Visit to the Post Office...and other stuff

I hand delivered my 15 page paper to the post office today!! YAHOO!!!! I'm done, I'm done...doing a little happy dance that you can't see.

And other stuff:
I'm glad I didn't write about my meeting yesterday. I probably would have given way too many details that might have cost me my job if anyone read what I had to say yesterday! It boils down to the fact that one of my special ed students is getting the shaft. And it's all due to upper level school management politics and nothing to do with him or his family. He's being asked to move to another school because they (the powers that be) are changing the way our sp.ed. program is run at my school. He would be better served at another school--I can't get into all the details about why, etc. because of privacy issues. Now that I've had time to settle down and ask questions to the sp.ed. teacher who works with him and my administrator, I do agree that this other school is better suited to meet his needs, but it makes me so darn mad! He's been at my school since Kindergarten. We've met his needs just fine--okay, well, as good as we could. I felt like the parents were put on the spot yesterday to make decisions about next year without knowing all of the important information. I felt like they were expected to play football without any pads or a helmet.

It seemed to me that they were lambasted about the possible move to another school. In reality, the mother had been informed prior to the meeting that he could be better served in this other school, with teachers who are trained to meet his specific needs and to work with him on his deficits. However, there were very influential sp. ed. employees at this meeting who were rushing the parents into making decisions. There were two or three times that I actually spoke up (as if I were the parents advocate and not the child's!) because I felt like the parents were so overwhelmed by all this information that they couldn't possibly make certain decisions. I finally had to tell everyone that I wasn't signing anything until the parents had time to look at the new facility, meet the new teachers, and look over some of the information they were given. Thankfully the parents are very involved in making the best decision for their sp.ed. child, so they refused to sign anything, as well, until they had a chance to digest all of this information. They seem like fighters--and more power to them. I am not in a position to fight my employer. That would not be the right thing for me to do. But it is, without a doubt, the right thing for a parent to fight for the right of their child. If necessary, I will be the silent cheerleader for this family. If possible, I'll be in the forefront, cheering them on!

More other stuff:
Today was picture day at school. Would someone please shoot me the next time we do picture day??? My kids were nutso!!!! My kids wear uniforms to school. On picture day, they are allowed to change into street clothes for the five minutes they take their individual pictures. Then they are required to change back into their uniforms. Oh, dear....the drama that follows. Not to mention all the notes from mamas: please make sure she has a pretty smile; put her hair over one shoulder, make sure his shirt doesn't get wrinkled before he takes his picture, blah, blah, blah. THEY ARE CHILDREN!!!! His shirt is going to get wrinkled in between the restroom and the classroom. I'm going to force her to smile pretty. Ahhhh....the fun times at school.

That's about it. I'm off to stamp and scrapbook for a few minutes after I cook dinner.