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!