a better day

It's Friday - how can the day be bad?  Well, wait - don't answer that.  I am not one who enjoys tempting the Fates.

But today was, at the very least, NOT a bad day, and that is something.  I think it helped that I took a 1/2 day off. 

I had two meetings today, rather BIG ones, about some students and am pleased that they both went well.  I had prepared well, had all my ducks in a row if you will, and cranked through them.  Both meetings were productive; one student who desperately needs an attitude adjustment (as well as a behavior plan) got it, and we got the blessing from a parent to seek out alternative placements for her son who is smart enough to be successful but is performing at astonishingly low levels.  He basically is gathering nothing at all from school, and as I put it to the mom, it is not as much that he is failing school as it is that school is failing him.  We've tried it; its broke.  Time to fix it.  I was anticipating at the least hesitation, but she was fully on board, and I believe finding an alternative place for this student will go SO far in allowing him to reach his potential.  So - good day at work.

I was able to be home early enough for the boys when they walked through the door on an early release day.  I hate the thought of them being home until I get home from work, since it can be as much as a 3 hour wait for them.  My house hates it too; yesterday I came home to a complete disaster, ala category 2 hurricane.  They went to a neighbors not long after getting home, and this allowed me to go on a nice long bike ride.  (Ok, it felt longer than it was - 30 minutes.)  I went to the office supply store, purchased resume paper, hit the bookstore, and then went to get Squirt.  Always the highlight of my day is walking into the school cafeteria where they have "Kids Klub" afterschool, to see him running toward me, grinning widely, arms outstretched with my greeting..."Mooommmeeeeeeeee".  Melts my heart and puts all the garbage that I may have endured during the day into startling perspective.

We found out yesterday that Parker was selected to play in the Majors for Little League this year.  If you are a LL mom, you get that - HUGE deal for a 10 year old, and he is both terrified and terrifically excited all wrapped up into one.  His team is the Red Sox, and you KNOW that makes this momma pleased as punch.

Then there is Matthew... So here's the deal with this kiddo.. he is amazingly bright.  He walks around here (and school) like the absent minded professor, but he has understanding of things and insights that no 9yr old should possess.  His teacher and I laugh, because he is reading at nearly a 7th grade level, but he HATES to read and NEVER meets his reading goal for the quarter.  We've had the 'talk' about how he is wasting the gifts he as been given if he is not reading and just wait, something will spark your interest.. nearly everything but standing on our head, to get him to read. 

Nothing.  Nada.  No thanks, Not interested.

He did express interest in seeing the new Percy Jackson movie coming out, and he knows my rule - if there is a movie that was made from a book, we read the book first.  The Lightening Thief is long.  L.O.N.G, long.  He showed a kernel of interest, then abruptly lost it again at the size of the book.  But then, I had an AHA moment - AudioBook!!

After debating with Steve as to the virtues vs. the 'cheat' factor of audiobooks, we decided to try it. Matthew has the book, and is listening to is as he reads.  I figure, his eyes are still reading the words, and he can read a lot faster at this stage having a professional reader read it to him, and he does not have to stop and try to pronounce words he does not know... a win-win for Matthew...

He has it all planned out - its a 10 hour audio book;  he can 'read' for an hour or two each day and will have the whole thing finished in about 2 weeks.

Most newsworthy of it all... he LOVES the book!!  YaaaHooo - I think we may finally have found the HOOK to get him reading!!!