T
TeDo
Guest
difficult child started school at his new school today. I met with the 4 core teachers yesterday but newly hired SpEd teacher had to be at another meeting with administration. OK. They were very understanding when I explained (in the 1/2 hour they gave me) in a nutshell a lot of what difficult child experienced at the last school last year. I explained that most of what the last IEP used as data is not relavent because it was during the "Risperdal fiasco". I also explained the past principal's "goal" of pushing difficult child out of the school. OK. They all listened intently and asked a few questions. Then we go to an assembly with all the middle school kids and parents. Each core teacher gave a brief synopsis of what will be going on in their class. OK. I spoke to the "lead" regular ed teacher about some of the things that were said and how difficult child's IEP did have accommodations for some of the stuff. One plus, the kids were told they would have phy ed every day. In the handbook they handed out, it gave a schedule by grade. It is a very small school so the whole 17 kids in difficult child's grade go to the same classes every day. I prepared difficult child for the schedule as it is written in the schedule. He does fine if he is prepared. Now, keep in mind that difficult child basically missed the entire last quarter of last year because of the "Risperdal fiasco" and principal's "goal".
difficult child rode the bus to school. I went after I dropped easy child/difficult child off at school here (difficult child is 20 min away). They have homeroom first thing in the morning. We were under the assumption that his homeroom was the room where his locker is (according to the schedule). But no, the kids find out their homerooms during the assembly right away in the morning today. difficult child handled this very well. Then he goes to his math class (algebra). There's a substitute teacher and difficult child had no clue. UGH. The sub told them to read pages ** to ** and do problems 1-30. No instruction of any kind. difficult child read through the pages and it made no sense to him. Para (supposedly 1:1) takes difficult child and 2 others to resource room to work. difficult child had no idea he was going to be pulled out (WE were not told this). But I am there so he only had a mini meltdown basically caused by para who is pushing difficult child to work. SpEd teacher and I talk and he is going to have difficult child backed up a little in math because he has had NONE of the prep that the other kids have already had (different school, different curriculum). Great.
Time for next class, difficult child goes happily. I leave for a couple hours. I get a frantic phone call from para, as I'm leaving to drive back there, that difficult child is having a meltdown: tipping chairs & tables, throwing his glasses, hiding in a corner, you get the picture. "Tell him I'm on my way". I get there and difficult child is crying hysterically. He wants me to take him home NOW and I am going to homeschool him because these teachers don't know anything, etc. I get him calmed down and he tells me that the last class he was in was hot (window conditioners in a FEW rooms) and the door was closed. He layed on the floor because it was cooler. Teacher tells him to sit in chair or leave the room. difficult child leaves the room and goes to resource room expecting me to still be there. I had told him I would stay at the school and he was expecting me to be there. Para is the only one there. SpEd teacher came into the room and difficult child began yelling that he was going to call me and picked up the receiver. SpEd teacher unplugged the phone. difficult child throws the receiver down. Phone breaks. SpEd teacher and I talk some more. SpEd is awesome. He totally understood WHY difficult child was acting the way he was and had some great ideas to help.
I get difficult child calmed down again and he happily goes to class. The rest of his day is band/choir, wood shop, and gym. Great. Para starts talking to me and SpEd teacher about HAVING to be in with difficult child during shop because shop teacher wants an extra pair of eyes. OOOOOKKKKK?? SpEd tells para to just leave difficult child alone and just observe. Para informs us that shop teacher has kids do worksheets about each machine for the first 2 weeks and then the have to PASS a test before they can use them. No problem, SpEd will help him. Para makes a comment about difficult child being "kicked out" of earlier class. SpEd corrects her and says he was given a choice and CHOSE to leave. Para just can't seem to "get it". SpEd confides in me that para is frustrating him. She is set in her ways and pushes kids to conform. He is going to talk to her. I leave to go pick up easy child/difficult child.
I get home and get a call from "lead" regular ed teacher to "fill me in on difficult child's day". I was there for most of it so yes I know. I try to explain WHY these things happened. She continues to tell me what I already know and that difficult child was wandering for the last hour of school. Turns out he had health instead of PE and no one told him (SpEd didn't even know). She goes on to say "WE had a meeting and we are going to do x,y, and z. Then we will have a meeting next Thursday to see where things are sitting. We just can't have him putting staff and other students in danger." I ask if they talked to SpEd because x, y, and z were not what WE talked about. "No, he had to leave at 2 so I will talk to him tomorrow". When he was tipping chairs, no one was in the room except SpEd and para. Info to regular ed teacher came from para since SpEd was gone already.
SpEd had some awesome ideas that I had already talked to difficult child about and he was willing to give it another shot. Then THIS phone call happens and I can tell you right now that x, y, and z are NOT going to work. been there done that. I AM going with difficult child tomorrow and talking to SpEd some more. This is just not right. I just want to cry for difficult child. Today was a major setup and HE is being penalized for not handling it "appropriately". DUH! It will be interesting to hear what SpEd has to say about all this.
Sorry it got so long but I am just steamed, frustrated, depressed, hurting, etc. Thanks to those of you that actually read this whole thing.
difficult child rode the bus to school. I went after I dropped easy child/difficult child off at school here (difficult child is 20 min away). They have homeroom first thing in the morning. We were under the assumption that his homeroom was the room where his locker is (according to the schedule). But no, the kids find out their homerooms during the assembly right away in the morning today. difficult child handled this very well. Then he goes to his math class (algebra). There's a substitute teacher and difficult child had no clue. UGH. The sub told them to read pages ** to ** and do problems 1-30. No instruction of any kind. difficult child read through the pages and it made no sense to him. Para (supposedly 1:1) takes difficult child and 2 others to resource room to work. difficult child had no idea he was going to be pulled out (WE were not told this). But I am there so he only had a mini meltdown basically caused by para who is pushing difficult child to work. SpEd teacher and I talk and he is going to have difficult child backed up a little in math because he has had NONE of the prep that the other kids have already had (different school, different curriculum). Great.
Time for next class, difficult child goes happily. I leave for a couple hours. I get a frantic phone call from para, as I'm leaving to drive back there, that difficult child is having a meltdown: tipping chairs & tables, throwing his glasses, hiding in a corner, you get the picture. "Tell him I'm on my way". I get there and difficult child is crying hysterically. He wants me to take him home NOW and I am going to homeschool him because these teachers don't know anything, etc. I get him calmed down and he tells me that the last class he was in was hot (window conditioners in a FEW rooms) and the door was closed. He layed on the floor because it was cooler. Teacher tells him to sit in chair or leave the room. difficult child leaves the room and goes to resource room expecting me to still be there. I had told him I would stay at the school and he was expecting me to be there. Para is the only one there. SpEd teacher came into the room and difficult child began yelling that he was going to call me and picked up the receiver. SpEd teacher unplugged the phone. difficult child throws the receiver down. Phone breaks. SpEd teacher and I talk some more. SpEd is awesome. He totally understood WHY difficult child was acting the way he was and had some great ideas to help.
I get difficult child calmed down again and he happily goes to class. The rest of his day is band/choir, wood shop, and gym. Great. Para starts talking to me and SpEd teacher about HAVING to be in with difficult child during shop because shop teacher wants an extra pair of eyes. OOOOOKKKKK?? SpEd tells para to just leave difficult child alone and just observe. Para informs us that shop teacher has kids do worksheets about each machine for the first 2 weeks and then the have to PASS a test before they can use them. No problem, SpEd will help him. Para makes a comment about difficult child being "kicked out" of earlier class. SpEd corrects her and says he was given a choice and CHOSE to leave. Para just can't seem to "get it". SpEd confides in me that para is frustrating him. She is set in her ways and pushes kids to conform. He is going to talk to her. I leave to go pick up easy child/difficult child.
I get home and get a call from "lead" regular ed teacher to "fill me in on difficult child's day". I was there for most of it so yes I know. I try to explain WHY these things happened. She continues to tell me what I already know and that difficult child was wandering for the last hour of school. Turns out he had health instead of PE and no one told him (SpEd didn't even know). She goes on to say "WE had a meeting and we are going to do x,y, and z. Then we will have a meeting next Thursday to see where things are sitting. We just can't have him putting staff and other students in danger." I ask if they talked to SpEd because x, y, and z were not what WE talked about. "No, he had to leave at 2 so I will talk to him tomorrow". When he was tipping chairs, no one was in the room except SpEd and para. Info to regular ed teacher came from para since SpEd was gone already.
SpEd had some awesome ideas that I had already talked to difficult child about and he was willing to give it another shot. Then THIS phone call happens and I can tell you right now that x, y, and z are NOT going to work. been there done that. I AM going with difficult child tomorrow and talking to SpEd some more. This is just not right. I just want to cry for difficult child. Today was a major setup and HE is being penalized for not handling it "appropriately". DUH! It will be interesting to hear what SpEd has to say about all this.
Sorry it got so long but I am just steamed, frustrated, depressed, hurting, etc. Thanks to those of you that actually read this whole thing.