Teachers, please show some empathy! (repost)

Granted-this is a parenting board- and some of these parents have a lot of very understandable frustration.

However- the teachers and evaluators who post here are caring and responsible individuals with an enormous amount of expertise that they share at no charge. Many receive private emails asking for further clarification and information that they answer on their own time- also at no charge. When these same teachers/evaluators/SLP’s post on the TEACHING boards with their frustrations- especially when those frustrations are related to parents they are trying to work with- this same group of parents that you are asking empathy for hop all over them as if they were committing a major insult to all parents. This happens here and on other teaching boards. That sensitivity goes both ways. What is needed is some consideration for each other and for people to take the time to think about how what they have written will sound- before they hit the post button.

This board has lost the input of many wonderful professionals who don’t post anymore because of the adversarial tone and the need for some parents to take out their frustrations on the first available representitive of the system they are fighting. The long time posters will remember many of them- and I for one regret their absence. Venting is great- but manners are better.

So, basically what you are saying is that I should mind my manners and not post my frustrations with other parents who are feeling the same thing? Even though this is the parenting a child with LD board?? When my child screams from frustration and cries in my lap, I should mind my manners and not vent to another parent who had the same experience, I should try and be as politically correct as possible?? No thanks, I need to protect my children and make sure they get the help they need!

I posted several responses explaining my right to vent about the lousy teachers IN MY DISTRICT!! I am sorry that teachers and parents, who post on this board can not seem to grasp this. Again, TEACHERS IN MY DISTRICT! Thank you!

MY BROTHER CAN’T READ!! He cant’ read at the hands of the educators in my district. The same teachers who said for almost 10 years, “He is doing just fine, keeping up with his peers, super, super, super, Don’t’ worry”

Then when my family had him evaluated and found out he had CAPD for 10 years and not ADD, the whole attitude changed, “He just isn’t working hard enough, he should try a little harder, we don’t have time to help him, I have lots of other kids in my class” and the best one to date, from a special ed aide, “You know, student A, it doesn’t just take one teacher to teach you it takes many!” I obviously taught him well, because he said “If that one teacher did their job, it wouldn’t take more than one teacher” AAAHHH, very nice!!So caring so compassionate, would you mind your manner when someone dumped all over your child? I went the “how can I help, tell me what I can do to help you” route and all I got was slapped in the face. Again, remember not all teachers* and district* are the same, some are actually not very good.

I am so tired of having this discussion! From now on any time I mention the word teacher*, I will add that little asterisk followed by:

“The following statements are made regarding the district I live in. I am talking about specific teachers that I have had the unfortunate experience of working with. I will not post the names and district of the teacher and I am not lumping all the teachers on this board together. If I am looking to offend a specific teacher, I will post something along the lines of “NAME HERE, you are a lousy teacher!!” Thank you.”

It is unfortunate that some teachers have decided not to post hear, apparently these teachers are so caring and wonderful that rather than try and help me work through my frustrations and anger with my system, they stop posting, interesting, to say the least.

These teachers that post here are extremely helpful, they have helped me many times! I would be more than please to have educators, the ones on this board, be helping my child, but I don’t. Is this so hard to understand, not all teachers are good teachers? Haven’t any of the teachers who post here ever come in contact with a “bad” teachers? I find it hard to believe that they have all worked and been educated themselves by great teachers!

This is board is called parenting a child with LD. I come here to talk with other parents who are having similar problems, not defend crappy teachers* but again here I am defending my position. Once again being instructed to keep my mouth shut and not stand up for myself. Sorry, can’t do it, call me mannerless if you will, what can I do, you are entitled to an opinion just like I am!

Thanks
K.

I think that manners and general civility is important no matter where one is in life; the crux of the matter is the highly charged emotions a parent experiences when they find themselves fighting for the very future of thier child. It is understandable, and believe me I know, from very personal experience.

So much of what has been posted is true here. Outstanding experts who have posted here have gone by the way side. I doubt all of them have departed due to discrepancies though. Time, work, family etc. tends to pull one away from this bb if there is no direct life experience pulling them here for daily/weekly contact or concerns. Yeah, I miss them too!

I’ve always kind of felt that this very issue is the crux of the problem between parents and the working professionals who work with our kids. I tend to think the administrations promote the conflict. It takes the focus off the greater problem, which is a bloated beaurocracy that rewards ineptness and promotes those who are not capable to solve problems. There is much protection of a system, and little done to address the initial objective of teaching children when conflict arises. When a child is not learning there are various potential reasons. To fight over why takes away the focus from the child’s lack of learning.

Furthermore, when a teacher of strong fiber and conscience sticks their neck out for a child, and then backlash happens, there is no protection from their all powerful union. Teachers are in a very precarious spot. I am not a teacher. I know some and have had run ins with others. They know the good from the bad and they can only do what they can do within the confines of the rules, codes, entitlements and predominantly within their own classrooms. It’s a tough balance to handle, and like all professions, the good ones are to be admired, appreciated and trusted; it’s the bad ones that impact us in such a way to make trust a very prescious commodity. Sad commentary.

As a parent, it hurts when your child is hurting. Being this is a parent with ld child bb, odds are good most parents here are exactly that. It becomes even more painful when your plea for help is ignored, or worse, turned against you. The severe negative impact on family life from the stresses and traumas impacted by an impersonal, brutal district does skew one’s view of the educational system. This is done district by district, parent by parent.

If it wasn’t such a battle to get funding to place one’s child where the parent feels is a more appropriate placement, and the district still maintained it’s orgional focus of educating the child… wouldn’t it be interesting to see districts using their funding to take parents to due process because the district has belief that the parent’s choice is not what is “appropriate” for the child? For example, children who were placed in David Koresh’s school in Texas? Hmmmm. If parents placed thier child in a non-public environment, and it didn’t turn out to be such a wonderful place, each year the choice could be made to return to the public system where a “better” education and “services” were being provided. IEP meetings would still be held “on time” and as needed. All those directly involved with the child’s education would attend. Progress would be monitored and… gee… the law would get enforced???? IDEA would be actually implemented????

It still comes down to protection of the golden goose that craps the golden egg. If the quality of feed for the goose is not monitored, and there is no direct, open market competition, then the status quo is mandated as acceptable, and the lowest common option becomes the only one for lack of need to compete. After enough time, it becomes more than acceptable, it becomes “that’s the way it is”, and there is defense mechanisms that go into action whenever the concept is questioned.

I still think parental choice and fair market competition in the education business would make for better public schooling… if there weren’t such a great fear of change. I DO NOT HOLD TEACHERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS.

That’s all.

Andy

ps/ clearly it is a sign of ld, and highly charged emotions to hit the post button prior to re-reading a thread/rant; look beyond the typewritten words, there’s a human back there somewhere :)

Sorry, when the very first point is something to the effect that “teachers care only about tenure…..” I shudder. That is an attack, no other way around that.

Yes, I care about my students, were I to be uncaring, I would not have purchased almost $100 of supplies the day before summerschool started, I would not buy all those books and instructional programs like Great Leaps out of my own pocket. All my colleagues do this. I hardly think this is the behavior of someone who does not care.

Next, there are a small number of extremely difficult parents out there. When you get one of these who believes her child is far more important than anything else you do with your time, then the drain on the teacher is enormous. We have a few in my district. There are a few who post on special ed. boards. Why would I bow down to any parent who insults me by taking what I do for granted, the money I spend on my classroom for granted and who then has the audacity to treat me as though my own children at home are not as important as “her” child? Why would I sit and be sweet to someone who is so selfish and inconsiderate.

Lastly, most parents are great to work with and most teachers range from fine to great to work with. That is human nature.

And, for anyone else who has a job that they support their family with………..try to tell me job security is not important to everyone who has mouths to feed and medical expenses to shoulder? I should not have to apologize to you or anyone for caring about keeping my job so my children can live secure in knowing a roof is over their head and the next meal is handled.

Teachers are people, we are not altruistic saints who are only doing the job to make parents feel good.

I guess to some degree you are right, that was an attack, on the teachers * in my district!! I don’t have a right to complain??

My family has come in contact with many, many, teachers in the last 3 years, and only one has purchased supplies out of her own pocket. I am thrilled that you became a teacher because you care about you students. I am glad that over the many years you have taught your students, you have retained that caring spirit. Not all teachers have. Why is this something that is debatable? Not every teacher is a good teacher, I don’t have the right to make sure my child has the best of everything?

Well, get me a plaque and print me a t-shirt! I am a demanding parent. I am sorry but I wanted to see results for my child. If my brother can only read at a 3rd grade level, entering 9th grade, and the school says he made progress, what grade level did he start at? I guess in someone’s book that is progress,but not mine.

The first week of school, I went down to the schoolt and introduced myself to all the teachers*. I said here is my phone number, email address, cell phone, and here is a notebook that my child will keep in his backpack, if you can’t call me or email me, please drop a small note in the notebook and I will respond. Here is a copy of my child’s IEP, if you can find a few minutes to read it, it will give you a greater understanding of my child.

Please, please, please call me if you need help! The first week of school, the teachers told my child that they discussed it with the principal and they didn’t have to do any of the things I said, and by the way I wasn’t demanding, I was pretty nice!! Oh, yah and isn’t it the law that when it is written in the IEP it must be done?

At the first IEP meeting,when the math teacher was saying how my child was failing the class,

I asked “What type of notification was sent home?”

He said ” I wasn’t aware that I needed to inform you he was failing”

I said, “I hoped by leaving my address’s and phone numbers and a notebook, you would contact me, so I could help at home or even in school”

He said ” I don’t have time to do that!”

So know it says in the IEP, that the teachers must use all available means to contact the parents.

I would love to meet some teachers* who are great to work with, some who appear to have even the slightest bit of human nature!

<…for anyone else who has a job that they support their family with………..try to tell me job security is not important to everyone who has mouths to feed and medical expenses to shoulder? I should not have to apologize to you or anyone for caring about keeping my job so my children can live secure in knowing a roof is over their head and the next meal is handled.> If my husband, who is a carpenter, told every customer he worked for, “Hey, just let me do my job and please don’t ask questions and get in my way! I know what I am doing and you don’t!” Exactly how long do you think he would have a job. That is the attitude of my teachers*. They know what is best and I don’t! Not one teacher he had knew what my brothers disability was. They kept saying at the IEP meeting

“Well, he isn’t just working hard enough” “If he put a little effort into hit he would do marvelous”

Finally, after many meeting of this, his special ed specialist spoke and told the teachers that there is no possible way that he could keep up. That he doesn’t read like they do, It is so labor intesive for him. She went on and on, the only teacher who really cared about, the one who knew if best and guess what, they still didn’t listen.

I can’t even think of a response, so basically who gives a crap how parents feel! I most definately don’t consider teachers saints.

If you are insulted that I am speaking unpleasantly about people you don’t know, that is a shame. I completely understand your point, I don’t think you understand mine? I will not apologize for being annoyed, irriatated, and down right disgusted, with the treatment my family has received!

How is it possible, for me to be proud, supporting, and nice to a group of people who sucked the life out of my child. I have every freakin’ right to be annoyed, again MY BROTHER CAN’T READ!! That’s ok though right?

Please I am tired and sick and really can’t take another teacher beating. One where I hear how wrong I am for caring about my siblings and children. If you are going to respond and tell me how wrong I am and that the teachers* I have been dealing with for three years are really misunderstood, don’t bother. I am incredibly sick and the stress gets me even sicker, I don’t want to spend the rest of the day sick and in bed because I have allowed myself to be attacked.

I need help not to be criticized for caring about my kids.

K.

* “The following statements are made regarding the district I live in. I am talking about specific teachers that I have had the unfortunate experience of working with. I will not post the names and district of the teacher and I am not lumping all the teachers on this board together. If I am looking to offend a specific teacher, I will post something along the lines of “NAME HERE, you are a lousy teacher!!” Thank you.”

K. :
I am sorry that you felt those comments were directed at you personally- they were not. Nor did I mean to imply that this was not a good place to vent frustration with a system that is clearly unsatisfactory ans not meeting the needs of those you care about.

The point was twofold : if this a place for parents to vent without censure- then the same should be true about the teaching boards- and they most emphatically are not. And more important- civility and manners are necessary regardless. We deserve that from each other.

and i certainly understand how some of these posts can lean that way but……we all have been known to say things in the heat of anger(acc/to dr phil, all anger comes from hurt-makes sense to me!). When our kids hurt, we hurt

I think it would help a teacher to skim the posts and look for a reoccuring theme-one that jumps out at me-and is a personal pet peeve-is “I dont have time”. Few things will rile a parent more than being told a teacher doesnt have time for their child!

Point should be taken by caring professionals who could perhaps find a better way to phrase their answers along these lines. I think a teacher could polish their people skills tenfold by browsing boards like this

That said, I agree that parents have no place criticizing on teachers boards-I personally havent been there(planning to lurk now out of curiousity :)) but yes, parents too should skim, take lightly what they read, and further their people skills. Im sure there are phrases parent use that bring the same fire to teachers souls as “I dont have time” brings to us. And we should learn those hot points and avoid them to help our kids.

With all due respect, I do not feel that ignoring or polishing what we say is going to make matters any better. It will only cause more miscommunication and misunderstanding.

If the right things were being done, there would not be so many lines drawn in the sand. The truth of the matter is that teachers know things are not being done right in the schools, they admit it on the boards here, they spend their own money because the school won’t buy the program the professionals feel they need to use with a student, I could go on and on. Parents get angry when there are not results and when they are told everything is going just fine, only to figure out three years down the line, THINGS ARE NOT GOING FINE, HE’S FAILING MISERABLY.

Most people realize when they are up against a hurdle they cannot clear. When a teacher realizes that it is beyond her means to help a child succeed, SAY SO FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. What good does it do any child for these people to give parents the lines they do during this meetings. If you cannot help my child, say so and I will find someone who can. Stop blowing smoke in my face for the sake of you saving face and your job. I would TRULY RESPECT the one who stands up and says, “I just don’t know what else to do for your son and we are wasting valuable time guessing.”

I get more angry everytime I find out a “little secret parents aren’t supposed to know.”

I have lost trust in my son’s school. I am skeptical about everything they say. Why? Because over and over I am told one thing during a conversation with any given school personnel and I come to find out through my own research, that what they tell me is inaccurate and sometimes a flat out lie.

In my own experience I have yet to come in contact with a teacher who would go out of her way for a child. Lucky are those who have the dedicated teachers that visit this board.

I’ve said it before, I equate teachers with doctors and when I do not see the same professionalism that I would expect from my doctor, it makes me shutter.

the law IS designed to hold schools accountable- and as you have heard from many folks who post here- most schools would rather give you what your child should have rather than face a lawsuit… It has been shown to be true time and again. If the law is on your side then you should not be afraid to take them on. It is not especially difficult to find out if you are legally within your rights. There is a lot of free reliable advice available. Many of the most helpful parents here have fought the fight and won. And will tell you that even through the heartache- it was worth it- for their child and the next one who comes down the road.

From a school’s point of view parents in fact hold most of the cards.I know you guys aren’t seeing this- but that s surely not because you have not been told.

Venting is fine. However, one of the more important aspects of advocacy is *not* putting everybody on the defensive. I would not want to empathize in a way that advocated the kind of parent behavior that really doesn’t serve the children — it’s too easy for vents to feed on each other, so that instead of the “vent” meaning that the anger cools, it adds oxygen to it and keeps it fresh and lively… and damaging.
It’s important to get, as PEte Wright puts it, “From emotions to advocacy.”
And frankly, there’s a difference between venting and attacking, and posting that teachers don’t care is attacking, not venting. There are lots of ways to vent. That one I’m not going to support.

When were *you* critized?

I didn’t thnk so.

I’m glad things have worked for you.
It doesn’t for lots of people. THat’s a reality. It *is* difficult, and can be extremely draining on the family. That’s part of what makes people angry — the system isn’t self-correcting.
You probably don’t believe me… but it isn’t ‘cause you haven’t been told.

Excuse me?? I don’t have a right to criticize the teachers in my district?? Is that what you are talking about?

K.

Let me tell you , I too have had a very difficult, draining, eye-opening experience with my school’s Child Study Team. But, I have learned alot, especially from Peter Wright’s book ” From Emotions to Advocacy”. I recommend it to all.

My way off venting is obviously different from yours, so why does that make it wrong?

I do advocate for my children, that is what makes it so frustrating. Did you read my posts? I am getting the impression that when the educators in my district say inappropriate and hurtful things to my brother, he should take that and suck it up?? I am not supposed to go to meeting and demand to know why they aren’t following his IEP?

That is part of advocating, at least in my district! I guess I shouldn’t post anymore regarding my problems, what exactly should I be posting about? I don’t want to offend or put anyone on the defensive!

I will try one more time to get this point across, short of putting in caps, as if I am screaming, I don’t know what else to do:

In the last 3 years my brother has had 24 teachers, that includes special ed, enrichment, and general education. At one point or another all but one of those teachers has told a member of my family “I do not have time to help your child!” In pretty much those exact words. Some have even gone as far as to say they will not follow the IEP. I even have it on tape!! They have told my brother to his face that they won’t help him. I am frustrated with my district, I hired an advocate to help, an atty, I talk to any professional who will listen in the hopes they will listen and help me know what to do. I read post on this bulletin board, the schwablearning bulletin board, the read america bulletin board, I go to the library and check out any LD books they may have. I read the COPAA list, anything and everything that I possibly can so that I can help my children.

I have three children that I advocate for, one of them is having very difficult problems, one is almost out of school ( and it is a struggle to convince her why she needs to go back) and still hasn’t received any help, and one is just starting school, and I am trying to get him the help he needs. Some days I get a lot accomplished and other days I don’t. I needed to come to this board once and a while and just scream, to complain, and tell my problems to someone. I would love it if people would understand I am not posting my comments directly about them, if that were my intention I would name them directly.

I work very hard every day to try and make some headway. I am sorry that some people have felt my answer were not to their liking, but this is how I vent. I vent here in part so that when I do get to IEP meetting I am not a total basket case and I have a chance to reflect, come down, and organize my thoughts. I come here because other parents have been through or are going through the same experiences.

I will never vent here again, as I mentioned before I am very sick. I can not make myself sicker on purpose. I will write in a journal or to a friend. I am discouraged that so many people did not understand that I was speaking about my own district. I am sad that the some of the teachers on this board chose to lecture instead of showing even an ounce of compassion. They continue to respond to me as if I have personally attacked them, which I did not. I will simply use this board to ask question, I will keep my personal feelings to myself.

My first and only concern has always been helping my children.

Thank you
K.

I’ve been one of the silent teachers who is working for the kids interests. I have been chewed out by tenured employees because I dared to expose what they weren’t doing and made sure that the kids were being served in ways that would make a difference in their life.

I was also one of the few employees who said, enough is enough and took the district I work for to due process in behalf of our child. I did my time in the anxiety ridden trenches of fighting for what our kid needed. In my frustration I decided to take things into my own hands, and I don’t regret that decision. Our child and others that I have tutored are better off from it. Our child is now mainstreamed after being behind for years and failing because we did what the district didn’t. What they offered looked good on paper but the sad reality was the teachers in the special ed program didn’t have the training or organizational skills to bring an effective IEP to pass.

Speaking for myself, I did and do understand that you were talking about your district.

THe problem wasn’t with venting… it was with attacking, which you didn’t do. Again, that’s speaking for myself.

This is my board of choice! I fought for my child and always wanted to improve instruction for all the children in my district. I always tried to be a good teacher, but I learned so much as a parent of a child who can’t read. When I sat in that IEP as a parent I got just as much run around, but adding insult to injury, this treatment was from my bosses and my co-workers. I got our story on the front page of the Los Angeles Times and most people I work with ingnored the fact that most districts do very little relating to the current research to teach our children to read. Finally, I told my school and my school board, that I had tried to educate them about how to teach children who were not learning to read through traditional methods and they had chosen not to listen. Now, I had to take care of my son. I left and took my son to a private LD school at my own expense (no strings to those ignorant people. I have been blessed to have a job in a district that is doing something, and does care. I know that I have put many parents at ease because I have walked in the same shoes. So, this is one teacher who is not offended when you feel the need to vent. I have felt the same and this board was often the only friend who would listen.

K.,

Please don’t just give up on posting your feelings and frustrations here. I believe that you have very legitimate points and of course your feelings are ALWAYS valid!!!!

It IS important to come here to talk things through. There are very serious communication problems between parents and teachers and no matter how hard it is for them to swallow at times it is valuable for teachers to hear what parents are thinking and feeling. How they interpret what you say (or anyone says) is not your problem. They are only written words. They can close the dialogue box at any time.

I went to the Pete and Pam Wright seminar when they came to Chicago this past year and his opening was on this very thing. Parents and teachers need to realize what each others expectations are. And he said that if teachers only realized that parents react out of fear, the fear of what the future holds for the children they are responsible for, they might better understand and help to diffuse situations. Instead most of the time well-meaning educators and administrators react defensively and the vicious cycle begins. And once the trust is gone, the deal is pretty much done.

Here’s the way I see it. Parents get a crash course when their child’s difficulties are discovered. In my case, no one gave me any direction where to go, where to look, I couldn’t even get a diagnosis of what I supposed to be looking for. (The school says they don’t like to lable the children). We believe that the educators are the experts. They went to school for this (many years vs. my 6 months on the internet).When they look at me with that blank stare when I try to educate them about my son or get the defensive attitude “I’ve been doin this for 22 years and I do it like this …” my blood pressure definitely goes up. In my experience, there is not much give and take at our IEP meetings or for that matter with the classroom teacher.

According to the law parents are an equal partner in the process of developing a plan of action within the limits of the law. Here’s where the misunderstanding starts. The school does not view us as equal and there are many ways they get around interpreting the law not because they don’t care, usually because of money. I have come to find out that in our district we have several severely handicapped children who require lots of expensive services. We also have several who have won private placement due to emotional and behavioral problems. My neighbor is one who goes to a private BD school and takes an hour-long cab ride (at the schools expense) everyday. So, for the kid who can’t read but can sit quitely in class, there is nothing left in bank for him. We were told, “if you don’t feel our services are adequate, we never discourage parents from getting outside help.”

Now, after we receive our self-awarded parental degree in micro-managing special need’s education we start to gain some confindence. We go to the table at least feeling like they can’t snow us any more.
Well, that’s wrong. We now enter the “dance” portion of our program. Even though by law we are equal, we are treated like audience members. If we speak up, we are “problem parents.” The friction begins. If your a good little parent (like I was for three years) and go along with the program, your child may never reach his potential but at least no one’s feelings got hurt and the child becomes the problem of the high school.

To wrap this up, I just want to say, DON’T GIVE IN, DON’T LET THEM WIN. It is from the administration, the teachers are stuck in the middle; but we need them in order to change things. This is exactly what their strategy is: get the parents emotionally charged up (even to the point of being sick) and then they will back down. We can’t let that happen!

Trust me, they love to say that Mom is just too emotional to make any sound decisions. They love that! They also count on not being educated on the law (I got a law book from Pete Wright, not from the school) and just giving up out of pure frustration. They really forget that they work for us! It is a power game and although parents do actually sit at the top, we are made to feel that our little voice really doesn’t matter in the scheme of things. I got the complete intimidation factor at my first IEP meeting and most parents will say the same thing. Don’t you think that is done for a reason. It sets the tone, like when they tell you that training a dog is all in showing the dog who is boss right from the start.

K, we can all help each other through this! I know we can! We need each other and we need to be able to be honest and not be afraid or intimidated to share how we are feeling when we are feeling it.

Then be specific as to whom you are referring to. When you speak in glaring generalities, then you do insult the many hardworking people in the world.

Channel all your emotions into positive ways that will help your child and brother. It is time to accept what has happened (that cannot be changed) and move forward and do what you can.

About 10 different times, I was specific!!

Thanks
K.

I appreciate your response. It has been a very frustrating 3 years being treated as the “emotional *itch of a sister” I have tried ten different ways from Tuesday to be nice and helpful only to be met with defensiveness!!

Hopefully now that he is out of that school, things will improve! I attended the school he is going to next year and already have a pretty good repore with the teachers, I am hoping he gets some of the instrcutors I had.

Thanks again,
K.

Please try to read what I”m talking about… but I won’t try again because I can’t say it any plainer.

I’m on your side. I’ll try to help anybody trying to get their kiddo an education — but no, if you post that teachers don’t care, I”m not going to post an Amen and I’ll even stand up in the e-pew and say “I don’t think so.”

And, again, I would have simply ignored that post except that the divisions caused by accusing teachers of not caring (and duly note that I didn’t take issue with the other parts of the message!) HURT THE KIDS.

And if the cyberschools just need a teacher willing to work with folks like your sister… I might be available…

I’ll email you with the rest …

Here I am another one on both sides of the fence. The response has been that I have been transferred so that I am not able to deal with the situation on a daily (or weekly) basis. The squeaky wheel either gets oiled or gets replaced!!!

Generalizations hurt us all. Please understand that there are teachers who “don’t get it” but there are also parents who “don’t get it”. Hopefully everyone can find a way in which their child can “get it”.

Good luck!!

June, July and August should give anyone enough time to lick their wounds. Get a helmet!

Schools want kids on speed. Why not insist that teachers be required to take Midol or some kind or happy pill. Thoses nasty witches ridicule kids with impunity but the can’t seem to take the heat when they screw up. Just shut up and do your benefit filled job. You witches are public servants. Start acting like it!

>When a teacher realizes that it is beyond her means to help a child succeed, SAY SO FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. What good does it do any child for these people to give parents the lines they do during this meetings. If you cannot help my child, say so and I will find someone who can. Stop blowing smoke in my face for the sake of you saving face and your job. I would TRULY RESPECT the one who stands up and says, “I just don’t know what else to do for your son and we are wasting valuable time guessing.”<

YOU ARE SO RIGHT! My son will have to repeat 5th grade at a new school because no one would admit they could not teach him. He had ONE excellent 2nd grade teacher who repected the way LD kids learn and she implemeted those methods into the general ed classroom. She was Awsome!
If he had a teacher like that every year, he might not be in the mess we are in now! THE RSP was another story….just like Lulu’s story..

You are a parent and you are entitled to a parents point of view. This is a parents BB. Frustration and anger are rightful feelings. You have the right to express them. You might like the mom to mom BB at Schawblearning.org. It is for parents. No teacher will “take you to task” for saying the “wrong” thing. I like this BB but I prefer to save my nice exempliary behavior for the IEP’s. That takes enough energy already. I should’nt have to grit my teeth on a parenting BB and neither should you!

They won’t admit they cannot teach your kid. If they did, people would know the kind of game some of these educators play. I remember a friend of mine who was LD growing up, he was falling behind in school. His folks wanted to get the IEP to state private LD school placement. The school administration bad mouthed the private school by saying he won’t be able to deal with society if he goes to these LD schools. All they were worried was they would look bad. Anyway, the kid grew up not going to college and socially isolated. His folks took the public school’s advice and did not even challenge the assesement. (They grew up in a communist society) and the school took advantage of this fact that they did not wanna rock the boat. Do what you think is right for your kid. The kid will appreciate it years later.

In Serbia. The people who are teachers or police also have familes to feed and a need to keep a roof over their head. Yet, some of them are in the court in the Hague being blamed because the West claims they did not speak up against injustice. They do not apoligize either for “protecting their family”.