should be for his age of 8. Technically he should be in 2nd but he's not. He's in Special Ed, there I said it. Not that there's anything wrong with that. When asked in "public" what grade he is in, it's difficult for me to just admit he's in S.E. so I just say 2nd so I don't have to deal with the questions.
Most likely he will always need some sort of special assistance through out his schooling. Though I've heard and read nightmare stories of the public education system of Special Ed, I've always had 100% support and nothing but the best teachers and staff working with him. I do feel blessed and thankful for that.
Lucky for WB he is totally immersed with "normal" kids 90% of the time. This I think I'm very grateful for. He is a typical "normal" kid on the outside and in, he just lacks the socialization and comprehensive tendencies of most kids his age. Which being with the other SE kids all the time, I think would hinder him more.
Every year all of his teachers and hubs and I meet to discuss his future education plan. Every year they have high hopes of sending him off to 100% immersion with the intended grade. Every year his testing results indicate that he's again not ready yet. He probably never will be ready. It's a bitter-sweet pill to swallow.

I know I have to accept the fact that he probably won't ever be "normal". The hardest part is trying to explain to Gameboy why WB is different in that he doesn't go to "normal" school and doesn't have homework like he does. Why he doesn't even go to the same school as he does. Yet I've been in Gameboy's shoes. I understand his questions and feelings that his brother is treated "special" or thoughts that he's not quite like everyone else. I know these things because my sister was and is the same way.
The bitterness and hurt come about when thinking thoughts of having a "normal" relationship with a sibling. I sometimes think how unfair it is that I can't just call my sister on the phone and have a sisterly chat or even really do sisterly "normal" things. I then sometimes start thinking of GB and BB if thy will get to have "normal" brotherly conversations and do brotherly things together with WB. I have to reassure myself that yes, yes they will have as "normal" a brotherly relationship as they do now and hopefully in the future.
Besides, what's "normal" anyway?

Party Like Its 1999

We always tell Gameboy that the song 1999 is his song, since he was born then. Since I'm beyond exhausted after going to bed late and then getting up at 3 in the morning to tend to the sick birthday boy and now all the exhaustion of running amuck for his party..Im a pooped partier. With that I bring you a montage of pictures with out the montage song. Just think of Artist Formerly and Now Reformerly known as Prince song 1999...it's stuck in your head now isn't it?

Why yes he did get to go to Geofferys store and picked out everything he wanted. Cause were lazy when it comes to wrapping things or there just wasn't any tape or paper around.
Thats gonna leave a mark
Yeah he's mighty proud
I love it when a birthday number is even..its all about the candle ratio being even to bring balance back to the force. Yeah I'm weird when it comes to numbers and don't even realize it.
I love how I got it right as some of the candles were going out.