I won the 4th grade jackpot

Let me go on record as stating that I HATE homework.  Sitting down and forcing my kid to do worksheets ranks right up there among my least favorite parenting tasks.  It's torture for both of us.  Joseph has had more homework related meltdowns than I care to try to count.

For the past two years Joseph's school has had an hour long after school Homework Club three days a week and that has helped some. He's been able to get most of his homework done there and when he's doing it in a group he thinks of it more as extra time he gets to spend with his friends and less as stupid, pointless busy work that was assigned to him because everyone hates him and no one ever wants him to play video games ever again and OMG HOMEWORK IS EVIL!

So Homework Club really helps but this year we might not even need it because, brace yourself for this, Joseph got a teacher that does not assign homework.

I almost passed out with joy when I heard the news.  She says that her philosophy is that there is always more learning and working for kids to do but that she doesn't think worksheets are productive or helpful.  She expects the kids to do things like reading or flashcards at home and they still need to study spelling words and sometimes they might need to work on a big project at home but there won't be any worksheets.  No.  Worksheets.

Woo freaking hoo.

Oh, and on top of all that awesomeness?  Joseph's new IEP case manager specializes in autism and she's arranged it so that if Joseph is ever feeling stressed out or overwhelmed or upset (or any of the other seven billion things he can be going through) he can ask for her and either she or her assistant will come and take him out of the class room.  He can go to get a drink or take a walk in the hallway or take a short break in the library or the motor room or whatever he feels like he needs.

Woo freaking fracking hoo.

Can I tell you how happy and grateful I am that Joseph has such an amazing team to work with?  I'm so thankful that the people at his school seem to recognize his needs are are working proactively to meet them.  I lurve them.  And not just because of this stuff.  Also because when Joseph sits in his desk his little legs dangle down and don't touch the floor because he's so short so they had him measured and got him a little footstool to rest his feet on and he said it helps him sit up straighter and write better and he doesn't get so tired!  Squee!

Is happy his little legs no longer dangle and that he now has more time after school to memorize video game guides.

Three years ago today I should not have been allowed in a grocery store.
Five years ago today I talked about my cervix.  Of course.