Update: School

Okay...where to start?

Since I last posted, a lot of stuff has changed education-wise.

First, I started at NP, an alternative school in my district. Things seemed to be working out there. The classes were small, and I was on track to graduate. The work was independent, which I like, but I also missed my friends from FP. I was only in school on campus two afternoons a week, and even with that, I was having a hard time managing making it through the day, if I even made it to school.

So...I started thinking again about my other options. I knew I could just struggle through the year, but I don't thinks that's whats best for me health wise. So I looked into getting my GED.

For me, it is an internal struggle. I have worked SO hard over the last 4 years to be able to graduate with a class (forget MY class, I just wanted to walk) but even that seems too far out of reach right now. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's not that I'm giving up. I'm taking steps to finish my education. Can it make getting a job in the future harder? Yes. Can it make getting into a college harder? Yes. But I don't feel like the stress is good for my body. I don't want to have to "just push through" this year. I want to feel accomplished when I get my certificate saying I completed my high school education, whether that's a GED or diploma.

So that's where I am as far as school is concerned.

More to come...

~Bri

School Update

Okay. Like I said, I've been getting out of my chair in all my classes. Even Geometry hasn't been a problem. I've been filling my water bottle with ice-cold water in the nurse's office before class, so if I get too hot I have a way to cool down.

My classes are all going well. My current grades are....

1) A in Ceramics-love this class, absolutely the best way to start the day.
2) E in Junior English- also love this class, but don't love the way she does grades. She enters assignments before it's due, so it looks like you haven't turned it in. So, my grade, which in all honesty would be like, a C, is currently an E, because of those phantom assignments.
3) A in Medical Careers-rocking this class.
4) D in US History due to missing work, in the process of fixing this.
5) C+ in Geometry, and this grade is on the rise as my teacher enters back work, so it should be higher in the next couple of days.
6) B- in Biology, which is SO cool!!! Yep, and it's going to be higher for this as well, once I get a 6 point assignment in.

Urm...I think that's it for now...

~Bri

School Update

So. I have some gooood news!!

I've been getting out of my chair at school!!!

Let me back up to January. Remember I said there had been talk about me getting out because of my CPR cert?

Well, Dr. H wrote a letter saying at my team's (me, my para, the nurse, the teacher) discretion, I could start exiting my chair and moving to a regular desk in classes.

Then my para, PT and I sat down and decided which classes we would start with. Before semester change, it was 1p and 3p. These were my two quietest classes, and the kids were more aware of my condition/why I used the chair. I got my CPR cert no problem episode wise, but was shaking like a leaf nonetheless, because we had to go up in front of the class to perform, and I have TERRIBLE stage fright. I'm not one to perform in front of people without the safety of my desk.

Anyways, that went well. My grades at semester were as follows.

1-P (pass)
2-E (no credit. I need to make up an essay, then I'll get the credit back)
3-A (my rock star class!)
4-C (yay!)
5-C (again, yay!!)
6-E ( no credit, no chance for recovery.)

For 6th period (Sophomore English) I'll need to do credit retrieval. 2nd period's credit retrieval consists of finishing an essay I was gone for at the beginning of the year.

Okay. So then my new classes for second semester, along with if I get out of my chair or not, follows.

1p- Ceramics: Beginner *
2p- Junior English
3p- Medical Careers *
4p- U.S. History
5p- Geometry **
6p- Biology *

*I am getting out of my chair, permission to walk around classroom.
** I am looking at transferring to a desk, will talk about classroom freedom as well later.

Geometry is a very warm classroom because the teacher also does Computer Programing. He uses the comps to teach, which is the best learning method I've encountered when it comes to math, but it means 30+ comps going in an enclosed space, no open windows, and all this equals stress and very hot.

So, for now I may start getting out of my chair to a desk, then if things go well I may be able to walk around the classroom. However, towards summer, the class gets super-hot again, and I may have to return to my chair.

So yeah. That's where we are. Doing super well in my classes!

Stay tuned for a social update!

~Bri

School Update

Hi there.

I'm doing better in school, sort of.

Independent Study Geometry:
I have P (Pass.)
I'm on track for next semester, when I'll join a regular class.

Junior English:
My current grade is an E, because I haven't turned in an essay yet. It's done, but not in yet.
Otherwise, it would be a B or maybe A?

Medical Careers:
I have an A-, and once some more work is in, it'll be a solid A.

US History:
It's currently at an E, but I'm working on getting it to at least a C by semester.

Biology:
I HAVE A C!!!! SO excited. Mostly because before Christmas Break, it was an E (not even CLOSE to passing.) AND, I have two more assignments to turn in, one of which is really combined assignment.

Sophomore English:
I have an E in this class as well. I need to have a discussion with my teacher to see what I need to do to just pass. I'm trying really hard to get caught up, but I need to know what all will be required.

All in all I'm doing better in the classes I wanted to get caught up in. Plus, I've made it to all my classes, unless I'm sick, like, normal person sick. Which is how I am right now.

And...I'm working toward getting out of my chair at school, which is exciting.

That's all for now.

~Bri

Ugg... =X

Today I had attacks at school. No like...falling and hurting myself, but a lot of floppiness was going on.

I didn't use the bathroom until lunchtime, then I saw that my patch had come off, which explained a lot. Mom ended up bringing me a new patch so. But even still, I missed part of first, all of second, and part of fourth.

Eh. I got to see my PT today, which was good. I missed my appointment with Kris last week, so it was good I got some time in with SOMEONE before Stanford. =D

I'm working with my teachers to get printouts of what I'm actually missing. It's encouraging to hear that either I'm NOT missing as much as I think I am, or that the teacher is just willing to really, really work with me.

So yeah. I'm off to go shower and do some homework and go sleepy-bye.

~Bri

Good Day

I had a good day today. I didn't nap at lunch.....still a bit bed shy =P

But I made it through five periods without falling totally asleep. I dozed some in first, but other than that I was good. Between fifth period and sixth period I went down to the nurse's office to go potty. When I was washing my hands, I had an attack. It wasn't out terribly long, but I was really cold and sore when I woke up. Because my neck snapped forward when I went out, my head started hurting.

Anyways, good day for the most part.

Ermm....Just trying to get homework done and together for tests. I have, within the next week, a test in Algebra 2, a test in Medical Careers, a test in Biology, and a vocab test in Sophomore English. Right now in Junior English and U.S. History we're just watching videos.

Yup. I cleaned my room tonight, straightened and organized everything to get ready for Stanford. I'd prefer coming home to a clean room, so it's one less thing to worry about. And I've already planned what I'll be bringing as far as clothes go...and I just earned my brother's DS so I can play that in the car.

Okay. It's bedtime now.

~Bri

NOT a good Monday

So I had an okay morning. It was actually fun.

And I took a nap at lunch. Which was also fun.

Except at the end, because I fell off the bed as I was rolling over onto my back. And, as my head has been telling me, it was the first to hit the ground. It's got a pretty good sized purple goose egg on the back.

And, I had to be taken to the ER to get checked out. In an ambulance. During lunch time. The trip through the courtyard on a gurney strapped to a backboard in a C-collar was....fun. It's always comforting to hear kids laughing at you. And no, I didn't assume this....the laughing shortly stopped after a boy said to a girl "Stop laughing, that's not funny, she could be hurt!"

Ya know.

Anyways, luckily I only missed 3 periods. And I'll be back in school tomorrow.

Okay now. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you how my day went =)

~Bri

Hi guys

I've been taking advantage of the extra time off and sleeeeeping. =P

Wednesday I had my meeting with mom, my counselor, and myself. We decided, ultimately, to leave my schedule alone until after Stanford. I've been talking to my teachers about getting caught up, and while I'm not slacking off by any means, I'm not doing much except keeping up with the current assignments. They all pretty much said we'd figure it out after Stanford.

I was also told to stop being embarrassed about falling asleep in class. As long as I am doing my best, and not just like, purposefully laying my head down without doing anything, not to worry about it. My counselor said my teachers *should* understand why it's happening, and that if they have problems with it to have them talk to her. I <3 her =P

Ummm....

Tomorrow is no patch day, so I'll be sleeping in.

=D

TTYL

~Bri

Funky day

Today was....weird. I had to come home early because I was having a lot of attacks/just falling asleep. I fell asleep on the bus to school, then slept in the nurse's office until school started. I was in 1st and 2nd, but not actually there. Then in second I needed to use the bathroom, and had a mini attack in there. All in all just a really rough morning.

Dad came and got me and brought me home, and I went straight to bed. This was at like....10:30. I didn't wake up until 5:30ish. And this is after sleeping on and off all day Sunday and Saturday, plus getting up late.

I don't know. I'm still exhausted...it's like my meds are doing absolutely nothing for me at this point. And I feel horrible because I'm still missing school even if I'm there.

But. We're just hanging in. =(

Bye for now, back to bed for me.

~Bri

Hey guys

So... busy week.

Um, school-wise, I'm sinking. Major. BUT, I'm in the process of working it out. Trying to find the right combination of naps, classes, and work schedules is hard. I've proposed a solution to my counselor, and we'll see what gets worked out. Mom is coming on Wednesday to talk about it.

Health-wise, I'm still doing okay. Aside from that scary attack on Tuesday and the fall-out, I've been failing at keeping myself awake in school.

We thought it possible I'd broken my hand on Tuesday. At first it had just hurt badly, but I had hit it pretty hard. Then it started swelling and bruising, became hard to move. So I went and got it x-rayed, and good news! No broken bones, just a BAD bruise.

As far as school goes though, I'm really struggling. I've been falling asleep in class, which is so hard for me. I've never, even since I started having symptoms, had this much trouble staying awake in school. And even if I don't fall asleep, I'll space out and not be able to force myself to re-focus on the task at hand. Working in groups helps, but my classes that are more individual cause problems.

So. Things are hard right now, and we're really just trying to keep our heads above water until Stanford. Only 18 more days until my appointment!

Bye for now

~Bri

September 3

Today was good. I'm tired, exhausted actually.

I had fun. But I kept drifting in 3rd and 4th period. I'm planning on communicating with my counselor via email to see if it is possible to change my class like I mentioned yesterday.

Still no para, and even though it was said A would continue working with me until one was found, that no longer seems to be the case. Today I had a different "helper" and tomorrow it may be him again or it may be someone else. I hope this is figured out by next Tuesday, because on top of the full class load with multiple challenging classes, I don't think I can deal with the stress of not knowing who my para is. I can feel it affect me during the day...I'm just hoping that that'll work out well.

Umm, not much right now, I'm wiped. I think I'll just go take a nap. Hopefully I'll feel better later after that.

Bye for now,

~Bri

First day of school.

So, my first day back this year.

Awesome!

It was awesome!

I absolutely enjoyed it, even with the little snafus.

The snafus include:
-No para. A took a better, more solid job, which I have no issues with, but it makes for a rocky start to school right now. First a new para has to be found, then I'll have to explain everything to them, and I'm hoping that I won't get paired with someone who will try to baby me. Because I can't deal with that.

-A few of my classes are not as accessible as I need (I can't get into a desk without some serious rearranging at the beginning of class; I can't see the board from the seat I can use) But I've already talked to teachers and let them know if I need help, or if things need to be changed. So it's all taken care of.

-I think I may need to switch my 4th period class to a different teacher. Same subject, but I may need to have my lunch first so I can take a nap and stay awake through the rest of my classes.


All my classes went well and it was good to know all my teachers are willing to work with me with whatever adjustments may need to happen with the wheelchair.

During lunch I took a nap and towards the end talked to my PT.

And then finished out the day. Went on a LONG bus ride because the afternoon driver is new and not used to this route. But she's super nice and funny. It's cool.

Umm, then came home, and didn't nap. But I did eat.

Boomer hurt his face crawling under the deck under the original concrete pad that used to come off the back of the house. It's all sore and he's been very crabby and skittish the last few days. We've been able to spray it with antibiotic spray, but he won't let us get close enough to actually wash it. If it gets worse we'll have to take him to the vet but for now we've got it under control.

Then we went to a friend's house, talked for a few hours, grabbed dinner, and TADA! home we are.

All for now,

~Bri

Good week

So, I haven't posted since Monday.

Monday was pretty much sleeping.

On Tuesday, I went to the store with my brother and got a new bigger backpack that will fit all my stuff for the new year AND have room in case I need to carry some books.

Yesterday, we (Mom, Ash and I) went to Stadium to register. We went early because I still didn't (until talking with Miss E.) know if I was doing full days or half days. Well, I'm doing full days. And I am SO excited with my schedule. I'm taking Junior English, Algebra 3-4, Biology, World History?, Medical Careers, and Sophomore English. The reason for two English classes is because I need the first semester of Sophomore English and the second semester of Geometry, so next semester I'll take Geometry in that hour. Pretty much.

Umm, today was good. Auntie C was over, she stayed the night. She's a close family friend, so it's cool. We didn't do much (actually, nothing, at all) today, except work on iTunes. Totally new to me, I've never used it before. Then in the evening after the parents got home, Mom, C and I went out. We went to a friend's house, did some coffee and other general running, and then came home.

Tomorrow we have stuff planned.

BTW, I totally forgot what I did Monday and Tuesday for the most part...so if I can remember I'll edit it later.

Bye now,
~Bri

I got an A in Geometry!!!!!!!!!!

YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!

I just found out I got an A in first semester Geometry!
My grade is already being switched to A from C.

SO so happy! I didn't think I could do it but I did so YAY!

AND I found out that if I pass the summer course of second semester Geometry, then I'll start next school year with junior credits....

*does a happy dance*

I'm so excited. I really had no clue I was doing this well in school. Like, I knew my credits were pretty good, but I thought I was still a semesters worth of credits from Junior.


Okay. So, I also found out that we're for sure staying in the area. I will be going to Stadium next year. Yay.

Hmmmmm.....Happy Post.

~Bri

Stuff

Lots of stuff has been going on.

Umm, Friday and Tuesday were both fun, successful days! I didn't go on Monday due to a bad sore throat/fever, which got a bit better yesterday but has now become a bad cough. Good thing I'm staying home anyways.

Today I have to go get some blood drawn for that Lupus test, then we're going to get ID's, (Twinn and I) then, lunch, then Kris.

Now for school updates!

I've got A LOT less work than I thought I did to finish out the first semester of Geometry, and only needed one or two prompts from Mr. D to remember the rules/formulas. I should be able to get that done before the year is out and do second semester Geometry over the summer, then be able to take Advanced Algebra next year.

The rest of my classes are like this.

Independent Study Algebra: On Track

Health 2: After discussing with my teacher, (who saw me come into the room, got this shocked look on his face, then about doubled over laughing, btw) we decided that it was highly improbable that I would be able to finish the semester. So I have to check in every day for attendance reasons, but then I get to use the period for free study.

Geometry: as said above, I'm on track to finish first semester.

Study Skills: Another free study period.

So that's what school looks like for the next 2-ish weeks.

Then summer.

I have no clue what summer holds.....a move, possibly traveling for a diagnosis, possibly getting a puppy to begin training for a service dog, possibly getting a new chair?

Lots of things are up in the air.

~Bri

Another bad day, another ER trip

This time for a possible neck injury when I went out and bonked my head. I was wearing my helmet so no real head injury but I guess my neck was bent very weirdly plus it hurts pretty badly. So I got to take a trip to the ER in an ambulance (woohoo) and get checked out. *Sigh*

The ER doc said it was probably just a strain so ice and rest.

I dislike certain portions of my life. Just sayin'.

~Bri

Bad day

I had an okay morning, but then it started sucking about lunch time.

I went to the bathroom, and had an attack. I was wearing my helmet so no head injury, but it still turned out pretty yucky. I was throwing up and very in and out of it, and my pulse kept going all over the place. Mom and Bro came and got me and brought me home. I'm doing better now.

Well, TTFN
~Bri

What is up?!?!

I just got out of the ER...

I apparently started having attacks, and then fell off the bed in the nurses office, then was vomiting a lot.
And telling my Dad and Bro that "something was wrong" and "I needed to see a doctor."
Which basically means that I was very sick...because I don't like ERs one bit.

So I went to MB...they gave me fluids and Zofran and warmed me up, cause I guess I was cold and my vitals were kinda screwy. And Dad talked to Dr.H, who said that for the next week or so I'm to take 54mg of Concerta in hopes that I'll do better on it. And....yeah. No fun.

So.
TTFN
~Bri

Para

I met my para today. Her name is Amy and she's cool. Her being there gave me so much freedom today! During 3rd I went to to Library, where it was nice and quiet to do work. Then during 6th we went and sat outside in the sun, and walked/rolled around a bit. It was nice.
I also like the fact that she doesn't sit right up against me or anything. She sat in the back of my class and left me alone unless I asked for help. Very awesome of her.

She said she was excited too because for the most part she'll be getting paid to read a book at this point. Cause the stuff I'm doing right now is just independent work, and since we both suck at math she can't help me with that lol.

So...more stuff later after my doc's appointment.

TTFN
-Bri

Very Superior

I had a good day today.

This morning we went to school early for my Special Ed meeting.
During the meeting I found out the scores of my testing.

Academics were very good, with all but my math calculation score being >12.9, meaning I tested college level on them. My math calculation score was 8.9. Which means I definitely need help in Math. Even though I've done and passed Algebra 1&2, and Geometry 1, I don't know the formulas any more, or how to work out the problems.

The IQ test said I was in the 'High Average' range for my age. A lot of the test sections I got superior or very superior on, but a few were low average, like some of the ones related to memory. Which I kinda guessed would happen.

So, it was decided that I do qualify for Special Education under the 'Health Impairment' category.

With it, my 6th period will change to a study skills class, and my 3rd will change to a lower level math class, possibly an individual instruction Algebra class, so I can relearn the Algebra skills I need while still getting caught up in Geo.

So. This is good.


After the meeting, Dad and I drove Mom to Seattle for work. Then, we waited for Bro up there so we could give him some money.
While we were waiting for Bro, we decided to just make an appointment with Dr. S tomorrow for my arm. It isn't unbearable, and the urgent care clinic is walk-in and there's no way to tell how long it might take, and we were running short on time.

So. Then we headed back to the house, stopped and got lunch on the way. We rested for a few minutes, and then went to go get Ash and Tori for our afternoon appointments.

So, I went first with Kris, so Dad could go in to Tori's dental appointment and not have to worry about me.

We talked about some stuff, mostly about how I tend to be so logical I'm not emotional...at least when it would be okay to be both.

Then...home. And once Ash got home from her appointment, we walked (rolled) to the Library. And I got to wave to the firefighters lol. I plan on stopping by next week and telling them how well it's been going. I think the attacks being under control is definitely something they would like to know.

So. That's been my day. Very very very busy lol.

I'm tired but I wanna watch my show. So I'm gonna wait for a bit before bed.

TTFN
-Bri