Answered Prayers

This morning started like any other school day - I went to the gym, came home, made breakfast and lunch for the kids and then hurried to get us all out the door on time. I was shoving lunches and gloves into bags at the red lights on Bel Air Road when I noticed a note from RJ's teacher that was stapled to his bag. (Notes stapled to the canvas bag is the standard communication for the Bridges schools). 

After seeing the kids off to school, I finally took a moment to read the note. What I read brought a tear to my eye and made my heart race.

MY SON IS READING!!

He is two months into kindergarten, so I know what you are thinking: this isn't a big deal. Oh. But it is.

Just a year ago, we were told by those "in the know" that RJ wasn't meeting learning standards and should be "evaluated" for a spectrum disorder. So we went to the public school and demanded an IEP evaluation. We went to KKI and demanded a specialist evaluation. We spent November and December shuffling RJ downtown to meet with Dr. Megan, his "talking doctor" so that she could evaluate him in a variety of different ways and circumstances.

At the end of it all - Dr. Megan told us that we had a perfectly normal and stubborn 5-year-old boy with a beautiful and sweet personality. 

After months of fighting with the God-awful Elmwood Elementary, part of the atrocious Baltimore County School System, they told me that my standards were too high and perhaps I should be a little more realistic.

Ugh.

When The Dictator at The School That Shall Not Be Named changed things up and caused our mass exodus, I worried the most about RJ. Rosie had her teacher for a second year and Angelina had nothing to compare the "new school" to...but RJ...he was attached to his teachers and his friends...what would happen to him?

Well. Now I know what would happen to him. He would flourish. He jumped right in and flourished. He blew me away and even impressed himself in the process.

One of my best days as a parent. Ever. Just incredible.