YIKES! WHAT 1:1?

Georgia,
Surprised to hear they have a reading group in the Middle School! My son is in 7th gr. and reads at a 3rd-4th gr. level. When I asked why no reading books for homework, etc. the teacher said it would be embarrassing for the students to use 4th gr. books, plus none available. I can see now, I shouldn’t have let this go…… She said we could have him read nightly as was done years in the past. Well, you know how that goes…. He has no incentive whereas last year they got rewards for so much reading time. I have a meeting 4-17-02 regarding 8th gr. Should I persue this reading matter???
Thanks.

Well, do you want your kid to know how to read?

Pursue the reading matter… but realize that you might have to do the pursuing from the home front. You can structure the reading so that it is like a “class” — and if it were me, I’d make arrangements with the teachers so that he had less homework to do because he’s working on the reading.

I’m sorry but I really have a problem with LD kids having to do everything EXTRA (after school tutor, 4 hours with mom and dad, etc) in order to get help! Let’s keep in mind what IEP means (Individual Education Plan) and if that involves getting the kid up to grade-level reading, that is what needs to happen and it needs to happen during the regular school day just like every other child. And if it takes 1:1 remediation, that’s what it takes! Yes, small group is appropriate for some children, but for others it is not, HENCE: INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN. I am so tired of the school telling me that 1:1 is not in their continuum. Baloney! You mean to tell me that it is not worth 1 year of 1:1 intensive remediation to get these kids some “real” progress instead of dancing around the issue of “helping” this child and passing them along letting the parents believe that this is the best they can expect. Resource room as a dumping ground is just not acceptable!!!!!!!!!! Inclusion is becoming the new dumping ground in my opinion. Parents need to stop accepting this as the definition as Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE). It is wrong, and it all comes down to money. If our children (god-forbid) had a serious illness and it required “x” amount of money, would we as parents not let any one stop us from getting what that child needed. Education and a FUTURE is just as important as health. We should not sell these children short due to money that we all know is there. Who are they trying to fool?

Sorry for the rant, but being told things are not possible really infuriate me.

When I first stated teaching LD in 1980, I was more like as therapist. The kids came to me for intervention of their weakest areas only; reading comprehension, visual moter etc. My LARGEST GROUP was 4 students who were in for the same areas of weakness. I gave them intensive therapy for 20-30 minutes, then they returned to the regular class. They did not come to me for any of their subject matter, but for LD therapy only, and in the areas of LD psychological processing. I really liked that setup and maybe it still exists…..because North Dakota, rural as the state is does have some of the best schools in the country (check the standardized test stats nationwide). Yes, I have a reading.”group”…. I teach the students the same reading class that the other 6-8 grade teachers do. It is one of our core classes. But it is not a group, there are about 20 diverse students in the class. Well, I mean I taught them. I now teach math and social studies only and the other two LD/BD teachers at our school teach the rest of the curriculum. As far as testing….on each test taken by a LD or any special needs child, the answer document is coded “99, has an IEP”. Although the students are required to take standardized tests above their functional performance level, their tests are scored but the scores are not “counted” with those of the general student population. I don’t think it is ethical to require the students to take tests that they can not possible do well on….the kids feel terrible during and afterwards.
Georgia.

My son is was in a parachial school through third grade. He was identified as having a language based learning disorder and CAPD in second grade. I tried to work with the school but found that he needed much more support than they could offer so he is now in an integrated program at a public school. I was able obtain tutoring after school (orton-gillingham) for one hour a week that the district agreed to pay for. He has a wonderful group of teachers. Thankfully there are trained in orton-gillningham and have worked right along with the tutor. He also gets one on one each day for a half hour to work on his reading/writing. This program works because the teachers work very hard at it and have no problem calling you at night to talk about what your kid needs or what they should do to help them. I feel very lucky indeed and my sons self esteem has gone up now that he sees some successes. He has a long way to go an it will be hard but with everyones support for at least 2 more years after this (not sure what his next school will be like but hoping for the same).

Now the tutoring and one on one didn’t come easy, I didn’t like what the cse offered and I took them to due process. Didn’t cost me a thing and got what I wanted. I really wanted a private placement in a private school but without representation, you are dead meat but I did get tutoring and one on one. And I am going to force them to keep that up as I know he needs it. Don’t be afraid to take any district to due process, you may not get all you want but they will compromise.

Wow, that’s fantastic! That is exactly what should be happening within the school systems during regular school hours.
Georgia

of course you should persue it! please visit wrightslaw.com

good luck!

I have been involved for only a few months with Special Education students. I happen to be working “technically” as a 1:1, but many times one of the other students in the class (of 11) will either tap me on the shoulder to help them with a quick problem or YELL it across the room. However, this experience has inspired me to go for my teaching credential though (presently, I am an assistant).

The school district I work for (in the Southern California area), has been forced under a Federal Consent Decree to phase out their Special Education Centers.

The judge has ordered the district to put ALL special ed. students in an interactive environment. This is too much of a generalization in my opinion.
I agree that in some cases, this would be just fine.

However, in many cases in the school where I work, the students have the mind of less than a one year old. I can’t see how they would ever interact with the “General Education” students. They can’t walk, talk, or even feed themselves (some even have to be fed by tubes). Some others would have the k-5 grades teasing them because of their disabilities to the point that they would no longer want to attend school.

I really wish the bureaucrats that make and enforce the laws could spend a day or two in one of the classes at these schools. At least they would see that not ALL LD students can be lumped into one category!

Lisa wrote:

I have a problem with it too. I don’t like it.
I have other problems though.
If I’m a teacher with 8 kids in a classroom, *every one* of them s an *individual* with an IEP. If your kid’s 1:1 means the other 7 get 0:7, their IEP’s aren’t being implemented. They aren’t anyway, and that is yet *another* thing I have a problem with.
Oh, that’s the school’s problem. THey “Just Have To Do Something.” Well, fine — keep talking to the school. In the meantime, I will do the best I can to meet all my kids’ needs. And, in the meantime, is your kid learning to read?
Unfunded laws are very hard to enforce.

Trust me, I have banged my head against the wall for years trying to do what was/is best for for my students.

I disagree with worrying about placing multi-hndicapped children in the regular ed classrooms. My daughter is multi-handicapped and has been in our neighborhood elementary building since kindergarden. She’s 10 now and the other kids love her. I think it helps that these children have been with her since the beginning and are growing up with her. They take turns being her helper each day by pushing her wheelchair, reading to her, etc.
My daughter isn’t learing, but the other kids are learning alot!
Many parents have commented on being happy that my daughter is in their childs class. However, it should be an “individual” decision and the reg. ed. room might not be suitable for some.

YOu’re right.

A huge problem, however, happens when accepting that “he’s not learning, but the rest of the class is” is applied to LD kids who *could* be learning, and learning a *lot,* in an appropriate placement. Unfortunately it happens frequently.

I am involved with a major university and the professors in the School of Special Education all agree that inclusion is a positive thing for all involved EXCEPT for kids with Learning Disorders! This department all believe that kids with LD need to be in small classroom setting and would be better off in a room with 10 -12 LD(not necessarily BD) with additional social skills being taught.

That is why those of us with kids who are LD have such a battle with full inclusion in busy, crowded main classrooms with well meaning teachers who unfortunately dont have the skills or the experience to teach LD kids.

FINALLY!!! That is exactly what I wrote in my essay! These LD children need to be grouped according to their learning style. A group of twelve could have a teacher and several aides and/or the room could be sectioned to have hands on learning centers. In my son?s last year Sp. Ed. class that he went to they teach words by drawing pictures. There are several way to learn that are not used int the class room. It is time consuming for the regular teahcer to do both. My son is an honor roll student with modifications on quantity not quality. But he has problems with social studies. It hard to remember all the dates for test. He does get embarrassed having to leaving for special ed. He’s in the 5th grade and reads on a high third grade and fourth grade level and he is a slow reader.. The only thing that saves him from ?total? embarrassment with his peers is he is good in math. But when he gets in higher grades I know the embarrassment is only going to get worse at having to leave to go to sp. ed.

I know being in a class with others like him from day one would help. These children would connect and build friendships because they would all be in the same boat. The only thing is?this room NEED NOT BE LABELED! If it has to be labeled on paper, then so be it.

The teacher who?s job it is to teach children have no training in college on how to teach our children. I find this ridiculous! Not the teacher’s fault its because this country does not REALIZE exactly how many children have a LD.

I?ll repeat this today! And I?ll say again in the future? It is going to take people like us who care?to unite by the THOUSANDS! And write our essays ? letters-by emails and reg. mail? and send on ?a certain day? to make our point. We are going to have to reach out to other LD?s in our community, our relatives ?Moms ?Dads- Grandparents, uncles, brothers. If you have a large family, whew! talk about mail. It may have to be continuous TILL THEY LISTEN! But when we complain we need to offer solutions. The ?important people? are so busy with other matters they are not taking us serious and are not working on the solutions.

Think about it! The professors at this major university have a solution. Before you throw it out the door, think about it. Although I do agree all LD kids do not need to be grouped together. COMMON SENSE needs to prevail in several areas in our school systems, starting with this issue!

IF this present solution has not worked in the past why does anyone think it will work in the future. I can not believe all the pain and suffering I am reading about in these chat rooms. It?s all I can do to keep from crying every time I get on here. Can?t all of you feel the every child’s pain? Every night I go to bed I think about these children. I see the pain on their faces. I feel the heavy beat of their hearts as they approach the school. Another day of being misunderstood. Another day of learning only half of what the other kids are learning. Feeling Stupid, Feeling Dumb! ?It is estimated that 25 to 30 percent of the school?age population in this country has a learning disability? (Smart But Feeling Dumb, Harold Levinson, 63). ?Approximately 50 percent of the nation?s unemployed youth age 16-21 are functional illiterate with virtually no prospects of obtaining good jobs and 85 percent of all juvenile offenders have reading problems? (Urgent Need For More Dyslexia Research)

I have three choices in my essay, but I have recommend the one for separate classrooms and one on one teaching as being the answer in helping our burdened children. It is the most cost effective and would solve a lot of our children?s learning problems within the classroom. It would equally solve many of the inadequate feelings a child sometimes endures each day in our school system. Since statistics have proven there are children who have learning disorders within our schools, it only seems appropriate to recognize these difficulties and apply the proper teaching strategies where every child can have the opportunity to an education and live a successful life. Tradition is hard to change, but when tradition bestows a heavy burden upon our children and abandons them in our system, something needs to be changed.

First step UNITY!
Shannon

Sorry so long, but I do feel a little better! But it won?t last long, and it shouldn?t till something is done!

Lisa,

Wow you are so on target. My IEP meeting is Wed can you come? You are right I have been paying for a totor 2x a week to do the schools job.

I will keep the tutor but the school is going to add reading to the IEP.

I”d be sure to get it in there in writing the things you are doing at home. That way when the kiddo improves they don’t pull teh “see, we TOLD you we were doing a good job!” thing.

Good job. I have asked repeatedly for 1:1 reading at school the answer is always he is in ld class can’t get 1:1.

I have been paying for tutoring after school 2x a week and progress has been made but after school is not good he is tired.

I will follow you lead next year and go for it.

I would LOVE to be able to teach 1:1 or even 1:3, but most of my day is spent in the reg. ed. room, doing the reg. ed. teacher’s job. If I didn’t have to spend most of my day in reg. ed. rooms, I could spread out my 7-8 kids per class, so I could meet needs much better. I did fight to get out of the reg. ed. Careers class so I could teach this 7th grader with a first grade reading level the Reading Reflex method, but as the year has gone on, I have taken on two other spec. ed. students (not a big problem) who need a place to stay for an hour. How frustrating. I wish things would go back to what Georgia was saying about being more like a therapist. I am the spec. ed. teacher, I need to teach my kids how to read, and not with 8 kids in one room. Education goes from one extreme to another. I love the fact that kids with ld are included in the reg. ed., but that doesn’t mean they don’t need the intensive reading instruction. Hello, they aren’t going to get in 8th grade science class. I hate how kids get the shaft. No wonder so many of them are “problem” behaviors. Kudos to those of you who got the schools to give you the services, I wish more parents would do it. I work in a school district where, unfortunately, parents are uninformed or they may not care. If I found out my 8th grader was reading at a second grade level I would want to find out how to fix that. I hate to think of spec. ed. vanishing. The high school principal has pretty much eliminated special education. Three of us special education teachers share ONE room. 55 kids are supposed to have access to this room, but guess what, that doesn’t happen. I wonder why I am frustrated so often. Kids are frustrated, rubbing off on me. I can feel the frustration everyday. Glad to see others are in agreement with me!!!

Rebecca,

I hear your frustration but I have to let you know that you are truly appreciated! Thank goodness those kids have atleast you. With a principle like yours, it sounds like he/she would be happier without any special ed.

Sorry for your frustration….we all are feeling the frustration….but I want you to know that you are still very appreciated!

I was just wondering…in schools where there can’t possibly be 1:1 on one communications, can’t parents, retired teachers, student teachers, moms, dad, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and so on, be asked to volunteer. Why can’t the school set up a volunteer program where people agree to volunteer in the classroom, special ed or regular ed? They could be trained prior to working in the classroom.

Maybe a buddy program with the local high school. Most high school girls would be thrilled to get the chance to work with the cute kindergarten and first grade students. This would also teach them the value of volunteering and helping others.

I know that it might take some creative financing and a ton of volunteering on the part of the special ed teachers but maybe it would be worth it?!?

I always hear my school district complaing about not having enough money to pay special ed teachers. Even though are district is the third largest in the state and receives $5 million dollars a year, they say it isn’t enough. We just found out that when you have a special ed child in this district, that if you provide your insurance information to the district, they bill and then add that money to the general town fund, not the school special ed fund!!

Anyway, I am sure that there are enough people that would be willing to help, that it may provide some needed relief to overwhelmed special ed teachers.

Actually, in LAUSD (the district I work for) there are quite a few volunteers, but it still doesn’t cover enough area. I do volunteer work at school when I have a day off (I am currently a substitute - until I get enough hours in - both substituting and volunteering - to become a permanent employee). Right now, I am on a long term assignment until June, but I’ll still be about 60 to 70 hours short of having enough hours. Therefore, I’m not qualified to work summer school. I’ll do some volunteer work over the summer and by the time the next school year starts I should be close to having my hours in (providing they don’t have another hiring freeze - I’ve never worked so hard to get a job in my life). I tested in January of 2001, was processed in May of 2001, passed the background check in July of 2001, and worked my first day February 22, 2002. It has been worth the wait though. I am really making a difference in a couple of these kids learning skills. One boy I’ve worked pretty close with couldn’t be understood nor did he get along with anyone when I first was assigned to this classroom. Now, after about 2 1/2 months, he is saying complete sentences, writing legible words (with a little help, just bracing his hand so he has control), and is now very social. I’ve had the teacher and other assistants that have been in the room tell me that he had never done that well before. Now at the Spec. Ed Center where I work, I actually haven’t seen any volunteers, but I do know that there are several at other schools in the area. I plan on getting my credential and really going on with this now. I’ve found my nitch and will do my best to help these kids have a better life than they do currently!