(My son is mainstreamed in the 10^th Grade at an Academic Magnet School. He has Asperger Syndrome.)

This is the last week of the current quarter for my son’s school. That means that all of the sudden grades are popping up on the grading web site because teachers have to get them in before the end of the grading period. It also means there are lots of things due, reports, tests, notes, labs, you name it, it is due—or past due, meaning zeros are appearing. Last week we spent doing the “what homework do you have?” “I have thus and such in this class and I think I have this and that and something was due last week that I need to talk to my teacher about” dance that we do. (Those were not his exact words, but you get the idea of the vagueness of his answers.)

This year we are experiencing his first AP class, which he has about decided was a huge mistake because it is a lot of reading and taking notes on the reading. We anticipated that it would be heavy on the reading, but did not know that he would have to take notes on his reading and be graded on his note taking—which because of his Asperger’s is extremely difficult. (The conversation goes like this; I say, ‘read and write down what you think is important.’ Stephen says ‘then I’d be writing everything because I think everything is important!’)

But back to the dance we do. So every day I ask him if he talked to his teacher(s). No, he says, there wasn’t time, or she wasn’t there, or I don’t know what to say to her. There it is. I think he hit the nail on the head with the last statement, or at least he is close to it. When Stephen wants to talk to me about something he asks if I will come to his room to talk. We spend a long time chit chatting. Finally I can usually get him around to the point of what he wanted to talk to me about. It is difficult for him to talk to me and I am his mother…how much harder is it for him to approach his teachers when he doesn’t know what their reaction is going to be?

So here we are in the last week of the quarter. Stephen has a boat-load of work to do. I am heading out of town for two days for a family funeral. What’s the bright side? Friday is the first day of Fall Break and this quarter will be over one way or the other! One down, three more to go!

Thanks for letting me vent!

Louise