Jessica Teszlewicz

My name is Malia Ruiz. I am a mother of five boys. Kaden, Koby, Bryson, Kyler, and Keoni. Last year Kyler, who is 7 years old, was diagnosed with ADHD. His then teacher, principle, and school counselor suggested that I look into some redirection for him before they were forced to hold him back in the 1st grade. I understood what the issue was, not that he didn't understand the course work, just that he wasn't making the right choices when it came to his behavior. It was heart breaking and extremely stressful deciding what to do as far as treatment and what was best for Kyler. His Doctor and I talked about all of our options and what they meant for Kyler. Finally, we decided that putting him on the medication was going to be the quickest way to turn around the school situation. We only had 6 weeks to get this figured out before he was held back. It worked. That following Monday, his 1st grade teacher called me after lunch and told me that he was a totally different Kyler. He was concentrating and interacting with his teacher instead of reacting. He wasn't being disrespectful to his classmates and making great choices all day. Recess was still fun for him, he wasn't a zombie or silently setting in a corner like I feared. He was still Kyler but he was able to control himself. This year he has had a teacher that I can't even explain to you how blessed I feel we have been. She is loving towards Kyler and understanding. She doesn't let the little things slide of course but she is forgiving and has such a warm heart. He accidently calls me Mrs. T on a daily and honestly it makes me smile. I love that he is loved though out his 8 hours at school. I love that he loves being in class. Unfortunately when a child has ADHD they are marked off as the bad kid and not many teachers take the time to understand them or care for them. I know teachers love their students but Mrs. Teszlewicz has gone over and beyond with Kyler. There's always that one teacher that makes it or breaks it for a student. They push them to excel because they believe in them and they are excite for their achievements. This has been my experience with Mrs. Teszlewicz. Today he received Miller of the Month, which I believe is student of the month. He also was accepted into the Gifted program alongside his older brothers. When we got the letter that he was accepted, he told me that he didn't think he would pass. He didn't believe in himself, and now thanks to his teacher he knows that he can do so much more. He can be anything he wants to be and nothing will hold him back. She's one of those teachers that I think has made a lasting impression on my son and I feel so incredibly blessed to have been placed with her this year.

Kyler Cochran