Bump with update (:

I discuss nearly everything with him, but only because our finances our quite tight right now, and it helps both of us to stay accountable and consider the necessity. In the past we've agreed to discuss purchases over a certain amount. (:

Never did- apparently she's not the diplomatic person- and I'm discovering a whole back story to the situation. Thanks again for the swell advice- I'm hopeful.

I'll definitely wait until I know a bit more about testing. But I'm getting a bit excited- I hope we can work out a situation that will help her blossom- that's all any mama wants!

I appreciate all of the advice. I'm hoping to hear back soon about testing and if we need to keep her in a bit longer or can pull soon. She is being treated with therapy at the moment, and I will consider medication if necessary. I'm still feeling a bit anxious myself, haha, about figuring out our game plan, but I think we are getting there! I'm actually kind of excited at the prospect of having another homeschooler around for a while- I think it could be quite beneficial for her. Thanks again ladies! And I know it's like asking Vegetarians about meat, I think that's why I came here ( ; I'm still a homeschooler at heart.

She has already begun seeing a counselor to help with the anxiety, and will be visiting with her weekly. There is one other teacher- I will look into switching- although I substituted as a Para in the other classroom and SHE seemed a bit harsh - but I've heard better things about her. To continue testing I assume she has to remain in school? My relationship, and my husband's (who would be the primary educator), with her is okay- but I do think it's a bit of a worry as she can be difficult.

I posted last week on the main board about the difficulties my daughter was facing in her first grade classroom. 4 of my 6 children go to a Classical charter school that I adore. The youngest two are home, primarily with my husband, and he does a wonderful job working with them with the Letter of the week preschool curriculum. When he was working I home schooled them for about five- six years. If you recall, my daughter has been struggling with anxiety and outbursts that have been worsening as the school year has gone on. She also recently had an outburst at school and was sent home. Her teacher approached me abut holding her back, which freaked me out, and since then we have initiated testing with the school. I spoke with my daughter in third grade who told me this first grade teacher has a reputation for being mean. Then I spoke with some friends who had/have children in her class. Two have pulled their children to home school due to concerns! Another said her child asks every afternoon if he can be home schooled. He is quite bright but absolutely miserable at school right now. Sending my six year old to school this morning knowing what I now know broke my heart. I feel strongly about getting her tested so I can get her necessary help, but as a child that struggles with anxiety I know that this is not a safe or beneficial environment right now. My husband is concerned about homeschooling her because it's a struggle to work with her on reading, etc. She fights it tooth and nail. Her teacher told me last week she also has a very difficult time with it at school and is not cooperative. However, I can't help but think that if we can find the right curriculum and resources and get her out of the negative environment (apparently she is known to be a yeller :crying: ), she will find her love of learning and her anxiety will begin to improve. I"m not sure if I"m posting just to vent or ask for advice. :confused1: Just putting this out there. Parenting is a rough job!

I posted last week about the difficulties my daughter was facing in her first grade classroom. 4 of my 6 children go to a Classical charter school that I adore. The youngest two are home, primarily with my husband, and he does a wonderful job working with them with the Letter of the week preschool curriculum. When he was working I home schooled them for about five- six years. If you recall, my daughter has been struggling with anxiety and outbursts that have been worsening as the school year has gone on. She also recently had an outburst at school and was sent home. Her teacher approached me abut holding her back, which freaked me out, and since then we have initiated testing with the school. I spoke with my daughter in third grade who told me this first grade teacher has a reputation for being mean. Then I spoke with some friends who had/have children in her class. Two have pulled their children to home school due to concerns! Another said her child asks every afternoon if he can be home schooled. He is quite bright but absolutely miserable at school right now. Sending my six year old to school this morning knowing what I now know broke my heart. I feel strongly about getting her tested so I can get her necessary help, but as a child that struggles with anxiety I know that this is not a safe or beneficial environment right now. My husband is concerned about homeschooling her because it's a struggle to work with her on reading, etc. She fights it tooth and nail. Her teacher told me last week she also has a very difficult time with it at school and is not cooperative. However, I can't help but think that if we can find the right curriculum and resources and get her out of the negative environment (apparently she is known to be a yeller :crying: ), she will find her love of learning and her anxiety will begin to improve. I"m not sure if I"m posting just to vent or ask for advice. :confused1: Just putting this out there. Parenting is a rough job!

Making progress- still don't know what the end result will be, but that is okay. My husband and I met the staff about testing and have the ball rolling for that. We've also discussed things a bit more with her teacher and have a parent teacher conference next week. We tweaked her home reading as well in an effort to help. After testing we will make decisions about homeschooling, retaining, etc. We also met with the counselor. She's still struggling with terrible outbursts- I'm hoping we can help her! Thanks for the kind thoughts (:

Carol- I know that- just need to help my husband know that :laugh: I have such fond memories of working with my older children when they were little. It was always a bit hectic but wonderful. I think that it could be just what she needs, and she'd be much more receptive. Particularly if we were addressing the underlying issues as well and putting her in a low stress environment. Learning is so fun at this stage! I'll keep working on him.

Printed off a request, emailed her teacher, and emailed the head grammar school teacher. I'll also be making some phone calls in the morning. It feels so good to DO something. Phew!

This has been tremendously helpful. I've been thinking about this all weekend- as you can imagine! I'm submitting a written request tomorrow, as well as emailing her teacher and the lead teacher of the grammar school about a meeting and my concerns. We are also calling the counselors that have been working with our older child. Interesting point about perhaps not being a good fit- it's such a wonderful school, but it's true that their SPED program could be better. Homeschooling may certainly be our best option- in fact it was one of the first things to pop into my head. The 'problem' with that is that I wouldn't be doing the schooling, it would be my SAH husband for the most part, and he's intimidated by that BECAUSE of the problems she's been struggling with. It's like pulling teeth just to get her daily reading in. I definitely find myself slipping back into my homeschooling mindset though, and wonder if she needs less pressure and more personalized help. We will ponder that. She's not particularly young for grade- she will be 7 in April. Thanks for all of the perspectives.

Thanks Northwest Mom! I think half of the problem was just feeling accosted by the information and the fact that this is the first we've heard of any trouble despite checking and keeping in good contact. Parent Teacher conferences are coming up, so I'll make sure we sit down together, and meanwhile I'll look into the counsellors that have worked with some of our older children. We've had some difficulties in the last with our oldest, who also struggles from anxiety, so I feel like I should be familiar with this, but every child is so different. I think you're right- there is still time to investigate and get her the help she needs!

Update- Dd had a little virus last week so missed 3 days of school, giving us some time to think about things. She is at school this week to receive testing and give us more time to decide. Hopefully by the week we will have some more understanding of how she is doing, and be able to make a final decision about homeschooling to finish the year out, and perhaps a little longer. The administration told me they are aware of the problems in her classroom and are doing something about it, but it won't be in time to help this daughter. I'm excited to get more answers! Although I homeschooled for many years, my children now attend an amazing Classical charter school. We have had wonderful experiences there, but I'm now dealing with a difficult situation regarding my little first grader. I substitute there on occasion, when I'm not at my other job, and ran into her teacher today. After a little chit chat she mentioned , as if we had already discussed this, that she may well be holding our daughter back, but isn't sure what the best thing would be. She went on for a few minutes, and mentioned that we could push for testing, but it's difficult to get the school to test a first grader apparently? Meanwhile I had no clue what she was talking about! Then, within a couple hours, the same child was sent home for hitting and biting an older child (completely unprecedented behavior! She's not violent ):). So, I've been terribly concerned all day thinking about what may be going on. What are the pros and cons of holding back a first grader? My dh and I have noticed at home that she's been struggling with anxiety, and her teacher mentioned that she has difficulty paying attention. Could these contribute to poor academic performance? With reading it's like she chokes up with anxiety before sleeves gets started. Being a parent is hard! She is a bright little thing, despite being on her own time table- how much can I push for and any thoughts? I'm just feeling lost and overwhelmed at the moment.

Loving this info- I've been looking into the breed.

One more bump! (:

Bump!

I'm looking for some advice from the venerable hive. I'm working on some Christmas family tree quilted wall hangings. I had what I thought was a brilliant idea, but now I'm not quite sure how to handle a few things. The plan is to ou the name and wedding date of the couples in permanent fabric marker on the heart of the tree. Their parents names will be written along the roots. The leaves are going to have the names of their children, grandchildren, etc. What would you do about awkward family situations? For example, what about the mothers of children who should be on the tree who are no longer in the picture with the father? Would you group children and grandchildren in a certain way? Just looking for some ideas- I'm hoping not to inadvertently cause offense! I still need to bind them, but my next step is writing and I'm terrified of messing things up. I've made one for my parents, my in laws, and both sets of grandparents and hope they will see the love behind it!

These suggestions are fantastic! I think I will enjoy them as much as the children 😉

Hey there! We are road tripping soon with a crew of six kids ranging in age from nearly 3 to nearly twelve. In the last we've enjoyed audio books like The Guardians, 101 Dalmatians, Tales from the Odyssey etc. Any stellar recommendations for a read that would entertain a wide age range. So e expensive are good, and some cheap would be even better (: Thanks!

Dr. Called back finally, she thinks it is benign. Gave advice for constipation so we will try those things out and I'll be keeping a journal of bathroom visits and water intake to make sure we are good. Ill be keeping a close eye on her over the next couple of weeks just to be safe though, that's my mom job (; thanks for the advice!

So upset- been trying to reach the nurse all day and keep on playing phone tag. Apparently the medical staff isn't concerned. Ugh.

My mother can't find her kit - ugh. I'll be calling the peds Monday morning to check up on things! I do wonder about the constipation, that does seem to be an issue with her sometimes and could have similar symptoms. I'll have her checked out to be on the safe side though. (: I'll return and report as soon as I have some answers!

Hoping to get her pricked today (: She had a good breakfast of oatmeal and peanut butter with some berries a couple hours prior to the urine check- so she shouldn't have had ketones for carb or starvation reasons. Who knows. I wouldn't be nearly as concerned if I hadn't already been keeping an eye on her because I've noticed that her thirst seems excessive and she has begun having accidents frequently (she's been potty trained since she was 2 1/2).

Thanks Mimi! I will try to check her sugars tomorrow-that should either reassure me or be a clear sign to talk to the dr!