The begining

This is the story of my son Shane, the most optimistic boy I know, I really don't know how he pulls himself up all the time. Every time he is happy and doing good he is slammed back down.

he was diagnosed as ADHD in 1st grade attended special ed while we were in California, when we moved back to Havelock NC he was also placed in a contained class with much more severe learning disabled children, but he was doing good and that is what counts.

Shane was always a very inquisitive child, always on the go. I remember one time it was about 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning the phone rang, it was the police, asking if we knew where Shane was my husband said in bed, the cop said are you sure, Dennis got up went to his room and he was not there, he was at the Winn Dixie, was told by neighborhood kids that prostitutes hung out there, so he went to see for himself, he was about 6 at that time.

As the years went by he struggled in school but got by, by the time he entered middle school there was no self contained class, Shane was to be mainstreamed but would have a IEP (individual education plan) ha!!We were always being called to the school, for IEP meetings (waste of everyone time) or he was in trouble. I think it was middle school he was accused of sexual harassment! He called a girl Muffin!! I couldn't go to that meeting, had to work my husband went. But calling a girl Muffin!! sexual harassment!! One of his conditions of his IEP was he could be on the foot ball team as an incentive but was not to be used as punishment. every Friday the football team got to where their jerseys, Shane did something I don't remember what their has been so much, as his punishment he was not allowed to wear his jersey.That was against his IEP. He was very distraught that evening my husband called the principal Mr West the most wonderful principal in the world I can not say enough about that man. After my husband explained the situation Mr West told him to meet him at his office in the morning and we would take care of that. i took Shane to school that next morning and Mr West got him his jersey!!
Another time Shane got into trouble was shoplifting at the local drug store his friends dared him and he took some lip balm, got another call my good ole Havelock PD, Shane was at the station, my husband went to pick him up as his punishment he had to write an essay about why shoplifting was wrong, he did that turned it in to the police and in front of the child threw it away didn't even read it..

OK so that takes care of middle school, on to high school. Again no special ed, so more IEP meetings, Shane was to have extra time taking tests and he wouldd have a computer to do his class work Shane was now diagnosed as Dis graphic he cant write. He didn't like the computer so he accidentally broke it. Now we are into the end of year testing, if you don't pass that you don 't go on to the next grade, Shane was placed in a special class for that after all we want the teachers to look good. After a few in school suspensions we noticed he did much better in there, why? because he was in cubical no distractions he actually got he work done and was done right, so at one of the IEP meetings we asked if this could be arranged for him he was passing for crying out loud!! But of course no it couldn't be arragned. So we had to continue struggling. We got involved with the local group for ADHD kids tried to make a difference. At one point we went into mediation, we had heard that the high School in New Bern (same county) had a good ADHD program, but that was to no avail he was  stuck where he was. High School was worse then middle school, in school suspensions out of school suspensions, one right after the other. One day it was shortly after Columbine we got a call from the school, was was to be suspended from school for cussing a teacher. So here we go off to the school again!! What did he do! Since Columbine happened the doors to the lunch room were to be locked, Shane had to use the rest room, he was caught roaming the halls as they say, he was stopped by a teacher asked where he was suppose to be he said lunch but he had to go to the bathroom, the teacher said he couldn't till after lunch, frustrated he said what do you want me to do piss on the floor? That was enough off to the principals office and suspended, This was the last straw we took him out of school, and decided to teach him at home.