by Richard
Summer (vacation at least) is well and truly over. School is definitely back in session. In fact, even I went back to school. Not that I needed to. I don’t care what the Richardson Independent School District and J.J. Pearce High School say. I graduated. I graduated and they can’t prove different. I. . . *ahem* Sorry about that. Old, long, long story. Too boring to relate here. Also? The statute of limitations hasn’t expired on a couple of things. Ask me again in 2013.
Anyway. I really did go to school. I only had to be there for a couple of hours one night for a seminar, but I’m counting that as going back to school. I wonder if I can use that on my resumé? Nah. Probably not.
So the seminar was held at The Fletcher School, a private school in Charlotte for children with learning disabilities. This is one fantastic school. Very small classes. Teachers giving instruction in a way that helps kids work around their learning disabilities. Tremendous hands-on learning. And a fully involved counseling staff that concerns itself with more than just schoolwork.
To that end, Diane Reid Stewart, who serves as The Fletcher School’s kindergarten through fifth grade counselor, opened up her notebook to talk to interested parents about how to turn your learning disabled little dude and little dudette “From Caterpillar to Social Butterfly.” This sort of thing is especially important for little dudes and dudettes with learning disabilities because those same issues that give them problems in the classroom are also going to be holding them back in social situations.
To establish her unique qualifications for this lecture, Stewart told us that she was an extremely shy child. She never wanted to be in large groups or be the focus of attention. She also wanted to carry an American flag in a school play. She found a way to work around her shyness by standing off stage, behind the curtain, and holding the flag out over the stage. Smart cookie.
She told us that younger little dudes, especially those with learning disabilities, don’t usually make running bounds toward social competence. You should be prepared for the little dude to make small steps forward. But, take enough of these small steps, and the little dude will have come a long way after a while.
And, speaking of short steps, we’re breaking off here. Back tomorrow with more from this lecture. Unless the copyright police comes and confiscates my computer in the night.
Tags: A Dude's Guide to Kids, Butterflies, Caterpillar, charlotte, children, Children With Learning Disabilities, Competence, Diane Reid, dude, Dudette, Dudettes, Fifth Grade, Fletcher School, Going Back To School, Grade Counselor, Independent School District, Interested Parents, J J Pearce High School, kids, Kindergarten, Large Groups, little dudes, men, parents, Pearce High School, Private School, Raising Butterflies, richard, Richardson Independent School, school, Schoolwork, Shy Child, Shyness, Smart Cookie, Social Butterfly, Social Competence, Social Situations, Statute Of Limitations
Etta,
Please send your book. Do you need a email or shipping address?
Barry