Saturday, October 01, 2011

10/1/11 Notes to the principal

I can't believe I spent any time writing this message tonight, but I had to.

Our usually sensible principal, who had several conversations with Julian last week, said that Julian himself had come up with a consequence for being sent out of his classroom too many times. If he gets sent out of the class 4 times in a week, the principal would -- ready for this? -- call us out of work and send him home! Home! Now that's a punishment all kids fear. And it was all Julian's idea!

And I thought Gabriel was frustrating. We just can't seem to get it into Julian's head that he has to stop this horrible behavior. He's getting close to getting kicked out of the CDC, in fact. Friday he threw something at a CDC teacher (a clay rock or something), and it hit her in the forehead. When she scolded him, he said, "Well, it didn't knock you unconscious!" THE NERVE!!! I made him apologize to her and say "yes ma'am." That was after ignoring another CDC teacher's instruction to go outside with the rest of his group and so much disobedience that the CDC director took the rare step of calling Dave at work and almost asking him to take Julian home -- and this is without his even knowing about the throwing incident, and without the additional incentive of Gabriel there.

This weekend, I turned down a second playdate for Julian because he's grounded. Any visit to the principal's office is an immediate week of grounding, and Julian was there more times than I can count this week -- four I think, if you include a continued conversation so he could think about "strategies" overnight. Everyone at school and CDC are increasingly frustrated with him. His teacher is requesting an "IST" for him now, which is the start of a formal process to evaluate him and review strategies. At the CDC, they're instituting a behavior plan, something we have to sign and agree to, and which could include us getting called out of work.

We rarely drive at night, but we had on Friday to pick up Dave's car, so I got to hear Julian and Katrina chatting. I was really struck by how Julian embraced the role of teacher. "Did you know that the moon does not produce its own light?" he quizzed Katrina. He told her so many things about stars and the sun that when he stopped, she'd say, "Julian, teach me more about the sky!" He has a keen interest and a clear mind for science -- how do we harness that and turn him around in school?

Katrina has no problem writing and creating, she does it all the time now. This was particularly amusing today.

One more day before I start my new job! And my closet is nowhere closer to being done!

10/1/11

No comments: