Hi, school!

Maggie is graduating from middle school in a couple of week. I am delighted that her school does the whole cap and gown thing and makes it a real graduation. Transitioning to high school is a big deal for every kid, and maybe more so for Maggie.

I doubt Maggie anticipates the change. She knows she’s graduating and knows she’s heading to a new school. She’s been to visit the school, the classroom and the new teacher. But the reality of it won’t hit her until she arrives in August. That’s just the way it is.

In part that’s good. There is no angst and no dread of fitting in etc. In part it’s bad. There’s no appreciation for what she will leave behind. Maggie has no control over where she goes. She is at the mercy of those around her. She is delivered to a place and expected to adapt. Generally, she does just fine; but this transition is huge. She will be in a special ed class tucked away in a protected corner of an enormous high school. Will she be able to make friends like she has in middle school?

I’ve written before about the leaps in socialization she has enjoyed while at her current classroom. Her girlfriends are younger than she is and will not be making the move to high school. Will there be other girls , other friends like these? I hope so, but there are no guarantees. These girls have not simply been nice to Maggie, they have been her friends. They’ve come to the house, called her on the phone, come to her birthday party and cheered her on at Special Olympics. (see pic)

This is the right age and the right circumstance for that to happen. The girls were part of Maggies’ classroom and her teacher seamlessly made this happen. I’m not sure the high school classroom will have as much interaction with typically developing kids, or, if they do, that those kids will be as willing to befriend Maggie.

Perhaps it’s good that Maggie doesn’t have the angst and dread of fitting in. She has her mom to do that for her. One of us has to act like a grown up.