First Day Back at School!

Christian started his 5 day 1/2 days program at his school yesterday, and both his Dad and I were SO proud of him! After a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs, peaches, and a mini-bagel (his favorite), he headed out to school with his Dad (can I tell you how happy I am that Chuck is now doing drop-off, and I just do pick-up!).

Christian was placed in the Frog class, and we learned that he is the youngest in the group. Mr. Social had no problem adjusting to his new classroom and other "Frog" friends. Sadly, his Caterpillar classmates from last year are all spread out in different classes. However, I know my little guy will make new friends! There is one other child in the class with a Cochlear Implant, and I am sure that they will be fast friends.

I am so excited to see what this year holds for Christian. Thinking back at last year's first day of school, Christian was just 3 months post implantation and activation, and he was just under 18 months old. He had a very limited expressive vocabulary, and was still in so many ways, a baby. Now pushing 3, Christian is speaking in full conversations. I firmly believe in not just the academics and curriculum of Christian's school, but also in the philosophy of it. By integrating cochlear implant users into a typical hearing classroom, the children with the hearing loss use their peers as language models. With the help of the in-class SLP, concepts such as language and literacy are reinforced. While I know that this type of educational model is not one-size fits all when it comes to children with CI's, it certainly has worked with Christian. By placing him in a typically hearing classroom he has thrived. We are committed to always having Christian in an environment where language is celebrated and fostered, and where he can learn and play with typically hearing kids.

Happy 1st Day Buddy. I am SO proud of you!