*Yawn* >>Stretch<< Welcome Back!

It is hard to believe that it has been so long since I last posted. On the other hand, it isn't THAT hard to believe because I have been a busy bee!

That being said, I now have 6 or 7 followers and I have neglected you all for too long, LOL!

So, let's get you caught up....

Zack is having another amazing year at The Gow School, which isn't a surprise. He has made honor scroll every marking period, found that he loves wrestling. Doesn't he looks like a skeleton in his singlet?









He also decided to try taking ADD meds for the first time in his life. This is something that we hesitated to do, dating back to his initial diagnosis for Dyslexia. We simply wanted to see how well he could learn to manage it on his own, with help from Gow. However, after two years there, he found that he was limited in his ability to take control, and so he started with meds. We are still working with the doctor to get the dosage right, but Zack reports that he does notice a difference, after our latest change. So, that's good.


Jacob continues to love 7th grade. He has been on the merit roll and honor roll this year and, is discovering that with a little effort, things at school are pretty easy to handle.  He was in the middle school production of "Through the Looking Glass" and thoroughly enjoyed it. He is convinced that he will be a famous actor, living in New York City, with a driver and a maid named Consuela. Oh to be 12 again!

My school year has been an amazing journey and it is hard to believe that it is already March. My students continue to amaze me, daily. I have had some challenges, but there are more days that feel rewarding than those that are challenging, so I'm calling it a win!

I have spoken at a couple of small group events about the Burmese refugees that I deal with and some of the challenges that they face. That talk has opened up some amazing doors for me, in terms of donations for the students. The good people at Ingram Micro donated all of their castoff office supplies and promotional items that they got from vendors. Thanks to Elaine, over at IM, we have behavior incentive prizes for the rest of the school year! We have also gotten a steady stream of donated clothing and household items for the kids and their families who are SO grateful for the kindness of strangers.

I am becoming more and more intrigued by a phenomenon that seems to be limited to our refugee population of students and, more specifically, the Burmese families. We struggle to get our Burmese students to do homework and their families simply do not seem to understand the importance of practicing their skills at home- that there really is a POINT to the homework. Furthermore, I have students who have been here for three years and still don't recognize the letters of the alphabet, despite handstands and back flips by their teachers. If anyone reading this (all 7 of you) has suggestions or connections to researchers on this subject, please share with me! One night, after searching, fruitlessly, on the interwebs, I actually reached out to another blogger, Angela Watson at The Cornerstone for Teachers, to see if she had any suggestions. That led to an invite to write a piece on our refugees, for her blog. I am hoping that sharing my experience will help others, and bring some answers as well!

In closing, I want to share a quick story about my experience with one family at my school. The boy, a fourth grader, who I will call A, arrived here from Iraq two months ago. He is a goofy kid, acting silly all the time, with very limited English skills. He also has quite a "unibrow" that makes him LOOK angry all of the time, but he really is quite happy. He is in a very small ESL group with students of similar abilities. His Dad is very enthusiastic about being in America and is not afraid to speak imperfect English. He is also VERY loud. After meeting him several times, he and his wife came to school one day asking for me. We spoke about their son's progress and they expressed a desire for A to do more homework. This is such a challenge because he cannot do much of the content area homework, and I can't micromanage what the teacher sends home. Anyway, Dad told me that A always speaks so highly of "Mrs. Eluh" (L) and that he loves me. They invited me to their home for a meal and time to talk. Dad then went on to loudly, emphatically, repeatedly, tell me that he loves me, LOL. Now, I know that he was expressing his gratitude for what I am doing for A. However, others who overheard the conversation grew concerned because, as I said, Dad can be loud.  But, it's a happy loud, and that is a good thing. So, long story short, I will be taking my son with me to Saturday school, after which, we will go to the home of these kind people and enjoy a traditional Iraqi/Arabic meal. It will be interesting and strange and fun, all at the same time. It will also serve to reinforce my belief in the importance of the work I do- even if there ARE days that I want to go home and back to bed!

Let's Go Global!

One of the frustrations I have with my job is that my students' parents do not participate in school activities. I believe that this is, largely, because they don't know what is happening around school. A friend recently suggested asking our international school for help with translated documents. Since they have translators on staff, I hoped that they would share- and they did!  I am including the signage for school locations in a link, here, so that anyone who wants can use them! The languages included are Arabic, Somali, Burmese and Karen. I am hoping that I can enlist other parents to supply other languages as well- although we have 26 and that might be tough to squeeze onto an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper!

Translated Signage

A Birthday Miracle For Me!

Short and sweet- I got a beautifully handwritten letter from Zack today. It read:

Dear Mom,
      Hi Mom. You have worked so hard to get me to Gow. I appreciate all the things you have done for me. It was a struggle, I know, but look what's come from it. I'm writing in cursive. Mom, I really want to say thank you and Happy Birthday.

Love,
Zack
xoxo

Seriously??? Everything is spelled correctly -and it's in cursive- AND it's legible!  THAT is why I worked so hard to get him to Gow, folks. Our boy is getting the right education- and it's worth every penny.

http://www.indiegogo.com/ZackGow (4 days left- please contribute if you can!)

Hello, 2012-2013 School Year!

     We have all survived the opening of a new school year- yay! Here's the breakdown:

       Zack:

• He and his roommate are the veterans, and ninth graders in a 7th/8th grade dorm, so he is feeling like the big man on campus. 
• He has so much confidence, has opinions about teaching styles and is excited about the content (well, some of it, anyway.)
• He even ran for 9th grade class representative for the Student Council. He did not win, but the simple fact that he ran speaks volumes!
• Has a new, "old school" teacher for Reconstructive Language. She is making them write in cursive (the physical act of writing the connected letters helps them learn the letter-sounds.) He sent a hand-written letter to us through the mail. YES, people- paper, envelope, stamp- the whole shebang!
• He is getting rave reviews from his teachers, including the following:
• He is attentive to his work, punctual with his assignments, and has adjusted well to my requirements. 
• Few students can ‘see the bigger picture’, but Zack seems to be demonstrating that he understands why we have to work so hard on the ‘details’.  I’m very impressed with his commitment to the work, and hope it continues throughout the year. 

    Jake:

• After three days, he declared that this has been the "best year ever!"
•  He tried out for modified volleyball and didn't make the team. His attitude has been excellent and he now looks forward to joining in on the musical, which, I think he will really like. 
• He endured the change of routine that comes with going back to school and has taken to it, like a champ!
• He has tackled homework with excitement and his grades have been excellent.
• Joined chorus and is trying out for show choir.

Me:   I arrived back at school to find some exciting changes, as well as some un-welcome ones. 

•  On the first day back, my classroom, which was once half-filled with paper towels, was 3/4 filled with unwanted equipment: overhead projectors, pre-k kitchen furniture, clinic furniture (those nice vinyl "beds," defunct copiers, hard drives, macs, and a big glass case.) Said equipment, mostly, blocked the entrance to the room about 3/4 of the way, and completely obstructed the outside exit. After some nagging, begging, and threats to go up the chain of command, the engineers cleared it all out by my first day of teaching.
• My caseload is higher this year, BUT, I am very fortunate to have reasonably sized groups of students- no more than 12 at a time.
• I am working with one of my favorite classroom teachers, who really understands ESL students- and that makes all the difference!
• I have decided to take the plunge and gone back to school to become an Administrator. This will be funded with student loans that I will be paying off for the rest of my life, however, I have decided that this is the best way to effect change, on a system that is horribly broken, one school at a time!

Pat: Well, I think that Pat is still delighting in having his routine back! He enjoys having us around for the summer, but we really make it hard for him to get anything done. 

So, that's it. We're back to school. We have an extra mortgage-sized payment to make every month, payable to Gow, but with the help of our "village" we have gotten Zack where he needs to be. Our indiegogo account is active for a few more days. We didn't come close to making our goal, but we have more than we started out with, so I am thrilled. If you know anyone who still wants to make a donation, please direct them here: http://www.indiegogo.com/ZackGow  Anything we add to that total will help make that tuition payment every month, so we can still use the help!!

Thank you all!

xoxoxo

Success on Many Levels

We did it! Zack is going back to Gow. In fact, we will drop him off tomorrow and classes start on Monday. Yep, even though it's a holiday, they have classes. For the first marking period, Zack will attend classes from 7am to 2:30pm, with a break for lunch. From 3-5:30 they have athletics. The school does not offer physical education, so all students must participate in a sport, each season.

They shower, have dinner and then report to mandatory study hall at 6:30. This is proctored by various instructors and, if needed, students can make an appointment with a specific teacher during this time. Study hall ends around 8:30 and then the boys get some free time. IF Zack does his job, keeps up with his studies, etc. his instructors can recommend that he participate in dorm study.

Last year, Zack earned dorm study each semester and I don't anticipate it being a problem this year. In fact, last year, when he had some difficulties before exams, he went to study hall to get the help he needed.


So, his day will go from sun up to sun down.... I guess all days do that, eh? He will also go to school on Saturdays, until noon. He will work hard and he WILL succeed!

We want to thank SO many people for their help in getting Zack back to school. It means the world to us that family and friends were willing to help. Thanks to all of you, we were able to pay the bulk of Zack's tuition. We will pay the rest off over the course of the year. If you know anyone who is interested in giving to the indiegogo campaign, it has 29 days left,  so please direct them to the site!!


http://www.indiegogo.com/ZackGow


Thank you all so much. I will be posting updates here for those that are invested in this magnificent child!

Do the Clothes Make the Man?

Some days, I think that I would be better off avoiding the newspaper and, in fact, most days, I do avoid it. When I do read our local paper, I stick to the "Life" sections with Dear Abby, and the comics. However, there are some days that I get sucked in and read every section. This was the case on Saturday of last week, when I encountered the following article that our paper picked up from the AP: Rich toddlers draw fashion designers' eyes

 Typically, I avoid talking politics/class warfare when with friends.... and strangers (who needs the fight?) However, my very good friend, J and I were discussing the proposed tax on the wealthy.  Her family would fall into that higher tax bracket, even though they do not have an opulent lifestyle and, most likely, are just over the magic line that would be drawn. Frankly, I can't pretend to understand the whole thing, but the bottom line is, the most people would pay more in taxes, including the wealthy (which seems to be defined as $250,000+ for dual income households.)There is more information here: MoneyCrashers and here: focusfinancial.medmancreative.com The percentage increase would be smaller than for those of lower incomes, which is what the hubbub is all about. Those with higher incomes want to keep the Tax plan that GWB put into place while in office.

I went through a whole number-crunching thing and decided that it was all too much, so let’s suffice it to say that when you make 7 figures a year, your tax bracket would go from 13% to 36%. The difference between paying 13% and 36% in taxes is enough to feed all of the families in my school, for a year. That is a lot of money taken from that earner’s pocket… until you consider the 63%-87% of income that those people are able to keep and spend on things like their child’s wardrobe.

So, this brings me back to that original headline, above. The story made my blood boil. The first woman spent $10,000 on her 3 year old child's wardrobe because the child is “reflection” of her and, therefore, needs to be well-dressed.  Why does this make me so angry? Of course, it is her money, and she can do with it as she chooses. But, really, is that the best way she can spend $10,000? Actually, I have just had an epiphany…. That child’s wardrobe IS a reflection of her…. And if it were me, I would be avoiding the mirror from now on. 

I don't know... maybe it's because I don't have the money, so it's all ethereal and mysterious, but it seems to me that asking the wealthy to give up one vacation (or vacation home) isn't too much to ask, for the betterment of all!

Please share my blog with your friends/family/enemies and tell them about our fundraising efforts.  Maybe one of them knows a 1% who has some extra green to burn, and would love to help sponsor the education of our young Einstein (who, by the way, wears $4 jackets from Good Will Industries

http://www.indiegogo.com/ZackGow

Think Outside of the Box.... WAAAAY Outside!

A while ago, I wrote about labels and how easy it is to try to define people, make them fit into categories, helping us successfully interact with them. You can read that post here: Labels

As I have gone about trying to get donations from people- dyslexics and "normals"- I have discovered that dyslexic entrepreneurs are a very diverse group of accomplished citizens. Often, they are known for the entrepreneurial spirit, like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Richard Branson or their scientific contributions: Alexander Graham Bell, Pierre Curie, Thomas Edison. There is even a subset of hotties (as I see it, anyway) although that is not their "accomplishment": Orlando Bloom, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Keira Knightly, Vince Vaughn- the list goes on.

There have been numerous articles written about the correlation between entrepreneurship and dyslexia and often, the subjects credit the challenge of dyslexia as an asset. In fact, The Gow School treats it as such, and with good reason. Dyslexics are "think outside of the box" people. The unfortunate thing is that public schools are, largely, made of BOXES and thinking outside of the "norm" is discouraged. Such is the case with our public school. They want to encourage students to be creative thinkers and problem solvers. However, they don't want them to make waves, be "disruptive" and that thinking/problem solving, typically, needs to take place within the confines of their desk space. In the public school setting, dyslexia IS a disability.

Because Gow is a boarding school, we don't get to spend a lot of time with Zack. This summer has been such a gift, in that regard. We have been with him, daily, and watched how his brain works. He problem solves, he keeps trying and, eventually, he solves a problem. That tenacity is something that wasn't there a year ago. Prior to going to Gow, when he encountered difficulty, Zack would get frustrated, throw his hands up, claim stupidity and be done with it. Gow has given him the freedom and confidence to try things- even things WAY outside of the box.

People like Richard Branson (Richard, if you're reading this, we could REALLY use your help), Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Bill Gates- they became great because someone in their lives allowed them to think outside of the box. Or perhaps, whatever the reason, boxes were more flexible in their worlds.

If you're curious about other well-known/accomplished dyslexics, click through the links below for some interesting reads. AND, if you discover that you know anyone or know someone who knows someone (the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon principle) on that list, put in a good word for us, will ya? We are going to need help tearing apart those boxes so that Zack can be the next Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Henry Ford or Richard Branson. (Fortunately, he's already got the looks of those hotties above!)

Famous Dyslexics:

http://www.dyslexia.com/famous.htm

http://www.incomediary.com/top-30-dyslexic-entrepreneurs

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/business/worldbusiness/05iht-dyslexia.4.8602036.html

Please share our efforts with your friends. If we can make that six degree connection, it would help Zack build a bigger, better, more OPEN box!

http://www.indiegogo.com/ZackGow

https://www.facebook.com/GetZackToGow

Thank you to all who have read and shared and given. You are making a dream come true!! xoxoxo