On reading so many posts about fighting the school system I think of my Uncle a rural school principal, doctorate in psych. To him, and he even had an ld son, parents who wanted services for their children were getting in the way of evolution. Services should be for the kids who CAN Do. (You know sports) Not wasted on those who Can’t. Visiting his hobby farm I noticed he called one of the cows Mrs “Rumsfeld” (made Up). I asked why. He said cause there was a Crazy Mother at the school who always used to drive him crazy and cause trouble and this cow had the same nature….. So a Salute to all the “mrs Rumsfelds” of the worlds. May you haunt the memory in retirement of many a toxic school official!!!!!! And unfortunately I notice with these kinds of people ( many in my family unscientific research based on years of family holiday dinners) it is Always the MOTHERS (never referred to in these contexts as just Moms) who are considered the troublemakers. Anyone notice any difference if DAD goes along???
Re: Cows, principals, Moms
I just had to read this thread with such a title ;-)
My husband is the silent partner too.
I usually have him come from work so he is
dressed more appropriately than his ‘at home’ attire
and will have on his security badge so they know
he checks out with the FBI ;-)
I turn the tables on the teachers and tell *them*
something cute and funny my son has said about
them or school - a good laugh breaks the ice if
it isn’t too thick.
I have a friend whose children are not LD but she
is in there advocating in some really sticky issues
that make us LD moms quake
and we call her ‘The Terminator’ - she has one principal
notched on her belt and a couple teachers.
Anne
Re: Cows, principals, Moms
Ha Ha Ha, that is too funny. I’m sure I’ve had a few cows named after me. I think the school secretary recongnizes my voice on the phone now.
Re: Cows, principals, Moms
I have been lucky in that I graduated from the same high school where my son attends fourth grade. The principal remember me because he was a gym teacher back then and remembers me graduating with an A average. But I did get a lot of grief last year at IEP time. I took my husband (he graduated from there too) and it didn’t help because they thought they could push him around too. But I can tell you this, when you go in with a Governor and State School Superintendent in your pocket, they have a lot more respect.
Crystal
Re: Cows, principals, Moms
That is hilarious. That gives me a really good idea. Since my LD boys have six snakes at home as pets. I can have the sped director,bureau chief of the state dept of ed. AND the principal of their last school properly named. Then again,these snakes are cuter then they are..
Re: Cows, principals, Moms
Why yes, I noticed that when I accompianied Mom to meetings the whole tenor of things changed. Somehow, posessing the male appendage garnered me more respect in the school staffers’ eyes, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of them were also females. Go figure…
I do not need to go into a lengthy discourse (tirade?) about your uncle’s narrow view of things. Peter Singer, the bio-ethics chair at Princeton also spouts such lunacy, and I am sure much more eloquently that your uncle. Guess what? It still stinks like the offereings from “Mrs. Rumsfield’s” southern end.
I will only say that if you are a Christian, you need to recall that He said “the least among you shall be first in the Father’s eyes”.
And the value of any society is best measured by the manner in which they treat those members who are in the least position to help themselves.
You might remind your Uncle that his line of reasoning is along the same lines as Adolph’s…
Re: Cows, principals, Moms
You might be interested to know that this Uncle’s oldest son (about 6-7 then)was tested by a colleague when he going for his Psych PHD in mid 60’s. Was told his boy would never graduate from high school or go to college. Would guess that my cousin would have been diagnosed with aspergars syndrome or mild autism today. He graduated from high school with no special help and also from a local community college with a business degree and is asst manager at a local store. C student. His father only became principal after he graduated. I’m sure ths boy’s tremendous motivation and effort marked my Uncle. Anyone who couldn’t do what his boy did just wasn’t trying and needed to get some backbone.
Yes, I find I get a lot more respect when Dad comes along (I usually do most of the talking). We both dress up in suits, I want to give the impression that we are professionals (which we are), and mean business. We always take along an outline of what we want to discuss so we don’t get side tracked by the teachers telling us all the “cute” things our child has done. We want to concentrate on the academic problems and solutions.