A New Beginning

Last week marked the beginning of the new school year for our kids. Our daughter is now a second grader and Aditya a first grader. How kids grow! I have been so busy enjoying miracles on a daily basis that taking a step back led me to discover fascinating changes in the larger picture!

This year, Aditya started in a 1/2 grade multi-age classroom. It basically means that the curriculum is focused on the philosophy that children progress on a continuum, regardless of age or grade, and the whole classroom is one community of learners. Concepts are presented to the whole class, with different expectations for students of different levels and abilities.  Students may work in flexible, small groups based on ability rather than age or grade, so cross-age collaborations are accepted and encouraged. We think that this is an exciting place for Aditya to be, as he is among a group of students of varying age levels, academic abilities and social development.

We had a meeting with Aditya's new teacher a week before school started. We spoke to her about his diagnosis, how far he has come with the Son-Rise program and what she could expect stepping into the new school year.(For those just tuning in, Aditya goes to mainstream public school, where he is the only kid on the autism spectrum) With the knowledge that he was used to just 2 hours of school twice a week last year, she suggested that we be present to support him the last couple hours everyday, for the first few weeks. I jumped with joy! What would I have not given to get such a supporting teacher!

I started going into the classroom after lunch every day.
As I walked in on the very first day, I saw him tired and staring into space. I saw him not interacting with his table partner, though the other boy was initiating small social conversations. He was barely holding his own.... I decided to take a deep breath and BELIEVE that this is going to work out. The teacher then asked the kids to gather at the rug for some community building activities and I could not believe my eyes! Was it the same boy I had seen a few minutes ago? Really? He was raising his hand to answer questions, waiting till he was called on and asserting himself, clarifying his responses! Huge blow to my doubts! Yay!

Baba and Aditya had early morning Son-Rise sessions every day before school so he was ready to face the challenges of the new day!
On Tuesday, I was excited to be the aiding parent in his classroom for the two hours between snack and lunch, and then being his one-on-one support for the next two hours. I saw him interacting with a couple kids in class. He still had a flat affect, following rules exactly to the T because he was supposed to. He was more relaxed than the previous day, but had some rigidity to his being. The teacher explained in greater detail what she had outlined the previous day. (Their school practices the "Responsive Classroom" approach to education). As an observer, I wasn't sure if he was even present and listening to what she was saying. He was looking at the family photos on the classroom wall :)

On Wednesday, I saw him talking to a girl in his class as they lined up outside after lunch. Just a small exchange .. one loop at a time .. he is growing! Experiencing success! After lunch, they have DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time. Aditya was looking at Leo, their African grey parrot class pet :) No book in hand or on the desk! The entire class was silent, absorbed in their books. Hmm .. I ask him if he knows what he is supposed to be doing. "Yeah, read. but I finished reading the book I got from home on Monday."
"Do you know that you can borrow a book from the class library?"
"Yeah, but they are too advanced and I am still a beginner."
"Lets go and see the different colored book bins and what they mean..."
So we explored the class library and he chose a book. He was so listless that I almost pitied him and felt like carrying him home in my arms. And then .. it felt like somebody sprinkled magic dust on him .. he was on the carpet, telling his teacher that he wanted to write his problem in the "Agenda book" (Agenda time is when a kid (or a group or kids) present any problems they might have. Then the class asks clarifying questions as needed and proceeds to suggest solutions. The child who brought up the problem then chooses a solution that he finds fit or chooses to defer if he does not think of any solution as the right one for him. It is a totally child driven process .. they have their own moderator and all solutions are offered and chosen by children, with no adult interference) Since they were running out of time, the teacher asked if Aditya would be okay to explain the problem and go through the process without first writing it down. He would then have time later to write it, possibly at free choice. He immediately agreed. He explained the situation he had encountered at lunch and precisely answered all clarifying questions he was asked. He then called on his classmates to give their solutions (I think he loved this the most, as he was in a position to choose who would be called on!) He even told one child that the solution he offered seemed not so nice (rude) and ended up picking one of four solutions offered.

Thursday was the day set to tie dye their field trip shirts. After DEAR, where Aditya chose his own book, the entire class agreed upon a handful of different activities they could have for free choice, while the adults pulled out a few kids at a time for tie dyeing. I saw a major challenge here: Aditya was sitting in the middle of the rug, surrounded by 10 kids playing with different stuff ranging from legos and stuffies to cars and board games. But he was doing nothing in particular .. probably looking at the birthdays of kids put up on the wall or the class pet or staring into thin air. He was eager to tie dye his shirt and did not choose any interactive activity while he waited. (When I later talked to his teacher about this "challenge" she pointed out to me that in not doing anything, he was making a choice and that she respected him for making a choice that was different than anybody else. I felt wonderful about her attitude.)
Since Friday is the day Baba works from home, he decided to be in class with Aditya and make his own observations. He will be posting about his experience soon...