No Field Trip Fun

One of the worst things that can happen to most children is to be sick the day of a field trip (or holiday party). That's exactly what happened to Teddy Friday. He woke up with a 102.4 fever, so he absolutely wasn't going to school. That meant he missed an all-day field trip, riding his beloved yellow buses, to play soccer, swim and ice skate at the YMCA. As much as I was dreading the physical exertion of chasing him all day as his chaperone, I was looking forward to all the smiles and joy because it was a perfect field trip for Teddy all based around play and not about sitting to learn.

But, the silver lining to the cloud that turned out to be strep throat was that Teddy didn't realize he was missing out on anything because he was too busy living in the moment. He got a whole day with mom to play, destroying our house and dancing to awesome music. (He typically doesn't get the memo that when he's sick he should take it easy, nap and rest. It often barely slows him down, especially when he's medicated with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. And with that fever, you can bet he was on a rotating cycle.)

Such a happy kid, even with strep throat. 

So, although he wasn't feeling the best, he still made the most of his day. That's the great thing about Teddy is that he lives in the moment. It doesn't matter what he's missing because there's usually something great about the exact moment that is happening. Unless you don't give him that banana that he really wants because that is not a good moment. I swear I've never seen anyone look so utterly defeated and wail so loudly that they couldn't eat a second banana.

I challenge you to challenge your inner Ted. Find the joy in your moments today. It's there for you to appreciate ... unless you really wanted that second banana, too, and someone stopped you.

He was enjoying snuggles with Dad today. Or trying to steal the phone.

Why is Teddy So Happy?

"Why is Teddy so excited? Why is Teddy so happy?"

Those were the questions I heard from one of Teddy's (higher-functioning) classmates as Teddy bounced up and down with joy and excitement. I explained he had seen the buses outside the school for the field trip and that he loved buses. She still seemed to have a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that he'd be jumping for joy over a bus, and one of the aides summed it up by explaining that we all show our excitement in different ways.

Teddy jumped up and down part of the way to the bus, rather than walking, because he was so excited. Then he giggled, made all sorts of excited noises and smiled like a maniac as we settled on the bus. It was a really short bus ride to the movie theater about 5 minutes away, but that didn't dampen his spirits.

So much joy on one little face!

He was excited to be with the entire school for the field trip, liked his popcorn and loved his pink lemonade. We still spent most of the movie walking around the rest of the theater, staring out the window at the beautiful buses that we couldn't go on and getting greetings from all the kids going to the bathroom and the teachers monitoring him. Heck, he even shared his Skittles with the principal!

It was really neat to see how he interacts with the different members on his team and getting to hear a bit more about what life at school is like for Teddy. I learned that Ms. E goes with him to most of his specials (like art, gym and music) as well as when he integrates with his first grade class. She's part-time right now but will be full time next semester. I learned that one of the aides is capturing pictures throughout the year with hopes of making a yearbook of sorts for the kids. I learned they sign stand up when they ask Teddy to stand instead of his flop and drop move. I learned what I already knew: they're amazing, caring people who do what they can to support each child in that classroom.

Field trips with Teddy are a physical workout, no doubt. But they're a glimpse into what we never know because we don't experience life at school for him. He's a little boy who's known by teachers and students alike, greeted and welcomed and clearly holds a special place in his team members' hearts.

All smiles on our way to the movie theater!

Field Trip Fun

Field trips are a mixed bag of emotions for me.

I love to see Teddy included and have the opportunity for fun learning, just like any other child. I tend to resent, though, that one of us as parents have to take off work to accompany him on his field trips because there's not adequate staff to have someone accompany him. (I get that's an issue I should be able to resolve through the school, and I will address it through his IEP once we're done with some additional testing for him next month.)

Teddy made friends with the bus driver, who let him open/shut the doors.

I love to see his classmates who interact wonderfully with him, from the girl who holds his hand and pats his arm when he's upset that he has to wait and not freely explore everything to the little boy who sat next to him digging for dinosaur bones praising his digging and taking turns with Teddy. I don't like to hear that Teddy's not in the first grade classroom that often (per a kid's perception, of course) because he needs a staff to support him to be integrated. I know it's early in the year, and I know there's kids in any class who are a handful for the teacher to manage and that it's tough to add Teddy to the mix. But he learns so much from others, and the gaps between him and his peers will only widen each year. Now is the time to invest in the staffing to have him spend as much time as possible mainstream. (Clearly, you can see what's on my mind. Again, I have plans to address this properly through the school rather than just complain about it here.)

Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan is definitely worth a visit with lots to explore. 

I love the kids who say that Teddy's their friend. I both love and hate the questions they ask because they're curious about Teddy. I will always answer any questions to help others understand Teddy because I'm Teddy's voice. It still hurts most times I answer why Teddy can't talk like others and how he can communicate instead. But there are now several kids in his class who know that clapping is how Teddy says, "I want." And there's also kids in his class who probably have ideas on other signs they can teach him. That's all wonderful, but it still hurts to spend a whole day watching Teddy and his peers who aren't his peers ... and to realize that his intentional classroom's wonderful circus of a gym class is where his peers are. Field trips are really only hard because I haven't fully mastered the art, skill or whatever you want to call it of acceptance.

Like I said, it's a mixed bag of emotions.