Stacie Sherman

As my son takes his college placement tests, I sit in a waiting room next door thinking about how we got here.

High school wasn’t easy for my kid. Not much is easy for my kid. But he will be graduating in June and attending a great community college in September. My pride is immeasurable.

He is living proof that extra help is essential. From the day he was diagnosed with a learning disability, we have given and gotten him extra help.

When he was a toddler, and had trouble learning his ABCs and 123s, I stayed home with him for a few days and worked on them with him. By the time I returned to work he had mastered his letters and numbers.

He has been in special education programs since the beginning. And thank God for special education teachers. They have given him the extra attention and guidance he needed to get (mostly) As and Bs.

As I sit here, I’m taking a break from reading his new English book assignment. Reading is not his best subject. It’s hard for him to focus and comprehend when he is reading.

We have found two major ways to help him. First, he listens to the audio of the book alongside the hard copy. And second, I read the book along with him so that we can talk about it. This isn’t really a tough thing for me. I love reading. It’s just tough sometimes to find the time to read at his class’s pace. But most times I get it done. I find it really helpful when we are able to chat about the book together.

So these placement tests, they determine whether kids like mine need remedial classes to bring them up to college-level speed. Frankly, I hope he has to take some remedial classes. College will be a big enough adjustment and some easy classes on his first year would not be a bad thing!

Special education is different for kids in college. They don’t have to offer a lot of the help that they did in K-12. They don’t have to give my son a smaller class, or a printed study guide. They do have to provide some accommodations, like allowing for more time during tests. But in my opinion it’s not enough to guarantee success.

I was so relieved when my son was accepted into a selective program for kids with special needs at our community college. The program provides weekly one-on-one tutoring in each major class, special classes for things like time management and organization and personal budgeting and career preparation. A dedicated office to go and ask questions and study and hang out with other kids in the program. And way more. I got the acceptance letter in the mail last week and I was jumping up and down in my kitchen like a little kid.

I have no doubt college will be tough for my kid. It’s tough for most kids. I expect I will be virtually taking these classes along with him. I don’t mind.

I think back all those years ago. To when my son was tiny and saying two-word sentences and I would wonder about his future. That I am sitting right now in a college testing waiting room blows my mind. My son is living proof that anything is possible.