My life has changed drastically since I began homeschooling. When I started out I lived on the south side of a huge city in a rented coachhouse. Currently, I live in a homeless shelter in the same big city, but on the far north side. This is the second shelter we have lived in; we stayed for about 9 months in the first one and we have lived for a little over a month in the second one.
D., my precious son, attended public school for about two months this year, and it broke my heart to have to send him there; my case manager at the first shelter insisted on it, so I could look for steady employment which would lead to permanent housing. My son's IEP was written in June 2008 for the 2008-2009 school year. The school counselor was wonderful; he sent my son to a cross-categorical 4-week summer program for children with special needs. There were only 4 children in the summer program, a teacher, and someone to assist the teacher. This program was to help my son become acclimated to a classroom setting, to help with his speech, pragmatics, articulation, pitch, etc. Both I and my son loved the program.
The counselor and I agreed that my son would need help with transitioning to public school. Therefore, he was to have one-on-one paraprofessional support (also known as a one-on-one aide) to help him with transitions, executive functions, social network navigation, etc. (A diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome means huge social deficits).
On the Friday before school began, I decided to stop by the school to see if all was well, if my son's aide was in place, to show my boy around the new school etc. Lo and behold, there was a new school counselor and a new school principal. The new counselor told me that the previous counselor and the previous princiapal had failed to complete the required paperwork to request a one-on-one aide. Therefore, no one would be available to help him on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, when he was to begin school. I told them I would be happy to serve as my child's assistant until they provided one for him. However, when my boy and I went to school on September 2, they had pulled an aide from the Special Education classroom to work with him on a temporary basis, until they could get a permanent aide for him.
I visited the 'mainstream" general education teacher on the first day of school, and she told me how long she had been teaching, what a great teacher she was, how all the children who had been in her classes were taught well, etc. So much for the Bible's instructions, "Let another man give thee thy praise and not thy own lips." This teacher had taught 7th and 8th grade during the 2007--2008 school year, but here she was for the 2008--2009, about to return to teaching 3rd grade. She talked a lot about her personal problems, her educational background, and how much she had suffered as an African American teacher at the school. She knew little about Asperger's and wasn't interested. Once she told me that my son's behaviors were attributable to his only child status. I let her know kindly, but firmly, that she was uninformed.
After my son was at the school for two months, I pulled him out of the school and returned to homeschooling. He was bullied, teased, and sexually propositioned at the school. Fortunately, he was not beat up or molested by another child. On January 23, 2009, my son and I had to move to yet another shelter. Our time was up at the first shelter; in addition to this, an adult client at the first shelter verbally assaulted my son due to a conflict between my son, D., and her daughter, and I had to protect him.
Please pray for me and D., my son. Jesus is still Lord and God is still a deliverer. I know that he will give me a job, housing, etc., while still allowing me to homeschool D., as it is what is best for D. I have found a program for David that will allow him to improve his social skills in a safe environment. Also, pray that God will bless me with the finances to enroll my son in this program. Then, I can work part time.
Thank you for your prayers and for reading my blog.