The end of the school year last spring (2012) was extra hard for Ty. He said goodbye to one of the most amazing preschool teachers, Mrs. Barclay. She is an amazing teacher and Ty will always love her.
Miss Shaun has been an aide in Ty's class since the day he started school at 3 years and 1 day old. She was there when he stepped off the bus for the first time, and there when he climbed on the bus for the last ride home. We were so grateful she stayed when Miss Alicia moved schools and Mrs. Barclay took over the class. Miss Shaun sent a card home the last day of school recounting some of the experiences she's had with Ty and how wonderful it was for her to witness his transformation over two and a half years. We love her so much and know that other families are blessed by her love for special kids.
Ty's most tearful goodbye was with Miss Michelle. Ty started with Miss Michelle, his occupational therapist, shortly after he turned 2. When she told us she was moving the first of June, all 3 of us had to fight back the tears (unsuccessfully). I attribute the majority of Ty's progress to this woman. Even though his speech obviously needed help, Michelle helped us determine that most of Ty's challenges came from a sensory integration disorder which affected everything from speech to fine motor skills. She pushed him and made him venture into things that were uncomfortable to him, but she also captured his heart and he adored her. He wept several times over the summer when he would think about her and ask if we could get on an airplane to go visit her.
Our last goodbye was with Miss Maddie. Oh how we all loved Miss Maddie. She came into our home for behavioral therapy and she spent enough time with us that she just became part of the family. She has a knack for making everything fun and it always felt like a party when she was with us. Sadly she moved away for college, but we are lucky we had her for as long as we did.
Pretty soon we'll say farewell to Miss Megan and Miss Kelly, our coordinators. Although Ty is still eligible for some programs, we are spreading our wings and seeing how we do without most of these therapies, slowly phasing them out. Just this morning, the speech therapist from Franklin called to let me know he will no longer need to be pulled out of class for therapy at school. What a victory!
So here is my handsome, mainstreamed kindergartner! It took a few weeks for him to adjust to a new school, a class of 30 kids, and a lot less playtime during class, but he loves his teacher and his new friends at Franklin. It is a great fit for him and he has had a very successful year so far.
We love, love, love the amazing people who have been a part of his journey and we are thrilled that we don't even have to ask for special resources anymore!
1 comment:
Yay for Ty!!
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