Charter school

[crazymama30]

So I got the letter today. difficult child was accepted into the charter school. They had 23 spaces and 75 applied. This is great. difficult child is gonna hate it.

I have not told him, and will not tell him untill he is more stable. This could certainly destabilize him. I have emailed psychiatrist and therapist to get help in how to tell him, should I talk to the school and tell them how he feels? How can I not do that, as he could very well try to sabotage this.

My stomach is in knots and my brain is spinning. difficult child so needs to go to this school, it is perfect for him. They don't try to shove square pegs into round poles when it comes to kids, they are more forgiving and accepting. More interactive, less lecture and more doing. Less transitions, they stay with the same group of kids. Maybe difficult child would learn to be more accepting, as kids/staff would be more accepting of him?

I so want this for him. I really hope he can adjust to this. Adjusting to middle school is he** anyways. This is such an oppurtunity for him.

 

[gcvmom]

If this is school placement for September, I would wait to tell him. Especially if he's not particularly stable right now. It's a long way off, so why give him time to worry about it?

Sounds like a really great opportunity for him. Sometimes we parents just have to do what we believe is best for our kiddos. He may be angry about it at first, but I'll bet he adapts o.k.

 

[crazymama30]

I am going to wait as long as possible. I have to do it before they have their intro days at the middle schools, all the 5th graders go to their prospective middle schools and if difficult child goes to his home middle school he will think that is where he is going and it will be worse. They have an intro day of sorts at the charter school, but it may be on a different day.

I think he will adapt well eventually, but the after he finds out the rest of the year could hoover big time.

I so hope I am over reacting.

 

[flutterby]

Anyway you could do a private tour of the school with difficult child? I'm thinking if you just tell him then he will decide things ahead of time (about what he thinks of the school). But, maybe if you take him to the school and let him meet/see the staff and students and tell him why you chose this school he might not have as much ammo, Know what I mean??

A lot of times our kids get these preconceived ideas in their heads and then they become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Good luck. I can empathize with the anxiety you're feeling.

 

[crazymama30]

Actually he has been to the open house the school had, listened to the presentation they did at his school, so he has had exposure to it. They are having a new student day on June 2nd, and he will go to that I am just not sure if will go. I am afraid that if I go he will be comfortabl enough to make rude comments (his favorite is that's gay--really does not go over well). His problem with the school is that his one friend is not going there. I understand that it is amazing that he now has a friend, but difficult child would do horrible at a large middle school. He is so unorganized he would be late to all his classes, and I am afraid that when he got in a fight or did who knows what that the police would get involved. This school has about 66 students in grades 6-8, only 23 in 6th grade, and that alone would lead to a better outcome for difficult child. It is more interactive learning, and has some social aspects built into the school. They talk about the culture of caring, about the community of the school.

I am not going to tell him untill he is more stable, and I think he is headed that way. The last few days have been increasingly better, so crossing fingers. I do have to tell him before all the 5th graders tour their prospective middle schools, because he would go to the home school and not the charter school. I think I need to wait to hear from therapist and psychiatrist (I emailed them both) and then go talk to the charter school people. I am sure (or at least I hope) that they have dealt with this before. On the application,even though admission is by lottery, they have a page for the student to fill out. There was a question where they want to know whey the student wants to go to that school. difficult child put that he did not want to go. And still got in.

I am better this morning, I am building up my armor. I was just so shocked that he actually made it in.

 

[artana]

crazymama,
My children started a Charter School in the fall and I had some issues with the transition. I think it is a great idea to talk to the Charter school people. Make a transition plan. Have difficult child go a few times to visit while the school is crowded (With my difficult child, the combination of new school, unknown kids, and the sensory overload really got to him), maybe make sure he knows his teacher ahead of time.
I'm not sure what else I would suggest. I know that the Charter school environment was much more difficult for my difficult child than a regular school was. He tends to do better with structure, which I did not realize at the time.

 

[crazymama30]

Good idea Artana. I am a little worried abou the structure thing,but they seem to have a good schedule for the day. I like it because they let the kids be individuals, it is not production line learning. Making several visits at the school seem to be a good idea. I am not concerned about it being crowded (except when they go to the main middle school to eat lunch) as there are only 60 kids in the entire school. That is so much smaller than his elementary school.