School Adjustments

Sorry, I've been quiet so long.  There are more regular updates to come.  Whitney has had a tough fall getting back to school.  She's in a new classroom with a new teacher.  And her sign language interpreter, who was with her for the last several years helping her understand what was said in the classroom, suddenly moved out of state just after the start of the school year.  So poor Whit has been doing the best she can to adjust to a new environment, new teacher and a new interpreter in order to keep up on what's going on at school.

The result hasn't been terrific.  About a month ago she began getting agitated in the classroom and having some pretty serious fits.  One day we got a note home that she had lost her temper and thrown a chair.  No one was hurt but Melanie and I were worried.

Melanie has been in contact with Whitney's teacher and they've been trying to coordinate things better in order to help Whit feel at ease and understand more of what's going on around her.  Melanie is also going to start volunteering in the classroom weekly.  Hopefully, a familiar face will also help her relax and be willing to participate and learn.

The biggest help in fighting classroom issues has been a daily report home.  It's just a small note with an update on Whitney's behavior for the day.  The teacher explains how important it is to Whitney and Melanie praises Whitney like crazy when she comes home with a good report.  Things have improved so much in the last month that Whitney now proudly comes home holding a note saying that she had an outstanding day.

I'm hoping this is a sign that the adjustment period to all of the new people and classroom is finally over.  It takes Whit a bit longer to settle in than a typical child.  But we know that she really does love getting out of the house and going to school.  And we hope that the love she has will continue for many years to come.