The Tour

Well we went and took a tour of the "crappy school" once again this past week, and I must say....it was a LOT different from the last time. Apparently some of the "powers that be" took our remarks to heart (regarding what we felt was wrong with the program when we took the tour last year), because they made some MAJOR changes to the program. I know part of the changes are due in part to the ISD taking over, however I was completely blown away by how different it was.

And to be 100% honest, the improvements to the program made it extremely difficult to find something negative about it. When we entered the building, I pretty much had my mind made up based on what we had seen last year....thus I was in a "I hate it" mode before walking in the door. But all of that quickly changed.....the classroom had been moved, the high heeled helper was no longer there, and everything was better.

The classroom space was much larger.....although it was in the same building as before, it had been moved to the other side of the building. Thus the room size was about twice as large as it had been last year....less cluttered and more inviting. The adjoining "relax/low stim room" had more space as well with lots of cool things like an exercise bike, a mini trampoline, and a swing. It was visually more inviting. By moving the location of the classrooms, there is now a locker area for the AI students at the end of the hall, a kitchen area on the corner where the life skills part of the class will take place, and a private drive right outside where the AI buses will line up for drop off/pick up.....thus the AI students aren't on the other side of the parking lot (where there is total chaos) with the regular general education buses. The other nice thing about the new location for the school buses, there will always be at least 2 adults outside to supervise the kids getting on and off the bus.....and at the transition location, there buses will also be in a different location with adult supervisors (thus a safer area for the AI kids).

They still have the mega sized swimming pool and swim time for the students, however with the changes that have taken place.....the doors to the pool area and locker rooms are kept locked when the pool is not being used, and the students are now supervised better during swim time.....thus less chance of an AI student wandering into the pool area alone and risking having something happen. But wait, that's not all.....now they also have life jackets available for the students to wear who aren't good swimmers (last year those weren't available).....and the students are required to wear the life jackets at all times when in the pool area until they have passed the swim test.

The "powers that be" took our remarks last year to heart, and made a LOT of changes to the program.....and we were told that IF we decide to have Taz enrolled in this program, he would have a one-on-one aide (unlike what we were told last year).....the teacher has reviewed his file in regards to where he is at academically, thus he would be going out for some general education classes and they have provisions in place just in case he has an "off" day and wouldn't be able to remain in the general education class (like math class for example) for the full hour. Thus he would definitely be working on grade level work and there is less of a chance that he would be behind academically (like how things were last year). The other positive thing, they are in the process of getting things worked out so IF Taz were to switch over to this program, his current aide "Miss A" would be able to go with him.....to help make the transition a bit easier....that is something that really made me happy to hear.

After the tour and having some time to speak to the teacher & new classroom assistant, and the ISD reps and other folks who had joined us on the tour.....we headed home to discuss our options and what would be the best choice for Taz at this point. The other change, unlike last year's tour....this year Taz's aide was able to go with us, thus as we walked around I asked her opinion of things and the various changes.....because aside from hubby and I, "Miss A" knows Taz so well that I know she would be able to help with pointing out where some trouble spots might be, things with the program that would & wouldn't work, etc. -- and like myself, "Miss A" had difficulty finding anything wrong with this new program and the many changes. Before we left the crappy school which now wasn't so crappy, I asked "Miss A" what her thoughts were.....it was like she had read my mind when she said "I really like it, and I think Taz will do well, perhaps we should give it a try?"

Once hubby & I returned home, we sat and discussed things in great detail. Just like last year, we made a list with both "positive" and "negative" columns, but unlike last year.....there were very few negatives that we could come up with. In all honesty, the only "negative" was the fact that this school is in the crappy part of town and at least a 30 minute drive from our house. Aside from that, we really loved all of the changes to the program and we both agreed that perhaps the best choice at this point in time was to agree to allow Taz to do the "30 day trial". Which according to the "powers that be" and the ISD rep, the 30 day trial would be something where we unofficially enroll Taz and let him test out this program.....then we would have a meeting before the end of the 30 day trial to determine where to go from there. If Taz is doing well, we would do all of the paperwork required to make him an officially enrolled student in the program, and he would continue with this program until the end of 8th grade. If for whatever reason things seem to not work out during the 30 day trial, we would determine what course of action to take from there instead (like for example, switch him back to a home base program). During this trial period, his aide would be at the new school working with him and assisting in teaching all of the new folks (teacher, classroom assistant, etc) what things work for Taz and what doesn't.

Thus after a lengthy discussion, we were in agreement....Taz would give this program a try and do the 30 day trial thing. I contacted our ISD rep, Mr. Pretty Frat Boy and gave him the news.....since it would be his job to get the ball rolling and do all of the needed paperwork, contact the transportation department for the ISD to arrange for bus transportation, set up a time and date for an IEP meeting, etc. The other positive about this year's tour....I had the opportunity to speak to the classroom teacher one-on-one....she assured me that her goal is not to send Taz home each day whenever there is a minor issue (like his current school did), her goal is to work through whatever the issue is and teach him coping skills. The ONLY time she sends a student home during the school day is if they are physically ill (vomiting, running a fever, etc) or if they are beyond the point of calming and trying to physically hurt themselves or someone else. As she said "I will call you if there is a problem, however my goal is to help him work through it not send him home whenever there is an issue. I have seen it all, dealt with it all....and unlike his current school, I know how to deal with students like him. My goal is to keep him at school for the entire day, not send him home just so I don't have to deal with whatever the issue is."

Hmmm, I have a feeling that this new teacher and I will get along just fine. She and I are so very similar in our thoughts, methods of dealing with issues, etc -- and we both have very strong opinions & aren't afraid to take on the "powers that be" to get what we want. Unlike the majority of the "team" at Taz's current school, this new teacher and her staff WANT to work with me -- they WANT to do what it takes to help Taz achieve his academic goals and be successful. This new teacher and staff WANT to see Taz succeed as much as we do.....and they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve those goals. So...that's where we are at right now.....stepping out on a new adventure, testing the waters so to speak to determine if this new program will work for Taz and help to get him back on track. Once again I'm feeling optimistic and hopeful.....so we'll see where things go from here. The next few weeks are going to be extremely busy with meetings, getting paperwork done, etc so I'll try to keep you all updated as much as possible. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well & this will be a positive new journey for us all.