Quiet victories

As I look on Facebook, friend's post about how their child got a perfect score on a test. Or has a 98% for the entire semester.

On Friday as I was walking in at the end of the day to close the book fairs financial books, one of Pyrope's teachers told me how Pyrope got a 90% on his spelling/grammer/phonics test. Granted it is a 2nd grade test and he is in 3rd, but that is what he is taking this year and he has never come close to a 90% before. It was rare that he got above a 70%, with extra supports. The 90% is him being in a class with 'just' the regular ed teacher, mainly 2nd graders (a couple other 3rd graders that are behind), and him. No extra support. So a 90% is something that was very hard to get.

Then as I was walking to get something from my car, another teacher stopped me. Pyrope was able to finish a 13 page math test (don't ask me what I think about giving ANY 8 year old a 13 page test of any kind). He did have extended time, but he was able to finish it all. This is an accomplishment in itself. This math test was the test that the regular education kids were given. He got a 71% (you need a 70% to consider to pass). Up until last spring, he was not in regular education at all for math. But he was doing fantastically well in the remedial math, 95%. However, this was at a slower pace and not covering all topics. At my pushing, he was put into regular education math, with some pull out tutoring. His grade plummeted to a 69%. However, no one, myself included, really thought he was even going to do that well. It was a very pleasant surprise to all of us. This year, it is being attempted to have an 'inclusion' math instruction. Meaning his resource room teacher team teaches with his regular education teacher. But it is the same material (for the most part). And it is working.

I don't measure success by the same measuring stick that others do. Nor do I have the easiest time to express why a 71% and a 90% on tests that were given the same day are such an accomplishment. But he knows. And I know. And his teachers know. And God knows. And that is enough.