A teacher made me cry today

This is my Sage. He's 17yo. He's 6'4". He's 240#. He's artistic. He loves children. He loves music. He loves anime. He's a junior. If you're lucky he will hug you (I would pay for a hug from him & not just because he is my son). He is has been dubbed a "gentle giant" by more than a few people.

He also loves to be alone. He is anxious about the future, driving, being late, doing something wrong, & not understanding what's going on. Many lights bother him.  Crowds make his skin crawl. He's dyslexic, dysgraphic, dynomic, has dyscalcula, & has Aspergers. Life in school is challenging to say the least.

Background: When Sage was in the 8th grade, we enrolled him in public school part time so that he could learn that the world isn't scary. It helped but he is still very anxious about things. He went full time for his freshman year & the 1st semester of his sophomore year. Then, we went back to half time homeschool, half time public school. During this time Sage has had FANTASTIC teachers that have been so accomodating & help to draw him out of himself & into the world around him.

This year we were a little nervous. His special ed teacher took a job at the middle school & I so his anchor in his day was gone. His new teacher called me & emailed before school started. I read her bio that she emailed me & I was excited. She has previously worked at DMACC for 17 years helping people get their GED's. I'm imaging that she will be instrumental in helping Sage to find his bent. She will be a valuable asset to learning what might be available at DMACC or elsewhere for Sage to excel at. There are trades that we don't even know about that he might love.

Disclaimer: Please don't read this & think that I am discounting college for my son. I know my child. He would hate college. He is incredibly smart but academia isn't where he will excel. He knows this. We know this. It isn't bad. It's great to know where your niche is.

This last Monday was Parent Meet the Teacher Night at the high school. I have 3 high schoolers & we go to a small high school so I already know most of the teachers. I had a goal of meeting the special ed teacher & some of the new teachers that I hadn't met yet. I wanted to give certain teachers a heads up about Sage & his accomodations. Everything was going great & I'd seen the teachers I wanted to see. I had one more left. Sage's English teacher.

I walked into her room & there were books on every surface. The tables had about 75 books on them. At first I was excited because I love reading. It was like walking into a candy store. AND then my heart sank because I realized that Sage might have to read many of these books & write things about them. His teacher finished talking with another couple & then turned to me. We introduced ourselves & I started in on my rehearsed schpeel (no clue how to spell that). As we talked she let me know that she had a son named Kevin that was a lot like Sage. She had homeschooled her sons until high school & is still a homeschooler at heart. What she means by that is that she doesn't teach from a standard starting place for all the kids. Each child is at a different level & she teaches each kid from where they are at. They will grow. They will be ready for next year. They will be kind. Sage will leave this year thinking that his best subject is English.

I cried. She understood why. She told me that she knew exactly why I was tearing up. She has been there. Her son didn't know he was "dumb" until he went to public school because there is nothing to compare yourself to when you homeschool.  Neither did Sage. My sensitive son didn't know he was different until it was pointed out to him & now he can't forget it. He knows it everyday. He's sweet & kind & wants to please everyone & I can't make it better when the obvious chasm between his abilities & others is highlighted with every assessment or daily assignment. But this teacher, this mom, can help him daily. She promised me. She's already planning ways for him to succeed. SO, I cried when I don't normally cry. My mama heart got a pretty little bandage in the form of hope from this wonderful teacher that my son gets the privilege of learning from all year long. She will speak to his soul & be another person that God has sent to build him up & draw him out into the world around him.