It's summer and I didn't think I would have any new problems

Incredible isn’t it? It’s scary to have to send your child into school day after day knowing they are probably dealing with this baloney every day and there is little you can do to stop it. If they speak this way to parents, imagine how they speak to children all day long. The sad thing is, I’ll bet there are many more people using this board that could give their own examples of unprofessional, rude, stupid and thoughtless things said to them by teachers who should know better. My son just told me about his teacher who walked down the hall the other day singing for all the students to hear “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Jenny N**** failed math like I knew she would……” It offended me and I don’t even know Jenny N****!! Do these teachers not realize this stuff gets repeated? Are they so burnt out that they don’t care? How dumb was your son’s teacher’s wife to repeat something like that to you? Just incredible! Will he be your son’s teacher next year as well? If so, is there anyway you could request someone different or is he the only one available?

EJ, this is the only LD teacher in the school, grades 1-8. Not only do I have to deal with him again next year, we also have to deal with the same science teacher who told me at my son’s IEP meeting, that we needed to change his placement to the developmentally handicapped class because she had done everything she knew to do for him and he still fails. Of course, she hasn’t done everythig there is to do for him. But, she feels doing anything special is a big inconvience. Oh what a wonderful life!

Kathy, I’m so sorry.
Do you have any other options?
Another school, private school, homeschooling?

Anne

That was my thoughts also, is there any other options?

I can’t imagine that you want to send him back to a school where you know he isn’t going to get help?? I know it is difficult when the public school is the only place you can go!

K.

My 15yo son was homeschooled through 8th grade, successfully, I might add. He did well in 9th, but took a nosedive in 10th. We took him out of college prep classes, thinking that it would lighten his load. We took him to the doctor who diagnosed depression. We put him in small group special ed classes, thinking that would help. Well, the end result is that he failed ALL his core classes and barely passed Drama and Chorus. At two meetings with teachers the last week of school, 4 of his teachers took their opportunity to vent about his laziness and complain about him generally. He was utterly humiliated. I was furious and told them so. His only male teacher was so inept with the English language I had no doubt my son was failing his class with good reason.One openly admits she uses sarcasm to motivate him (!) Another told him he would never get into college. And they want him to come back for more??!!

NOT. We are planning to homeschol in the fall. It will not be easy and my son is not too happy, but even he understand that we cannot stand by and let failure happen. No one at that school gives a flying flip about my son and yours. There comes a time when I say forget trying to make the system work—take charge. We could fight this, but in the meantime more and more time is slipping away. I have 2 years for work with my son before he turns 18. I will never have this responsibility/opportunity again.

Hmmm,

I guess,I would of had to say something. Not only did it tell you who to talk to and who not to,but,gee how is busting his ass,gonna teach him to read? Wow,is this some kind of new remediation program? OOH,so busting someone’s ass motivates a child to learn to read that can’t? Hmm,I guess I am wondering if busting someone’s ass would then motivate a special education teacher,to actually teach? Then I would of smiled her way and said,wow,is that a highly skilled and educated answer. I suppose I know why my son has never learned anything in your husbands class.Sorry for bothering him during the summer,and may his motivation to help his students continue to be so darn positive. Then go on with your life and never speak of your son to this woman again.

Hear, hear, socks!!

I swear if I hear another person say add is just an excuse for kids that need to be disciplined (read ‘spanked’) by better parents I will tear my hair out!

Punishment for inattention would not have made my son read any better, it would have just injured his spirit and made him an angry little guy who would eventually grow up to be an angry big guy.

Sp.ed teacher needs to go. I won’t say where specifically. Just thank goodness he isn’t teaching my son. I’d have HIS butt!

Honestly, I don’t know how you kept your cool, I am a shy, conflict avoiding person, but when it comes to my kids, watch out.

Socks,
Thanks, you can always find just the right words, and you made me laugh at a bad situation too.
BTW, the tutor came yesterday. She did some testing,(since she had no idea where to start). She called later and said, she doesn’t know what the school has been doing for the last eight years,but it sure isn’t teaching him any word attack skills. She also told me the first positive thing I’ve ever heard from a anyone in the teaching profession for a long time. She said he seems to have great retention skills. she said she is sure if he had teachers who actually taught subjects such as science and social studies he would do well in their class. She also said from what she say there is no way he can function in a regular classroom setting without lots of modifications, which they aren’t willing to do. She also gave him some sort of a questionaire about how he feels about himself as a student, said she almost cried, he has no self esteem and thinks he is stupid.
Gee, wonder where he would have ever picked up that image of himself. I said well, we try to boost his self esteem at home all the time. She said she could tell that, from things he said about subjects other than school. but that the school is going to have to do something to make him feel successful. LOL, that should be a trick.
Also, in answer to the other comments, thanks for your suggestions, but it seems I have no other choice but public schools. We live in a rural area…no private schools, I can’t even find a tutor who specializes in multi-sensory language arts.
I’ve considered homeschooling….but the fact is….he loves the socialization, plus he excels in sports and where we live the only way you can play sports is to attend public school I can’t take that away from him, or he would have nothing.

He felt pretty good about himself last night after the tutor was here, the first time I’ve seen him have a positive outlook about anything pretaining to school in a long time. So maybe this will help a little.

Thanks for all your responses.

P.S. I had already decided I was never mentioning my son to her again.
I also plan on calling the director of special education to tell her of the teachers comment, probably won’t do any good, but I want her aware of the situation. That way when I rely on my last resort of filing a state complaint, she’ll be aware.