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Back to School Time!

It's that time again to head back to school! Ethan loves school, which is great. We know that we are extremely blessed to have a great team of professionals who work with him daily. When we first received the PBD-ZSD diagnosis I couldn't even imagine that Ethan would live long enough to go to preschool, let alone make it to elementary school. Even as I write this I can't help but think of all of my friends who aren't able to share first day of school pictures. "Dear Kindergarten Teacher: My son will be absent on the first day of school" is a beautiful tribute to bereaved parents everywhere. 

As school starts this year we are also thinking about and praying for our former foster daughters who are now back home with their biological parents. Driving by the bus stop, instead of walking down there with three children in tow, like I did the previous two school years, on the first day was a bit emotional. Since we don't live in the same town, that means the girls are at new schools this year. We are especially praying for their teachers, and that they will have soft hearts towards these two precious little girls who have been through so much. "The Trauma Informed Teacher - Silent Front Line" provides a bit of insight into what so many teachers are facing as they begin the school year. 

Ethan's first day of 2nd grade! 


Second grade, and school in general, is different for Ethan than many students. School for him isn't academic in the traditional sense, but he is learning nevertheless. Goals for this year include maintaining skills he has already learned and building upon them to increase communication, mobility, play, and social skills.

Ethan attends a regular neighborhood school, although it isn't actually our neighborhood school, that also serves as a special education hub, not only for our school district but also for multiple surrounding districts. The regular education students at Ethan's school have a lot of exposure to students with disabilities, but this isn't true for all children. If you are the parent, have you talked to your child about disabilities? If not, please do. You might want to check out this article for some hints: "As the School Year Begins Please Talk to Your Kids about Disabilities."




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