The Outcome of the Waldorf Visit

Still processing our experience at the Cincinnati Waldorf School this week.

It was arranged that Kepler would visit the school for the morning and spend it in the kindergarten room to see if he would be a good fit with the school. Although I was told that they have had a few special needs children in the kindergarten, I do not know what those needs were. I tried to prepare Kepler for the fact that he was going to visit the school, but I can see now there would things it might have been good to share with him, show him?

The very nice enrollment director told me they would be looking for the ability to follow directions, to imitate the teacher's physical actions, and one other thing along those lines. Kepler can definitely do those things, so we moved forward with the visit.

We had already visited the school on an Open House day, and I got a vibe from the teacher that she would not be interested in having Kepler in her particular classroom. I understood that not everyone is interested in working with special needs children, and the more controlled environment you are after, the more that may be messed up by the unpredictability of a child with special needs.

The Waldorf school is a very special and unique environment, which I find very peaceful and relaxing. Long story short, after the visit they let me know they do not feel Kepler is ready developmentally for their kindergarten. I had somewhat anticipated this, but I did realize that they actually were wanting MORE from him than they articulated.

I think it is interesting that what they felt like was not a good fit was the amount of freedom available to the kids, and yet it's a carefully defined freedom. They felt like Kepler couldn't work with the freedom that was available. I'm pretty sure there was no orientation whatsoever for him, just a plunge directly into the classroom routine, which was different from anything he had ever seen or done.

So, it seems to me like what they were wanting was the three characteristics they mentioned, PLUS the ability to come into an unfamiliar environment and figure out what to do, what not to do, and what was ok and what was not ok. My conclusion is that this was a lot to ask of Kepler, and I can completely understand him testing limits, checking things out, etc.

I do understand and embrace their decision, and was ok with either outcome. I am just glad I was willing to give it a try, something very unfamiliar and certainly outside my control. (Have I mentioned that I've enjoyed the illusion of being in control quite a bit?) And now I know -- this isn't a good fit for my sweet boy. And I can't help thinking of what they are going to miss out on, not getting to be with this amazing boy!

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Today's Most Interesting Phone Conversation

I had the privilege of speaking with a mom today who is considering what to do for schooling for her son next year. She called me because I have "heap big experience." So I told her a little of this and a little of that.

And one of the things she mentioned was her concerns about schools teaching evolution without teaching "all four theories." I assume she was including creationism, intelligent design, evolution, and a fourth one. Can't think of it right now. But as she discussed her issue with evolution, she let me know she would plan to let the teacher know that her son would memorize the information presented in class but that he doesn't believe it. I'm usually a very good LISTENER, who offers murmurs of affirmation and little puffs of understanding. But, I noticed today that I felt like I wanted to dissent just a little from what she was saying. I tried to still listen and affirm, but I told her I personally wouldn't do that and I would wonder what she would want to accomplish by telling the teacher that her son doesn't believe the information. If she wants her son to learn "all four" theories, I suggested she just supplement at home.

The other thing that struck me was she felt strongly that children should not receive academic credit for bringing in supplies to school. And, again, I felt like it was important to gently mention that individual teachers are doing the best they can, and many are doing a fantastic job, and that teachers are all part of a district-wide system, and a state-wide system.

When she brought up the concern about whether or not the school system observes some kind of day of silence that has something to do with how gays have been silenced through the years, I just groaned inside. Is this really what Christians should be focusing on? I'd say no. How about supporting the teachers, the school, the administration, through prayer and volunteering and lots of practical outpourings of love.

I know parents just want the best for their kids. I understand that. And of course people have convictions. I also understand that. But I think when the convictions get in the way of loving other people, the priorities are skewed. I remember a song that says "They'll know we are Chrsitians by our love." Let it be so.

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750Words and HealthMonth -- 2 websites that are inspiring me

This is Buster Benson. I don't know him, beyond the detailed information on his website but he must be a very fun-loving guy, from what I've seen on two websites he has created that I am enjoying immensely.

First, there's 750words. Anyone familiar with Julia Cameron's "morning pages" will recognize that each page is about 250 pages of written words, and she recommends 3 pages per day, preferably first thing upon waking. Buster came up with the idea of providing a website where anyone can sign up and have a blank screen every day for the purposes of writing their "morning pages." He sends out a daily reminder, and he came up with a scoring system that is somehow related to the idea of strikes and spares in bowling, which gives you more points when you complete your words on subsequent days (and the day after that and the day after that). I have done Morning Pages in a spiral-bound notebook every time I've have periods of completing them, but I love having the computer availability for this. It's not a blog. I could relate to what he said about not wanting to put private thoughts on my blog in case I forget to mark them "private." Eek! While I think there is a different type of benefit to writing words down on paper which is also valuable, I love being able to put my lightning-quick fingers on the keys and get my thoughts out quickly. He even tells your wpm, your streak of days, and a few other bits of information. From what I am seeing on his sites, he must really know computers. And he clearly enjoys creating websites to inspire other people through fun.

His second website is called Health Month and is one of the most creative and playful sites I've ever seen to track health habits i am trying to establish. He's made it into a game, which you can play with your friends, or just keep track of your own info. Checking in every day is part of the game and gives you points. If you complete your goal, you make it to the Wall of Amazingness at the end of the month. It's free to use, but if you want to work on more than three activities or habits in a month, he asks you to pay a small fee. All I can say is, both of these sites have really been encouraging me to get outside and exercise every day, to stick with the way I am eating, and to do my private journaling every day. It's only April 4, but the successes I am experiencing are building momentum, and I can see really completing the goals I have set for this month.

Sometimes in the day-to-day busyness, I can forget to look for and enjoy things that are fun, and I am really excited about having these two built-in opportunities every day to log in and smile. They are both extremely easy to use, and I highly recommend both.

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An Experiment in Walking

The area where I live is primarily well-suited for driving. There are those who ride bikes as they can, and I do that a bit, but there are certain areas that are just too congested to ride a bike, in my opinion. I see people jogging along some of the roads around here that have about 12 inches of shoulder and I wonder why they choose those roads, as that seems unnecessarily risky to me. Anyway, I was headed off to a destination today that is most easily accessed by car. Indeed, I have never gone to this place any other way, even though it is only a couple of miles away.

As I am being intentional about implementing more walking into my routine, I decided I would walk to my destination today. I figured out a route that would leave me with the maximum exposure to sidewalks and less busy roads, and set off. At first I was going to play it safe. Walk straight up this road, turn left on that one, and voila I would be there eventually. But I really didn't think that it would be too enjoyable to walk on those roads, the ones with the twelve-inch shoulders. So, I put together a track that would go through a new, as-yet-unopened park, and then I'd cut through a really nice neighborhood, and walk through a couple of parking lots and I'd be there.

I had to intentionally decide to go off the beaten track. I'm not usually thinking about creating adventures for myself on a run-of-the-mill errand. But I figured I'd try. I had already lined Eli up to pick me up when the errand was complete because I knew the walk there would be as much as I wanted, or had time for. I could have him pick me up anywhere along the way if need be.

As I walked on the 12-inch-shoulder road, I stayed about 10 feet away from the road. And I noticed all this grass growing, recently planted, and bravely coming up and making the area green. As I walked down the new park road, I noticed the baseball diamonds there, much more grass, and a beautiful playground I had no idea was there. I am looking forward to the park opening so we can play there. I noticed that even being 50 feet from the road made the experience of being in that place completely different. I often feel like I am surrounded by civilization here and unending traffic and cars. Just that short distance gave me a little taste of being away from it all. I was amazed.

I had consulted the general birds-eye map in my head and thought I would come out on Road A on the track I was taking. However, I noticed that I instead came out at the back of the houses on Road B. Not a problem, exactly, except the good people of Road B all had fences along their back property, which of course prohibited me from making my way to Road B.

Well, I was in the middle of the woods, so I figured I'd just head along the fence line and either come out on Road B or Road A. I wasn't sure how a homeowner might feel when I emerged from the woods. But I got to find out. I startled a lovely man who was doing some gardening. He lives WAY back from Road A, so would hardly be expecting company, especially from the wilderness behind his house. I explained that I was experimenting with walking today and why I had come out on his driveway. He wasn't visibly thrilled, but neither did he call the police. I walked on, studiously avoiding doing anything that might look like I was "casing the place." Oh, Siouxsie, the criminal.

My next dilemma was about the lovely neighborhood I was intending to cut through. This is a gated community, but seeing as how the entire side was unfenced, I decided their concern must be more for cars than for people. I had to reassure myself though, "For crying out loud, I'm not a vagrant. I am wearing diamonds!" I debated about walking around the long way but it would have been about three times as long, and having just bushwhacked through the woods and with mud and straw clumped on my shoes, I decided I'd chance it.

Being me, I read all the signs before entering the neighborhood, just so I didn't miss any that would portend me getting arrested for this attempt to be a little more active in my lifestyle. Walking through that neighborhood was very nice and I got some good ideas for landscaping, since all the homes there had gorgeous and perfect landscaping.

Finally, I arrived at my destination. I am utilizing an app called MyTracks so as soon as I arrived, I checked out how far and how long I had gone. Then I walked inside and bought three appliances. But that is probably a story for another blog.

I could have driven to that store today. I probably could have driven it in my sleep as I've taken these particular roads thousands of times. But walking made it an adventure! I used my senses, and enjoyed the sensation of being surrounded by beauty. And I thought it was a good stretch to reach the edge of the woods that I wasn't expecting to see, and plough on through. I highly recommend it. And I highly recommend MyTracks. I would post my MyTrack from today, but this is the internet and the track gives too much specific information about my location. The picture at the beginning shows you what a typical track looks like. I'd be glad to share it with anyone privately, though.

What about you? Have you walked anywhere lately that you normally drive?

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Short but Sweet

Envisioning something makes it exciting.





Planning something makes it possible.



Scheduling something makes it real.

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Down syndrome and The Guardian

Thanks to Netflix, I can catch television shows that were on years ago, and that I had no time or interest in watching when they were available as first run shows. I recently started watching The Guardian, which aired around 2001-2004. There are a total of 67 episodes in the series and I've been just watching them one after the other.

The main character, Nick Fallin, is a corporate lawyer who is court-assigned 1500 hours of community service serving those who need legal services but cannot affordthem, mostly children, owing to a drug conviction. Nick may be the most emotionally repressed character I have ever seen in a tv show or movie. As a matter of fact, I wonder at how he is even able to have a relationship with a woman with as little as he says or admits to feeling.

His girlfriend, Lulu, gets pregnant. I realize this is a television show and there are writers behind the scenes trying to create something that will keep the ratings high, but I really had a deep appreciation for the episode when Lulu discovers the baby she is carrying will be born with Down syndrome. The season 3, episode 14 is entitled, All is Mended.

One of Nick's clients in this show is a 23year old man who has Down syndrome, and this is Nick's opportunity to understand a little more about what Down syndrome means. The young man, Mark, is preparing to audition for a Shakespeare play whose director always employs at least one person with disabilities. Mark prepares this portion of a speech from Midsummer Night's Dream:

"If we shadows have offended
Think but this
And all is mended"

Nick and his girlfriend take Mark to the audition, but Mark gets stage fright. Nick encourages Mark and walks him to the stage where he goes on and recites the lines.

Nick shows more emotion when around Mark than you ever see in any of the other 55 or so episodes i have seen thus far, and I think that maybe even the writers couldn't have anticipated what it does to a person who is open to loving someone with Down syndrome. I loved the depiction of Down syndrome in this episode, the reality of the struggle that many go through when they receive a pre-natal diagnosis, and how incredibly powerful it is to come face to face with a beautiful someone born with this condition, as opposed to what's "in the shadows" when a diagnosis is first given.

Certainly, parenting a child with Down syndrome is not easy, but there is something unique and deeply moving about loving someone like our son Kepler. I'm so glad for this reminder, especially today.

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A Whole Lotta Building Going On

I was watching my current netflix tv series, The Guardian, and thinking about today, and what I might write about tonight. Seemed like a very lazy day, with little newsworthy to share.

Then I remembered that my resident farmer, Farmer Greg, decided to build a new chicken coop. Mind you, we only have two chickens, and they have a lovely coop, but FG is ready to expand the herd, so decided to prepare a new home for them. He found the plans here and used Home Depot's handy online ordering system to rustle up the supplies for the project. Did you know that Home Depot will put the order together and then text you when it's ready! Technology is a boon to mankind!!

Besides the chicken coop getting started, FG also reinstalled the rain barrel, cut the grass, bought popcorn from like six different stores, and took Kepler to tennis. Between all of us, we managed to grocery shop, play some b-ball (My opponent did NOT let me win, but I won anyway!), shop for spring clothing, lift weights, cook dinner, wash dishes, walk on the treadmill, watch 7 episodes of The Guardian, jump on the trampoline, and run errands. Just a regular Saturday in the lives of Siouxsie's family, but with the wonderful addition of Valerie being home for Spring Break. She goes back tomorrow, but it has been lovely to have her home.

Kind of a quiet day, but we enjoyed it as a family, and that's one of the best things there is.

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