The boy finished 4th grade with a bang. Um, a good one not a bad one, clarification totally necessary for this kid.
Mrs Y was awesome for Z, exactly what he needed - tough but loving, fair & from what we could tell, did not play favorites. Z would play his games, check his boundaries, but between Mrs Y, BFF (the VP) & B the little one didn't get away with much. lots of growing up was to be had for Z, he did well academically & socially.
although we didn't get the results until right before school started for the state testing, Z missed only 1 on the entire math section & was above average for his english/reading/writing/literature/whatever it was. the intelligence is there, it's the behavior & self control that limit him. i think Z even surprised himself at his achievement.
B finished another semester in nursing school, one year down!
nothing to report for me, same old routine.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Friday, December 28, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
May 2012
I forget what April was for but there was a lot going on in May.
The boy turned 10yo. Yes, really he did.
We had a little party at the house, but nothing to big as we were on our way to Hawaii. Yeah, how many people get that for a 10th birthday?
We did the total tourist route from going to a Lilo & Stitch luau to the Polynesian cultural center. I took a mini hula lesson & failed miserably (no bouncing in hula, it's all side to side & I got too much ghetto in me). C showed us Chinatown that was walking distance from her apt & we ate at a shrimp truck up near the North shore. For Z's birthday we went on a submarine ride that was awesome. We saw turtles, rays & a shark! C took us to a few sacred places, on a hike here & there, we're probably cursed for trespassing...
Upon our return at like 1am on Sunday we were all beyond exhausted & unfortunately had to hit the ground running the next day. Our return flight was delayed, the shuttle to our car was late, the onramp to the freeway was closed...murphy's law at it's best.
I'd missed only 4 days from work, but that included timesheets so I returned to chaos. Although I was distracted all day by the constant hoping Z was having a good day & I wouldn't get a phone call from my BFF. He made it though & Momma was oh so happy!
The boy turned 10yo. Yes, really he did.
We had a little party at the house, but nothing to big as we were on our way to Hawaii. Yeah, how many people get that for a 10th birthday?
We did the total tourist route from going to a Lilo & Stitch luau to the Polynesian cultural center. I took a mini hula lesson & failed miserably (no bouncing in hula, it's all side to side & I got too much ghetto in me). C showed us Chinatown that was walking distance from her apt & we ate at a shrimp truck up near the North shore. For Z's birthday we went on a submarine ride that was awesome. We saw turtles, rays & a shark! C took us to a few sacred places, on a hike here & there, we're probably cursed for trespassing...
Upon our return at like 1am on Sunday we were all beyond exhausted & unfortunately had to hit the ground running the next day. Our return flight was delayed, the shuttle to our car was late, the onramp to the freeway was closed...murphy's law at it's best.
I'd missed only 4 days from work, but that included timesheets so I returned to chaos. Although I was distracted all day by the constant hoping Z was having a good day & I wouldn't get a phone call from my BFF. He made it though & Momma was oh so happy!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
house of good news
[part of that is bc we just aren't going to talk about the bad, stupid stuff]
today we got Z's report card, which is also 1st parent teacher conference of the year. i met his teacher at the beginning of the year for back to school night & B's been in to speak with her to check up on the boy, but other than that we haven't had much interaction.
overall on his report card, she said Z was a very bright child, for math he performs at grade level & could probably do better if he chose to. his reading & language wasn't quite as strong, but she said it wasn't anything to really be concerned about, that boys seem to have more trouble writing & reading. then for for life skills, he got all 'S's [satisfactory] with only 'N's [needs improvement] in observes classroom rules & demonstrates self control.
which, you know, could be SO much worse....
she also let us know she read some of his reports from last year, but she thinks he's grown up & is learning how to behave more appropriately.
i think this year's teacher is a much better fit for Z.
& now, we know what other parents feel like, this is how it's supposed to be.
good job kiddo!
today we got Z's report card, which is also 1st parent teacher conference of the year. i met his teacher at the beginning of the year for back to school night & B's been in to speak with her to check up on the boy, but other than that we haven't had much interaction.
overall on his report card, she said Z was a very bright child, for math he performs at grade level & could probably do better if he chose to. his reading & language wasn't quite as strong, but she said it wasn't anything to really be concerned about, that boys seem to have more trouble writing & reading. then for for life skills, he got all 'S's [satisfactory] with only 'N's [needs improvement] in observes classroom rules & demonstrates self control.
which, you know, could be SO much worse....
she also let us know she read some of his reports from last year, but she thinks he's grown up & is learning how to behave more appropriately.
i think this year's teacher is a much better fit for Z.
& now, we know what other parents feel like, this is how it's supposed to be.
good job kiddo!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
it happened....what we've all been waiting for
FINALLY OMG!!!!!
so whenever, i'm talking every.single.time.my.[cell].phone.rings.at.work, there's a little panic in my heart that it's my bff peggy [Z's vp] calling not to share her new fab recipe, but to tell me Z's in trouble. again.
but it happened.
the day of redemption.
she called.
my phone rang.
my heart skipped a bit.
& by now, i'm pretty sure girlfriend knows i know what's about to be said, so she starts out with "Z's ok, he's not hurt, but i would like to talk to about something that happened today".
gulp.
[actually is more of - now wtf? but whatever....]
the boys were playing a game during recess which involved kicking a ball, but you know how things get out of hand [& here's where Z kicks some kid's a** - usually].
but IT DIDN'T.
Z used his words.
& he didn't kick, punch or bite anyone either!
[rememberprison playground brawl '09]
nor did he piss on any walls.
[at least not that we're aware of]
so, the kicking got out of control & a gaggle of boys got to visit bff peggy. Z was the only one that didn't get in trouble; he blocked kicks to defend himself & did not kick anyone back.
peggy called to let us know how proud she was of Z; that he was growing up & making better choices & she wanted us to be aware of it.
yes, you read that right.
9 years, 5 months, 3 days is all it took.
so whenever, i'm talking every.single.time.my.[cell].phone.rings.at.work, there's a little panic in my heart that it's my bff peggy [Z's vp] calling not to share her new fab recipe, but to tell me Z's in trouble. again.
but it happened.
the day of redemption.
she called.
my phone rang.
my heart skipped a bit.
& by now, i'm pretty sure girlfriend knows i know what's about to be said, so she starts out with "Z's ok, he's not hurt, but i would like to talk to about something that happened today".
gulp.
[actually is more of - now wtf? but whatever....]
the boys were playing a game during recess which involved kicking a ball, but you know how things get out of hand [& here's where Z kicks some kid's a** - usually].
but IT DIDN'T.
Z used his words.
& he didn't kick, punch or bite anyone either!
[remember
nor did he piss on any walls.
[at least not that we're aware of]
so, the kicking got out of control & a gaggle of boys got to visit bff peggy. Z was the only one that didn't get in trouble; he blocked kicks to defend himself & did not kick anyone back.
peggy called to let us know how proud she was of Z; that he was growing up & making better choices & she wanted us to be aware of it.
yes, you read that right.
9 years, 5 months, 3 days is all it took.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
halloween paybacks
for weeks Z & I went back & forth on costumes. i took him to the party store, we looked at walmart & target, then finally to the halloween shop.
he wanted bloody scream & i said no; too gruesome & he wore a mask last year, i wanted to see his face. we finally agreed on a swat-team grey camo costume with a muscled chest & a helmet with glasses. at home he put it on & decided he didn't want it.
then....on friday when i went to pick him up the school parking lot was packed. i was a bit confused until i realized it was the school halloween "carnival". so i ask him if he wants to go, of course, so then does that mean he will wear the swat costume? bc if he does, that means it's his for halloween. yes and no were his answers.....
he decided to wear his costume from last year; it was a black robe with blue material on the front & a mask from a star wars character (blue with little horns around the head). i was fine with that & we all went back to school.
& everyone one we saw Z had to tell them that he was wearing last year's costume.....thanks kiddo.
he wanted bloody scream & i said no; too gruesome & he wore a mask last year, i wanted to see his face. we finally agreed on a swat-team grey camo costume with a muscled chest & a helmet with glasses. at home he put it on & decided he didn't want it.
then....on friday when i went to pick him up the school parking lot was packed. i was a bit confused until i realized it was the school halloween "carnival". so i ask him if he wants to go, of course, so then does that mean he will wear the swat costume? bc if he does, that means it's his for halloween. yes and no were his answers.....
he decided to wear his costume from last year; it was a black robe with blue material on the front & a mask from a star wars character (blue with little horns around the head). i was fine with that & we all went back to school.
& everyone one we saw Z had to tell them that he was wearing last year's costume.....thanks kiddo.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
finally
i'm back, i know, it's been way too long...
work was kicking my butt, i was completely exhausted all the time, plenty of nights i was going to bed at 8:30. then the laptop up & died, without a cursory blue screen of death....i got vertical lines of color & the screen went out. luckily, i was able to get all my bookmarks & thankfully i didn't keep anything on there before it was gone.
Z's been busy with school. i almost am afraid to say it, but my bff hasn't called lately. although Z did get a red card the other (which really, who cares if bff doesn't call, i'm good). he started guitar lessons a few weeks ago; he goes back & forth between liking it & not....because he actually has to practice. he's also still doing the cub scout thing, but along the same lines, he's not all that into it other than going to the meetings, he's not down with extra effort. reports cards are coming out soon, i don't think anyone around here is looking forward to that.
B's also been busy doing his nursing thing. thankfully his class load isn't too heavy, but he's about to start his clinicals soon, so that will be interesting. they actually went to check things out last week & the entire class got stuck in the parking lot elevator....for an hour. glad i wasn't there, i would most surely have to pee or something.
i think i've gotten into the swing of things with working. one day i forgot to put on anti-antiperspirant...while it was still very summer. another day i forgot to brush my teeth. seriously! how could i, clean teeth freak forget i really don't know! what's worse, i couldn't come home at lunch to brush them. so i used wet paper towels to rub them a little, chewed several pieces of gum & popped breath mints, often & managed to survive the day.
my mom still isn't talking to me.
i miss nana like crazy still, her birthday back in september was a rough day.
work was kicking my butt, i was completely exhausted all the time, plenty of nights i was going to bed at 8:30. then the laptop up & died, without a cursory blue screen of death....i got vertical lines of color & the screen went out. luckily, i was able to get all my bookmarks & thankfully i didn't keep anything on there before it was gone.
Z's been busy with school. i almost am afraid to say it, but my bff hasn't called lately. although Z did get a red card the other (which really, who cares if bff doesn't call, i'm good). he started guitar lessons a few weeks ago; he goes back & forth between liking it & not....because he actually has to practice. he's also still doing the cub scout thing, but along the same lines, he's not all that into it other than going to the meetings, he's not down with extra effort. reports cards are coming out soon, i don't think anyone around here is looking forward to that.
B's also been busy doing his nursing thing. thankfully his class load isn't too heavy, but he's about to start his clinicals soon, so that will be interesting. they actually went to check things out last week & the entire class got stuck in the parking lot elevator....for an hour. glad i wasn't there, i would most surely have to pee or something.
i think i've gotten into the swing of things with working. one day i forgot to put on anti-antiperspirant...while it was still very summer. another day i forgot to brush my teeth. seriously! how could i, clean teeth freak forget i really don't know! what's worse, i couldn't come home at lunch to brush them. so i used wet paper towels to rub them a little, chewed several pieces of gum & popped breath mints, often & managed to survive the day.
my mom still isn't talking to me.
i miss nana like crazy still, her birthday back in september was a rough day.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
what happened at school
i thought Z had matured over the summer, maybe i was wrong. he did well at the summer play place we sent him to, granted it wasn't all day but still. i thought the new teacher was a good fit, not that i've changed my mind, it's just another piece in the puzzle.
my bff called tues; i told her Z had grown up, how we liked his new teacher & that we hoped this year would be much better than last. she was calling to check in, she had sent a message home for us to have a meeting to re-assess everything after last year's review, but i hadn't received the notice. based on my words she decided to wait a few weeks to set up the meeting.
on weds i missed her call. i also missed B's 2 calls, i didn't have a clue what was up until i got home.
Z had gotten in trouble.
someone had told him to hit another kid.
so he did.
a girl.
then he asked her if she was ok, she said yes.
then he asked her if she wanted to tell a supervisor, she said no.
then later she did & Z went to the office.
so 3 weeks into the school year & he's used up his one chance.
he was given "school suspension" where he went to a different classroom for the day.
my bff called tues; i told her Z had grown up, how we liked his new teacher & that we hoped this year would be much better than last. she was calling to check in, she had sent a message home for us to have a meeting to re-assess everything after last year's review, but i hadn't received the notice. based on my words she decided to wait a few weeks to set up the meeting.
on weds i missed her call. i also missed B's 2 calls, i didn't have a clue what was up until i got home.
Z had gotten in trouble.
someone had told him to hit another kid.
so he did.
a girl.
then he asked her if she was ok, she said yes.
then he asked her if she wanted to tell a supervisor, she said no.
then later she did & Z went to the office.
so 3 weeks into the school year & he's used up his one chance.
he was given "school suspension" where he went to a different classroom for the day.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
the interview
my job listing did come up, i applied & later received a notice from HR that my salary requirements exceeded the position. they provided a range & said if i didn't reply accepting it, i would be dropped from the pool. i contacted F that night & asked if this was negotiable. i had put a salary higher than what i was currently making bc i thought it was standard practice to negotiate during the interview process, in addition i'm not taking their medical benefits which are a large portion of their package.
F did speak with me the following am & explained his hands were tied by HR, but there were other things he could do. that was good enough for me so i replied to the message.
F & i interviewed the other day & even though i know him, i was still nervous & uncomfortable. the HR guy was part of the interview process as well & he had 3 pages of questions. F asked him if we really had to do all that? if we had to ask all the questions? there were moments that were easy, but there was a question i choked on & F had to lead me to an answer.
as far as i know he didn't interview anyone else for the job (a benefit of calendar management) & i forgot to ask when they would be making a decision (mainly bc i did so poorly on the interview).
i don't know why i was so nervous, but i was & i was so mad at myself later i ended up with a headache.
good thing my boss likes me!
F did speak with me the following am & explained his hands were tied by HR, but there were other things he could do. that was good enough for me so i replied to the message.
F & i interviewed the other day & even though i know him, i was still nervous & uncomfortable. the HR guy was part of the interview process as well & he had 3 pages of questions. F asked him if we really had to do all that? if we had to ask all the questions? there were moments that were easy, but there was a question i choked on & F had to lead me to an answer.
as far as i know he didn't interview anyone else for the job (a benefit of calendar management) & i forgot to ask when they would be making a decision (mainly bc i did so poorly on the interview).
i don't know why i was so nervous, but i was & i was so mad at myself later i ended up with a headache.
good thing my boss likes me!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
4th grade!
Z started 4th grade today, he was happy & anxious to go back to school. even though last year was a rough one, he was looking forward to going back [& boy were we thankful we didn't have that battle as well!].
we had a good summer although we didn't do a whole lot & we didn't really go anywhere. after the year end he didn't go to the same summer camp so we found another place for him to go which he ended up liking much better. they had different programs where he could do art, play indoor games, outside time or computer time. all around it seemed a good fit for him & we didn't receive one call or notification about improper behavior. it was grand let me tell you!
Z's new teacher was moved down from 5th grade. she's tough, but caring & is all about teaching the kids about being responsible for themselves. in the first couple of days he came home & was making an effort to no longer say "yah" but "yes". at back to school night she told me Z had a little melt down the first day of school, but he was able to pull it together. i told her he had specifically been placed in her class, which she wasn't aware of. i also told Z said he already felt like this year was going to be much better than last year & he liked her better than last year's teacher.
we had a good summer although we didn't do a whole lot & we didn't really go anywhere. after the year end he didn't go to the same summer camp so we found another place for him to go which he ended up liking much better. they had different programs where he could do art, play indoor games, outside time or computer time. all around it seemed a good fit for him & we didn't receive one call or notification about improper behavior. it was grand let me tell you!
Z's new teacher was moved down from 5th grade. she's tough, but caring & is all about teaching the kids about being responsible for themselves. in the first couple of days he came home & was making an effort to no longer say "yah" but "yes". at back to school night she told me Z had a little melt down the first day of school, but he was able to pull it together. i told her he had specifically been placed in her class, which she wasn't aware of. i also told Z said he already felt like this year was going to be much better than last year & he liked her better than last year's teacher.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
working girl
my first day of work was 7/19 after not working for just over 2 years. to say the least, working a 40 hour week kicked my butt...big time. i think i'm in pretty decent shape but everything would hurt, i was exhausted every day & the weekends were for sleeping/recovering. ridiculous, but part of it was i wasn't used to wearing shoes anymore, much less heels. i know, talk about uncivilized....
when i walked into the office in was in the middle of a remodel, my office had been boxed up which i worked at for a couple of days & i had a student assistant who'd been there for a whole 3 weeks. that was my training. i was in another office for a few weeks, next to E & mainly assisted him.
my boss, F, came in to the office once a week. i wasn't exactly sure of him. i told B he was very hard to read & i really didn't know if he liked me or not, then B suggested he possibly felt the same way about me, which actually comforted me.
as soon as he was able to F had me moved back to my desk, up in front, alone, but more importantly away from E. my student assistant had moved on as the summer was over & 2 assistants for the fall were coming in as i began unpacking the crap that was to be my office.
i couldn't believe the amount of boxes that were supposed to fit in there. i unpacked & tried to make sense of things, then i unpacked more & then i couldn't do anymore. i would have the student unload a box & i would grow through it bit by bit, it was painful how much crap had been saved. the position had been held by 3 or 4 people previously & nobody threw out a damn thing throughout those 20 years. at one point i thought i was actually going to cry i was so overwhelmed by it all, but then i thought about how once i knew it was all shit i could throw it away & i was ok.
everytime F would come in he would say something about "there's still boxes in there." he didn't know how badly i wanted to put a match to all of it. there was at least 5 different files for the same thing; one person was highly organized, she had a green hanging file then a thick folder file to hold one page, or to hold a few empty forms.....from 10 years ago. the latest person had most of her file labels written by hand, scribbled "SSN" or "osha", very professional.
my first day F did tell me the permanent position would be listed & he wanted me to apply for it. it took several weeks, it finally listed & i applied. not right away as i had to update my resume & work on some things to say i actually had experience in them.
when i walked into the office in was in the middle of a remodel, my office had been boxed up which i worked at for a couple of days & i had a student assistant who'd been there for a whole 3 weeks. that was my training. i was in another office for a few weeks, next to E & mainly assisted him.
my boss, F, came in to the office once a week. i wasn't exactly sure of him. i told B he was very hard to read & i really didn't know if he liked me or not, then B suggested he possibly felt the same way about me, which actually comforted me.
as soon as he was able to F had me moved back to my desk, up in front, alone, but more importantly away from E. my student assistant had moved on as the summer was over & 2 assistants for the fall were coming in as i began unpacking the crap that was to be my office.
i couldn't believe the amount of boxes that were supposed to fit in there. i unpacked & tried to make sense of things, then i unpacked more & then i couldn't do anymore. i would have the student unload a box & i would grow through it bit by bit, it was painful how much crap had been saved. the position had been held by 3 or 4 people previously & nobody threw out a damn thing throughout those 20 years. at one point i thought i was actually going to cry i was so overwhelmed by it all, but then i thought about how once i knew it was all shit i could throw it away & i was ok.
everytime F would come in he would say something about "there's still boxes in there." he didn't know how badly i wanted to put a match to all of it. there was at least 5 different files for the same thing; one person was highly organized, she had a green hanging file then a thick folder file to hold one page, or to hold a few empty forms.....from 10 years ago. the latest person had most of her file labels written by hand, scribbled "SSN" or "osha", very professional.
my first day F did tell me the permanent position would be listed & he wanted me to apply for it. it took several weeks, it finally listed & i applied. not right away as i had to update my resume & work on some things to say i actually had experience in them.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
my 40th birfday
we had a lazy morning, of course, i wouldn't have it any other way.
the plan was to head to a nearby mall for shopping & seafood buffet; then B got online & found out the place we planned on eating had closed due to renovations. not that big of deal, i knew of another one at a different mall, just further away. so we drove down to mall #2, only the restaurant wasn't there either & it wasn't listed on the directory. fine, i know of a 3rd seafood buffet place!
we went to #3 & we should not have. it wasn't that good & B was sure a bite of some sort of scallop concoction was no bueno. i didn't eat anything that bad, but i did have a bit of a roll that the fried outside was so greasy i had to spit it out. thumbs up on the crepes for dessert though.
after our not so good birthday lunch we went back to mall #2 for some birthday shopping. i didn't find all that much; Z got a darling lil hat & B got some good shoes. apparently we're of that age where we need good [read ugly] shoes.
oh, um, sidenote i forgot to make the awesome announcement:
B GOT INTO NURSING SKOOL!!!
so he really does need ugly, i mean, good shoes.
we even went to mall #3 [really 2 as we didn't actually go to 1 but whatev]. we malled it until 8pm i think, then we hit costco up for a birthday cheesecake, the vietnamese restaurant for some dinner then home to gobble up our goodies. i forgot to leave room for cheesecake :-(. Z didn't want vietnamese so he had chef boy-r-dee :>P
the plan was to head to a nearby mall for shopping & seafood buffet; then B got online & found out the place we planned on eating had closed due to renovations. not that big of deal, i knew of another one at a different mall, just further away. so we drove down to mall #2, only the restaurant wasn't there either & it wasn't listed on the directory. fine, i know of a 3rd seafood buffet place!
we went to #3 & we should not have. it wasn't that good & B was sure a bite of some sort of scallop concoction was no bueno. i didn't eat anything that bad, but i did have a bit of a roll that the fried outside was so greasy i had to spit it out. thumbs up on the crepes for dessert though.
after our not so good birthday lunch we went back to mall #2 for some birthday shopping. i didn't find all that much; Z got a darling lil hat & B got some good shoes. apparently we're of that age where we need good [read ugly] shoes.
oh, um, sidenote i forgot to make the awesome announcement:
B GOT INTO NURSING SKOOL!!!
so he really does need ugly, i mean, good shoes.
we even went to mall #3 [really 2 as we didn't actually go to 1 but whatev]. we malled it until 8pm i think, then we hit costco up for a birthday cheesecake, the vietnamese restaurant for some dinner then home to gobble up our goodies. i forgot to leave room for cheesecake :-(. Z didn't want vietnamese so he had chef boy-r-dee :>P
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
the walmart interview
i don't like to say too much about the job searching endeavors, it's boring to me, why would anyone else want to read it? also i'm afraid of jinxing myself...but this one's kinda weird so i'm sharing:
anyways, as you can guess, the search continues. the last interview i talked about [here] i surprisingly got a call back & went in for a real interview. all went well, they said they would be in touch soon, the HR chick emailed me within a couple of days saying they still hadn't made a decision & then zip. dead in the water. i even emailed HR chick back & didn't get a response.
i went on another interview last week & didn't get that job either. however, the HR lady did call me to let me know she was impressed with my resume & said i interviewed very well, then she gave me some tips on applying for other positions with the company. they hired someone who'd previously worked in the dept & although i need a job, it was something i wouldn't enjoy although i probably would have taken it if offered.
then on friday, before a 3-day 4th of july holiday weekend mind you, about 4:30pm while were out running errands my phone rings. i've been sending out resumes all over the place, but my first assumption is it's about Z.
it wasn't about Z.
it was E.
i thought it was rather presumptuous of him but he didn't ask if it was a good time for me. it was hot & i'm in a walmart parking lot & really, you want to talk about work?
he did.
he needed someone right away, someone to start supporting one of his underlings, then transition over to him. we talked about my experience, he ran a full impromptu interview & he told me he was going on vacation the following week. he said HR would check my references & if i didn't hear from them or him on tuesday to call him.
it was kinda crazy.
i got online to check my references bc i wasn't sure whom i had put down but i couldn't access that part of my profile.
about 3pm on tues i got a little nervous beings i hadn't heard anything from anyone, so i called & left a vm for E & within an hour i received a call from HR to schedule an interview.
the next morning i interviewed with 2 people. it was strange, their first question was why did i apply & how was i qualified for the position? haha, ummmmmm, i didn't apply, i got a call from E.....it was a bit awkward to say the least....
so i fumbled some & went on to explain my work experience hoping that would work. i got a somewhat better understanding of the position. it reports to interview guy for 3 months while some transitions go on, there was no talk of E or his position.
later in the evening i received a call from HR that they needed references, so there wasn't a place to input them on the profile & i don't have any listed on my resume. i provided the information, then the next day they called back bc they needed supervisors, not coworkers. so that's done & now i wait.
anyways, as you can guess, the search continues. the last interview i talked about [here] i surprisingly got a call back & went in for a real interview. all went well, they said they would be in touch soon, the HR chick emailed me within a couple of days saying they still hadn't made a decision & then zip. dead in the water. i even emailed HR chick back & didn't get a response.
i went on another interview last week & didn't get that job either. however, the HR lady did call me to let me know she was impressed with my resume & said i interviewed very well, then she gave me some tips on applying for other positions with the company. they hired someone who'd previously worked in the dept & although i need a job, it was something i wouldn't enjoy although i probably would have taken it if offered.
then on friday, before a 3-day 4th of july holiday weekend mind you, about 4:30pm while were out running errands my phone rings. i've been sending out resumes all over the place, but my first assumption is it's about Z.
it wasn't about Z.
it was E.
i thought it was rather presumptuous of him but he didn't ask if it was a good time for me. it was hot & i'm in a walmart parking lot & really, you want to talk about work?
he did.
he needed someone right away, someone to start supporting one of his underlings, then transition over to him. we talked about my experience, he ran a full impromptu interview & he told me he was going on vacation the following week. he said HR would check my references & if i didn't hear from them or him on tuesday to call him.
it was kinda crazy.
i got online to check my references bc i wasn't sure whom i had put down but i couldn't access that part of my profile.
about 3pm on tues i got a little nervous beings i hadn't heard anything from anyone, so i called & left a vm for E & within an hour i received a call from HR to schedule an interview.
the next morning i interviewed with 2 people. it was strange, their first question was why did i apply & how was i qualified for the position? haha, ummmmmm, i didn't apply, i got a call from E.....it was a bit awkward to say the least....
so i fumbled some & went on to explain my work experience hoping that would work. i got a somewhat better understanding of the position. it reports to interview guy for 3 months while some transitions go on, there was no talk of E or his position.
later in the evening i received a call from HR that they needed references, so there wasn't a place to input them on the profile & i don't have any listed on my resume. i provided the information, then the next day they called back bc they needed supervisors, not coworkers. so that's done & now i wait.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
how that dr appt went
remember on our way to nana's funeral we stopped off at the dr's office to drop off Z's add/adhd eval? way to start out a trip for a funeral huh?
this was the first available appt & when i made it, B didn't have his school schedule. once it came out we realized he wouldn't be able to go with us & we didn't want to re-schedule beings it took over a month to get the original appt.
you don't even get an appt apparently unless they're going to tell you - yes, your child is add/adhd.
Z was sent to a different room for testing, while the dr & i talked. i explained to him although it's been ongoing, Z's behavior is different at home & it also seems to vary on the teacher's environment. we discussed Z's history, the behavior issues, etc.
then we moved on to info about B & I when he asked "who has it?"
i told him i thought we both exhibited characteristics in different ways, but that he seemed to take after B more than me. i also made sure he knew neither of us were ever formally diagnosed, had not taken any meds for it & learned to handle it; that if we were capable, our child could possibly as well.
he asked about our work environment & educational background. i told him i did office work & sat at a computer all day, that i'm best when i'm multi-tasking & that i had my BS degree. he agreed that i had learned to make the best of my fidgetiness.
when i told him B had several AA degrees, the man pounced - SEE his inability to follow though, THAT'S a definite sign. i tried to explain B got those AA's while going to school at night & that he had been in the USMC for 20 years & was now going to college for nursing.
everything i said validated his point....B was able to stay in USMC for 20yrs bc of the structure, bc he moved around, the nursing was also an add/adhd flag.
he explained that although there was no actual test for add/adhd, that it's all based on opinion, Z is & the only reason he's was making it now is bc he is very intelligent but if we don't medicate by about 5th grade or middle school, he will be failing school & bring home all Fs.
i asked about alternatives to medicate - counseling, behavior modification, parenting classes, natural therapies.
he said add/adhd is a chemical imbalance that no amount of counseling or bm can have any affect, those are used for depression. he said the parenting classes may some, but not much & that hippie shit was dangerous (cuz uppers & opium derivatives are totally good for you...).
one thing that really stuck with me was he said "if you want him to grow up to be a fireman or a forester than he will be fine but if you want him to grow up to be an accountant, he needs the medication"
WHAT?
what does 'what i want my child to grow up to be' have anything to do with giving him medication? if there is something wrong with Z i have no problems meding him, but when it comes to a f-ing job description????
i told the dr "right now he wants to be a vet & i'm completely happy with that, but he is only 9..."
as you can tell, the dr & i were not on the same page; i was not the parent he expected & he was just looking to write a prescription - wha-la i fixed your kid!
i told him the reason i was there was bc i was tired of getting phones calls from school & i was concerned about Z making friends.
the dr recommended either charter schools or home schooling. the friend thing, that's the tough one; in his opinion Z's impulsiveness is standing in the way of making friends.
now THAT is something that i will take into consideration.
we have a follow-up appt next week so he can give us the results of Z's IQ test. i dont' really see the point, seems like whether it's high or low, it won't have any impact on the dr's opinion.
B & I will go, we talked about it, we could get the prescription & not give him the meds.
we will also go to another dr though.
this was the first available appt & when i made it, B didn't have his school schedule. once it came out we realized he wouldn't be able to go with us & we didn't want to re-schedule beings it took over a month to get the original appt.
you don't even get an appt apparently unless they're going to tell you - yes, your child is add/adhd.
Z was sent to a different room for testing, while the dr & i talked. i explained to him although it's been ongoing, Z's behavior is different at home & it also seems to vary on the teacher's environment. we discussed Z's history, the behavior issues, etc.
then we moved on to info about B & I when he asked "who has it?"
i told him i thought we both exhibited characteristics in different ways, but that he seemed to take after B more than me. i also made sure he knew neither of us were ever formally diagnosed, had not taken any meds for it & learned to handle it; that if we were capable, our child could possibly as well.
he asked about our work environment & educational background. i told him i did office work & sat at a computer all day, that i'm best when i'm multi-tasking & that i had my BS degree. he agreed that i had learned to make the best of my fidgetiness.
when i told him B had several AA degrees, the man pounced - SEE his inability to follow though, THAT'S a definite sign. i tried to explain B got those AA's while going to school at night & that he had been in the USMC for 20 years & was now going to college for nursing.
everything i said validated his point....B was able to stay in USMC for 20yrs bc of the structure, bc he moved around, the nursing was also an add/adhd flag.
he explained that although there was no actual test for add/adhd, that it's all based on opinion, Z is & the only reason he's was making it now is bc he is very intelligent but if we don't medicate by about 5th grade or middle school, he will be failing school & bring home all Fs.
i asked about alternatives to medicate - counseling, behavior modification, parenting classes, natural therapies.
he said add/adhd is a chemical imbalance that no amount of counseling or bm can have any affect, those are used for depression. he said the parenting classes may some, but not much & that hippie shit was dangerous (cuz uppers & opium derivatives are totally good for you...).
one thing that really stuck with me was he said "if you want him to grow up to be a fireman or a forester than he will be fine but if you want him to grow up to be an accountant, he needs the medication"
WHAT?
what does 'what i want my child to grow up to be' have anything to do with giving him medication? if there is something wrong with Z i have no problems meding him, but when it comes to a f-ing job description????
i told the dr "right now he wants to be a vet & i'm completely happy with that, but he is only 9..."
as you can tell, the dr & i were not on the same page; i was not the parent he expected & he was just looking to write a prescription - wha-la i fixed your kid!
i told him the reason i was there was bc i was tired of getting phones calls from school & i was concerned about Z making friends.
the dr recommended either charter schools or home schooling. the friend thing, that's the tough one; in his opinion Z's impulsiveness is standing in the way of making friends.
now THAT is something that i will take into consideration.
we have a follow-up appt next week so he can give us the results of Z's IQ test. i dont' really see the point, seems like whether it's high or low, it won't have any impact on the dr's opinion.
B & I will go, we talked about it, we could get the prescription & not give him the meds.
we will also go to another dr though.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
the red folder eval
right after the cs camping trip i went to school & asked my bff about conducting a red folder eval on Z. one of the cs mom's (with 2 add/adhd boys & she's a teacher) had suggested this would help & we need all we can get! i made sure the vp knew about the add/adhd eval that's in progress & she agreed, the school eval would be a beneficial aspect for the dr's info.
B & I went it & met with VP, teacher, counselor & another person who took notes.
the first step was to go over academics - they evaluated him testing individually & in a group. individually he did significantly better & he could potentially be considered gifted. when he's in a group however he can't stay on task & his scores suffer.
the counseling/behavior review was disheartening as i expected. actually more than i expected, but i know they aren't doctors & this is the beginning of a long journey that will require a lot of effort, research, trial and error.....
in addition to their opinion of Z being adhd they also expressed concern over his "highs & lows". in their opinion Z is either very happy or very sad. in case you can't read between the lines, they think he may be bi-polar. yes, they said it, i'm not extrapolating anything.
i see add/adhd in both B & I in different aspects. i see it in both of my parents' behaviors. i know B's dad had issues (i use past tense only bc there's been no contact the entire time i've known B).
i know Z has problems, that sometimes his behavior is inexcusable.
i keep hoping he will figure it out, he will learn, he will mature, he will listen, follow the rules & quit checking the damn fence.
the vp also made sure we were aware that next year documenting behavior won't be as lenient as it has been. as a 4th grader the consequences are stiffer and documentation will no longer be at her discretion.
the boy has a lot of growing up to do over the summer...
B & I went it & met with VP, teacher, counselor & another person who took notes.
the first step was to go over academics - they evaluated him testing individually & in a group. individually he did significantly better & he could potentially be considered gifted. when he's in a group however he can't stay on task & his scores suffer.
the counseling/behavior review was disheartening as i expected. actually more than i expected, but i know they aren't doctors & this is the beginning of a long journey that will require a lot of effort, research, trial and error.....
in addition to their opinion of Z being adhd they also expressed concern over his "highs & lows". in their opinion Z is either very happy or very sad. in case you can't read between the lines, they think he may be bi-polar. yes, they said it, i'm not extrapolating anything.
i see add/adhd in both B & I in different aspects. i see it in both of my parents' behaviors. i know B's dad had issues (i use past tense only bc there's been no contact the entire time i've known B).
i know Z has problems, that sometimes his behavior is inexcusable.
i keep hoping he will figure it out, he will learn, he will mature, he will listen, follow the rules & quit checking the damn fence.
the vp also made sure we were aware that next year documenting behavior won't be as lenient as it has been. as a 4th grader the consequences are stiffer and documentation will no longer be at her discretion.
the boy has a lot of growing up to do over the summer...
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Z happenings
* the other night Z was sent to his room for misbehaving & he ended up falling asleep. when dinner was ready i woke him up & asked him if he wanted to get up to eat. he came into the kitchen in a daze then walked over to the trash can, pulled his jammie bottoms down & was THIS close to starting to pee!
as the bottoms were coming down i had a feeling what direction he was going in so i was asking him "what are you doing?" before he completely let loose. then he wakened from his stupor & laughed, embarrassed & went to the bathroom to finish the job.
* lately Z has taken to singing, a lot. it's not uncommon for him to be in the backyard puddling around & singing "oh mommacita how i love you!!!" [i'm sure the neighbors are wondering when did the cubans move in?]
in addition to the love declarations Z developed a new song the other day for Lady (she also gets love songs). it's a known fact that as soon as the yard is cleaned up of landmines she has to go mark her territory. so as he was picking up, he was singing "getting ready to poop Lady, getting ready to poop".
anything more appropriate for a 9yo boy? i don't think so....
* & of course, one more trip [well, let's hope it's the last one!] to the principal's office before the year ends. so, yes, my bff left a vm that Z was in her office for behavior issues & that he would not be returning to class for the day.
i called her back, but only got her vm. so i was left with my mind to wander over all the possibilities my child could have enacted. as far as i knew or could remember "not returning to the class for the day" hadn't happened. oh, geez, this must be a bad one. what could he have done now? omg!!!!
i think it was about 2 hrs before she called me back, trust me it felt like 2 days. she explained that Z had peed all over an out of commission toilet, tape, walls, etc.
while i wasn't happy with what he did, the relief that was ALL he had done was H.U.G.E.
i asked her if they could have Z clean up his mess & she agreed that was a good idea.
dear bff, please leave more detailed messages, my heart & head cannot handle these matters...
as the bottoms were coming down i had a feeling what direction he was going in so i was asking him "what are you doing?" before he completely let loose. then he wakened from his stupor & laughed, embarrassed & went to the bathroom to finish the job.
* lately Z has taken to singing, a lot. it's not uncommon for him to be in the backyard puddling around & singing "oh mommacita how i love you!!!" [i'm sure the neighbors are wondering when did the cubans move in?]
in addition to the love declarations Z developed a new song the other day for Lady (she also gets love songs). it's a known fact that as soon as the yard is cleaned up of landmines she has to go mark her territory. so as he was picking up, he was singing "getting ready to poop Lady, getting ready to poop".
anything more appropriate for a 9yo boy? i don't think so....
* & of course, one more trip [well, let's hope it's the last one!] to the principal's office before the year ends. so, yes, my bff left a vm that Z was in her office for behavior issues & that he would not be returning to class for the day.
i called her back, but only got her vm. so i was left with my mind to wander over all the possibilities my child could have enacted. as far as i knew or could remember "not returning to the class for the day" hadn't happened. oh, geez, this must be a bad one. what could he have done now? omg!!!!
i think it was about 2 hrs before she called me back, trust me it felt like 2 days. she explained that Z had peed all over an out of commission toilet, tape, walls, etc.
while i wasn't happy with what he did, the relief that was ALL he had done was H.U.G.E.
i asked her if they could have Z clean up his mess & she agreed that was a good idea.
dear bff, please leave more detailed messages, my heart & head cannot handle these matters...
Friday, May 27, 2011
thanks, that's just what i needed
my mom came over to visit Z before our big 9th birthday trip to chicago. we went down to pick the boy up from school & i was updating her on Z's add/adhd eval & the red folder eval (academic, behavioral, psychological via the school).
not that expected praise or anything, i was just trying to keep her involved, aware. i should have known that my mother would take the opportunity to kick me in the gut when i'm weak though. just coming to terms with actually going through with the evaluations has been hard enough on it's own, acknowledging that yeah, something's not right, we need help, was devastating.
she blames our parenting on all of it.
we are overly strict, we do not give him options, we are keeping him immature.
my first response was "really, do you want to talk about this here & now?" we were at Z's school, in the middle of a group of other parents all waiting for a swarm of kids to come out within minutes.
she's gone on & on about how Z's holding on to "old hurt" for years she finally explained that when Z was 3yo & we came to visit B yelled at him for changing the tv channel. wow, who's really hanging on to that one? not Z i tell you.
she has no idea what it takes to raise the boy, how much effort to keep the fence in check bc he's always right there making sure it's being enforced. did B over-react, sounds like it, but i can also say she doesn't know how many times he's been told things repeatedly or what about the simple fact that his behavior should be better when he's at someone else's house?
i went on to tell her no one's born a perfect parent & we were entitled to our own mistakes, he is our child. he's immature bc that's how he is, it's not a result of poor parenting.
uh, she cut like a knife & i was beyond pissed.
thank you once again mom, for being such a supportive parent, maybe you should heed a few of the lessons you're so willing to dole out!
we went home & the discussion was over, of course, she wouldn't dare say such things in front of B. i barely spoke with her, her departure couldn't happen quick enough for me. she did apologize say she didn't mean to hurt my feelings.
really?
how do you attack someone like that & not?
not that expected praise or anything, i was just trying to keep her involved, aware. i should have known that my mother would take the opportunity to kick me in the gut when i'm weak though. just coming to terms with actually going through with the evaluations has been hard enough on it's own, acknowledging that yeah, something's not right, we need help, was devastating.
she blames our parenting on all of it.
we are overly strict, we do not give him options, we are keeping him immature.
my first response was "really, do you want to talk about this here & now?" we were at Z's school, in the middle of a group of other parents all waiting for a swarm of kids to come out within minutes.
she's gone on & on about how Z's holding on to "old hurt" for years she finally explained that when Z was 3yo & we came to visit B yelled at him for changing the tv channel. wow, who's really hanging on to that one? not Z i tell you.
she has no idea what it takes to raise the boy, how much effort to keep the fence in check bc he's always right there making sure it's being enforced. did B over-react, sounds like it, but i can also say she doesn't know how many times he's been told things repeatedly or what about the simple fact that his behavior should be better when he's at someone else's house?
i went on to tell her no one's born a perfect parent & we were entitled to our own mistakes, he is our child. he's immature bc that's how he is, it's not a result of poor parenting.
uh, she cut like a knife & i was beyond pissed.
thank you once again mom, for being such a supportive parent, maybe you should heed a few of the lessons you're so willing to dole out!
we went home & the discussion was over, of course, she wouldn't dare say such things in front of B. i barely spoke with her, her departure couldn't happen quick enough for me. she did apologize say she didn't mean to hurt my feelings.
really?
how do you attack someone like that & not?
Sunday, May 22, 2011
cub scout camping...for reals this time
we were at our wit's end with the boy. we'd already decided he wasn't going on the 3rd grade outing, which hurt to take away, but dang when you put that on the line, the kid shouldn't try to call your bluff.
we've punished, we've rewarded, nothing negative, nothing positive works. NOTHING...
Z was on restriction for 2 weeks, it didn't phase him one bit. B & I were miserable though. it took an outsider looking into tell us we were only punishing ourselves. so to get out of our funk & try to start over we went on the camping trip, letting the boy know if he tried to pull anything, we would pack everything up & come home.
we got there friday night & set up. although we didn't want to get there too early, setting up took longer than we anticipated & we still had to go back to town & get groceries for dinner. one would think with all the planning & premeditating we wouldn't be that far off, but we ended up having dinner while most of the kids were already in their tents supposedly sleeping.
first day up early of course, it was hard to sleep with all those nature sounds! we went for a hike around the lake, there were tons of squirrels around. the leaders made sure to tell all the boys to leave them alone, keep their distance, blah, blah, blah, then suddenly someone threw a water bottle at them. my first inclination was "thankfully that's not Z bc he's over" & as i start looking for where i think he is, he isn't, he's standing right where the bottle came from. of course.....
just can not control himself.
it's almost like he doesn't hear the "don't" part of the instruction.
anyways we told him that was it, that was his 1 chance, blown the first morning. he was good for the rest of the trip, but part of that might have to do with the simple fact of our setting. yes, compared to some of the other boys, Z was quite well behaved. it seems as though cub scouts is the central hub for add/adhd boys; many of the boys there we learned have been diagnosed & on medication.
there were workshops for the boys to earn some badges & they also retired a flag. i had never seen the ceremony before, it was moving. Z was really affected by it, something i would have never of guessed. during the ceremony one of the leaders spoke with him bc it was obvious he was not taking the situation lightly. after the ceremony i explained to him again we were honoring the flag & disposing of it the proper manner, he still was very upset though. some of the other cub scout came over & told them they cried the first time they witnessed a flag burning & the main cs leader came over & read additional info to Z to try to get him to come to terms with all of it.
B had participated in the ceremony so he wasn't aware of what was going on for some time, we don't know if his involvement played a role in Z's response, but B also tried explaining it to Z again. even walking back to our camp site he was still very upset & told me he didn't want to see that again. once he started playing he got over it & had a good time though.
the next morning we got up to misty weather, it's so much fun putting away a damp & muddy tent let me tell you. our cs camping trip was a success.
we've punished, we've rewarded, nothing negative, nothing positive works. NOTHING...
Z was on restriction for 2 weeks, it didn't phase him one bit. B & I were miserable though. it took an outsider looking into tell us we were only punishing ourselves. so to get out of our funk & try to start over we went on the camping trip, letting the boy know if he tried to pull anything, we would pack everything up & come home.
we got there friday night & set up. although we didn't want to get there too early, setting up took longer than we anticipated & we still had to go back to town & get groceries for dinner. one would think with all the planning & premeditating we wouldn't be that far off, but we ended up having dinner while most of the kids were already in their tents supposedly sleeping.
first day up early of course, it was hard to sleep with all those nature sounds! we went for a hike around the lake, there were tons of squirrels around. the leaders made sure to tell all the boys to leave them alone, keep their distance, blah, blah, blah, then suddenly someone threw a water bottle at them. my first inclination was "thankfully that's not Z bc he's over" & as i start looking for where i think he is, he isn't, he's standing right where the bottle came from. of course.....
just can not control himself.
it's almost like he doesn't hear the "don't" part of the instruction.
anyways we told him that was it, that was his 1 chance, blown the first morning. he was good for the rest of the trip, but part of that might have to do with the simple fact of our setting. yes, compared to some of the other boys, Z was quite well behaved. it seems as though cub scouts is the central hub for add/adhd boys; many of the boys there we learned have been diagnosed & on medication.
there were workshops for the boys to earn some badges & they also retired a flag. i had never seen the ceremony before, it was moving. Z was really affected by it, something i would have never of guessed. during the ceremony one of the leaders spoke with him bc it was obvious he was not taking the situation lightly. after the ceremony i explained to him again we were honoring the flag & disposing of it the proper manner, he still was very upset though. some of the other cub scout came over & told them they cried the first time they witnessed a flag burning & the main cs leader came over & read additional info to Z to try to get him to come to terms with all of it.
B had participated in the ceremony so he wasn't aware of what was going on for some time, we don't know if his involvement played a role in Z's response, but B also tried explaining it to Z again. even walking back to our camp site he was still very upset & told me he didn't want to see that again. once he started playing he got over it & had a good time though.
the next morning we got up to misty weather, it's so much fun putting away a damp & muddy tent let me tell you. our cs camping trip was a success.
Friday, February 25, 2011
hello, yes, this is the principal calling
she's so nice to call & check in once in awhile....
too bad it always coincides with Z pulling some shit at school.
his behavior has improved, but there's still plenty, PLENTY of room for improvement. we re-instilled the chart, you remember?, yeah, we kept it, thought of passing it on to good will, but it's come in handy.
again.
so it seems he can only manage to either be good at home or at school; it's much too taxing to be good ALL day long.
by good at school, i don't mean a week of greens (green/yellow/orange/red, although sometimes Z has achieved a double red. [we're so proud! no, we are not!]), we're 2/3's way thru the year & we have yet to have one, single week of all green. he has done well with cutting back on the oranges though, for the most part at least.
remember, boy? 8? child of B?
hmpf...
so this time the principal called & although i was driving i recognized the # so i answered it [if you're a cop, i safely pulled over to the side of the road first]. she told me Z was fine but she needed to discuss "an incident" & asked if it was a good time to talk, so i told her i was driving [really, side of the road, you believe me right?] but i could call her right back. she had a meeting so she said she would call me back.
minutes, then hours past & no return call & i was a friday & i really needed to know howmany lashes much punishment to issue before the day was complete. so just before school's end i went to the office & she explained to me the incident had happened the prior afternoon. that Z had been playing with another boy earlier in the day & at the end of the day the kid didn't want to play with him or something so Z grabbed him by his jacket & swung him around. then he kinda did a little bend the finger back mafia-style thing.
but he didn't bite anybody.
anywhere.
on the scale of Z = not so bad;
that Z has his own scale = not exactly good.
either the parent saw or was told & reported it to the office. rightly so, Z needs to realize he can't do such things & i'm glad they call him on it, whether it's immediately or later. i just wish they didn't have to call me on it.
i also went over & spoke with Z's teacher. i explained that i needed her opinion, that Z's an only child, that i'm an only child, that i have nothing to compare him to. i know he's difficult, but i don't know if he's on the outskirts of normal. i know she's not a doc & i wasn't asking her to prescribe; but she's around 60 kids a day & been teaching for 9 years, she knows children more than i ever will.
she said he's not a bully & he's not mean, but in certain situations his self-control isn't where it should be.
too bad it always coincides with Z pulling some shit at school.
his behavior has improved, but there's still plenty, PLENTY of room for improvement. we re-instilled the chart, you remember?, yeah, we kept it, thought of passing it on to good will, but it's come in handy.
again.
so it seems he can only manage to either be good at home or at school; it's much too taxing to be good ALL day long.
by good at school, i don't mean a week of greens (green/yellow/orange/red, although sometimes Z has achieved a double red. [we're so proud! no, we are not!]), we're 2/3's way thru the year & we have yet to have one, single week of all green. he has done well with cutting back on the oranges though, for the most part at least.
remember, boy? 8? child of B?
hmpf...
so this time the principal called & although i was driving i recognized the # so i answered it [if you're a cop, i safely pulled over to the side of the road first]. she told me Z was fine but she needed to discuss "an incident" & asked if it was a good time to talk, so i told her i was driving [really, side of the road, you believe me right?] but i could call her right back. she had a meeting so she said she would call me back.
minutes, then hours past & no return call & i was a friday & i really needed to know how
but he didn't bite anybody.
anywhere.
on the scale of Z = not so bad;
that Z has his own scale = not exactly good.
either the parent saw or was told & reported it to the office. rightly so, Z needs to realize he can't do such things & i'm glad they call him on it, whether it's immediately or later. i just wish they didn't have to call me on it.
i also went over & spoke with Z's teacher. i explained that i needed her opinion, that Z's an only child, that i'm an only child, that i have nothing to compare him to. i know he's difficult, but i don't know if he's on the outskirts of normal. i know she's not a doc & i wasn't asking her to prescribe; but she's around 60 kids a day & been teaching for 9 years, she knows children more than i ever will.
she said he's not a bully & he's not mean, but in certain situations his self-control isn't where it should be.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
yeah, i know....
but really, not much has been going on....
i mean other than the usual, it's december, so there's that chaos. we got the tree on friday, yah, got it in the house sat & decorated on sun, talk about pacing ourselves...yes, we did. pics planned for tomorrow night, guess i should start looking at card samples to have a few options ahead of time.
um, Z, well, yeah, the past 2 weeks he's gotten in a lil trouble at school. not much, 2 orange cards previous week, 2 orange & a red last week. actually it was a double red, bc he's good like that. nothing big though, just his usual not listening, not following directions, on his own programs, talking instead of working. so yah, it's not like he's bitten anyone lately....the teacher's agreed he's improved, he's approached normal inappropriate behavior so there's still lots of room for improvement.
we've had troubles here at home with the not listening as well, so with a heavy heart we decided he just was not ready to attend the cub scout whittling project day. B & I spent quite a bit of time picking out the knife, making sure it locked open & had a short blade, but in the end we figured if he couldn't listen to his teacher in class, can you imagine how hard it would be for him to focus with a knife in his hand? with a bunch of other little boys with knives in their hands?
more than likely nothing would happen, but it was a good opportunity to drive home consequences to not listening or paying attention or Z's favorite, when someone says stop it equates to "hurry up & do it NOW"....
i cut back my visits to nana this past week as the week long on/off headache turned into a cough which then turned into a cold, it was fun.
oh & then there's the house, yes, the f-ing house, stuff going on there that keeps me from here. i think it's good now though. i HOPE!
i mean other than the usual, it's december, so there's that chaos. we got the tree on friday, yah, got it in the house sat & decorated on sun, talk about pacing ourselves...yes, we did. pics planned for tomorrow night, guess i should start looking at card samples to have a few options ahead of time.
um, Z, well, yeah, the past 2 weeks he's gotten in a lil trouble at school. not much, 2 orange cards previous week, 2 orange & a red last week. actually it was a double red, bc he's good like that. nothing big though, just his usual not listening, not following directions, on his own programs, talking instead of working. so yah, it's not like he's bitten anyone lately....the teacher's agreed he's improved, he's approached normal inappropriate behavior so there's still lots of room for improvement.
we've had troubles here at home with the not listening as well, so with a heavy heart we decided he just was not ready to attend the cub scout whittling project day. B & I spent quite a bit of time picking out the knife, making sure it locked open & had a short blade, but in the end we figured if he couldn't listen to his teacher in class, can you imagine how hard it would be for him to focus with a knife in his hand? with a bunch of other little boys with knives in their hands?
more than likely nothing would happen, but it was a good opportunity to drive home consequences to not listening or paying attention or Z's favorite, when someone says stop it equates to "hurry up & do it NOW"....
i cut back my visits to nana this past week as the week long on/off headache turned into a cough which then turned into a cold, it was fun.
oh & then there's the house, yes, the f-ing house, stuff going on there that keeps me from here. i think it's good now though. i HOPE!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Z & school stuffs
i'm convinced Z's teacher does not like me one bit, but i'm not going to get into that.
i just realized i didn't write about the peepee story, oops...
one morning Z tells me he feels weak & dizzy & it hurt when he peed. i kept him home to see how he did & it didn't get better, so i took him to the dr. they took a sample & said he had blood in his urine, probably from an injury. when asked the only thing he could remember was a classmate had kneed [is that right? i keep thinking dough not knee when i see that] him in the groin in the bathroom.
i asked him about it, should i tell the principal? [i mean he gets in so much trouble, maybe he's not always the instigator.] he said yes, although he wouldn't tell me the whole story, so i asked her to talk with him. she found out he & another kid were horsing around & that was pretty much it. i felt like a fool for making a deal about it.
*********************************************************
i've told Z's teacher several times i'm open to helping out & she finally accepted my offer. on the 17th Z's class had a field trip to a state park & she put me in charge of 10 kids [cue panic attack] now i knew why she accepted my offer, she needed the help.
first they had a little talk about the native american indians that lived in the area long ago. then we had a park docent show us around, we were on the move constantly. she lead us around, i corralled kids, told them to be quiet, listen & catch up during the walk. even so we had to run back to the bus & we were the last group. one more reason for Z's teacher to not like me, oh well.....
*********************************************************
18th was P/T conference day, academically he's catching up, i mean, he's still behind the class but his teacher said she never would have guessed he started last year not being able to read & that explained the problems he continues to have with comprehension, sentence structure, etc.
he's doing well in math although he got a U bc he refuses to show his work. a lot of what they're doing is stuff from last year so he doesn't get why he's doing it again, he already knows it. on the math placement test he got 100%, so he does know it, they know he knows it, he's just got to put forth the effort on regular day to day work.
i just realized i didn't write about the peepee story, oops...
one morning Z tells me he feels weak & dizzy & it hurt when he peed. i kept him home to see how he did & it didn't get better, so i took him to the dr. they took a sample & said he had blood in his urine, probably from an injury. when asked the only thing he could remember was a classmate had kneed [is that right? i keep thinking dough not knee when i see that] him in the groin in the bathroom.
i asked him about it, should i tell the principal? [i mean he gets in so much trouble, maybe he's not always the instigator.] he said yes, although he wouldn't tell me the whole story, so i asked her to talk with him. she found out he & another kid were horsing around & that was pretty much it. i felt like a fool for making a deal about it.
*********************************************************
i've told Z's teacher several times i'm open to helping out & she finally accepted my offer. on the 17th Z's class had a field trip to a state park & she put me in charge of 10 kids [cue panic attack] now i knew why she accepted my offer, she needed the help.
first they had a little talk about the native american indians that lived in the area long ago. then we had a park docent show us around, we were on the move constantly. she lead us around, i corralled kids, told them to be quiet, listen & catch up during the walk. even so we had to run back to the bus & we were the last group. one more reason for Z's teacher to not like me, oh well.....
*********************************************************
18th was P/T conference day, academically he's catching up, i mean, he's still behind the class but his teacher said she never would have guessed he started last year not being able to read & that explained the problems he continues to have with comprehension, sentence structure, etc.
he's doing well in math although he got a U bc he refuses to show his work. a lot of what they're doing is stuff from last year so he doesn't get why he's doing it again, he already knows it. on the math placement test he got 100%, so he does know it, they know he knows it, he's just got to put forth the effort on regular day to day work.
his behavior, um, yeah....we all know that's a big fat U, but she did say he's been better lately, no oranges or reds & that we're aware of, he has stopped flipping his card to better instead of worse.
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