So it’s official, Jayden is in Kindergarten! We are so excited for him and this upcoming year. We have heard nothing but great things about his teacher, Ms. Williams, so much so, we were excited to stay in Waukegan School district. He is in a self-contained special ed., which means there are only kids with IEP’s (or special needs) in his classroom. He has 10 students in his class, compared to 28 in a normal ed room-half day. He has a fantastic team of teachers and therapists working with him and they even had a meeting with me already to talk about what is BEST for Jayden (not free and appropriate). They are willing to try new things and work with him using his learning language and temperament, which is such a relief! That is one thing I have learned when you have really any child, but especially children with special needs, the attitude of the teachers and therapists will make or break your year. It doesn’t matter the district you are in. You will find good and bad teachers everywhere. Word of mouth with other teachers and parents are really the best way to advocate for a particular teacher and we are thankful to Nancy Varney for doing that for us.
Another bonus of him attending Whittier is Janet Taylor. Janet is the secretary and a friend that attends Immanuel Church with us. She knows our story on a personal level and I have peace that if the school was burning, she would grab Jayden and call me! I love having eyes and ears checking on Jayden outside the classroom.
Jayden loves school and that makes us so happy. After meeting with the teachers, we decided that as long as Jayden feels loved, enjoys school, makes some friends, and maintains the skills he has, they have been successful. If he learns some new skills, we all will be happy, but in the grand scheme of things, the other things matter more to us. (Thanks, Becca, for mentioning that with Julia because that is what I advocated for.)
I also think Jayden looks ADORABLE in his school uniform! I was a bit worried about white tops so I got him some sweaters. His teacher always comments on his shoes, or tie, or hair….she calls him her little surfer boy!
Open house was nice. We had a private session with Ms Williams because we were late for the first one! Sometimes it pays to be late, huh?!
