Friday, November 11, 2011

God love 'im; Dad's gone on to Greater Glory.

Truly, there does come a point when a guy has had too much. With my amazing Dad, his battle with lymphoma had just plain tuckered him out. He did a splendid job of it; and my Mom too as they tried to counter, cure, reverse, ameliorate - whatever - the effects of his illness. In late August, we went for his first golf game in a long time. We celebrated his birthday with family, and then it flared up again. Just today, Remembrance Day, at 9:pm Minnesota time, we held his hands and rubbed his hair for the last time as his next big adventure began. He had had enough, and boy oh boy, am I gonna miss him.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Can you say Glenda? I wish Blue could. Heck, maybe he will.

Holy smokes. I've been living in Surrey since 2002, and it's taken until today for me to buy Glenda Watson Hyatt's book, "I'll Do It By Myself." I have become so confined, focussed on my own little world; when all the while there have been so many wonderful people around from whom we can learn: Anne, Scott, Glenda, BLUE, and many more I am sure whom I don't know yet.

Even as I type this, I am acutely aware of how impossible it will ever be for my Bluetiful boy to do such a 'simple' thing as typing; or keyboarding as the modern lexicon would have it. Yet, Glenda is here; and there is such a thing as patience. I think I have another lesson, or several, coming; and I am grateful for it.

Sometimes, I hate blogging. It can make me feel like I'm dangling on a rope and my climbing partner has fallen asleep. But yes, there it is. Throw some rocks, dawn'll find us all here TOTALLY UNSCATHED and stronger for it.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My kingdom for 10 students!

Yes, yes, yes, I know I was blathering on in foamy exultations about the new conductive school; but let me wipe the stuff off my chin and "do some 'splaining." (That's explaining, I reckon)
the Purpose School for Conductive Learning is merely taking a little longer to set up because setting up a school takes more time than we had for a mad crush to a September start. Thus, madness aside, the plans are still building, foundational support is appearing both organizationally and financially. A location has been secured. The set up is ready to go, as in no major renovations are needed to prepare it for accessibility. Now all we need are 10 students to begin.
To those families who are looking for a full-time conductive school day for their kids, we are looking for you!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Where's the pudding?

I'm pushing 50, so let me add whatever curmudgeonliness I have to Andrew's remarks on yet another "study" that fails to glorify conductive education.



So many ask, "Where's the proof?" I say first, how about some pudding! Where's the pudding? Can we start there? If a verifiable "study" was required to do anything worthwhile, sliced bread would have never been invented. It's truly sad that they don't erect statues to critics, because all that pigeon poop would then trickle down the shoulders of the deserving.

We all know cerebral palsy is for life; yet we're still ignorant and stupid and pie-eyed and Pollyanna enough to still do something about it, oops, I mean, conductive education. When folks are convinced that they want something, they want it.

Who these study-writing clowns really are are just simply the other clowns who look at folks like me and ask, "Who is that clown?" I must ask, "Why do you ask?" And further, "Who cares?" And also,"What is to be done with all those holiday leftovers anyway?"

You know who amazes me in her utter ignorance about conductive education? The conductor! That's who! She's the most lost of them all when it comes to CE; and that's what makes her the BEST. She's a student first and always. She leads by example. Without her curiosity and dogged seeking for the next idea, the next moment, the next Aha or Eureka or Whatever; then she'd be just like all the bored and boring and disinterested professionals who profess to profligate progress on my poor palsied progeny. Holy smokes! What did the school system ever do for him? As my Grandpa used to say, "Zero with the rim knocked off." That's what.

Give me a curious conductor any day before a conference crammed with the collectively comatose charisma of "the team." I'll take a conductor anyday. I love those idiots. And Lord, make me a bigger fool than all of them.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Canada's first conductive school - seeking more students now,

Well, here we go now. The Purpose Society and Moving Ahead Conductive Consulting have teamed up to offer something just a weensy bit bigger than a "summer camp." In September 2011, BC's first (and likely Canada's first) conductive school program. We aim to begin with no more than 12 students on the elementary level. Some of the spots are already taken. Funding will be done via the usual education dollars route that all schools in B.C. use; although depending on the big picture there may be a moderate tuition fee.
The Purpose Society has been operating the Purpose Secondary School for almost thirty years. Purpose has both: experience and expertise, in establishing and operating effective school programs in B.C. They just never had a conductor available, full-time.
We are seeking families and students who want conductive education to be a part of their school experience. If you know anyone who may be looking for that custom-made educational experience for their loved one affected by a motor-disorder or any such severe disablility that makes education a challenge, contact me for more information, or call the Purpose Society and ask for Phill. 604-526-2522 Zsipp - Zsupp !!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Trust

Eleven years ago, a few families, one conductor, and a non-profit agency all trusted me to make a leap and start a little Conductive Education program. Here we are now, and Anne and her family have pulled up their Manitoba roots and made the leap out to B.C. to build on that trust. Susie Mallet in Germany, and Andrew Sutton in England fanned the flames of that idea; and I am very very very very happy to report that Moving Ahead Conductive Consulting is getting busier each month: and Purpose Conductive Education is proud and happy to offer more CE to families this Spring, and this coming summer.

It's nothing short of amazing. And I believe that more amazing things are coming. A resident conductor is incomparable to itinerant conductors. INCOMPARABLE, and that is a thing one can trust. Zsipp-Zsupp!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

There's a bump on a blog, in a hole, at the bottom of the sea.

Put a trademark on the sun,
Copyright sit, walk, and run;
Give me a break, for shame for sham
and twist a good thing into a scam.
Price it past nonsense and schedule it wrong.
Bureaucracy listens to its own song!
But a piece of wood, a little tape,
a sniffling parent sitting agape
at five minutes' wonder, so long awaited.
Something's seriously under-rated!
And flim and flam fill out their papers
while Pumpkin teaches unteachable capers
to overly-strapped-in specialty types
still rubbed ignorantly with baby-wipes.
O Canada, O modern man,
is this what we think when we ask if we can
drain more dollars from that CP stuff?
I say forget it; we have quite enough.
That boy, that child, that girl with the glasses
deserves more than the funding of special needs classes;
though less when you look at it honest and true,
I dare say not yet, what we mean to do.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Hmm, I think I've just about had enough . . .

Well, I don't mean to bring anyone down; but holy smokes, I don't think I can take it any longer. Talking about conductive education; screw that, I'm not even talking conductive education, I'm just talking about my son's ability to stand up and how to assist him to continue using his legs; generally speaking.

Nobody cares! There are the few, my friends, Pumpkin, a few others; but the "professionals"? Anyone 'certified' who actually wears the badge and talks the talk of "working with these kids"; well, hmmm, one might as well go outside and ask the seagulls if they've seen the first robin of Springtime yet.

In the meantime, and despite it, the first Spring Session of Conductive Education since 2008 is rolling out the drooly carpet in mid-March. Nice to know that some things don't have to go the way of the Dodo bird. Hoping and praying and talking too much isn't necessarily my idea of a nice tradition. Assembling the plinth tables, getting some more whoopee cushions, signing up a few volunteers, and running to the coffee shop to the tunes of a small learning group singing the potty song: these are fine traditions and I will be practicing them again soon, with a sense that everything is alright in the world.

Zsipp - Zsupp, join the group!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Best explanation ever!

Viktoria, the conductor, has explained CE better than I've EVER seen, heard, or read. Thanks, Viktoria! Follow the link below.


http://www.exceptionalfamilytv.com/blogs/families/janet/conductors-point-view-conductive-upbringing

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Spring Break session is on.

In addition to all the work Anne is doing now, she's gearing up for the spring break session at Purpose. Check the website for details.

http://www.purposesociety.org/conductive/conded.html