This site is under construction. The estimated completion date is March 24, 2017
My Journey begins:
My learning journey started out a bit different then the rest of my classmates. In reality I started out on a path of learning to walk out to walk on when just over seven years ago I was expecting my little bundle of joy. Part of my story is an unfortunate reality that happens all to often, a few years after my son was born my husband decided he got married to young and wanted out of the marriage. So my son and I moved back to my hometown. When my son was 5 years old, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as a few other disabilities. I had never really been around anyone with disabilities prior to having my son. The only knowledge I had about ASD was based off of what I had seen in movies. I researched everything that I could about his disabilities. I talked with anyone who would talk to me about them. I networked. I now have a wonderful support base to go to with questions, concerns, and support. I have learned strategies and tools to help him be successful in his environments. As a result my son has managed to thrive in almost every environment he has been in.: preschool, daycare, church, home, speech, occupational therapy, etc. As I go into my story it is important to know that my son is considered high functioning with his ASD.
My learning journey started out a bit different then the rest of my classmates. In reality I started out on a path of learning to walk out to walk on when just over seven years ago I was expecting my little bundle of joy. Part of my story is an unfortunate reality that happens all to often, a few years after my son was born my husband decided he got married to young and wanted out of the marriage. So my son and I moved back to my hometown. When my son was 5 years old, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as a few other disabilities. I had never really been around anyone with disabilities prior to having my son. The only knowledge I had about ASD was based off of what I had seen in movies. I researched everything that I could about his disabilities. I talked with anyone who would talk to me about them. I networked. I now have a wonderful support base to go to with questions, concerns, and support. I have learned strategies and tools to help him be successful in his environments. As a result my son has managed to thrive in almost every environment he has been in.: preschool, daycare, church, home, speech, occupational therapy, etc. As I go into my story it is important to know that my son is considered high functioning with his ASD.
When my son entered kindergarten in our local school district things changed. Instead of the school implementing known strategies, some of these being as easy as letting him stand at his desk, they shuffled my son into three different schools. A part of my son's ASD is that he doesn't do well with transitioning, these moves were very hard on him. The third school was nice as the teacher just accepted my son for who he is and implemented whatever she could to help him be successful.
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This school year was supposed to be better, they implemented a classroom that was supposed to be a sensory learning environment. The class was supposed to be taught at the level the student was at academically. It sounded wonderful and my son couldn't wait to start. This class ended up being a NIGHTMARE! They were teaching the kids preschool material. They lost my son off of school grounds on multiple occasions, the staff instigated and participated in the hazing of my son, when my son was alone with a female staff member in the boys bathroom my germaphobe son ended up with his head in the toilet, his teacher slammed his head on the table so hard it echoed right in front of another staff member. The experience that my son experienced in that classroom were horrendous. He had nightmares several in a night, his level of speech was deescalating rapidly, his could no longer handle to be touched, he would no longer cuddle, he couldn’t even handle rain drops touching his skin. I had to remove him from school until the school could guarantee his safety. Abuse of students experiencing disabilities is more common than you might think. Another common reality is that it is hard to get an equal education for a student experiencing disabilities. To get the services your student needs, you must advocate constantly. Often families are forced to move, whether it is to another district or city, in order to get their student’s needs met.
Other options:
I live in a rural town with only one school district. At this point in time, I cannot afford to move. This means I needed to check out other educational options. For my own education I am a product of public, homeschool, and private.
· Private schools: There are a few but as a single parent who is a full-time student, I cannot afford tuition. A draw back to private school option is that it limits the access to speech and occupational therapy(OT) (also physical therapy although my son doesn’t require this one). The limitation makes private school not a viable option even if I could afford it.
· Homeschool: Not in the budget as this was an unexpected need. Curriculum can be expensive. There are so many options out there, how does one narrow it down.
Other towns within 30 minutes from us:
· Public school: 30 minutes (one direction) away is another school. It would require someone transporting him both directions. That is a lot of time 5 days a week for anyone to be in a car let alone a six-year old. I go to school myself two days a week, who will transport him those days? This option is not completely feasible or ideal.
· Charter school: 20 minutes away (one direction) is a elementary and middle school combination charter school. Own transport required. Same concerns as stated above option. Plus, as a charter school are they able to meet his needs? Speech and OT not an option here. This school is not an option.
I live in a rural town with only one school district. At this point in time, I cannot afford to move. This means I needed to check out other educational options. For my own education I am a product of public, homeschool, and private.
· Private schools: There are a few but as a single parent who is a full-time student, I cannot afford tuition. A draw back to private school option is that it limits the access to speech and occupational therapy(OT) (also physical therapy although my son doesn’t require this one). The limitation makes private school not a viable option even if I could afford it.
· Homeschool: Not in the budget as this was an unexpected need. Curriculum can be expensive. There are so many options out there, how does one narrow it down.
Other towns within 30 minutes from us:
· Public school: 30 minutes (one direction) away is another school. It would require someone transporting him both directions. That is a lot of time 5 days a week for anyone to be in a car let alone a six-year old. I go to school myself two days a week, who will transport him those days? This option is not completely feasible or ideal.
· Charter school: 20 minutes away (one direction) is a elementary and middle school combination charter school. Own transport required. Same concerns as stated above option. Plus, as a charter school are they able to meet his needs? Speech and OT not an option here. This school is not an option.
Okay, well let’s take a look at homeschooling as it is looking like the only option at this point. All the different curriculum is daunting but as an intelligent human being, I can handle this. To meet my son’s needs it needs to be affordable, preferably individually tailored, a must to academically teach where he is at, flexible in time, and flexible in materials. There is public school from home options now!
K12 Online Public School: A free, online, public school from home. This is a curriculum that is tailored to the individual student. There are still teachers that your child interacts with. There are extracurricular activities as well. This is a mastery based education.
Their website describes it as:
Online Learning with a K12 Education Individualized for Success
We believe every student deserves an individualized education, with careful attention to each learner's unique strengths, needs, and interests. With an individualized education, students gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to help them succeed.
K12 provides online education solutions for students in pre-K through 12th grade.
We believe every student is uniquely brilliant and deserves a high-quality education to help them thrive in school and ultimately be prepared for post-secondary education or going on to a career. Students graduating from full-time online schools receive a traditional high school diploma, and many have gone on to attend top colleges and universities. http://www.k12.com/
Their website describes it as:
Online Learning with a K12 Education Individualized for Success
We believe every student deserves an individualized education, with careful attention to each learner's unique strengths, needs, and interests. With an individualized education, students gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to help them succeed.
K12 provides online education solutions for students in pre-K through 12th grade.
We believe every student is uniquely brilliant and deserves a high-quality education to help them thrive in school and ultimately be prepared for post-secondary education or going on to a career. Students graduating from full-time online schools receive a traditional high school diploma, and many have gone on to attend top colleges and universities. http://www.k12.com/
Oregon’s school is: Oregon Virtual Academy (ORVA)
“You know your kids have something special in them. Oregon Virtual Academy (ORVA) and K12 ignite the minds of children like yours to bring learning and possibility alive. Together, we're helping Oregon students in grades K–12 reach their true, personal potential.
The Oregon Virtual Academy and K12 give kids in grades K–12 across Oregon the chance to learn in the ways that are right for them through:
The award-winning K12 curriculum
· Full-time, tuition-free, publicly -funded online public school option
· Support from Oregon-licensed teachers
· Students may earn college credit while in high school
· Compelling, high-interest courses that introduce a variety of possible careers
· An active, supportive school community
· A range of extracurricular activities
· A robust Advanced Learner Program
ORVA is an online public charter school authorized by the North Bend School District.”
http://orva.k12.com/?_ga=1.153856049.802348971.1484539480
“You know your kids have something special in them. Oregon Virtual Academy (ORVA) and K12 ignite the minds of children like yours to bring learning and possibility alive. Together, we're helping Oregon students in grades K–12 reach their true, personal potential.
The Oregon Virtual Academy and K12 give kids in grades K–12 across Oregon the chance to learn in the ways that are right for them through:
The award-winning K12 curriculum
· Full-time, tuition-free, publicly -funded online public school option
· Support from Oregon-licensed teachers
· Students may earn college credit while in high school
· Compelling, high-interest courses that introduce a variety of possible careers
· An active, supportive school community
· A range of extracurricular activities
· A robust Advanced Learner Program
ORVA is an online public charter school authorized by the North Bend School District.”
http://orva.k12.com/?_ga=1.153856049.802348971.1484539480
As my son is only in first grade, 20% is online and the other 80% is offline. This is a great fit as my son loves electronics. This is the option we are going with. The parent’s role is known as the learning coach. The learning coach’s role varies depending on the age/grade of the student. As my son is in first grade, my role is a lot more than a high school student’s learning coach. The first few weeks involved learning the online environment and testing… lots and lots of testing for a first grader in my opinion. His experience of tons of testing was because he started over halfway through the school year (he also hadn’t had any testing from the previous school since last year). They had to see where he was at. He tested into 5th grade math and 1-2nd language arts. Great now I get to worry about keeping up with him when he is in high school. How this school curriculum works is that no matter when in the year the student start the school, the student start at the beginning of the grade curriculum then test through the units to get to where the student is at academically. When the student master’s all of the units, they can continue onto the next grade level. The learning coach is required to attest to the time and academics the student is doing by entering it into a special portal for the learning coach. Everyday there is a lesson guide to follow so there is no planning required for the learning coach.
My son’s day:
My son has class for an hour every morning in which he gets on the computer with his classmates. I would describe his class as a blend between skype and interactive powerpoint. Each child gets to participate and interact with the teacher and each other. After class, he takes a break for 5-10 minutes while I prepare for the next learning activity. Then we do the activity or two. After the activities is lunch and recess. Then we head back for more schooling. We do a subject then break, subject break routine throughout the day. We are usually done before 1.
I love that we can turn anything into schooling. He can help me with the cooking by measuring out the different ingredients, well that can be math. Going to the store can also be a math lesson as we add up different items or compare to see which is greater. The other day we turned going to the game store to trade in games and purchase some more into a math lesson in which he had to do all of the math himself in order to get anything. Anything that can be turned into a learning experience can be used for the time. However, the student still has to master the academic units before going onto the next course/grade level. This has been a great time for my son and I to connect again. This has added to the healing that my son has had to do since his previous experience.
Socially, we get together with play groups and friends to help supplement his social experience as that is an important aspect to learning as well. There is a homeschool group locally that we have started to be in contact with. There are also field trips and other get together activities that are through ORVA. They have different clubs that he can participate in as well.
I am happy to report my son is doing much better. He is his cuddly, happy, good, natured self again. He is loving learning again. He still asked to make sure adults he meets are “good” adults or not. He is still experiencing some nightmares but is definitely on the road to recovery. This has been a huge blessing for both of us!
My son has class for an hour every morning in which he gets on the computer with his classmates. I would describe his class as a blend between skype and interactive powerpoint. Each child gets to participate and interact with the teacher and each other. After class, he takes a break for 5-10 minutes while I prepare for the next learning activity. Then we do the activity or two. After the activities is lunch and recess. Then we head back for more schooling. We do a subject then break, subject break routine throughout the day. We are usually done before 1.
I love that we can turn anything into schooling. He can help me with the cooking by measuring out the different ingredients, well that can be math. Going to the store can also be a math lesson as we add up different items or compare to see which is greater. The other day we turned going to the game store to trade in games and purchase some more into a math lesson in which he had to do all of the math himself in order to get anything. Anything that can be turned into a learning experience can be used for the time. However, the student still has to master the academic units before going onto the next course/grade level. This has been a great time for my son and I to connect again. This has added to the healing that my son has had to do since his previous experience.
Socially, we get together with play groups and friends to help supplement his social experience as that is an important aspect to learning as well. There is a homeschool group locally that we have started to be in contact with. There are also field trips and other get together activities that are through ORVA. They have different clubs that he can participate in as well.
I am happy to report my son is doing much better. He is his cuddly, happy, good, natured self again. He is loving learning again. He still asked to make sure adults he meets are “good” adults or not. He is still experiencing some nightmares but is definitely on the road to recovery. This has been a huge blessing for both of us!
During this term I have written three papers as I experienced this journey that you are welcome to read.
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