Clairvoyants, Realists, Burnouts, Snakes, and Professionals

Below is a post that another parent posted to a special ed e-group. I didn’t see the article she referred to but will post it once I find it. I’ve met all of these people at one time or another. How about you?

Recently in the MCPS Special Edition various types of parents were highlighted. In turn I think it important to highlight the different types of educators that we all have encountered.

The Clairvoyant: This is an educator who can tell a child and their needs just by reading the child’s name on the IEP. A 15 minute observation is more than enough for them to fully assess a child. This educator knows all about the child both past, present and future. They have no doubt as to what is best for the child. They come into IEP meetings with a set agenda that must be followed. They have lost the ability to listen to others on the IEP team or to consider anything other than their preset agenda. They often are condescending and rude to parents. They have been known to use the phrase that “they are the professional” and “they know best” frequently. Students affected by these Clairvoyants are often placed in inappropriate placements, unless they have parents who are active advocates. Students without advocate parents, learn to survive being placed in different schools every year because the clairvoyant fails to determine the most appropriate placement.

The Realist: This educator knows what is possible and what is not. They acknowledge that things will not change and that they have to make due with what they have. They accept that they can’t meet the needs of the kids, because that is just the way it is. They have to deal with it so do the students and parents. To them it is more important to get planning time in than to get a physically disabled child off the bus. They frequently use the term “limited pot”. They tend to quote policies, which they believe to be true, that in fact do not exist. They know the realistic limits of a child’s potential. They will do what they can and if things don’t get done oh well it is just a job. Children with the teachers are afraid to take chances because they know they will fail, so why bother trying.

The Burnout: This educator once held lofty ideals and strived to provide the best for their students. They have been disillusioned by the system and have given up trying to make a change in the system. Instead they take whatever burden that is given to them and try to be everything to every child. Like an abused spouse, they are convinced that if they leave and go elsewhere that no one else will take care of their students. They are resentful when a parent asks for their child to have any additional need addressed, and think the parent should realize they are doing the best they can already. They have a strong sense of martyrdom and don’t realize how their enabling behavior perpetuates the cycle. Children in this situation do not have
their needs met and tend to feel guilty because they know their teacher is stressed and blame themselves. These students learn to be victims.

The Snake: This educator doesn’t think twice about telling parents whatever it takes to get rid of them. This includes bald lies, misinterpretations, and intimidation. They schedule IEPs and “forget” to notify the parents. They fail to return phone calls from parents and are hard to reach. They put things into a child’s folder without the parents knowledge. They change documents in order to achieve the results that they want. They take suggestions from other professionals and parents as deliberate insults to their abilities. They blame the failings of the student on the student or the parents rather than review their own teaching skills. They are the nemesis of parents and create the most outspoken parent advocates. The unfortunate students who have this type of educator, are made to feel like failures and trouble makers. These children learn that lying and manipulating are OK. They learn to get by with what ever means necessary.

The Professional (also know as angels): These are educators who accept students for what they are. They see the inner potential of their students. They encourage students to have dreams and to go after them. They see even the most severely disabled students first as human beings, deserving of basic dignity and respect. They are able to listen to students, both verbal and nonverbal communication and to interpret this communication. They are willing to learn and seek out information on how better to meet the needs of their students. They are willing to find out how to get additional resources that their students need and to enlist the parents’ help in getting those resources. They accept the parents as they are the good and the bad, without labeling. They understand that while they may have a child for a year or two, the parents will always be this child’s parents and are in it for the long haul. The students in this situation learn to take chances. They learn to be independent and how to self advocate. They learn to be caring independent adults.