Mattie's Emergency School Fund
Donation protected
My daughter Mattie is on the autism spectrum, and finding her the services she needs has been the fight of my life.
In the last five years, Mattie has been to four different schools. At public schools, Mattie was never "autistic enough," despite her IEP, to get the limited resources available. And the schools were just too big: too noisy, too overstimulating, too much. So she struggled with social cues and academics, had no friends, and was bullied. And at every previous school she just feel through the cracks.
Last year, just before the pandemic, we applied to private school. After lengthy meetings and phone calls in which I explained all of her needs, I was assured the school could handle them, and she was accepted for the 2020-2021 school year.
I won't go into the details, but I moved heaven and earth to make private school happen this year. There have been hiccups (especially with things the school promised us they could do, but just didn't have the resources during a pandemic), but I honestly thought that Mattie's school situation was the one thing in my life going well. And it all felt worth it, because Mattie has friends. She's working on projects she's interested in. She likes the school and its community.
But last night I got an email from school. They don't want Mattie to return next year--unless I hire a full-time education assistant to be with her all day, every day. None of the autism specialists we've ever worked with have ever thought Mattie requires that much support, so this was a major shock. It was also pretty much a death sentence for her education, because I can't even afford my current mortgage. I've spent the last few months trying to find an inexpensive place closer to school.
But here we are: the email. I have spent the last day agonizing over my choices: pursuing legal options (I don't think I have any), negotiating with the school, or moving to a new city, where Mattie will once again be “competing” with the other special needs kids in her grade for resources. In the end, I did what I almost always do in these situations: I talked to Mattie. She desperately wants to stay at her private school, where she feels like she finally has friends.
My plan is to re-approach the school and ask them to give Mattie another year. I can't offer a full-time paraeducator, but I can try to do something: a part-time para, more zoom classes, teacher training for her existing teachers, etc. But even if I don't hire a fulltime 1:1 therapist, this is going to cost money I don't have.
Which brings me to this GoFundMe. In the last year, my newest book didn't sell, book sales dropped, and my husband and I separated. Through all of that I have resisted asking for financial help, because it didn't feel as important as other's struggles.
But this is for Mattie. I need extra money to cover tuition, some sort of paraeducator fees, and moving expenses. If you know me, and would happily buy me a drink at a convention bar or a latte at a morning coffee run, please consider tossing $5 my way. If you want to consider this a scholarship--because really, that's what it is--please donate to the fund. And if you can't afford to help, please know that I understand. No one knows better than me how hard things are right now. Maybe you could just recommend my books to someone you think might enjoy them.
At any rate, thank you for reading this far. If you're curious about Mattie and her specific needs, this is a video she and I put together (I wrote it, she edited and did the visuals) for her new classmates at the beginning of the year.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18_b060GsJZ9GJjrdadMSs9wNzpYo3M8x/view?usp=sharing
In the last five years, Mattie has been to four different schools. At public schools, Mattie was never "autistic enough," despite her IEP, to get the limited resources available. And the schools were just too big: too noisy, too overstimulating, too much. So she struggled with social cues and academics, had no friends, and was bullied. And at every previous school she just feel through the cracks.
Last year, just before the pandemic, we applied to private school. After lengthy meetings and phone calls in which I explained all of her needs, I was assured the school could handle them, and she was accepted for the 2020-2021 school year.
I won't go into the details, but I moved heaven and earth to make private school happen this year. There have been hiccups (especially with things the school promised us they could do, but just didn't have the resources during a pandemic), but I honestly thought that Mattie's school situation was the one thing in my life going well. And it all felt worth it, because Mattie has friends. She's working on projects she's interested in. She likes the school and its community.
But last night I got an email from school. They don't want Mattie to return next year--unless I hire a full-time education assistant to be with her all day, every day. None of the autism specialists we've ever worked with have ever thought Mattie requires that much support, so this was a major shock. It was also pretty much a death sentence for her education, because I can't even afford my current mortgage. I've spent the last few months trying to find an inexpensive place closer to school.
But here we are: the email. I have spent the last day agonizing over my choices: pursuing legal options (I don't think I have any), negotiating with the school, or moving to a new city, where Mattie will once again be “competing” with the other special needs kids in her grade for resources. In the end, I did what I almost always do in these situations: I talked to Mattie. She desperately wants to stay at her private school, where she feels like she finally has friends.
My plan is to re-approach the school and ask them to give Mattie another year. I can't offer a full-time paraeducator, but I can try to do something: a part-time para, more zoom classes, teacher training for her existing teachers, etc. But even if I don't hire a fulltime 1:1 therapist, this is going to cost money I don't have.
Which brings me to this GoFundMe. In the last year, my newest book didn't sell, book sales dropped, and my husband and I separated. Through all of that I have resisted asking for financial help, because it didn't feel as important as other's struggles.
But this is for Mattie. I need extra money to cover tuition, some sort of paraeducator fees, and moving expenses. If you know me, and would happily buy me a drink at a convention bar or a latte at a morning coffee run, please consider tossing $5 my way. If you want to consider this a scholarship--because really, that's what it is--please donate to the fund. And if you can't afford to help, please know that I understand. No one knows better than me how hard things are right now. Maybe you could just recommend my books to someone you think might enjoy them.
At any rate, thank you for reading this far. If you're curious about Mattie and her specific needs, this is a video she and I put together (I wrote it, she edited and did the visuals) for her new classmates at the beginning of the year.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18_b060GsJZ9GJjrdadMSs9wNzpYo3M8x/view?usp=sharing
Organizer
Melissa Olson
Organizer
Madison, WI
