It's not all bad folks

Below in black is an article from Texas Monthly. It is one of many published recently that paint special education in a very bad light. I’m quite certain that much of the stories are true… I’m also quite certain that it’s not the whole story. How would I know? because I live it every day. I’m not saying special education system is all unicorns and rainbows, but neither is it the spawn of satan out to ruin kids lives. the comments in colored font are mine and a colleague’s. I’d just like to have some sort of say so for the very few of you who will read this.

* DISCLAIMER * My comments made here are just that, mine. They are not a reflection of the district I work for. I mean, they might be, but i’m not consulting with or writing on their behalf. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Learning and Development (teacher), a Master of Education degree in Special Education (SPED teacher), and a Master of Arts in School Psychology (Licensed Specialist in School Psychology). I have worked in many different districts in many different positions. I have 12 years of experience in education. I say all that to make the point that I am highly educated and trained to work in the school system.

In May of 2009, an Austin mother by the name of Cheryl Fries filed a lawsuit against the Eanes Independent School District for denying her daughter, Claire, who suffered from cerebral palsy, what the Americans with Disabilities Act has mandated since 1990: a right to “a free appropriate public education.” Fries, who had been a schoolteacher, could never have imagined that the fight for her daughter’s rights would land them at the courthouse; all Fries had been asking for since 2004 was that her daughter be accommodated according to the law, which would have allowed her, among other things, to play with the rest of the kids during recess.

somehow I think there is much more to the story here. Eanes is a VERY affluent school district. why would they deny something so simple? yet, the school district’s perspective is not given.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects muscle control and, therefore, balance, posture, and coordination. Claire, then as now, was inordinately bright and outgoing, but she couldn’t walk; she used a wheelchair, and while the rest of the kids played during recess, her school thought it best to leave Claire on the sidewalk outside the playground—with the kids who were being punished for misbehaving. She was bullied and often came home in tears. In addition, the bathrooms lacked grab bars, so she sometimes fell onto the floor. She still fared better than some of the other disabled kids in the district, who would be left inside the classrooms during fire drills because the school lacked proper handicapped access. What the Frieses wanted was to make Claire’s school safer and more enjoyable for the disabled kids. But despite promises to help, Eanes ISD, one of the state’s wealthiest districts, always found a reason to refuse.

What she is asking for here is not considered FAPE it’s considered civil rights under ADA and has nothing to do with SPED. SPED does not make bathroom handicap accessible.

That is how Claire Fries, then twelve, ended up in an imposing law firm conference room, awaiting her deposition at the hands of the school district’s attorney, who was with the firm Rogers, Morris and Grover. Seated directly across from the superintendent, Claire was terrified that testifying would get her thrown out of school. The Frieses reached a settlement with Eanes in 2011, sometime after the Office for Civil Rights intervened. “Everything my kid needed cost about one hundred thousand dollars, and they ended up having to spend ten to twelve million dollars because I backed them into a corner, and they had to fix every school in the district,” Fries told me.

The Frieses’ victory, however, is not the norm. Houston Chronicle reporter Brian M. Rosenthal’s excellent ongoing series, Denied, has shown that school districts all across the state refuse special-education services to children in need. Since 2004, the percentage of kids in Texas schools receiving special-ed services has dropped well below the national average of 13 percent to 8.5 percent. While I don’t agree with the “8.5%” it is important to consider that other states include students with dyslexia as SPED students, while Texas is one of the only states that considers dyslexia as separate. I would be interested to see what percentages other states would have if dyslexia was taken out. The Texas Education Agency claims that this drastic drop is a result of commitment and better programs, along with a desire to stop schools from dumping minority kids, including non–English speakers, in special ed. We do not label students who are non-English speakers as disabled. That would not be appropriate nor ethical to do so. Speaking a language other than english is not considered a disability. There are other programs through general education which serve these students such as bilingual and esl classrooms. But the federal government agreed with Rosenthal’s reporting when he asserted that the TEA arbitrarily assigned the 8.5 percent ceiling during the $1.1 billion state budget cuts required around fourteen years ago.

Change might be coming. House Speaker Joe Straus has demanded that the agency overhaul the way it identifies special-education kids this session. The Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services held listening sessions last fall, and a federal investigation of the TEA was set to begin in late February. Earlier this year, advocates threatened suit against the agency, unless it abolishes the 8.5 percent benchmark.

While I agree that this “8.5% target” exists, I have never worked in a district that did not qualify students because they were “over” a certain percentage. If the kid met criteria, they were in.

The TEA deserves some sympathy. Public schools are fighting for their lives, trying to be all things to all children, with fewer resources from the state to do so. Wealthy parents want Mandarin classes while the poorest kids don’t have textbooks. In truth, kids with special needs have never been particularly popular in public schools; that’s why the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was created back in 1975. Special-ed kids can be expensive to help, and behavioral issues can be distracting to other students. Then too, the explosion in the identification of various learning disabilities has coincided with the growth of high-stakes testing; kids with learning issues can lower a district’s state-mandated ratings and, in turn, its funding.

This is the one paragraph that gives any perspective from the school district’s viewpoint.

But as parents of special-needs kids point out, the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. Children with disabilities can learn using proven methods and can go on to lead productive lives. And, as Fries pointed out, a portion of a $53 million bond used to build new athletics facilities at Eanes could have gone to help some needier kids. The damage done by denying them an education can result in a lifetime of devastation.

That’s why we have child find. this is nothing that a parent has to point out to a school district. It’s the law. It’s what I do. I test the little kids. Get them into school or whatever it is that they need to be successful. I don't go to work with the outlook of trying to keep kids out of school. why would anyone do that. That’s just ridiculous.

Collaboration between families and schools is actually written into laws protecting the disabled. But in the eyes of parents like Fries, a handful of law firms specializing in education have made the process adversarial, working with school districts to deny services. Example of denial of services? Consider what FAPE guarantees and what that looks like. What is the parent asking for? Underwater basket weaving to help their child with anxiety? It can be hard to determine which tail is wagging which dog—school districts or their lawyers—but the situation many families find themselves in is comparable to that of a poor kid who gets entangled in the criminal justice system and discovers that all the power and wealth of the state is lined up against him. “This is what happened to educated parents in a wealthy school district,” said Fries of her experience. “So imagine how bad it is for those families who don’t have the tenacity I had, who don’t even know their rights.”

Again, parent perspective with no school perspective. These papers/ magazines just love to tell the dramatic story. Where are the success stories? All the good things schools have done? I guess that wouldn’t sell as many copies?

The average person may not even know that the practice of school law exists, though in our highly specialized society, it’s not exactly surprising. The field took hold during the days of integration and then expanded as the U.S. moved toward greater equality: with the creation of the Bilingual Education Act, in 1968; protections against gender discrimination with Title IX, in 1972; and the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which has been revised over time. Today, the practice has a strong focus on special-needs children and determining what lengths schools and school districts must go to in accommodating them.

It’s a setup for conflict, and conflict was evident at an Austin listening session called by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in December. The purpose was to encourage community members to weigh in on the availability of services for special-needs kids in public schools. It became the verbal equivalent of total war. On one side were parents with horror stories of the tactics schools use to avoid educating their kids; on the other was Jim Walsh, who is a name partner in one of the most powerful education firms in the state, Walsh, Gallegos, Treviño, Russo & Kyle, which has offices all over Texas.

Walsh has a thatch of silver hair, sun-weathered skin, and the easy manner of a West Texas ranch hand. At the session, he tried to rebut claims that the state was denying an appropriate education to special-ed kids. “There is no evil plot at work, and no one in Texas has intentionally or systematically denied services to kids who need them,” he said. But the more he spoke, the more he was shouted down by jeering, hissing parents, who accused him of being a liar, of making millions off disabled children, of being the evil mastermind behind the ejection of needy children from public schools.

“We are not the bad guy,” Walsh told me later, in a steady voice that betrayed just a whiff of irritation. Indeed, many attorneys who have worked with or opposite the firm say that it is the most collaborative of several in the state. To Walsh, the controversy over the denial of services is just another story sensationalized by the media. The “more boring but far more accurate” story, he said, is that Texas schools are run by people who care about kids; many of them are parents of students with disabilities. Money is tight, so it’s hard to do the right thing, but that doesn’t mean there’s a desire to deprive kids of the education the law requires. “We are gonna help the people who help the kids,” he told me. “What parents don’t see are the numbers of phone calls [from school districts] we take every day in which we tell them, ‘Yes, you have to do that for the child.’ ”

THIS is the best paragraph in the whole article. Trump has made a phrase out of “fake news.” Some have taken it to mean he doesn’t believe any news that’s negative to him is true. I don't think that’s what he’s going for at all. this is a bigger problem with the media. Maybe a better term is “skewed news.” Not exactly telling all the facts. Just reporting on whatever will make your story sensational and get attention.

Indeed, the Walsh Gallegos website is a paean to public education. Members of the firm have served as the director of legal services for the Texas Association of School Boards. They serve and have served as special education hearing officers for the TEA. They host seminars all across the state on school law and are a go-to firm for school districts seeking legal advice. But it is precisely those connections that were most troubling to the parents at the listening sessions last year. The normal identification and approval of a child for special ed involves a series of near-endless meetings between parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators. Often, working together breaks down around the time a school’s opinion of a student’s status starts conflicting with a parent’s. Foot-dragging Foot dragging!! We have FEDERAL DEADLINEs. Come on. on the part of a school is common; the more aggressive a parent is on his or her child’s behalf, the more likely the parent is to be targeted as “difficult.” Retaliation, as evidenced by testimony during the listening sessions last year, is not unusual. Frustrated parents who hire educational advocates to help them through the maze (another growth industry) can discover that suddenly a $300-an-hour lawyer is attending meetings that have nothing to do with legal procedures. I’ve never heard of a district bringing in a lawyer for an advocate. They only ever bring one when the parent brings their own lawyer. In other words, the taxpaying parents wind up footing the bill for the school’s lawyer, whose very appearance could be perceived as an intimidation tactic. “They want to wear you down until you move on or move away,” said Fries. “They know that families with children with disabilities have a lot on their plates.” This is parent perspective and not fact. Where’s the story about the unreasonable parents forcing the taxpayers to pay for school lawyers to go through Due Process over something frivolous? Go through TEAs Due Process hearings and see how many times the district prevails in something that shouldn’t have gotten to that point.

School district's budget for legal expenses. lawsuits where they are at fault as well as frivolous lawsuits are going to happen. Where is the statement about the parent with a frivolous lawsuit and how THEY are wasting taxpayer money?

Educational advocates are, for the most part, a joke. There is nothing mandating what they can and cannot do at this point. Nor what their experience and training should be. I have seen MANY that are wasting families money and are not needed.

Then too, part of Walsh’s work involves advising hundreds of school boards across the state.* In fact, he told me he had been against attaching a specific number to special-ed enrollment. It’s particularly worrisome to parents that firms like Walsh Gallegos hold seminars on special-ed law that are open only to educators and that teachers and administrators from disparate districts can be heard to parrot the same jargon that appears in the firms’ training materials. “If you are a school leader, a principal, or a school board member and the only training you get about special-ed law is from the one voice who is also hired by your district to help you not provide services, that’s a conflict of interest,” said Fries. “It also creates a poisoned climate.” Nothing stops parents from educating themselves on school law. In fact, they are given a copy of the law and legal procedures at EVERY meeting.

What about the parents who bring frivolous lawsuits against schools? Are we not allowed to protect ourselves.

An overall lack of transparency prevails. Fries has spent years trying to trace how schools actually spend their special-ed dollars and what they pay their law firms. “I don’t think anybody in Texas believes their tax dollars should be paying for lawyers instead of teachers,” said Fries. That’s actually a debatable point these days. The unspoken fear—or that which is spoken behind closed doors in many school districts—is that serving one special-needs child will require schools to serve them all. Maybe someone should remind districts that that’s the law.

Where are the stories from all the parents who have loved their children’s special education teachers? How about the ones that have been happy with the services their children have gotten? You CAN NOT tell me there aren’t people who are pleased. I’ve seen them. I’ve worked with them and for their child and their family. But that’s not “news.” Who wants to read a good story? that’s boring. It’s so much easier and believable to go with the bad. That’s what our society has come to. and it’s sad.

Part of what I consider my job is to think “what would I want if it were my child.” and that does drive many of the decisions  I make. and you can’t tell me I’m the only one. People do not get into education to ruin lives and keep kids from getting what they need. People don’t stay in education as administrators to make people's lives miserable. Even if this is what some are in it for, it’s not the majority.

I could go on, and on, and on. But i’m going to stop here because this is already longer than most will read. I'm not even going to proof read it any more because it's so long. Bless you for reading any of it. I guess my summary would be… don't believe everything you see in the news.

Save the Drama For Your Mama... oh wait, that's me

My husband is out of town and I’m sitting here alone giggling about how crazy toddlers are. I’m not even sure “crazy” is the best or most appropriate descriptive word for what they are. Maybe something more like a mix between bi-polar/ psycho/ unreasonable lunatic? Actually, I like “unreasonable lunatic.” But maybe more like “part-time unreasonable lunatic.” Because sometimes she’s adorable and sweet. And then in the blink of an eye she’s back to “unreasonable lunatic.” There’s the bi-polar kicking in.

Tonight for instance, she did not want me to leave the table at the restaurant to go to the restroom. And by not want me to I mean she was screaming and bawling and making a scene. When I asked her if she wanted to get out of her chair and go with me, she immediately yelled “no” without thinking. This is another problem. “no” comes out of her mouth whether she means yes OR no. it’s awesome. She’s told me “no” generally 350 times before dinner.

While I love carrying and snuggling my baby… she’s not a baby anymore, nor is she little! Even if the doctor wouldn’t have told me to refrain from lifting her if possible… I would still be trying to transition her to walk more. She’s seriously too heavy for me. And she’s only been walking for 8 months now so I think she has the hang of it. Her new protest is not wanting to walk herself into school. So when I set her down and attempt to take her hand, like usual, she tells me the standard “no” and then stands there with a defiant scowl on her face. Yesterday I told her a car was going to hit her if she didn’t get on the side walk (mom of the year) and that worked. Not so much today. She’s on to my bluff. Today I walked away, even to where she couldn’t see me and she still didn’t budge. Stubborn like her father. But since she actually is in a parking lot I can’t leave her there, so I ended up picking her up. Taytum-1, mommy- 0. And get this.. when we got 3 feet from the door I asked her if she wanted to walk like a big girl… and she said yes. Huh?

Another outstanding moment was at Thanksgiving. She told me she wanted more water. Good talking! So I take the cup and open the lid to give to my brother to fill with water and she flips out. Throws herself on the ground. Tears streaming. Flailing. Classic. I can’t wait to have two. Actually, I think that is part of the current fit throwing. We’ve talked about her being a sister enough at this point… and mommy is looking and acting differently… so I think she gets that something is about to rock her world.

Speaking of the new baby… have I mentioned it’s a girl? Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be a “girl mom.” When I was pregnant with Tay I REALLY felt like it was a girl and I was right! That obviously means I have a special talent and will know what this one is, too. Well I REALLY felt like it was a boy. I’m sure they nurse who told me it was a girl probably thinks I’m an awful person because all I could say in shock was “oh, ok.” I know this is pay back… pay back for every sass comment or eye roll I gave to my mom. And I can clearly hear my mom laughing in heaven every time I think about this irony.

Can’t wait until they are teenagers. 

World's most okayest mommy has the secret

As promised, like three months after I promised it… “the world’s most okayest mommy blog.” Yup, that’s me! No super mom over here… we’re just gettin by. Yah, that’d be super rad to sit down to dinner together every night… and I get to feel guilty every time I read the hand out at my pediatrician’s office that says “continue to eat dinner together each night” …. but let’s get real. We’re lucky I make it to the store once this week and even have food to consume in the house, at all. Not to mention, the little monster is hungry at 5:30, I’m hungry on an unpredictable basis, and daddy is hungry the minute he walks in the door which, thanks to traffic, is unpredictably predictable each night. Soooooo, if we can all be in one room talking about our day, at one point in the night… I’d consider that a success. Sorry June Cleaver, or whatever mommy role models I should look up to, that’s all I got.

In addition to the fact that I don’t aspire to be a famous chef, I admit that I’m not, AND I’d rather get a run in than cook a feast. Luckily, I married a man who feels that same way. Additionally, he has on more than one occasion, turned down my home cooked meal for a whisky drink and working on a project in the garage. So I no longer feel bad about not cooking. Even though my grandmother likes to guilt me about it. I CAN say (with me chest puffed out) I made ALL of Taytum’s baby food. BAM! Take that! Okay, so it wasn’t that hard. And I still make her apple sauce because it’s ridiculously easy and tastes better than anything you can buy. So really the moral of that story is… if I can do it….literally anyone in this world can do it. So that’s my claim to fame… baby food… yup. And she’s a picky eater now, so that worked out well. She’s challenging me at 18 months, super, can’t wait until she’s a teenager, if she’s half as moody as I was we will be lucky.

Which brings me to the asinine picture that goes with this blog. Everyone out there is promoting something that will change your life! Give you more energy! Make you lose weight! Give you more self esteem! I, too, have that secret. And it’s bound to make me some enemies. It will cost you nothing, but if you’d like to send me a check for $29.99, be my guest. It’s called stubbornness, competitiveness, and desire. But mostly competitiveness. And competitiveness with myself… for the most part… except when my husband is running 1.5 steps in front of me and I’m debating A) trip him or B) yell at him. I digress. Anywho, I gained 19 pounds when I was pregnant. And I kept track of every… single… thing… I ate. Why? Not because I didn’t want to get fat…. Okay maybe a little… more so because as much as it was in my control, I was going to make a strong, healthy baby. I made sure to consume X grams of protein (and I literally can’t remember how much that was) and all the other recommended what nots. And with any extra calories… I ate ice cream. Like almost every night. It was awesome! Not an awesome habit to kick, after the fact, but in the moment, AWESOME!

So off of the ice cream talk and back to my secret to being fit….. EAT WHAT YOU FREAKING WANT! Some times, and in moderation. But then, like, the rest of the time, control yourself. I guess you could call this balance…. “behave during the week and party on the weekend.” You see, I run to eat… Not eat to run… eating to run is not fun! Brown rice and chicken breast and veggies IS… NOT… FUN… 24/ 7. Even you health nuts can admit that! It’s just not! My first question when I’m on a long run with my husband is “what are we eating for lunch?” I need a goal to run towards. Chicken breast is not that goal! Pizza? Billy Bob’s Hamburgers? Now that’s something to run for!

Disclaimer… this diet plan will never be published anywhere that matters because selective readers just read “eat ice cream and pizza and trip your husband and you’ll be skinny!”

Disclaimer continued… No, I do not think I have the best bod. I think I’m decently fit and healthy and I’m good with that.

Okay, so in summary, because I like there to be a summary to the madness….. life’s short, eat what you want… in moderation. BUT STILL EXERCISE. And don’t smoke. The end. Oh and my family is surviving. The end end.

Tales of the most okayest mommy to continue… because folks, this is an ongoing battle. 

Sorry, not sorry

At least once a week I think “I haven’t written anything on the blog in awhile” but then, like the ADHD kids I work with, that thought is gone and I’ve moved on to 1 million other things on my to-do list. And honestly, I should be sleeping right now (Or working, yes, working would be productive). I was trying to sleep, but my mind wouldn’t let me. So instead of writing this blog in my head I got up to do something about it. I’ve debated many times about writing this and I’m just going to do it while I know it’s not an uplifting topic.

This blog, folks, is my Public Service Announcement about smoking. I’ve been thinking about this for almost a year now. And now that the year anniversary is approaching, things are getting tough. It was October when I finally got a clue. When I stepped out of my “new working mommy with a crazy commute” of a life and saw that something was very wrong. I knew when I caught her laying down instead of playing with the grandkids. I knew when she didn’t eat all her enchiladas. I knew when she turned me down for a 2^nd beer at dinner. I just knew. We found out the day after my birthday. And here we are again… approaching October. My birth month, that I always make way too big of a deal out of. And here it will be every October.

And as the title says… sorry, not sorry…. I honestly don’t care if I hurt someone’s feelings with this blog because it could save your life.

STOP SMOKING NOW! I mean seriously! Even if you’re an occasional smoker… STOP! (I’m sorry if you’re a close friend or family member and this hurts your feelings…. but get a clue). If you had seen what I have seen you wouldn’t pick up another cigarette ever again. I’m waiting for the day when I lose it at the grocery store when someone in front of me is buying cigarettes. Right now, in my head I say “Don’t you know, lung cancer is a really horrible way to die.” But if I’m caught at the wrong moment, on the wrong day, I could see it coming out of my mouth.

I’m certain you think I’m crazy at this point. My husband says all women are crazy, so does this really make me special?? But actually, overall, I think I’ve held it together decently well. At least once a day, usually more, I say to myself “this just sucks” and “it’s not fair.” But I have never once blamed God or questioned my faith. My mom was a good person. A great mom. And an even better grandmother. And having known her and being loved by her was a blessing. But God didn’t do this to her… cigarettes did. Now I can’t explain how my great-grandmother smoked and drank all her life and lived to be 90 something. That just brings me back to “It’s not fair.” And furthermore on the “it’s not fair” spectrum of life…. here I am, back in my home town, working at my dream job, living in my parents house, with my brother living 3 blocks away! Talk about blessings. And it’s not fair that I get all of those things… because of her…. And without her.

So stop smoking! And then go get a body scan! And even if you have stopped smoking (because she had also) go get a scan! So you have a fighting chance if something is there. And for heaven’s sake, go to the doctor if something hurts.

Everyone take a DEEP BREATH now that I’ve depressed you all! Say a prayer and thank the Lord for your family.

I have a much, much funnier blog that’s been going through my mind entitled “world’s okayest mom” (and yes I know that’s not original). I’ll get to that one and some comic relief (after this hate-fest of a blog) hopefully very soon. 

Turkey Trot Planning Begins!

We got together with some wonderful family and friends tonight to kick this thing off. Really, I was just overwhelmed trying to organize this by myself and meeting with others who will keep me accountable kick started the process of actually DOING… not just mental planning. I thought I’d provide a summary of our discussion in case anyone wants to volunteer for anything or has any other suggestions.

·        The race will start and end at Hardt Reality. Packet pick up will also be there the night before. Specific times TBD. Shout out to Hardt Reality for being our headquarters! Everyone go buy a house from them!

·        We will need volunteers on the day of packet pick up and on the day of the race. As the event comes closer I will send out more information about that.

·        We will have sponsors for the start and finish line as well as mile sponsors. Start/ finish line will be $100 and the other markers will be $50. I will make a flyer to email/ give out to business or individuals that might want to donate.

·        We want to have really great “swag bags” for this event. They will include a shirt, race number, and other donated items. For instance, Chopin Vodka is donating chap sticks. Donations of items such as small bottles of water, granola bars, coupons to local businesses etc. would be appreciated. We are also open to ideas for other items. Cash donations may be used to buy items. Sandra Tondre, Morgan Tondre, and Joann Van Winkle are heading up this venture.  

·        T-shirt design will be similar to years past with the Alsatian house but with some additional reference to mom. And it was decided this year the shirts will be orange to honor her. Call it “burnt orange” “panther orange” or “thanksgiving orange”… whatever you need to call it to be able to wear it, but nothing would have pleased mom more than a sea of orange in her honor.  Shirt design will be by my stellar sister-in-law, the amazing Kimber Robinson.

·        A bank account needs to be opened. Um, I’ll do that.

·        The amount of money for the scholarship will be dependent on how much we raise this year. We have a goal of $1000 but hope to exceed it. I personally hope to exceed it by a lot but who knows since this is the first year.

·        The scholarship will be open to all seniors that live in Medina county. Preferably those that are going to college to pursue a career in the medical field.

·        We will meet again at the end of August to check in on how everything is progressing. More info to come on that.

So loyal blog reader, I’m sure you’re thinking “how can I help?” The possibilities are endless!

·        Do you know a vendor that can get us a deal???

·        We will need volunteers for the race and packet pick up. Want to volunteer to help with any of the above? Be my guest!!!!

·        Make a donation! Get a friend to donate! Get a business to donate!!!!

·        Register for the race AND run it! Or just be a “sleep walker” and register without running.

Mom devoted much of her life to being a pharmacist at the local Walmart and helping people. What a better way to salute her than devote some of your time (or money if you don’t have time). You’ll notice there are a lot of exclamation marks throughout this blog indicating my level of excitement. And I so desire for the community to be excited about this event, too, and for it to be a smashing success!  

And in the middle of all this we have to move out of our house within the next THREE WEEKS! Actually it’s more like 18 days. I shouldn’t have counted that. Oh dear. Time to grab a beer.... and a box. Story of our lives! Always busy! But seeing all your glowing, happy faces at the race on turkey day will make it all worth it!

The End of a Nightmare

Welcome to the blog that is my summary/rant about my experience through grad school (the second time around). The title of this blog is the best summary I can give to the experience…..  3 year nightmare. OK, so this last year hasn’t been as bad because I was just working and didn’t have to go to class but we still had assignments to turn in. I am beyond ready to have my life back. 

[And just to explain what I do… I am a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology. I test students for learning disabilities, behavior disorders, Autism, etc. I can also provide counseling services but that’s not my fave. There’s a lot more to this job but that’s the easiest way I can describe it. Similar to a diagnostician but we can do more (sorry diag friends).]

Some days I honestly am not sure what I was thinking when I signed on to do this. I wanted something more than the job that I had and the impression central office was giving at that time was that jobs there were scarce and wouldn’t be available for a long time. Then there’s the total misrepresentation that Trinity gives about how much its program costs. “With tuition breaks and being paid for working through the program it’s essentially FREE!” Not hardly! Now, if you didn’t need the money you were getting paid for working to actually live and could allocate it back to tuition then it might have been closer to free.  But who lives in that world? Certainly not me.  My first master’s program (@ UT) was part time and that went decently well and was relatively easy…. I quickly found out that part time school and working full time is VERY different than full time school and working almost full time. 

I also have some significant complaints about how some of the classes were structured and run. If I’m paying that much money for classes I shouldn’t have to learn how to do something on the job. This has frequently been the case. I’ll stop there and spare you on my specific complaining because it’s a lot of “you had to be part of it to really understand” kinds of things.

Now all that belly aching aside… I do enjoy my job. It can be very busy and very stressful but the days fly by because of that. The Masters in Special Ed and all my experience definitely helps out with this job but it also gets me in trouble, too, as I have been told I over step the parameters of my current job. I also met some very good friends that I know I will consult with about LSSP stuff for the rest of my life. My LSSP besties call each other the three thirds. The three of us combined make one fantastic LSSP. That may be the biggest positive to this whole thing… that I got to work with some tremendous LSSP’s that I consider friends as well as colleagues.

A lot of life altering things happened over the three years of this program. I got married! I was pregnant for most of my second year (pregnant lady on campus... talk about an easy way to scare undergrads). Had a baby. And lost my mom. I got teary as I typed that last sentence. That is actually one of the reasons I chose not to walk in the graduation ceremony. My mom is the only one in my family who would have genuinely wanted to be there. And I think sitting there and thinking about that would make me a mess! And I don’t want to make the rest of my family sit through my 4^th graduation either. 

So I started this whole thing under the premise of “it’s only 3 years of my life.” You can do anything for just 3 years right??? Well, I suppose that is correct. I did survive. And I have no better summary for those 3 years of school than “thank goodness it’s over.” AND I better get a job! Speaking of which, keep your fingers crossed that this blog is followed with one within the next month of how I actually got a job… to be continued.

Wasn't expecting that...

I’ve been debating about the subject of my next blog now that the “100 happy people” challenge is over… and here comes “the challenge” again! A little back ground….the church invited people to share their journey by emailing in our experiences. So I just emailed the link to my blog as I wrote it. I’m sure about a billion other parishioners emailed stories, too. Today I got an email, with attached consent form, from Max Lucado’s assistant letting me know that Max would like to use my story in a future book! How neat is that! I thought maybe if something were funny he would mention it during one of his sermons… but being part of a book about this experience is way cool! And now I’m so curious what he would use! And how many other people got the same email. And I hope it was decently written and I don’t sound like a fool. I’m sure I spelled something wrong… I always spell something wrong. Hopefully it won’t be a direct quotation ;) So I now have a fantastic conclusion to my “100 Happy People” journey… person 101 is ME! You can certainly make someone happy by putting them in a book.