So yesterday I had a meeting with Max's IEP team (Michelle/OT and Dawn/Speech). Oh my fucking GAWD. Dawn (who I didn't even recognize at first because I never see the woman and she never gives me any documentation/info without my having to beg for it) was all "oh geeee, I just don't knooowwww if Montessori is a good idea for Max; I don't knooowwww if they'll do anything good for him; he's made soooo much progress and I just don't knooowwww anything whatsoever about Montessori; I'm just here to advocate for Max and make sure he gets what he neeeeeeds, bla bla bla" and then MICHELLE who has been nothing but enthusiastic and supportive about the whole thing so far is suddenly all "I haven't heard back from Amy and I don't know if she's going to want to work with us and I'm just worried bla bla bla."
A "professional" speech therapist who works exclusively with children should probably have at least a minimal knowledge of other education philosophies outside of the ONE school district she services. And where does she get off with the "I'm just Max's advocate and want what's best for him" with the puppy dog eyes.
And Michelle? Love her to death and she has done truly amazing things for Max, but since when is it on ME to do her job and follow through when she hasn't gotten a reply she needs? She's string there bleating about how gee, she hasn't heard back from Amy-Anne after their last email exchange and golly, what if they don't want her to work with Max and oh no, maybe I offended her. Ok, so do what any semi-intelligent person would do -- follow up with an email or better yet, a phone call and just say "hey, let's touch base about Max; let me know your thoughts about working with him and what would work best for everyone; please get back to me at your earliest convenience."
And just to make it that much more special, DO YOU HAVE TO WAIT INTIL LITERALLY ONE HOUR AFTER HE'S JUST LEFT HIS OLD PRESCHOOL FOR THE LAST TIME???? If there were concerns, they could have been brought up in NOVEMBER 2011 when I first told you I was considering switching him over. GAAAAH.
So of course they totally have me second-guessing this shit AGAIN and all panicky about yet another Montessori disaster. Tapped right into the last remnants of my PTSD from our first go-round. It was not a pretty day.
I was on shaky emotional ground anyway because of the http://storycorps.org/listen/stories/dennis-and-buelah-apple/ Storycorps episode that I had woken up to; compounded by having just picked Max up from St. Mark's for the last time and feeling very bittersweet about the end of this stage. Top with having a cold and being a bit fatigued, and it was just a clusterfuck of epic proportions.
And I remember when they were infants and thinking, "it can only get easier from here, right?" It is to laugh.
Onward.
2 comments:
He's going to be fine. He's going to be fine. He's going to be fine. He's going to be fine . . .
(and so will you)
xo
Max will be Ok. I know how it is dealing with IEP's, the support and lack there of it. You have to keep on them to get any progress! what's worse teachers are clueless and do not follow the IEP thats been set into place. Matt's Occupational therapist was never consistent, sometimes she would tell him one coping mechanism and 2 weeks later contradicted herself.
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