Amazing Teacher

[SmallTownMom]

My difficult child has the most amazing teacher, we are so blessed to have her this year. She is always open to talking and trying new things at school to help my son. I picked him up yesterday from school and he was so excited ... he was given a smartie because he didn't "blurt" out all day. Even at carpet/circle time the other kids in the class recognized his great day! It gives me such hope when I hear this.

His teacher has also given my difficult child and one other ADHD boy in class these little "toys", I don't know what ther are called, but they are little plastic pieces joined togther with small hinges. Both boys use them whem they are feeling "figity", it allows them to "do" something other then dissrupt the class while doing a task. My difficult child is also allowed to use this rubber type dome cussion to sit on to again he can fidgit and move with out causing a disturbance.

It fills me with hope to know that this wonderful teacher sees my son as a gift and a blessing. She adores him and sees all the good things that I do!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Yes, there are good teachers out there.
We've had... the best of the best, and the worst of the worst.
But the good ones... DO make a huge difference.
Even the "just above average" ones make a difference.

There were several we wished we could have cloned...

 

[susiestar]

Teachers like this are a blessing, aren't they? It is amazing how a teacher can either truly make a HUGE difference in a good way or they can completely cripple a chld and damage them so incredibly. We had some of each, but thankfully more of the great than the awful, at least after we moved to OK.

Having something to fidget with often helps an adhd person concentrate. You can find all sorts of things at Occupational Therapist (OT) shops, like www.southpawenterprises.com, but I usually just go to the party supplies store here. I find little balls, esp ones iwth different textures, small toys that do not make noise, even tiny clothespins from the baby shower aisle, and keep a supply for my kids to take to school. This year I found awesome erasers - some were dice that could be rolled, I even found some that were shaped like legos and could be used to build things. Those were awesome for thank you at school. Wiz is now in college but he still keeps something like that in his backpack to help him concentrate. The party supply stores are a lot cheaper than the Occupational Therapist (OT) supply places, at least in my experience.

While school probably provided the seat your son likes, they do not pay for the little toys she gives the kids. If you want to be nice, a gift cert to a party supply store or walmart would probably be appreciated. So would a little gift bag of assorted little things that maybe you and your difficult child could pick out for her to have for the class. Most teachers spend an amazing amount of their own $$ on supplies for the class. Not just books and things, for almost everything.

 

[keista]

Most excellent!

Does he have a 504 or IEP yet? If not, start asking. These items should be in there. It's great when a teacher is accommodating, but what if he gets a teacher who isn't? With these things on his plan the teacher will have to allow it.

Thing like this only affected son once he hit HS. One teacher had a NO CHEWING rule. Not just gum, not just food, but no chewing ANYTHING. Well, yeah, except for son because back in elementary school when he was eating his shirt collars (still does) he was given these chewy things, and I made sure to get that in his IEP because it's a sensory thing. So, fast forward to HS, son gets to chew.

 

[SmallTownMom]

We are scheduling a meeting in the next few weeks to talk about the next steps and what he needs to succeed in school.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Unfortunately, Canada doesn't have the "legal document status" to our intervention plans. Whether it's in there or not, the teacher CAN do whatever they want. PPPs, IEP, and IPPs are just... "guidance".

There are laws, in some provinces, that require schools to make "reasonable accommodation for special needs", but... definition of "reasonable" is not water-tight. Is it reasonable to have a school completely free of allergens? How about turning a 100-year-old-school into wheelchair-accessible? Somethings are not reasonable. Which leaves everything else open to interpretation too.

 

[keista]

Sorry, forgot to check location. Anyway, the more you get in writing, the more you get evidence of things working, the better chances of having future teachers repeat this stuff, right?

 

[InsaneCdn]

Documentation is always a good thing!

 

[Wiped Out]

I'm so glad you have a great teacher for your son! My son always calls anything they gave him to play with "fidgets". For some students they are great. My son sometimes used them as weapons so not so good for him (at least at home). I have several students who use the dome cushion you are talking about. Our Occupational Therapist (OT) received a grant a few years ago so we have many more things now that can help our students.

 

[TerryJ2]

Awesome! That is wonderful. I love the idea of hook-together toys to give the kids something to do instead of just fidget. Bravo!
(P.S. Can I borrow her? )