A Special First Grader...

Max didn't feel like doing much in school today. He's still a little run down from this cold he and I have had this week. But, he did enjoy the spoooooky song Mrs. J. sang for him. And showing her his HUGE pumpkin! They read a couple of books on pumpkins and Halloween. And tried cutting out a bat, but that's where he was "all done", and told her with words that sounded very much like "all done", and with his sign. So, they played with leaves and read a poem from his classroom teacher on Fall.

When I checked email once he was finished, I found an email from his classroom teacher. She said they had talked about Max again in class, and one of his classmates wanted to write him a letter.





From the photo on the teacher's classroom page online, I can pick out who this little girl is, because she's the only one with glasses. How sweet!

Below is posted on the teacher's page. She asked me to write up a letter for the parents, as one of the kids was already going home and asking his mom about Max.


A Special First Grader
We have a wonderful first grader in our class whom the children have not yet seen or met. But, maybe they have been talking about him at home. His name is Max. He is an extraordinary child and we hope to soon be having him in our classroom via web cam. I have asked his mother, Deana to write an introduction for Max to help parents and students be aware of our homebound classmate:

Dear Parents of Mrs. Clayton's First Grade Class,

Our son, Max, is also a part of Mrs. Clayton's classroom, but because of his lowered immunity, he is taught by the homebound teacher at our home. Mrs. Clayton is working on getting a computer connection to include Max in story time, and music class, so he can be involved in some of the activities of the classroom, and "chat" with some of his classmates.

We wanted to take the time to let you know more about Max, so if his classmates have any questions, you will know who they are talking about.

Max was born with a rare metabolic disorder, which makes it so his body can not process protein, and most specifically Vitamin b-12. This disorder is in no way contagious, he was born with it, and will have it his entire life. He also has a seizures disorder, also known as epilepsy. He can not attend school in the classroom because a simple childhood illness can throw his metabolic levels out of balance, and quickly become life threatening due to complications.

Max uses a wheelchair to get around, because his muscles aren't coordinated enough for him to sit up on his own, or walk. He does move a lot, usually when he's really excited. He also vocalizes a lot. This is his way of talking. He has a special computer that has phrases programmed into it to help him communicate with others, but he prefers just to "talk". He eats through a tube in his stomach, because he also doesn't have the coordination to eat with his mouth.

He will be learning a lot of the same things your children are learning. It will just be adapted to his physical and developmental abilities. In a lot of ways, Max is a very typical first grader. He loves to play, and watch cartoons, and color. He loves music, and we know he'll really enjoy music class. We are looking forward to him visiting with your children through the computer.

We would be happy to answer an questions you might have about Max, anytime.

Sincerely,
Steve and Deana Watson
parents to Max

How Lucky we are to have Max in our class!

I never anticipated the amount of inclusion that could go along with homebound schooling. I can't wait to see how the video chatting goes with the kids!