Decisions, Decisions

Being a parent is tough. I mean, you have to make decisions that will impact your children for the rest of their lives. Sometimes parenting just isn't fun!

Recently, Jeff and I decided to take matters into our own hands with Noah's education. We know that he is struggling in school. I've been working with him on his letters, letter sounds, and sight words. He gets them. He just takes a really long time to do it and it is very hard to help him make sense of it all. Jeff and I have known that he's falling behind in school even with all of our help. His teacher has made no comments to us other than, "please practice." We've tried to make her see that we are concerned parents and we're working with Noah but we know that he's just not keeping up. We have contacted the school guidance counselor numerous times and have not found the answers we were looking for. We are so frustrated with the school, so Jeff and I took it upon ourselves to have Noah educationally tested. Back in December, he met with a psychologist to have psycho-educational testing completed. He asked no questions and did as he was asked. I am so proud of that boy. He really tries hard to please. Sometimes it's just beyond his ability. Anyway, this past week Jeff and I got the answers we were looking for.

It seems as though Noah has a "developmental delay." His testing is falling at what the psychologist called a low average level. Basically, he's behind. Not because he doesn't want to do the work. Noah is behind because his ability isn't at the level that it should be for a 6 year old. He's more on the level of a pre-k student rather than a kindergartner. The psychologist said that Noah would need a loving, understanding teacher that would modify directions, understand and work with him at his ability, and provide him ample time to complete and understand his work. She said he would need an Individualized Educational Plan through the school, and possibly speech therapy. There was a lot more to it, but those are some of the basics. He's just a little behind all of his peers. Not a surprise to Jeff and I but the question is, how do we move forward and help him to be successful.

So, after debating all the options and evaluating the issues we've already experienced with the public school (and believe me, there are just WAY too many to write about), we've made a tough decision. We've decided to pull Noah from everything that he knows and put him in a small Christian private school. We really feel that with a smaller classroom, more direct contact with the teacher/school, and loving understanding surroundings, Noah will be successful. We ask for prayers that Noah will love his new school and that he will get the attention and understanding that he needs. We ask for prayers that Noah will understand and that he will catch up. God has lead us to this decision and Jeff and I believe that it will all work out in the end. He will start in February and finish out the year in the new school.

And speaking of prayers. I recently met a child at Hopkins who happens to be a friend of a friend of a friend. Caeley is a 4 year old who was recently diagnosed with the same type of leukemia as Joshua. She has 13 month old twin siblings and her parents are struggling to make sense of the cancer world. I feel for them as Jeff and I know what it is like to have small children, twins and a kid with cancer. Please take the time to say a prayer for Caeley that God sees her through all that she will endure. Also, please pray for her parents, Phil and Michelle, that God gives them the strength to see Caeley through her battle and to help them lead a "normal" life. We greatly appreciate all of these prayers.