Rant about schools

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Hey there, here's some advice from a teacher - never write a note - especially when it comes to something as important as your son's comfort and success. Setting a conference and then getting everything in writing is the way to go. Administrators get busy and the unexpected will always come up so notes tend to go by the wayside. Plus, you sending a note does not put the ball in your court.

While I do not know anything about your school or your son's exact situation, it sounds like a resource class may be a good fit for him if that is something you have not tried yet. It's not complete inclusion. It gives your son the chance complete all the general education assignments in a peaceful area. Or perhaps, you could try having him sit at his own special "station" while he is in the general room when he is in there learning new material. I mean a section of the class where he can have his own space and isn't boxed in by other students.

Just some thoughts.
Respectfully,
Liz

Don't be afraid to make some noise. The squeeky wheel and all.

Sometimes decisions are made and it is out of the teacher's hands. I would try to remain calm before you start screaming at the teacher just because you are frustrated with the situation. It takes a lot of people to make a school work, not just the one. I agree about not trusting the bus driver with the note. Not to sound negative, but it's possible the bus driver doesn't care as much as you do to make sure the note gets where it needs to go. Use a phone. Notes are not an effective strategy for getting someone's attention and you can get someone's attention without yelling at them. Teachers and administrators have a lot of things they need to take care of in a fast paced day; it's possible the note got pushed to the "wayside" as someone else said. Be an advocate for your child, yes, but being angry is not always being a good advocate. Sometimes it hurts the child instead of helps them and their situation.

Happy SPED teacher here with some things to think about.

1) The number of children in a class is directly related to the amount of money the state and/or feds will provide for teachers. There are legal limits to class size, especially for SPED, but the kids keep coming and being identified as needing extra help, so they continue to be dumped into classes that are already too large. It literally takes and act of congress to fix this. IDEA has never been fully-funded, so the issues continue.

2) Along with huge classes, each teacher is also responsible for managing the paperwork for those children, which is a ridiculously daunting task. Meetings have to be scheduled and can't just be a normal teacher conference. We have to have a representative form all branches of the school (general ed, special ed, a representative of the system, etc. It can take a while to align all the schedules to get everyone there at the same time.

3) You should be offered a "continuum of services." It should not be a choice between general ed or sepcial ed classes. Sounds to me (and I don't know particulars such as the child's particular disability) like a general ed class would be fine if there were another certified special ed teacher in the room with him (and others). We call this a collaborative model or coteching model. This provides access to the general curriculum, but provides the extra support needed to be successful. Resource classes (pull out) are not always the best because the instruction and activities can be sacrificed when a teacher is responsible for teaching numerous subject areas and/or grade levels at the same time.

There are probably other things I could suggest as well, but without knowing the individual (it is, after all, an Individual Education Plan) it's hard to say. Fight to keep him in general classes. Be sure that the teachers are following the modifications and accomodations given in the IEP. And if all else fails, mention a "non-compliance" lawsuit and that will get the heads spinning with ways to help your child be successful.

Marla - I was going to say the same thing.
My son is dyslexic and I fought the school district from Kindergarten to 3rd grade to get him the help that he needs. Everything that they offered was ummm.... less than adequate. At the end of 3rd grade I made the decision to keep him home. We had a wonderful 4th and 5th grade year here at home. It took a lot of sacrifice from a financial standpoint, I quit my job as a recruiter to stay home. We gave up eating out as much (not a bad thing from a weight loss standpoint), we don't go to as many movies and we're a lot more creative with our curriculum than some homeschoolers... but it works and I wouldn't change a thing. I love having him home. I get all the "good" hours... ya know, when he's not cranky and whiny! I get to see the "lightbulb moments" when he finally gets the concepts that we've been working on.

I won't say that I wasn't torn when I made the decision to pull him... I felt like I should continue fighting for his rights and MAKE them do right by him... but in the end it came down to one simple thing: I could continue to fight and he could continue to fall more and more behind or I could take matters into my own hands and make sure that he got the education that he deserves. The first few months were hard - he missed his friends, but then they got easier... his self confidence improved and his reading and writing blossomed.

Obviously homeschooling isn't feasible for everyone - but if you can, it's a great option! If it's not an option for you at this time - find an advocate, someone who can back you up with the school district. Someone who can help to stress URGENCY with the district and the school Good luck!!!!

you are right to be upset if you feel your concern went unanswered.

first thing to consider is when you want to make changes like that it is always best to contact the principal and the teacher and set up a time to discuss your son and a possible move. Notes don't always do the trick....unfortunately.

second, I don't know when school ends for your district, but once May rolls around the work is near if not already completed for the most part. At this point in the year teachers are starting to wrap the school year up, get missing work completed, grades entered and any general testing done and a move this late in the school year may not have been of any benefit to your son.

Going into a new school year you should make sure he is placed where you think he should be and then monitor his progress with the teacher and make any changes that will help him be sucessful.

I don't think homeschooling is the answer for everyone, if it works for you great but if that is not an option for you consider going out and finding alternatives that may work better for your son. you can check out schools in your area at greatschools.com and research all types of schools, see parent reviews, state testing stats etc.

Good luck, my son had to change teachers after x-mas break one year and it was a task but well worth it because his next teacher inspired him to be his best and he ended up with a great school year under his belt! :drinker: