Challenge Air

Cole had the amazing opportunity to participate in an event sponsored by Challenge Air, a non-profit organization that takes children with special needs for airplane rides. The event travels the country throughout the year, supported by individual pilots who lend their time, planes, and gasoline to take the kids for 1/2 hour rides around their community. It's really cool! The planes are neat...mostly four seater cesnas and hoppers (go me, getting the lingo down!)...There was a stunt pilot there who was just finishing a run when we arrived. I think he did stunts throughout the day but we were the first group to fly so we missed any further stunt flights. They also raffled off helicopter flights throughout the day. Dan went up with Cole and while they both seemed a little nervous at first, the smiles from both after were priceless! Cole's are bigger even now, having had some time to really digest what he experienced. It was a great morning!

Reconnecting

Since joining facebook I've reconnected with a great many people from my past...It seems strange on one hand to be communicating with someone I haven't been in touch with for twenty or more years and on the other hand it seems so comfortable...There are many people I held dear for a specific time in my life that I lost touch with but do think about from time to time. Life moves too quickly to dwell on past friendships or relationships so the moment passes until the next time. With facebook, or something like it, it's relatively simple to find someone without much exepditure of time or energy. Some people find you too. There's a comfort in knowing someone you think of occasionally, likewise thinks of you. Our past lays the foundation to our present. Some of the people I have reconnected with are people who have had influence on the person I am today. Others are people who passed through my life and now serve as reminder of times forgotten. There are also a few who will become or have become a part of my present. We now bring new depth to our past friendships, coming at them from new perspectives and with greater life experience and understanding. And for that I am grateful...

Reading, Writing, and 'Rithmetic

Dan and I had a "team meeting" with Cole's lead teacher, the inclusion specialist, and the LAUSD speech pathologist (a happy addition to the meeting) to talk about his progress thus far into the school year and specifically to ask for help and direction with regards to literacy. We have an inkling that Cole can read but have no idea as to how to gauge the level of comprehension or word recognition. He does well with spelling and recognition of sight words, a continuation from kindergarten. His interest level in books has risen to chapter books. Last year he was riveted by the Spiderwick Chronicles and the Magic Tree House series. When asked questions about what happened in previous chapters, he shows an awareness and recognition. And if I read the wrong sentence or word, he often indicates that something's amiss. To me, all indications that he's reading something.

Thankfully, his teachers do too. They encouraged us to continue with what we have been doing and to trust our instincts. They are working to develop methods to allow him to develop a phonetic vocabulary of letter and word sounds even if he himself is not actually saying the words. Understanding how they should sound and having the ability to sound words out phonetically in his head is important to his mastery of reading, writing and spelling. All skills he needs to stay on track with even at this early stage in his education. These are the first blocks...

Math wise, he's doing well. From what I can tell from my homework experience with him and math, is that it's more tangible. He recognizes numbers, understands what they represent, and can tangibly display this knowledge using sets of objects. It will get harder as math becomes more complex but he already has an excitement for math (and science) so my hope is that his interest will lead him.

It's a fascinating journey...There's so much that Dan and I have to learn as well in order to keep up with him and to support his skills. It will keep our minds sharp!

Cole's Me Bag

Cole's class has been doing Me Bag presentations each Friday. Cole's group did their presentations last Friday. The kids were asked to decorate a paper bag and then to tuck up to eight items that were meaningful to or descriptive of the child. At school the kids, one by one, shared why each item was included and answered questions about them.

Cole chose to decorate his bag (a sparkly blue gift bag reused from his birthday) with pictures of his life and some favorite things (like Ellen, Little Bill, Rachael Ray, and of course, his cousins). Surfing was represented, as was horseback riding and Bear & Charlie (his dog and cat).

The following items were included in the bag and the reasons are all Cole:

1. His wetsuit - I like my wetsuit because I like to swim in the ocean all day.

2. Igloo (Iggy), Cole's Polar Bear Webkinz - I have fun with my webkinz, Iggy, on the computer.

3. Nate the Great book - I like to read Nate the Great books because he's funny and solves mysteries.

4. Triangle Crayons - I like my crayons for coloring and my mom used them when we do math homework.

5. Wooden Toy Bowling Set - I love to go bowling!

6. Wooden Spoon - I like to help my mom and dad cook.

We programmed everything into his Tango! so he could do the presentation himself. Apparently, he thoroughly enjoyed his time up front and when it came time for the next child to do their presentation, he was loathe to leave the "stage". The hook came out and dragged him away!

I wish I could have been there to see him. I was there at drop-off and pick-up and did see a lot of other kids checking out the outside of his bag, surprised to see him engaging in so many different activities that they like to do too. It turned out to be a terrific way to share a little more about himself with his peers who didn't know he loved bowling, or that he could bowl in a wheelchair, or that he could ride horses, or boogie board. It made him happy to see the kids somewhat impressed with his achievements and interests. The bag was a good reminder for them that he's not all that different...

Cole's Class

Cole finally relented and allowed me to sign up as classroom volunteer this year. For years I've been trying to convince him to let me volunteer for an hour or two a week to help his classes and for years he's emphatically said NO! I've been respectful and done other things to help that didn't require me to be in or around his class but this year he said Yes! Yesterday was my first day...I ran a math center (and will be doing so weekly) and had so much fun getting to see all of the kids in the class setting. I know many of them from parties, playdates but not in this context, so it was awesome to have the chance to help out and to see them in class.

I had concerns about Cole's reaction, despite his allowance. We talked about the fact that I wouldn't be there as Cole's mom, but as Ms. Cynthia, there to help his teacher and to work with all of the children, not only Cole. He found this notion funny and seemed happy when I arrived for math...Things seemed to go well as each group passed through my "subtraction sentence" game center, but at the end his teacher asked me to stay after to talk. ??? Turns out I was a huge distraction to the boy who did not focus on his work in his centers despite reprimand from his teacher and the other center leader. She said she wouldn't ask me not to come, yet, but that if he didn't get over the novelty, I'd have to stop volunteering in class. I was just glad he didn't cry when I came in or left but now I have to worry about him not doing his work because I'm there...

I just don't know...perhaps he and I are better off having the independence from one another that school time affords us. I believe that's why he fought against me being in class previously. School time is sacred it him. It's HIS time. His opportunity to be Cole alone...It's important, valuable time for him. And now I'm thinking for me too...