Curriculum Night
This evening I went to curriculum night at the kids' school. The teachers go over what the kids will be learning -- not only the subjects, but the content in those subjects, the classroom schedule and homework, and allow parents the opportunity to ask questions. They do testing on the kids to determine their level and put them in groups with kids at a similar ability level, so that more advanced kids aren't getting bored, and kids that are slower aren't getting left behind. For example, in math, there is a top tier, a middle tier, and a lower tier. Justin was tested and has been placed in the top tier. Math is his favorite subject, so I'm not really surprised at that. Also, his teacher is great. I really like her a lot.
I'm really happy with Tristan's teacher also. He emails me to ask me questions about Tristan, what motivates him, what frustrates him, and other things to get to know him better. He also has some really great strategies for helping Tristan to be successful, due to the challenges his dyslexia presents. He's doing really well in school, and really thriving in science, social studies and math, in particular.
The CMS school system is really quite good, and I think they are doing a better job of providing resources and services to my kids than I would have been able to at home. I did not feel that way about the NY school system. I am pleasantly surprised to see the level of excellence in this school. They're on the ball.
Tristan really seems to have come to terms with having dyslexia and realizes that God has a plan for him, and will equip him for success in life. He knows that he has to be just exactly who he is in order to fulfill God's plans for his life. I've been spending time with him encouraging him with stories of all the successful people in history who have overcome their dyslexia in creative ways. People like Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo Da Vinci, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Henry Ford, John F. Kennedy, Pablo Picasso, Steven Spielberg, and George Washington. The number one difference between those who succeed, and those who don't, is their self-esteem. For so many years the disorder was so misunderstood. People assumed that because the person couldn't spell, or write well, that they were stupid. Now, thankfully, people realize there is no link to intelligence, or lack of it, and dyslexia, and what is required is developing more creative ways to get information "in" and "out" because of the reading/writing challenges. For example, author Agatha Christie was also dyslexic, so she used to dictate to a typist in order to write her books. Henry Winkler does the same thing. When I told him that, his face lit up. He wants to write a book, and started one last year, but was concerned his difficulties with spelling would impede him. It's wonderful that he sees that there is always a way; you just need to think outside the box.