No Thanks

Thank you, Elementary School, for sending home a report card for each of the boys on the last day of school, that was filled with blanks and "N/A"s.  Did you send that home with all of the children in the autism classroom?  It was a great way to spell out for me exactly what skills the typical 2nd graders learned this year that my boys did not.

My guys have IEPs, and I already received progress notes on those showing what they DID learn this year and how much progress they DID make.  I didn't need to get this report card to hold up next to it, to be able to compare and contrast exactly how far away they are from the typical 2nd graders.

I already know almost exactly what their typical school experience would have been like, because their sister went through it two years ago. 

But it was fun to look at the mostly blank report cards, and see the name of the science teacher they would have had, if they were in the typical classroom during the time they have science.  It was great to see the specific math principles most of the 2nd graders learned this year.  For a moment my mind flitted toward wondering what all our lives would be like if they really went to science and really had Mr. Lawrence as a teacher.  If they really had learned to measure objects in meters, centimeters, feet, and inches.  If they really had learned to tell time to the 5 minutes and to count coins to $1.00.  Instead of struggling just to grasp the concept of simple addition.

For a moment I got to wonder what it would look like, to really have numbers and marks in all those blanks, instead of blanks, and "N/A"s.  Mostly, day to day, that kind of thought doesn't even occur to me.

(This is my snarky way of telling you, Elementary School, that you don't need to send me these blank report cards.  I have IEPs and great progress notes.  I'm good to go.  Thanks.)

(I also wanted to point out that this is not directed toward the boys' autism teachers, who I know sometimes read this blog - the teachers themselves are brilliant and amazing.  I know this is a school administration issue, but if they wanted to mention the irrelevance of sending the typical reports cards with blanks all over them, to the parents of the children in the special needs program, I'd appreciate it.)