Not a manic monday...

Its the start of half-term and how nice it is to not have to rush about (even with plenty of time), making lunch, dressing two kids and getting out the door for school. Life is more relaxed without that imposed schedule, and yet there is still rhythm and routine. Just before the break up there was a parent-teacher night which my husband attended (I'll do the spring one).


We weren't surprised that my son's teacher has noticed that he has some nervous tics, but surprised that she also noted the ways he tries to cope with them in class. She said she feels he draws to control them, many times illustrating the teaching in pictures. Other times though he gets carried away with aliens and monsters. Her own son had some strong tics which she said he grew out of. Its not that uncommon for children to have some sort of tic that they do eventually overcome.


She did say this is the worst class currently in the school, not real encouraging, and despite my son's brightness (reading three years above) he is also disruptive with the noises his tics produce. That combined with many troubled kids and a boy-heavy class means that things aren't likely to change that much. It has made me think that we may have to change schools if we really want my son to benefit. I think he's lost in a lot of the daily chaos and he does have some trouble with 'the bullies' as he puts it. He certainly developed these tics (which seem to rotate as one fades away and a different one starts) since starting school and the anxiety of starting year 3 this term has made them worse.


I'm considering approaching the school about flexi-schooling, which I know some schools are supportive of. That would mean he'd attend three days a week/with two at home, or some other balance of home-ed mixed with school. This seems a good option as he wouldn't give up the things he does enjoy about school, and he'd have a break and more individual attention. Its either that or home education entirely, or a smaller school, but the other nearby school, which is highly rated, is also full at the moment with a waiting list.