A Season's End

Basketball season is (finally) over and to celebrate the end, the team had a father/son basketball game followed by a pizza party. Since Jerry was working 5:00pm to 5:00 am last night, C.J. stood in as Zack's "father". I was so proud of both of them - but especially C.J. This type of thing is very difficult for him - but he did it for his brother! I love my boys!








*** Sorry about the blurry pictures but the combination of the zoom lens and the constant movement made it difficult to get good pictures.

Scotopic What?

Do you remember back in the days when there were words like "hyperactive" and "mentally retarded?" Now they have been replaced with more socially accetable terms like "ADHD" and "Cognitively Delayed." I applaud all the people who have worked so hard to take general terms and find specific disabilities - even better, people who find treatments for specific disablilties. Let's face it, 30 years ago or so if you had a child with down syndorome or autism, the recommended treatment was to institutionalize. Now, we keep them in loving homes and they go to public schools so that they can thrive in a positive environment and grow to their fullest potential. I remember my sister struggling severely in school! She was intelligent enough - but yet struggled. In today's society she would have been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD - but such terms did not exist then. So she was left to make her through school, barely keeping her head above water. So much has been discovered since then... and new things are being discovered all the time.


So, where am I going with this? Some new disorder crossed my desk a few weeks ago called "Scotopic Sensitivity Disorder." One of my students was being tested for it and being a concerned teacher who had never before heard of this, I wanted to read about it so I would know how to help him. As I was reading the symptoms of this disorder it was like the Lord screaming out to me "this is what Zack has!" Suddenly, everything was fitting together like a puzzle. Why he cannot write in cursive. Why he cannot tie his shoes. Why he cannot write on a line. Why he cannot walk on a straight line. Why he is so uncoordinated. Why he makes mistakes copying things. Even, why he has trouble focusing (which we had diagnosed as ADHD). So, I took him last Friday for testing and the results absolutely fascinated me. Apparently, everything in his peripheral vision continually moves (he explained it as swimming like a fish.) So everything off to his sides is...well...wiggling. No wonder the poor kid has trouble focusing - the only way he can stop the wiggling is to look in that direction.


Now, here is the strangest part. Do you know how they treat this? Color! Apparently, as she tried to explain to me, we all are supposed to see the spectrum of colors (like the rainbow). But for some, they lack seeing certain colors which affects the way their brains see things. By adding this missing color to their vision, it corrects the distortions that they see. Some, who have only direct vision affected, can be treated with colored paper for assignments or color overlays for reading. But for others, like Zack, whose peripheral vision is affected, they need colored lenses in glasses or contacts. And the closest place he can get those are in Minneapolis. So now we have to make plans to make that trip and, hopefully, make life a whole lot easier for my little Zack.

Life Changing Decisions

You know how sometimes, probably everyday, you make decisions that mean very little in the realm of life? Then again every once in awhile you have to make decisions that change your life? Like getting married, having children, moving, job changes... well, it's the job changes decision that I am facing right now. I have been at my present job (4th grade Christian school teacher) for three years now and can honestly say I have loved every minute of it! I could very easily say that I could see myself in this role for the rest of my career. The problem is.... my husband cannot. He has been pretty supportive for the past three years but, for him, this job is temporary until I find something that makes more money. Now, I could have the talk with him about my rewards being in Heaven and not here on earth. About how doing the Lord's work is the best work one can do... but, the reality is that my husbands job is very physically demanding and though he makes good money, he can't do it forever. So, at ssome point, I need to help my partner in life by earning more money so that he can ease up on his side. So, this year will be my last here. Next year I will go back to college to get my Master's degree and home school my 11 year old at the same time. We need to do this while my husband is still able to work overtime to make up for my lost income. Right now they have blessed, at his work, with an overload of business and are crying out for employees to work overtime. I have prayed about this and feel this is the answer from God. I definately did NOT want to make this decision because I do not feel the Lord will provide for us when we need it, but as a support to my life partner.