My daughter just started 3rd grade at a local parachial school. I've home schooled her up until now, so it's quite a transition. Her teacher said she's struggling a bit (which I knew), but is starting to acclimate. I think we're very fortuante this year. There are only a dozen or so kids in her class and her teacher it very structures and has excellent follow through (not exactly my strengths). The kids bring home a folder every day with "done" and "non done" sides labeled. They're not kept in from recess for unfinished work as long as it comes back the next day. She has a good system of rewards and consequences. Just what most of the experts recommend for ADD kids, and she does this for all the student, so my daughter isn't singled out. I think it's just what my kiddo needs to keep on track (she also has her at the front of the class.).

We're starting the year without medication even though it really helped her academics, because it also makes her aggressive and not herself. I also had tics triggered by medication and we're concerned that might happen for her too.

Anyway, here's hoping!

Scattered

Scattered, it sounds like you have all of the bases covered and that's a great way to start the school year.

Sounds like a good start. My son was HE for 2 years and only returned to mainstream in March. He had just settled in and now after a 6 week break will be moving from infants to juniors. Which is run as a separate school. He is already getting nervous and saying he doesn't want to go. I'm just hoping the Juniors have the same skills as the infants with his SEN.

It makes such a difference to them when the school understands the issues, and it sounds like you have confidence in this teacher as well.

take care

exhausted mum

Good luck, it sounds like all is well for you and school! I am hopeful that things will be well for my son as he starts third grade next week (we live in NY). Ill keep my fingers crossed for both of us!

Scattered, Hope the year is a good one.

I homeschooled too-mostly because my early years were so traumatic. My son really appreciates those years now even though he complained about missing being with kids in the early years. You gave her a good solid foundation that will help her enormously! Congratulations to you.

This must be a big change for both of you. I always liked asking-1. What is the best thing that happened today? and 2. What is the hardest, worst, (different words) thing that happened today. That always gave me an idea of what the positives were and helped me keep an ear out for negative patterns.

The small class and structure will help her so much. Sounds like you can work with the teacher. That will really help too. You can work together to find what works for her. All kids should be so fortunate!

My best to you both.
Becky

Scattered, it sounds like you have all of the bases covered and that's a great way to start the school year.Well that would be a first! Hope you're right!

Thanks for the encouragement, ya'll! I know we'll have some challenges to face this year, but I'm hopeful that with this teacher's help we can get through them.

Good luck to you next week, Josiekat! Let us know how it goes.

Becky, excellent questions. I'm glad I homeschooled, but I think it's time for her to go to school this year -- my resources are stretched pretty thin, especially without meds.

Hope the transition goes well for your son, exaustedmom!

Take care,
Scattered

Just curious. Have you told the teacher about your daughter's ADHD? Have you asked for any special accomodations?

Just curious. Have you told the teacher about your daughter's ADHD? Have you asked for any special accomodations?I did talk to her and explained that we had tried meds and why decided to discontinue them. She's been nothing but supportive. I haven't really asked for any accomodations, other than allowing her to have a snack if her blood sugar gets low.

This teacher is so together and has such a great system of reinforcements, consequences and clear boundaries that any accomodations are pretty much her standard operating procedure. All the kids in the class have two folders they bring home everyday with one side marked done and one not done. They're allowed to finish any work they didn't have time to complete in class and bring it back the next day. They don't miss recess for not being fast enough, unless they fail to bring it back the following day. She's really teaching my daughter and I a good organizational stay on track techniques.

This teacher is really strict but also a really fun and positive person. Yesterday she ran out to my car to tell me she was so glad I enrolled my daughter in her class because she was so much fun! When my daughter told me what had happened I was thinking that some teachers would have had a cow! Apparently she got so tickled at the story the teacher was reading that she fell out of her chair laughing.

It's also very cool that my daugher is the best oral reader in the class and the fastest runner! :) :) :)

She pretty much falls apart when she gets home, but I'm incredibly proud of her. She goes out and runs for a half hour or so to decompress.

A very funny story -- the teacher left the room to speak to someone and the kids yelled, "party time!". When she came back in the room all but four kids were up on their chair doing Rock Star imitations. One of the four kids who was in her seat of my ADHD daughter.:eyebrow: This may or may not last, but you've got to love it!:D

Scattered

Scattered,

I'm so glad it's going well for you! Myself and another teacher at my school seem to be given more of the emotional needy and ADHD children because we both have ADHD ourselves and we both strive to create comfortable learning enviroments and we both teach all children appropriate fidgeting strategies. I too have noticed that most accomodations that I see in my students' 504 and IEPs are strategies I consider good teaching anyway. The only downfall to myself and the other ADHD teacher is our organization. I love the idea of the folders with finished and unfinished work! I think I'll start that with my class.

Sorry, for the ramble.

Anyway, it's wonderful that you have such a great teacher and everyone is happy! It will also give you a good experience so that if you have teachers who are not on the same level as this one, you will know exactly what works for your daughter in a school setting. :D

It really seems to be an ideal setting. Now I realize as the newness wears off some problems may crop up, but at least we have a good system in place to address those. I taught school for 12 years myself as an ADD teacher who thought she had out grown her hyperactivity -- I would have had great difficulty implementing the structure and consistency she uses, but I think it would be a good model to use with kids like mine (and like you say most kids would benefit from that kind of good teaching). Good luck to you -- being ADD makes you more impathetic but not naturally more consistent -- kind of hard getting more than your fair share the the challenging kids.


Take care,
Scattered

I'm so glad it's going well for you! Myself and another teacher at my school seem to be given more of the emotional needy and ADHD children because we both have ADHD ourselves and we both strive to create comfortable learning enviroments and we both teach all children appropriate fidgeting strategies. I too have noticed that most accomodations that I see in my students' 504 and IEPs are strategies I consider good teaching anyway. The only downfall to myself and the other ADHD teacher is our organization. I love the idea of the folders with finished and unfinished work! I think I'll start that with my class.
Chloe-you are absolutely right about what works for kids with disabilities is great for the reg ed kids as well. I would like to add that what works with low income/poverty students is awesome to use with kids of all backgrounds! They learn so much more!

Scattered, I am so glad things are still going well. I knew when it was time to send mine to school too. My 3rd child never needed to be homeschooled! The folder system she has is so awesome, plus it makes her job so much easier! As a teacher with ADD, I am always looking for ways to help my kids learn more yet reduce my work load! :) ;)

RADD

Yahoo!!!:cool: We just got my daughter's mid term report card -- 5 A's, 3 B's and 1 C (handwriting -- which predicts nothing in life!:p ). I was nervous about starting the year med free and also nervous because I've homeschooled her up until now and was afraid maybe I hadn't done a very good job (ADD issues of mine frequently got in the way of consistency). But she's holding her own and I'm thrilled!:D She's even doing well socially. Her teacher says she just goes in expecting that the kids will like her and she's making friends. So maybe waiting until she had a bit more maturity was a good thing! Thankfully her consistent teacher who is so good with the behavioral reinforcements is a tremendous help in keeping my little ADDer on track and my daughter's being rather bright doesn't hurt anything either. I'm one happy camper!:)

Scattered

The rewards part of your post interested me. Usually ADHD kids have difficulty with delayed rewards. How does she do it?

What would also interest me from a spec ed teacher point of view, what are her current academic abilities? How does she measure up academically, to other kids her age? With that information, one can compare those same abilities in a year or two. Will her learning keep pace to her current levels, in a class enviornment, say three years from now?

What would also interest me from a spec ed teacher point of view, what are her current academic abilities? How does she measure up academically, to other kids her age? With that information, one can compare those same abilities in a year or two. Will her learning keep pace to her current levels, in a class enviornment, say three years from now?This teacher is very immediate with the reward/consequences - name/checks on board, stickers, chocolate covered raisins, extra homework, trinkets, etc.

She just took her achievement tests and I'm not expecting much. She said she wasn't able to complete them in the time allowed and on one math test spent the whole test on the first question. She also came home very tired and frustrated each day even though they only spent 2 hours each day on tests. She can hold it together for a while, but then there is the inevitable melt down and this was pushing her limits. She's a little older than most of the other kids in her class (there are only a dozen of them) and most of them are boys, so at this age that gives her a bit of an break.

I have no idea how she'll keep learning from here on. I'm hopeful that this year with this teacher, she'll do well. With other more laid back teachers, we may well have a problem.

You've got to remember that this kid's grandfather was a rocket scientist -- she's pulling on some fairly substantial intelligence genes despite her ADD. Her grade pattern is the same as mine as a kid only slightly better. My guess is that she'll always do fairly well in science, social studies, and language arts and struggle in spelling and mathematics. Que surrah ... time will tell I guess.

Scattered