Is there a bottom to Noah's lack of comprehension? I think there must be, but we always seem to find some lower point. I've sat with him the past two nights as he/we did his homework. One part has been English, specifically, answering questions related to the Winn-Dixie book. I've known this child all my life. I know how disabled he is. And yet something about his utter lack of understanding of anything I read to him shocked me. I don't know why. It shouldn't have, I suppose. But maybe we've gotten so many glowing reports about Noah and how much everyone who works with him loves him, and how well he's done adapting to this or that, that I've forgotten how little he can really do in some respects.
Do I care that Noah doesn't understand this story I've been reading to him? No, not really. But I do want him to understand more and more, to make his adapting to the world as he gets older more likely. And he has made enormous strides; they just tend to have nothing to do with the average academic day.
I get sad about Noah. I feel heartbroken at times. I worry about his future every moment of every day, or so it feels to me. I know the school stuff matters little to him, and that he has in common with his siblings. But I wonder what can replace Winn-Dixie, and make his student day job more productive, more engaging, more useful to and joyous for him.
Or maybe I just no longer want to feel bad about doing homework.
No comments:
Post a Comment