Today I am thankful for Starpoint School. My sweet lovebug struggles some with ADHD, dyslexia and dysgraphia. We used to live in SE Texas...so it was not totally unusual for us to be evacuated for hurricanes. In 2008 we were forced to run from Hurricane Ike. We are lucky enough to have family in the metroplex so we always have somewhere safe to go. I also like for the bug to stay in the habit of attending school so my aunt was able to pull a couple of strings and get her enrolled at Starpoint. The bug had just started 4th grade and she was drowning. She was attending one of the best public school in our city, but with more than 20 students in each class...there was no way for her to get the modifications she needed to succeed. Mostly our ARD meeting were staff members asking us what we thought would be best for the bug. We also had a doctor who loved to ask me what drug and dosage I thought would be best for my sweet girl. I'm sorry...did I miss the 8-10 years I spent in school figuring out how to be a psychiatrist...I come to you so YOU can tell me what you think will be the most helpful for my daughter! Oh whoops...thankful...not bitter.
So The Bug goes Starpoint for 1 day...she comes home from school and says to me..."Mom, do I have to go back to my other school?" My heart broke a little, but I explained that my job, and our house was in Beaumont. She then asked a question I would never have been brave enough to ask my mother. "Mom, could I live with Maa...I mean everyone here is just like me. They all have trouble focusing. My teacher is so great. She knows how to teach so I can learn." I won't lie. I teared up a little. My precious girl was so self aware. I knew she was struggling...but I didn't know how much the struggles were effecting her. So I talked with Maa...I cried (a lot)...I promised to come and visit whenever I could...and my dad made sure she had a great laptop with a webcam so we could chat between visits.
Now it is 2011 and the changes in my sweet girl are staggering. She actually sees a life for herself with college in it. Before this amazing school she wasn't sure she even wanted to finish elementary school. She knows that she is smart and isn't shy about telling you about it. Her teachers sing her praises...and she sings theirs. There have been a couple of opportunities for her to talk about special research studies (where she was one of the guinea pigs) and she did so with confidence and grace. I mean what other 12 year old would be confident enough to sit and have a chat with one of the largest textbook companies in the country...or show off her skills for the Chancellor's Advisory Board. Let me just say the girl who transferred into this school would not have been able to do either, because she was beaten down and broken and had almost no faith in her amazing mind.
So along with helping The Bug develop her mind...Starpoint has given her the skills she so desperately needed to be a success in life. I know I have gotten a bit wordy...but I can't believe I didn't mention being thankful for this earlier. It is a unique kind of pain to watch your child suffer and be unable to help. This school gave both of us the tools we needed to make the most out of what we have to offer. They have also made me a better mother. I was so used to needing to be involved in EVERYTHING school related...I had to assist in every project...I had to read every story out loud...now I have to remind myself to check her planner. She is able to take care of business without help from mom. I think that is the best gift...she is becoming self reliant...she knows what needs to be done and she finds a way to do it.
Final anecdote (I swear)...she has an assignment due Friday and she is trying to spread the work out over the week, but she forgot her questions at school. Instead of waiting until tomorrow and having double the work...she decided to call a friend from class and get half of the questions so she could do her work. The child who entered this school would never have thought to do that...
So thank you Starpoint School for helping my daughter grow into the self reliant...confident...brilliant young lady I have the pleasure of admitting in mine!
To the moon and back,
Sarah
quote of the day:
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| really...I mean who doesn't love a gnome?!? |
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