New School Year

Busy week 'round here. We are a bit short on postings. Or maybe I've just said all there is to say.

Naaaaah!

Maggie is settling in to a new school year. She has a new teacher and new aides (paras) in her classroom, but the classroom, Nurse Janice and most importantly, the kids are the same so adjusting hasn't been too tough. Her new teacher, Ms. Durkash, knows all the kids because she was the inclusion teacher at Mission last year. Even though she's in a new role as Maggie'actual teacher, she's not a new face. Besides, she's fun and upbeat, so I'm sure it will be a great year.

There's another familiar face roaming the hallways of Mission High too. Teacher Joe, Maggie's middle school teacher, moved to Mission High this year! What a bonus for all of us. I popped my head in to visit the other day and saw him in the hallway.  He is teaching another special ed class, but there will be lots of interaction with him. The special ed community at Mission is a very tight knit group.

Maggie is still adjusting to the rigors of the school schedule. Even though we were out and about every day in the summer, school is another thing altogether. Maggie is dressed, in her chair and  and ready to go at 7:00AM. The bus comes about 7:15 and she is gone until 3:00PM. She's exhausted when she gets back.

Some of her behavior is less than desirable too. Her home nurse Fely is sporting a nasty bruise on her arm from Maggie's successful pinching and scratching efforts. It's embarrassing. Maggie really does know better, but it's all in how you handle it.  Fely just tells her over and over to stop, which makes it into a game with Maggie. (especially when Fely's voice gets a higher and higher pitch) Everyone else just stops whatever they're doing and walks away. If Maggie is going to scratch me while I'm trying to feed her, I'm going to stop the feed. If she wants the food and the interaction, she has to stop the behavior. This is a more successful approach, but I cannot convince Fely to use it. Even when she tries to use it, she's still telling Maggie how she has to stop. It cracks Maggie up. That's embarrassing too.  In a perfect world these behaviors would not exist, but I don't live in a perfect world  We all have to be on the same page to deal with them, though, or they are going to get worse instead of better.

Maggie is a manipulative little thing. After she upsets Fely and leaves the bruise, Maggie says on her talker "Fely Love Maggie."  Fely melts and Maggie gives her evil little grin.

Hopefully once she's used to the schedule and not so tired, she won't engage in these bahaviors. Hopefully I'll still have a nurse in the house to help me when that day arrives.