Sometimes you just have to get up close to flowers. Neighbours must think I am stark raving mad….
Sometimes you have those days. Days were you get up close to flowers and also end up pulling out what’s left of your hair.
School has been verbally told (many times) and been provided with extensive case notes for our son. Just in case school didn’t fancy reading War and Peace I helpfully provided a two page bullet point summary. Bullet Point 6 said
Can have poor judgement in relation to risk.
Bullet Point 7 adds
Has a diagnosis of Dyspraxia. Has very poor fine motor skills. Struggles to use pens. One to one Care and supervision needed when using sharp objects.
Under the section relating to specific school subjects
Design & Technology. One to one supervision required when using cutting tools, drilling tools and impact tools.
Additionally school has been given a verbal and written update on his current broken hand. Although the bone has heeled he is undertaking physio to try and get his hand working properly again. So he in effect still just using his weaker left hand.
Today was his first Design and Technology lesson. So it was also a fingers crossed type day. Funnily enough it was also a plaster type day……
He came back home. His thumb and two fingers covered in large plasters.
“Dad I had a bit of an accident. I was trying to saw using my left hand. The teacher shouted out an instruction to the class. I got distracted and I started sawing my hand rather than the wood…”
Apparently he wasn’t given any one on one supervision. He was allowed to use a normal saw with his wrong hand, with no additional safety measures in place. – Maybe I’m just being an over protective parent. It’s a natural thing to do.
“Dad funny thing is the lesson was about safety in the workplace. Guess I’ve already failed…”
So that’s something else we will be discussing at his school review meeting on Friday. Could be a long meeting because it’s one sizeable issues list….
But let’s try to finish on a brighter note. We sat on the grass next to the daffodil patch with ice lollies in hand.
“Dad up close Daffodils take on a completely different perspective. If your a bug looking up at those yellow giants, it must be terrifying. Do you think HG Wells got his idea for the mechanical Martians from Daffodils”
As I pondered that the mad dog ran up and before we could stop him, he cocked his leg on the Daffodils. Poor bugs scared to death by Yellow Martian Giants and now doused in Acid Rain. I wonder if an overprotective parent bug may have just added an item to a miniature and a tad damp issue lists. We can wonder.
Some of it is so hard to believe…so sorry about your son’s hand! Does make you wonder if anyone is listening, doesn’t it?
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I suspect we know the answer….
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Oh my eyes are filled with tears and rage wants to come out of my mouth. How awful. (Funny/sad ending)
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You couldn’t make it up really
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My heart goes out to you. Its hard negotiating such tasks with an injury…. Big hugs to you both. The flowers are so so beautiful, I just adore spring bluebells and daffies.. ❤
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Thanks. They are stunning.
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Such a horrible situation and you obviously have to deal with so many unnecessary such events. all the best for Friday.
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Part of the problem will be lack of funding and lack of staffing, as well as the school’s lack of interest and will to help. It would be interesting to get them to own up to that, but I don’t like your chances.
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No I suspect it will be glossed over….
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Thank you.
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Oh noooo. That is awful. And they call thensekves a school! I am so sorry Gary. Lively about the flowers though. Xx
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Thank you Lorraine xx
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It is rare, as you know, that this happens, but … Words Fail Me! The utter idiocy of the school to turn your son loose with a saw … speechless, I am. Sigh. Kiss his boo-boo for me. Hugs to you both.
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Thank you. But surely even a kid having to use one hand really should be given supervision
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I think that EVERY kid, whether they can use only one hand or both, should have close supervision handling sharp objects, but especially one who has the use of only one hand and other problems as well. It isn’t as if the school doesn’t know of his problems. Sheesh … what next?
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Indeed what next…
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Acid rain. Lol!
Heartbreaking story but really not surprising. Interesting how I’m a continent away and yet could tell similar stories about school, special needs kids and all the rest of it.
Might be noteworthy that back in my childhood in Switzerland, in the 70s, after my illness left me with a hearing loss, the only request my mom had of the teacher was to ensure she faced me when talking. I.e. I needed to sit near the front. There were so many issues with this relatively simple consideration it was rather mind boggling. It had to do with the teacher not wanting to be told to consciously consider the needs of an 7yo child which was about as straight forward as it can be. Most of the time teachers make eye contact with the children anyway, no? But she made such a fuss that she couldn’t possibly be asked to remember always making sure her face was toward me, it was kind of ridiculous. 🙄
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That is so sad. It’s unbelievable as it’s so easy to do. But yes too many kids in too many schools are being failed…
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I’m doing my best not to put that down to pure, malicious evil and give them the benefit of what small doubt exists and say it’s just pathetically under-funded apathy, bordering on dereliction of duty of care (you might like to subtly hint at a potential law suit on Friday – see if that gets their attention??)
Once again your ability to write about an issue with whimsy and humour when you are no doubt fuming inside, impresses me greatly Sir. Your boy made a good choice of dads. 🙂
I’m quite fortunate… i just have days when i get up close to flowers (and usually take pictures) – which is lucky ‘cos there’s not all that much hair left to pull. 🙂
Do try to keep calm and not stress out (= go ballistic) on Friday, won’t you?
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Watch me try and celebrate National Sleep Day on Friday so I miss it…. thank you sir.
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Don’t forget to take the car this time is all!! 😉
( You can sleep on Saturday so you’re nice and refreshed for the bake-off! – and it was LAST Friday.) 😉
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Might take an hour to walk it…
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I would lose my mind, I think, if I had to deal with what you go through. That is just infuriating. And of course, he was the one to tell you and not the school? That’s not right either. I am sorry about your son’s hand. I hope it heals well, and soon. And I love how you ended the post….acid rain 🙂
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Thank you Robyn. I strongly suspect you would manage the situation so much better than me. I feel sorry for the bugs.
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Oh no, not me – I am in a bit of a conundrum myself right now just not with the school. I don’t stand up to others well and accept too much even when I don’t think it is right. I think your school is really tough too. They don’t listen – at all! Yes, poor bugs 🙂
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Hope you work through your conundrum. Thanks.
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Thank you
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That’s the damage a hand saw can do! Can you imagine when we walked into the hallway and found that after my Dad had had a mishap with a power tool there he was passed out on the floor with blood all over the walls? Terrifying! Yet he was fine. We had to take him to hospital…but they stitched him up and bandaged his hand – he was still back at work window-cleaning the next day…but he had to jeep his bandaging dry – which was annoying for him.
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I bet that was awful. I’m sure my Dad is watching above me and deeply tutting….
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My Dadda used to take us window-cleaning during the school holidays. On one occasion he nipped into WHSmiths and bought a pencil sharpener because we had brought our colouring books and pencils with us in case we were bored/tired and wanted to sit down and colour in. My sister Mandy grabbed the pencil sharpener and stuck her finger inside it and turned. It took such a deep slice into her finger there was rather gory scene to confront my Dad with when we went to find him and Mandy in tears. Poor Dad had to pack up his gear and take us three off to the nearby hospital so they could stitch her finger up.
I finish work tonight at 8pm and will be back at my little abode around half past. I need to send you and Jeanne an e-mail.
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That is painful….can’t stop wincing.
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The joys and the trials of being a dad!
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I find being in a constant zombie state helps….
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lol!
My Dad had six daughters (and one son) – which kept him on his toes! He could never get a word in edgeways when we were all together. Between us…what with falling out of trees, flying off our bikes, running into the road to retrieve the ball without realizing there was a car…I think we kept the NHS pretty busy for most of the eighties and nineties.
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Poor dad.
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Maybe the daffodils are under training trifydds? Eerie thought.
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I said to son that I would write a book about it. He just signed and said “no”.
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haha. I shouldn’t laugh, but that’s funny! (Sorry Gary)
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Did you follow my blog
😀😀
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Yes.
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Your patience with school is astounding
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It’s running out…
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I’m not surprised
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It’s a sign of the times that it’s not surprising
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That sounds nasty. The question that comes to my mind is: If the school has been explicitly informed of a safety issue and still ignore it, surely that counts as negligence?
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I suspect so. They still haven’t fixed the hole in the path that he broke his hand on in December. Other kids have tripped there….
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Good analogy.:)
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Thank you
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🙂
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Omg! He sawed his hand!!! 😲 I can’t believe he wasn’t supervised even after being instructed! I’m starting to loose hope with his school on your behalf!!! 😤
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It’s not just him having problems. But sounds like all the local schools are as bad.
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It’s frustrating…
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So is.
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I’m so sorry he sawed his hand!! You two seem to have a cheerier aspect about it than I would.
And I like your reflection on how the bug parents must feel about the dog martian’s waterfall attack.
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I clicked like because of the daffodils, not because of what happened. I would be so frustrated with the school. If you don’t get through your list, make sure you get a second meeting 🙂
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Thanks.The Daffs have been good this year,
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Good luck with your meeting, you have the patience of a saint! Hope your son’s hand is better soon.
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It’s getting better.
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YOUR SCHOOLS HAVE POWER TOOLS?!?!?!?! Jeez, I don’t think any of the elementary schools have any sort of shop courses. Dude, I am with you. I’d be aaaaaaaaaall over those teachers on this. Seriously, that’s a lawsuit situation on this side of the Atlantic.
At least the daffodils are pretty. Pee-covered, but pretty. 🙂 xxxxxxxxx
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Acid rain gives them a nice shine…… I’m surprised I have not had the million phone calls from the ‘lawsuits are us’ teams. xxxx
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It might scare them into actually giving a toss about things. 🙂
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I suspect as long as there offshore bank accounts are safe, nowt much will bother them.
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True.
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