Saturday, March 27, 2010

All classes - no progress

Yesterday I attended an IEP/Annual Review for a student of Woodstock's own therapeutic day school at Clay Academy (formerly known as Clay Elementary School). I was invited by the student's parents and thought I was going to a parent-teacher conference.

Imagine my surprise (well, not too great) at being ushered into the principal's office and finding quite a few people present: principal, nurse, social worker, outside agency rep., school district office rep, teacher, case manager and two parents.

This particular student has had a very high rate of absenteeism; in fact, out of 43 school days since mid-January, he attended on 17 (if I remember the count correctly from the attendance report).

Although the 15-year-old student was invited to attend, he did not accompany his parents to the meeting. There are some meetings where it's better that the student not attend, and this was one of them.

His progress was reported as non-existent, "due to the number of absences." After listening for about 90 minutes, I was asked if I had a comment, and I asked whether the school had attempted to determine the cause for the absences. Exactly, I meant.

I suggested a Functional Behavior Assessment, which is a well-known tool designed to reveal the causes of any particular behavior are. If properly used, an FBA can often pinpoint what is leading up to the behavior in question. You look for causes; what happened before the behavior;what was to the student; who was present; what happened before that? And before that?

The popular phrase, "the devil is in the details", comes to mind. Teachers and staff must be honest and complete in their reporting.

If a student reports that a teacher is constantly yelling at him, a teacher may deny it. But, is it happening? Responses are sometimes "politically correct". Sometimes (often?) they are couched in "workshop" or "in-service" terms that protect the teacher. But, if the student feels "yelled at" and shuts down or acts out, and it's a therapeutic school setting for special-needs students, then the teacher and staff should be figuring out Plan B.

These teachers have a tough job. There is no doubt about it. But they also have smaller caseloads and small classes. We need, and the kids deserve, the "Ron Clarks" and the "Erin Gruwells" of the educational world. If you don't know who they are, do a search on Google for "Ron Clark 55" and Erin's name.

Sorry, but "no progress" is not an acceptable report. There must be some progress, even if you only pick up from the last day of attendance and go on (even a little).

Monday, March 22, 2010

Bobby Petrocelli - great!


Bobby Petrocelli gave a high-energy talk tonight at Woodstock North High School at the end of a long day. But you never would have known about his long day from the pace and power of his talk.

Earlier today he spoke at Woodstock High School and this afternoon he gave two presentations at Woodstock North. I guessed the audience to be about 70-90, including many students who returned to hear him again.

At least one student brought a fellow student who had been absent from school today, insisting that her friend "had" to hear Bobby and meet him.

Key sentences and ideas tonight were:

"What you put your time into, is what you'll be successful at."

1. Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.
2. Offense is inevitable; forgiving is optional.
3. change is inevitable; growth is optional.

"How you respond to the mistakes you make in this game (life), will determine how you play the rest of the game."

District 200 is providing some great programs this year for students (special ed and regular ed)and parents. Watch for upcoming programs and attend them. Spend an evening with your kids, away from the TV and away from videogames.

You (and they) will be glad you did.

April 12 Town Hall Meeting in Woodstock

On April 12 a town hall meeting will be held at the Woodstock (Ill.) Opera House to discuss youth binge drinking, prescription medication abuse and heroin use.

For details, please see the complete article on www.WoodstockAdvocate.com

On that website, search for "binge" to find it quickly.

Tonight at Woodstock North H.S.

Tonight, March 23, Woodstock School District 200 will present speaker Bobby Petrocelli and "Ten Seconds Can Change Your Life Forever" from 7:00-8:00PM at Woodstock North High School, 3000 Raffel Road, Woodstock, Ill.

Petrocelli and his wife were asleep in their own bedroom, when a drunk crashed his pick-up truck into the house, killing Bobby's wife and injuring Bobby.

This program will be a follow-up to a presentation to students by Petrocelli on today's youth and the decisions they make. Topics of discussion will include substance abuse, dating, bullying and self-worth.

Light refreshments will be served from 6:00-7:00PM. The program is open to the public, and there is no charge.

For more information, visit www.10seconds.org/

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

April 1st Parent calls

On April 1st (no April Fool's trick here) the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, Child & Adolescent Services invites all Illinois parents of children with emotional and/or behavioral health concerns to join in on the monthly Parent Empowerment Call.

Parent Empowerment Calls are held on the first Thursday of the month. Two sessions are available; available times and dial-in number details are listed below.

The next Parent Empowerment Call is scheduled for Thursday, April 1, 2010 with two sessions offered: 12:00-1:00 PM and 7:00-8:00 PM.

For the 12:00PM call, dial 800-260-0712 and use Participant Access Code: 120964

For the 7:00PM call, dial 866-812-0461 and use Participant Access Code: 120977

These are toll-free educational calls, offered to all parents in Illinois who have a child with an emotional and/or behavioral concern, and they will focus on giving parents information they need to advocate for and support their children.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Parent Leadership Institute - April 12,13

Take a look at these questions that will be addressed at the Parent Leadership Institute in Normal, Illinois on April 12-13.

- What is the missing piece to the student achievement puzzle?
- What do we want our students to learn?
- How will we know they have learned?
- How will we respond when a student has difficulty learning?
- How can parents and educators work together to improve outcomes for students?

Pretty powerful, eh?

This Institute is sponsored by the Parent and Educator Partnership. Information can be viewed at www.pepartnership.org

If you think you might be interested in attending, contact them right away!

TACA will meet this Saturday

The McHenry County chapter of Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) will meet this Saturday in Crystal Lake. If you are interested in autism or in communication technology, join them to hear Hilary Hoffstetter, a consultant from DynaVox, and Shannon Brooke, a speech language
pathologist from Easter Seals in Waukegan.

Topic: Augmentative Communication Technology

Saturday, March 20, 2010
Time: 4:30-6:00PM
Home State Bank
611 S. Main Street
Community Meeting Room on Basement Level
Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Hilary Hoffsetter and Shannon Brooke will speak about low- and high-tech assistive communication technology and systems that are available for any non-verbal individual, not just those with autism. Devices will be available to handle and try out at the meeting. Hilary and Shannon will also be discussing how to determine the type of assistive technology that is appropriate for the non-verbal person in your life and how to know when someone is ready for a new communication strategy.

For more information check http://meetup.talkaboutcuringautism.org/illinois/index.html

Sorry, child care is not available at the meeting.

If you have questions, please contact Linda at 847-922-5392 or linda.betzold@tacanow.org

TACA —Talk About Curing Autism is a non-profit organization composed of parents of children with autism who volunteer to help other parents of children with autism. Check out their website at www.tacanow.org

Saturday, March 13, 2010

What happens next?

Last week in Woodstock's Administrative Adjudication Court Judge Eterno listened at several different times to parts of a case against a parent whose high school child was truant from Woodstock High School.

How did she happen to be charged? Because her kid was absent at least 29 days from school?

The mother wasn't in court, because an injury from a fall on the previous day prevented her appearance; but her husband was there.

Judge Eterno was very careful, as he tried to ascertain whether the husband was able to stand in for his wife. At one point, Judge Eterno told the man to call his wife and determine the extent to which he was to stand in her place that day.

When the case was called again, it appeared that the man intended to plead that his wife was "liable", and Judge Eterno tried to confirm that his wife understood the ramifications of such a plea. It appeared the judge had serious reservations about accepting the plea from the husband, so he continued the case for a month. Several times Judge Eterno expressed great concern that the boy would be truant many more days.

Since the address from which the kid was truant was 112 Grove Street, Woodstock, I realized the kid is a student at the Clay Street Academy. The "Academy" is a District 200 school in Woodstock for students who qualify for placement in a non-resident therapeutic day school because of neurological disabilities or other special needs.

Unless things have changed in District 200 over the past 5-8 years, little collaboration is done by the entire education system to help parents who struggle with educational and attendance problems of their kids. Parents (and students) are too often just at the "effect" of the system, when a meaningful collaborative effort might result in a much better result for all - for the student, for the parents, for the teachers and staff.

What does a parent do who cannot control her child? Why is the student truant? Has the school determined the reasons for the truancy? I mean, the real reasons...

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

WANTED - Parent Partners


In an effort to support parents and educators in their work of improving results for all students, the Parent & Educator Partnership is hosting the Parent Leadership Institute. The Institute goal is to equip parent leaders to work collaboratively with their school districts to engage families in meaningful participation. Meaningful participation happens when parents and educators have an understanding of school improvement.

This two-day Institute is designed to provide parent leaders with tools and information necessary to understand school improvement and how to facilitate collaboration between parents and professionals to improve outcomes for students.

Where: Marriott – Bloomington/Normal Hotel & Conference Center
201 Broadway Avenue
Normal, IL 61761

When: April 12, 2010: 10:00 am - 7:30 pm and April 13, 2010: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm

The Institute will address the following questions:

- What is the missing piece to the student achievement puzzle?
- What do we want each student to learn?
- How will we know when each student has learned?
- How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
- How will parents and professionals work together to improve outcomes for students?

The answers to those questions involve understanding:

- The role of Family involvement in education;
- The Illinois Learning Standards, including Social and Emotional Learning;
- Data to improve student outcomes;
- Response to Intervention;
- Facilitation of Parents and Teachers Talking Together.

Who should attend?

- Parents of school-aged children who are willing to volunteer as a Parent Leader within their school or district in a leadership role.
- LEA representatives who want to develop parent leadership.
- Parent mentors and liaisons.

Parent participant requirements:

- Facilitate collaboration among parents and professionals about how they can work together to improve education.
- Work collaboratively with the local school district to implement a plan for improvement.
- Partner with the Parent & Educator Partnership for two years.

Services provided during the Institute:

All participants will receive a conference binder and meals (lunch and dinner on Monday, and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday).

In addition, Parent Leaders will receive:
o Reimbursement for travel
o 1-night lodging at the Marriott Conference Center
o Parent and Teachers Talking Together Handbook

To learn more about being a parent leader, click on Parent Liaison Program. www.pepartnership.org/pdfs/ParentLiasonProgram.pdf

Two Choices

Here's one that came my way this morning. I hope you enjoy it.

What would you do?....you make the choice.. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

‘When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball - the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay.'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.'

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY:

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate amongst them.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Life Skills training needed

At last evening's Transitional Youth Work Group meeting at the McHenry County Mental Health Board offices, a small group (where was everyone???) discussed the usefulness of a strong life skills training program for youth and young adults in our county.

A "Life Skills 101" is offered through Family Service in McHenry, and it includes budgeting and skill-building for living independently. Mary Lu Seidel discussed the transitional, affordable housing that will be available through CAMHCO.

I questioned whether youth today are learning how to live on their own; i.e., not just to talk about it, but to actually acquire the skills needed to live independently: shopping, budgeting, paying rent and utilities on time, buying food and rationing it through the week, preparing meals and cleaning up, housekeeping, not destroying rental property, etc.

High schools in McHenry County are to offer transition programs for special education students between the ages of 18-21. These programs are to prepare our young adults to make a smooth transition from high school to the next step in their lives, whether it's college, junior college, military, work or whatever.

One such high school program offers an occasional cooking class for its students. Today's menu? Macaroni and cheese. And hot dogs.

So much for teaching the kids to prepare nutritious meals, eh? Now, will somebody please tell me the redeeming educational value is opening a box and dumping contents into boiling water? Or nuking a hot dog?

There are several ways to cook a hot dog. You can boil it. You can slice and fry it. Or you can do it my way. Open the bun, put on the dog, wrap it in a paper towel and stick it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Add mustard and eat.

By the way, I haven't had a hot dog since August. Not that I don't think about having one...

Oh, yes. The clean-up? Throw away the paper towel.

I wonder if they are taught to put very hot soapy water in the mac & cheese pan, so that it can soak while they are eating the mac & cheese. That'll make clean-up very easy.

But where is the instruction for preparing a nutritious, balanced meal?

School starting hours

How does your kid do first thing in the morning? Is he an early riser, dressed, organized, ready to go, eager to go to school, on the bus on time?

Yes, Virginia, there are children like this. Three of them, I think. None in McHenry County, Ill. - - - just kidding. There might be three; maybe, even four.

In George Will's syndicated column, carried yesterday in the Northwest Herald, he gave "Advice for parents: Lighten up, stop overparenting."

In the fifth column he wrote, "When Edina, Minn., changed its high school start from 7:25 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., math/verbal SAT scores rose substantially."

I recall a Letter to the Editor (of The Woodstock Independent, I believe) by a Woodstock mom, after Woodstock School District 200 changed its start times and made them earlier. This wise mom wrote that she agreed that kids could learn more in longer school days but that they would have to be awake first!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

More CelebrateCALM news

The following is from Kirk Martin's e-newsletter today. Kirk's website is http://www.celebratecalm.com/, where you'll find all sorts of helpful information and online courses.

Kirk and his 16-year-old son, Casey, will be in Elmhurst on Saturday and Oak Park on Monday. Look on this site and on http://www.woodstockadvocate.com/ for more information.

Kirk will be happy to add you to his email distribution list. Just write to him at celebratecalm@yahoo.com and tell him "Gus sent me".

You can forward this article by using the small white envelope at the bottom of this article. Just click on it, fill in your friend's email address, add a note, try to decipher the scrambled code of letters, and hit "Send Email".


You Mean There's Nothing Wrong with Me, Mom?
It is sad what society is doing to our kids. Can you identify with this Mom?

"My son has had difficulties with concentration, social skills and sensory issues since preschool. The reports from school make it seem like he has such a dreadful future-it's so negative and doesn't describe my son. It makes me want to cry."

You are not alone. You love your son, your daughter, you remember the innocent joy they spread as little ones. Then that moment comes-maybe at a birthday party, the first day of pre-school, perhaps midway through grade school-when you realize your child doesn't necessarily fit the mold. He's different. We get scared, even embarrassed, and fear our children won't be successful. Let's teach our kids three truths to break free from dangerous premises.

1) There is nothing inherently wrong with you. Instead of celebrating a child's unique strengths and individuality, our society perpetuates a false premise-that there is something wrong with kids who think differently. This flawed premise leads to a pernicious conclusion-that society must change these children to make them learn like everyone else. That's the message our kids internalize throughout childhood. It leads to devastated confidence, confusion ("I feel okay, but why does everyone treat me like I'm not?") and an endless focus on the negative.

The truth is that while our kids need tools to overcome weaknesses, they are purposefully wired with unique strengths. Do we lament the fact that many compliant kids lack creativity, initiative and imagination, that they often wait to be told what to do?!

This email will break your heart, but it's very common.
"Kirk, my daughter had just gotten suspended...again...driving her home, I'm fuming, embarrassed, wanting to lecture so I put the Kids CDs in...look in the rear view mirror and Katey's iistening... I hear her call out real sweet, "Mom?"...She says, "Does that mean there really isn't anything wrong with me, I have a good brain?" I just about it lost it...pulled over and climbed into the back seat next to Katey...she asked if we could just listen to the rest before we went home...we talked about why she gets in trouble, what she can do differently next time, all the good things...we got home and made a poster of all her good qualities...we filled that poster up and hung it in her room...every morning and night before bed, we pick a quality and talk about it...thank you to you and Casey for this gift to our kids. Katey is on her way."

2) You have advantages and strengths other kids don't have. We spend so much time trying to fix our kids' weaknesses that we have little energy and time left to focus on their strengths. And the truth is that the happiest, most successful people in life have one thing in common: they are using their unique skills and passions to help other people.

So like the Mom above, it's important to identify and actively cultivate our kids' gifts and passions. What do your kids enjoy doing? What are they naturally good at doing? Who do they have an affinity for--younger children, senior citizens, animals, handicapped children?

You know what else our kids have that's unique? Huge hearts. Get your kids involved in a service project, using their talents to help other people, and I guarantee you will see defiance, boredom and negativity fade away. Using a strengths-based approach in the classroom is proven to improve academic and behavioral performance.

3) Society needs you-you have a great future ahead of you. Ironically, the very society that has labeled and devalued these kids desperately needs the unique qualities our kids possess. Who else possesses the energy, creativity, innovation, passion and persistence that lead to breakthroughs in science, the arts and business?

One of the big ah-hah moments on the CDs in when kids hear that the iPod (and just about every innovative product, service, video game, movie and music we enjoy daily) was created by someone whose brain was wired exactly like our kids'. Casey and I spend time talking about finding your purpose...because once kids find their purpose, much of the anxiety and defiance fades away.

When we empower our kids with strategies to overcome issues with concentration, social skills, anxiety, meltdowns and more, they can be wildly successful. Ask your kids how they want to use their talents. Use the workbook on the CD to create a positive action plan with your children--this is the very tool Casey continues to use to chart his path.