Well there is a LOT to say here...
We moved him to a different school this year. This is the school I have always wanted him in... even before he was born, I was interested in this school. (if I didn't homeschool) But life has thrown different things at us over the years and things changed.
What made us switch at literally the very last minute? Discovering that Caelan can read. And not just a few sight words, or rote memorization of his favorite books. This child can READ. Just about anything put in front of him. We have known for quite some time - as you have seen from old videos- that he had some reading skills. But then one day he was on the couch and started reading aloud a bunch of big words off of an insert from a toy- something we had never read to him. Matt and I just looked at each other. Then I grabbed a box of word flashcards that I had and started going through them with Caelan. He didn't want to do it but I was determined to find out just how much this child knew. He went through 120 word cards without batting an eye. And I'm not talking "cat" and "dog" words.... these are longer and more complex words. The ones he didn't immediately recognized, he was able to sound out. Again, Matt and I just looked at each other.
Caelan went to preschool at age 3 for Special Ed. He went to "early 4's" program last year at the one Christian school and we had him reenrolled there for Pre-K. So I contacted them about our discovery of his reading skills; I wanted to know what options we had as far as him spending time in a K class, fostering his reading and other areas academically. I just didn't feel like Caelan needed a third year of shapes, colors, numbers and letters. He was so, so far past that. (We realized that he was ahead in a few other areas as well.) He is so stinking smart. His ability to retain information is amazing. Of course, there is the social-emotional aspect though that we have to think about with him. He is still behind in so many ways and it made me a little nervous to push him in that area.
So I called TCCS (his old school) and TBCS (where I have always wanted him) and set up meetings at both. I prayed very specific prayers before going to both meetings. And those very specific things were answered without my prompting. God let me know for certain where to put Caelan in school (for a LOT of reasons).
The first school would have kept him in Pre-K. That was it. They offered to let him have extra reading time during the day.... I told them that was no different than what he already does at home. There was no budging or offering of working with him or letting him spend time in the K class.
The second school didn't have a Pre-K this year. Their K class though is pretty small- he would be one of only 8 kids in the class. AND... they were willing to tailor the curriculum to meet his needs. Offer him the K program and if he wasn't able to do it, then have Pre-K stuff ready for him. AND... if he wasn't able to focus on a K level or sit at the table for class work- they would have alternatives in the room for him that were still related to the topic but more suitable to his needs. AND... the administrator/principal would spend one on one time with him each day. And being such a small class, they are still able to support him (and all the kids) in the social-emotional aspect. I can't get much closer to a perfect situation for Caelan than that. Seriously- the personalized curriculum and one on one interaction is close to homeschooling, yet keeping him IN school he still gets the social piece that he absolutely must have.
All of this was also with the understanding that he might have to repeat the year. No problem!
But...
This boy is thriving!! He has had such a great school year. They have NOT had to alter anything for him academically, they have NOT had to have someone spend one on one with him outside of the classroom- he jumped right in and did just fine! The only things they had to change was what is normal for a special needs child... he occasionally does need some sensory control/breaks, input, etc. He also has a really difficult time with writing. That's a fine motor issue though. The only other thing- which has caused him to sometimes complain about going to school- is that he is there every day of the week. Some half days, some whole days- but an increase from 2 days a week last year up to 5 days a week this year. And he is NOT a morning person. So it has been a challenge in that regard. But there is no getting around that in life.
And as far as I know, they are planning on letting him progress to first grade next year! I still get a little nervous sometimes... worrying if I am pushing him too hard or expecting too much of him. But I also remind myself that this school is exactly where God wants him. So I try my best to "let go"!
It's been so neat to watch him learning new things- money, counting by 5's and 10's, time, adding and subtracting, Bible verses, graphing- or to hear him talk about things. He is sooooo smart.
And man do we LOVE this school. Everything about it.
So here are a couple of shots of his first week or two....
First day of school!
His name at his spot at the table.
and of course... he immediately found the book corner!
This is his teacher and his classmates. I love that Mrs. Williams is holding his hand! The kids are- Lily, Natalie, Judah, Brant in back and in front is Kara (also adopted through same agency as Caelan), Wesley, and Hannah.
The above is a laminated card with his name and he would practice writing with dry erase marker each night.
They have chapel on Wednesdays and the boys have to wear a tie- doesn't he look so adorable?? It only lasts long.
I was so excited to see him start writing his name on his own! It still makes me smile each time he does it!
