SJ had his last day of seventh grade on June 8th. I couldn't believe yet another school year was finished. Normally, he would be returning to the junior high for eighth grade, but our district is closing the existing junior high building and constructing a sixth through eighth grade middle school. That is where he will be attending next year.
I have to be honest with you. I was very stressed about him going to junior high. Seventh and eighth grade are emotionally hard for all kids, but add in a PDD-NOS diagnosis and the difficulty multiplies. I was expecting a lot of teacher emails/phone calls about potentially bad behavior. I was pleasantly surprised that I never got any. Not a one. I was told during a parent/teacher conference that SJ could be grumpy about going to speech therapy and doing homework at home. Other than that, I only heard praises from all of his teachers. His learning support teachers were so instrumental in his success. He had a lady (Mrs. Hazelnut) that co-taught in his reading and English class and a man (Mr. Timmers) who co-taught his math class and helped him during study skills. They were both wonderful (although SJ preferred Mr. Timmers).
They had a half day on their last day. I kept wanted to send in something for these two wonderful teachers: a handwritten note, a gift card or a baked good. Time got away from me, though. I decided to write each of them an email (I know that it is not as personal, but better than nothing) to tell them how much my husband and I appreciated them. It was the least I could do.
The next day, I received a reply email from Mr. Timmers. It was one of the nicest emails that I ever received from any of SJ's teachers.
"You don't have to thank me. SJ was a huge part of his own success here at the junior high. He really came into his own here. I'm looking forward to working with him next year. He's going to do really well in 8th grade."
I am so proud of how far SJ has come. Sometimes, I think back to his diagnosis at 2 1/2. Would I have imagined SJ as the incredible young man that he is now? There were so many unknowns then. I wasn't sure if he would be able to function in traditional school. Would he always have to have someone with him to assist him? Would he have friends other than Bob? Would he be able to learn traditional school subjects and retain that knowledge? How would he fit into the social structure of school?
So, we are now 10+ years passed his diagnosis date. He is in traditional school. He is succeeding academically (all A's and 2 B's with a GPA of 3.79). He is in some co-taught classes, but this was his first year without a full-time aide. He has a few good friends (which is all any of us need). He was on Student Council, went to all three dances and performed awesomely at the Talent Show. He has exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds.
If I look ahead 5 years to when he graduates high school, I look at his future with great optimism. I know he is going to continue to surprise us (in a good way) with his success. What a great year this was for him!
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