Well things are tootling along in the world of Year 1. Some changes at school have been implemented and I can see that Hannah's little aid time is being used more effectively. Basically one of her aids goes into the classroom in the morning with the goal of settling her to work at her desk with the other students... with varying degrees of success. Last week I was outside the room helping with one of the reading programs (as a parent volunteer) but it was almost recess when I went into make sure Hannah went to the toilet that I found her at the side of the class refusing to do any desk work. I quickly and as quietly as possible got her to the loo and then settled her back in the room - this time at her desk with some simple work. I wished they'd let me know at the start of the morning....FFWD to today. I am outside the room doing my volly thing when Hannah's teacher comes and asks me to help the aid as Hannah is lying at the back of the room rolled up in a ball, refusing to cooperate. I went in and knelt down near her. I asked her to sit up, then look at me... and tell me what was going on. She soon managed to regroup enough to tell me that her aid had 'hurt her feelings'. I got her to stand up and talk to the aid about this which she did. From the aid and Hannah's tears (crocodile ones!) I was able to ascertain that after warnings to turn off the ipad until later the aid had leaned over and turned it off herself. The key issue had been the volume of the ipad as the teacher tried to have her whole class time. It didn't take long for us to chat about that and for Hannah to go to her place and start work. She even voluntarily put the ipad aside.
Later on in the afternoons another aid spends some time with her specifically on the ipad - and using some of its apps. I bet hannah loves that.
While I was there I got the chance to chat with the aid a bit more - before I left - she was basically asking for strategies... said that she had watched me but found copying my technique (I think she meant my 'Mum means business' voice :-)) difficult. She wanted to discuss how to handle the mornings incident differently. So we chatted about that - she had done what I would have done anyway - warnings and count down...so really I said perhaps the only thing left is to head it off at the pass, ie make sure the little bugger doesn't get to sit down with the temptation of the ipad straight away. She did say that for a while threatening to call me worked quite well but at one point Hannah started to say "No, ring Daddy". We then quickly talked about Hannah's multilit lists - Yes Hannah has started on the multilit program. She is stalled on List 2 - they, that and with. Having (undiagnosed) dyspraxia does NOT help with reading - I can almost see the misdirections happening from what she is seeing, thinking to saying. Anyway as part of that discussion the aid showed me how she gets Hannah to write out the words she is having difficulty with - and how the last list - her writing went from quite small to larger and larger - because Hannah knows once she reaches the end of the writing page the aid lets her stop that activity. If only she could harness that sort of intelligence to consistently recognise and say they, that and with!!! Still the aid and I are impressed with her guile.
Nothing much else has been happening. Last week I arrived at school in the middle of lunch to take the twins to an appointment. When I went to the playground to collect them - Hannah was sitting with a boy from middle school (who Kit tells me is one of the vice captains) He was quietly interacting with her while she collected bark in a glad bag. I love watching how gentle the other kids are with her. Also this week I saw one of her friends AS smiling and obliging her in a game of duck duck goose - even though there was only the 2 of them playing. He looked so sweet deliberately 'running' slowly so that Hannah could catch him.
Today as I left school Hannah's class was working in smaller groups. Her class teacher came and got her because she had a couple of year 3 boys there and she thought one of them could work with Hannah for the last 15 minutes before recess.
On Monday when I picked the kids up from after school care one of the carers was telling me how she enjoyed playing with Hannah. She had been playing ball. The week before she said they had been running. She basically said that noone could get her to run but Hannah's innocence as she asked her to run 'together' was irresistable and so she had run with my daughter. A little piece of Hannah magic as people see the gifts she has to offer... not that I think she is 'innocent' in the way the carer seemed to mean but she sure can bring out a lot of good in the people she interacts with.
