A note to Johnathons teacher

Ms. Mitchell,

          I am going to try and put into words just how grateful we are for you. Johnathon has always had some issues. Crying, hitting, throwing things, talking back, and I could go on and on. We have known there were issues but maybe we didn’t want to accept it, I don’t really know why we took so long to figure it out.

          At Johnathon’s last school he was always in trouble. If a child talked it was always blamed on him. At recess, a child would hit him and he would push back yet he was the only one to get in trouble as the teachers only saw him push. When 10 kids were walking the hall talking loudly Johnathon was the only one to get into trouble. When 3 kids did not do their class work, Johnathon was the one who got sent out. At recess he got in trouble for throwing a ball because another child broke a rule and he tried to tell.

          Johnathon was labeled and it affected him so poorly that I cried because I was scared he was going to fail at school. He hated going to school, he didn’t care about doing what he was supposed and he quit trying to better himself because he didn’t see a point. He talked about dropping out of school. He spent at least 1 time a week in the office getting yelled at by the principal because he didn’t know how to express his anger yet no one was willing to help him. I spent nights crying myself to sleep because I was scared for him and his future. Things got a little better but it took me being at the school every day to police him and the teachers. It is pretty sad that I  could only stay 7 hrs in the hospital after having a baby just so I could be at his school the next day to ensure he wasn’t being labeled but I did it.

          When we moved here I was scared. I knew it would be a big change for him and I was scared that things would be the same. I will never forget the day he had a meltdown in the lunchroom and your response. I knew that moment that you were going to be someone special. Johnathon thrived in your care. His attitude, his demeanor and everything about him blossomed. He started to love school and trust you and others. He still has him moments and always will but we have seen parts of Johnathon that we have not seen since he was 2. That loving boy that he is at home, he started being at school. His work improved and he was able to improve on his relationship with others.

          I know you spend a lot of time trying to help him and others and I am forever grateful for that. You helped me get my little boy back and for the first time in years I didn’t dread him going to school. I didn’t cringe every time the phone rang wondering what he did wrong. I can drive more than 30 min away while he is in school and not fear having to come back because he did something wrong.

          I wish more teachers were like you. I do. You are amazing and wonderful and because of you my son has a brighter future.

          I am scared for next year but I am confident that he will succeed because of all he has learned while in your care.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Heidi Berard

2012 update.....

Well I thought I was going to get better at blogging but life has been crazy. We moved to TX in Aug and the boys started a new school.

Johnathon adjusted quite well. It was evident on the first day of school, just how amazing his teacher would be. He had a meltdown in the lunchroom because the rules were not explained to him. He wanted to sit down to eat and a teacher got on him for sitting and told him he had to stand. He was not happy with this and had a meltdown. His teacher assured me that she immediately asked the lunch room supervisor if they had explained the rules, they hadn't. His teacher explained to them that they had to go over the rules before as to not throw curve balls at him. He can't deal with that.

I started getting into my research mode again. I started thinking back to things about Johnathon, his oddness, his capability to make friend but not keep them, his meltdowns, his fear of loud noises, his aversions to textures (mainly those of fruits and vegetables),  talking back and failure to realize what he is doing, how smart he is and how, when things got overwhelming, he went into rages or crawled under desks to try and cope. I knew there was something more than just ADHD and with the help of professional he received a diagnosis of Aspergers. It fit and it explained things right down to him having a meltdown at the thought of breaking a school rule.

Johnathon's diet has been tough but working well. We still play around with the supplements to find one to help him not talk so much as it continues to be a constant distraction. Johnathon's current intake includes, fish oil, attentive child, ginkgo biloba, vit b complex, multi-vitamin and the children's Allegra for allergies. He is still taking melatonin most nights but is slowly learning to relax enough on his own not to need it. This has been a steady for this entire school year.

His teacher works so hard to help him adjust in class. She spent a lot of time working with him one on one and plays a major roll in how well he is functioning now.

Johnathon's meltdowns are virtually no more unless he breaks his diet then we pay dearly for about 1-2 weeks. He is doing so much better in school. He made the A/B honor roll and has maintained friendships at school. He still has moments but overall he is functioning very very well.  His grades dipped a little this semester as we had a lot of changes at home but overall he has exceeded where he was a year ago.

Johnathon gets frustrated with the diet. It is hard for him b/c he can't enjoy Papa John's pizza with us. I work hard to assure he has safe alternatives and special things just for him and he is starting to accept it better.

The end of school is in 2 days. Johnathon will be going to a new school and 4th grade next year. Today I took cookies and cupcakes to the teachers and school staff to thank them for everything. All I heard was how they will miss him and how sweet and loving he is. One even gave me her email so I can keep in touch. She has also set up contacts with the staff at his new school to ensure he never goes through what he went through in Germany.

My kids is amazing and wonderful. He has earned awards for A/B honor roll, student of the month, character counts and more. All in a year, a year of diet changes, supplements, self dedication and a great school staff.