Warrior

We had our meeting with Ms. L. She is a very nice woman, super tall and very skinny. She was good at joking around with Butterfly Girl. She gave us a "tour" of the system. I now know that the SST meeting we have planned for next week is the first step towards special ed. Teacher seemed to have forgotten to mention that to us.

But Ms. L said we should move forward- she cautioned us about the system though. The system will make you feel like they know best, that they will be the one making decisions for Butterfly Girl. Remember, she tells us, you are the only one that can make decisions for Butterfly.

She also says the system is linear. We need to be careful what we share with the administrators, teachers and others. We need to remember they are only thinking about the classroom and how behavior impacts learning. It would be easier if I could pour my heart out and have the "Student Success Team" working for Butterfly's best interest. Apparently, that is not how the system works.

I ask Ms. L about special ed classes, in case the system tries to push Butterfly in that direction. Again, she cautions us. Most special ed classes are not as academically challenging. Butterfly actually excels in her academics and has been noted to need more advanced challenges. Don't let her get tossed into a class where she sits and rots, she tells us.

This meeting has made me feel like a warrior. We must move forward with caution and yet fierce protectiveness. We must plan what we say and how we say it. We must analyze every course of action the system recommends and come back with a counter plan. The system might help but only if we form it, shape it and mold it to fit Butterfly Girl. And Butterfly Girl is one of a kind, always morphing. There will be no quick fix.