BACK TO FULL FORCE !

BACK TO FULL FORCE !

You know the saying ... children always bounce back after sickness quite quickly....

Well...... YES THEY DO!

Wish I could!

Special schools 'a dumping ground' ....

Special schools 'a dumping ground' ....                                                                                An interesting article published in the Australian....food for thought!                                                         Justine Ferrari, National education correspondent From:The Australian June 27, 2011 12:00AM

Special schools 'a dumping ground' for indigenous students.INDIGENOUS students are being enrolled in special schools for children with behavioural and emotional problems at five times the rate of other students, effectively segregating them from mainstream education.An analysis by Macquarie University researchers finds indigenous students are over-represented in specialist behaviour schools and juvenile justice centres but not in schools for students with physical and intellectual disabilities.The study analyses enrolments in special schools in NSW, and finds indigenous students comprise 5.5 per cent of the total school population and 5.8 per cent of students in schools for physical and intellectual disabilities.

Indigenous children comprised 25 per cent of students in specialist behaviour schools and 50 per cent in juvenile justice centres.

The research will be presented at a conference of the British Educational Research Association at the London Institute of Education in early September.

Education researcher Linda Graham, from the Centre for Research on Social Inclusion at Macquarie University, said physical and intellectual disabilities such as cerebral palsy, hearing and vision impairment or autism required a more objective diagnosis than some of the newly described behavioural and emotional disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.

Previous research by Dr Graham has shown that the growth in children diagnosed with a disability is primarily in the more subjective conduct disorders, while the proportion of children with physical and intellectual disabilities has remained stable.

Dr Graham said the over-representation of indigenous students in subjective conduct disorders suggested they were being diagnosed for being Aboriginal and then sidelined from mainstream schools. "There are two important points to draw from this: are indigenous children with physical disabilities non-existent or under-identified?" she said.

"And indigenous children have not, to my knowledge, cornered the market in disruptive behaviour so what is being identified or not identified, and what role does systemic culture and racist assumptions play in the process?"  Behaviour schools teach children from Year 5 to Year 10.

"Behaviour schools are supposedly going to rehabilitate kids but they're staffed on a primary school model so these kids are not getting the specialist curriculum of high school; they're getting dumbed-down stuff," she said."They end up bored, they can't learn anything academically to go back into high schools; so once they're out, they're out, and these schools become a holding pen."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/special-schools-a-dumping-ground-for-indigenous-students/story-e6frg6nf-1226082395548

THE AWAKENING.....

The Awakening

There comes a time in your life when you finally get it… When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out- ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world from a new prospective. This is your awakening.

You realize that it is time to stop hoping and waiting for something, or someone, to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that there aren’t always fairytale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you. Then a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

So you begin making your way through the “reality of today” rather than holding out for the “promise of tomorrow.” You realize that much of who you are, and the way you navigate through life is, in great part, a result of all the social conditioning you’ve received over the course of a lifetime. And you begin to sift through all the nonsense you were taught about:

·         how you should look and how much you should weigh

·         what you should wear and where you should shop

·         where you should live or what type of car your should drive

·         who you should sleep with and how you should behave

·         who you should marry and why you should stay

·         the importance of bearing children or what you owe your family

Slowly you begin to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really believe in. And you begin to discard the doctrines you have outgrown, or should never have practiced to begin with.

You accept the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are… and that’s OK… they are entitled to their own views and opinions. And, you come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a “perfect 10”…. Or a perfect human being for that matter… and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head or agonizing over how you compare. And, you make peace with the woman in the mirror and you learn to give her the same unconditional love and support you give so freely to others. Then a sense of confidence is born of self-approval.

And, you stop manoeuvring through life merely as a “consumer” hungry for your next fix, a new dress, another pair of shoes or looks of approval and admiration from family, friends or even strangers who pass by. Then you discover that “it is truly in giving that we receive[1]”… and that the joy and abundance you seek grows out of the giving. And you recognize the importance of “creating” & “contributing” rather than “obtaining” & “accumulating.”

And you give thanks for the simple things you’ve been blessed with, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, the freedom of choice and the opportunity to pursue your own dreams.

And you begin to love and to care for yourself. You stop engaging in self-destructive behaviours including participating in dysfunctional relationships. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and exercising. And because you’ve learned that fatigue drains the spirit and creates doubt and fear you give yourself permission to rest. And just as food is fuel for the body, laughter is fuel for the spirit and so you make it a point to create time for play.

Then you learn about love and relationships, how to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. And you allow only the hands of a lover who truly loves and respects you to glorify you with his touch. You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say, intentionally or unintentionally and that not everyone will always come through and interestingly enough, it’s not always about you. So, you stop lashing out and pointing fingers or looking to place blame for the things that were done to you or weren’t done for you. And you learn to keep your Ego in check and to acknowledge and redirect the destructive emotions it spawns; anger, jealousy and resentment.

Moreover, you learn to look at people as they really are and not as you want them to be and you are careful not to project your neediness or insecurities onto a relationship. You learn that you will not be, more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man on your arm or the child that bears your name. You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with love and relationships and that that not everyone can always love you the way you would want them to. And you stop appraising your worth by the measure of love you are given. And suddenly you realize that it’s wrong to demand that someone live their life or sacrifice their dreams just to serve your needs, ease your insecurities, or meet “your” standards and expectations. You learn that the only love worth giving and receiving is the love that is given freely without conditions or limitations. And you learn what it means to love. So you stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that “alone” does not mean “lonely” and you begin to discover the joy of spending time “with yourself” and “on yourself.” Then you discover the greatest and most fulfilling love you will ever know. Self Love. And so, it comes to pass that through understanding your heart heals; and now all new things are possible.

Moving along, you begin to avoid toxic people and conversations. And you stop wasting time and energy rehashing your situation with family and friends. You learn that talk doesn’t change things and that unrequited wishes can only serve to keep you trapped in the past. So you stop lamenting over what could or should have been and you make a decision to leave the past behind. Then you begin to invest your time and energy to affect positive change. You take a personal inventory of all your strengths and weaknesses and the areas you need to improve in order to move ahead, you set your goals and map out a plan of action to see things through.

You learn that life isn’t always fair and you don’t always get what you think you deserve and you stop personalizing every loss or disappointment. You learn to accept that sometimes bad things happen to good people and that these things are not an act of God… but merely a random act of fate.

And you stop looking for guarantees because you’ve learned that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected and that whatever happens, you’ll learn to deal with it. And you learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time FEAR itself. So you learn to step right into and through your fears because to give into fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms. You learn that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophesy and you learn to go after what you want and not to squander your life living under a cloud of indecision or feelings of impending doom.

Then, YOU LEARN ABOUT MONEY… the personal power and independence it brings and the options it creates. And you recognize the necessity to create your own personal wealth. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your heart’s desire. And a sense of power is born of self-reliance. And you live with honour and integrity because you know that these principles are not the outdated ideals of a by-gone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build your life. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful opportunity and exciting possibility. Then you hang a wind chime outside your window to remind yourself what beauty there is in Simplicity.

Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

A word about the Power of Prayer: In some of my darkest, most painful and frightening hours, I have prayed not for the answers to my prayers or for material things but for my “God” to help me find the strength, confidence and courage to persevere; to face each day and to do what I must do.

Remember this: “You are an expression of the almighty. The spirit of God resides within you and moves through you. Open your heart, speak to that spirit and it will heal and empower you.”

My “God” has never failed me.

S. Carroll.

NO FUN WHEN YOUR TONSILS GO MISSING!

NO FUN WHEN YOUR TONSILS GO MISSING!

Maybe I did too much gloating?....  I did say to numerous people how surprisingly easy my youngest son has been post surgery. Today we are on day 7.  Now our specialist did warn me.... "days 5-7" can be like a backward step as the back of his throat begins to crust up. But after that he will heal more quickly.

My 7 year old son has been eating toast and sipping water. I have not needed to douse him in panadol every 6 hours. In fact he goes through the night without any top ups. Yesterday he had a dose when he woke up and that was it. He has been incredibly resilient, even eating his first dinner last night....asking me for vegetables.

But..... at 2.30am this morning, we had a slight scare.

Now I have been crashing into bed around 10pm each night which is really early for me. Last night I was tired and I fell asleep reading. I woke up at 1.30am to giggling from my  son's room. When I staggered in there I found him hiding in his cane washing basket with his Ipad...watching a Curious George movie. Ready to kill, I simply smiled placing him back to bed. "Good I thought....he is back to his old self."

Then at around 2.30am this morning I was woken again but this time to coughing. I had been pestering my older son to get on top of his head cold for about 3 weeks now. Can someone please tell me why boys do not; blow their nose? or put warm clothes on in winter? and generally make no effort to look after themselves when they are sick?  Is it because they know their Mum's will nag them to do it ?  Anyway.... as a result of this head cold, my youngest now has a slight runny nose and drip at the back of his throat.  Well I am assuming this is what he has.  That is what I struggled with a few weeks ago. It's no big deal, just annoying. But as I realised last night, it could also be the skin healing. Our specialist did explained it to me. It's like a burn. So it will weep.....Uck I say!

The horrible thing for my little man is that he was crying and coughing. It was obviously really hurting. He was refusing all medication and water. He did try to vomit a few times and was gagging. I can say to him... "sick - sick", but as with everything... he just replies "no sick" and the next thing you know you are covered in vomit. He did gag up something but refused to spit it out. I was holding a white towel up to his face to try and determine if it was spit or blood dripping out of his mouth. But the liquid that I did manage to wipe away wasn't blood. After a while of sitting him up and calming him down, I managed to get him to sip some water. I could tell by the look on his face and his hesitation to swallow, his throat was really sore. I decided just to persist and hold him firmly to get some panadol in. I did think about hitting him with the Oxycodone (powerful stuff) but really, pandol first would be safer, the other really knocks him around. Anyway, after making myself a cup of tea and checking some emails...(I couldn't sleep after all that), I checked on him again. He was sound asleep...... and he still is.

Fingers crossed for a good day!