School Daze: My Child was Forced into Special Education Because of Her Speech!
You are looking down at your little bundle of joy and thinking...
"Of course they are going to be perfect in every way! They are going to develop physically, grow spiritually, and advance educationally!"
Sometimes though - there are little bumps in the road.
My first daughter had a speech impediment - and literally didn't talk till she was close to four years old. As a parents, my husband and I did all we could to help her both educationally and emotionally. We took the following steps:
Age Two - We had her in speech therapy for a year at a local rehabiliation center (Yes - it was out of pocket expenses, but well worth it!
Ages Three - Five - Sent her to a Christian preschool. My hopes were that being around other children would help her progress in her speech, and encourage her to have friendships.
Ages Six - Ten - She attended a regular school, where she was pulled out of class for speech. Her grades dropped as the public speech pathologist pulled her from math, science, social studies....Therefore they had her in special education.
Ages Eleven and Twelve - I finally, after numerous meetings, convinced the school staff that my daughter did not need speech or special education. They finally agreed and she was put into regular classes.
As my heart cheered for my daughter's accomplishments, that same year we had to move for economical reasons. We took a large leap from Delaware to Georgia . At the developing age of 12 1/2 - I have now decided to homeschool my daughter and her siblings. She is now a grade level ahead!
I can honestly say homeschooling can be a very tough route, but I believe that every parent has the potential to help their child succeed in a "homeschool" environment.
So...fasten your seatbelt, pay attention to the road signs, (be careful of those bumps!), and take your journey on parenting!
You might run out of gas and overheat, but it's well worth it!
Who knows! Maybe she will become a freelance writer like her mom!
