I need help with this, please give input

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

This could be a little lengthy, but I need to be to explain the issues.

AT the very beginning of the school year I made contact with me childs teacher. I did this without pressuring her or invading on her space as the teacher. I wrote her several letters of concern that she took her time responding back to. I also addressed those concerns to the principal as well. Still no input from the principal either. I also went as far as to offer volunteering in the teachers class.

I mention volunteering in her class simply because I am a very involved parent, and I do volunteer at my childs school quite a bit. But since my son has entered into her class .I have not been able to or made to feel as though I am a equal partner regarding his/her education.

I mentioned in the second semester that I was concerned with our child declining in the area of math. I was told by the teacher at that time that possibly since he/she was in a new environment he/she just needed mor time. Previously our chils was in a self-contained setting. He/she is now mainstreamed in with the general student population.

I wrote the teacher again about a month ago.I did not get a response until a little over a week ago. It just so happen that I saw her while volunteering and so I inquired “why had I not gotten a reponse”. She stated that she had gotten the email and had responded back.But that she would resend the email again. SHe did and in that email she stated that she though it best if we were to wait unitl the spl return from leave.

Then the following week she sent home an interim informing us that our child was not performng well in the “specific areas of math quizzes and test”.

I then decided to go to the special ed. ritzy at the school she theen directed me to the principal.

I met with the principal, he more or less pointed out how I should be more specific or rather give clarity to the teacher. I was informed that teachers can’t
respond through email on how to help a student. I hope that I am quoting correctly. That if I am to give supports at home then I should use those same strategies that are being taught at the school.

How can I wanted to say? I have did all I can to communicate with his teacher
for the best interest of my child. As frustrating as this has become I have kept my cool and not taken this outside of the school.

I need some assistance with writing a letter, to the principal and the teacher. I have an idea of what I want to write, but I do not want to turn this into something ugly. This is whay I have allowed the school to ignore me since the beginning of the school year. I thought the less I said the better. I don’t want to take this outside the school but I feel at this point I have no choice.

HELP!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 03/30/2003 - 11:40 PM

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Dear Polly3k,

Welcome to the old run around. Please don’t let anyone ignore you any more; you don’t deserve that and neither does your child. You are right, the teacher should respond to your emails and so should the principal. If the teacher needed you to be more specific, then she should have responded and asked you herself or had you come in for a meeting. If they want you to use the same supports as they do at school, then they should have called you in and told you what they are. Finally, if you expressed concern about math, the teacher should have addressed the problem, not told you to wait and then send you an interim just confirming what you had already noticed.

As far as the letters go, I suggest you write one to the teacher and cc copies to the principal, the superintendent of the district, and the head of the special education department. If your child has a case manager on the child study team (or whatever your state calls it), send a copy to him/her too. Also, check out your child’s IEP and see what supports, modifications, and accommodations are stated in that document. The teacher is required by law to do everything in that document.

You should start off with something to smooth the way, like, “I realize that children often have difficulty moving from a self-contained setting into the mainstream, however, I am concerned that my child may fall behind in several areas, particularly math. ” Then mention that you contacted the teacher and the principal about this and note when you sent the email, but the problem has yet to be resolved. Request a meeting with the teacher, the special education department, and any support personnel as soon as possible to develop strategies for addressing your child’s needs and to perhaps amend the IEP if necessary. Ask them to prepare a written list of the strategies, modifications, and accommodations that have been implemented to help your child succeed up till now for the meeting. Then end with something assuring them that you want to work with them to help your child reach his or her potential.

If you don’t get anywhere by being nice, you may have to get an advocate and warn them that they are violating federal law if they do not follow the IEP and keep you informed. Just don’t wait too long. Some districts mainstream classified kids without the support they need so they can collect the extra state aid without spending the money on that child’s needs. I know… I’ve been there.

Good luck!
Fern

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/31/2003 - 12:08 AM

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Sounds like this teacher is one of those… There’s little to do to bring these people around and it’s easy to put the hair up on their backs. It’s also true that there aren’t always sure-fire answers to why any child is not doing as well as we would like them to do.

It sounds to me like that’s the case here. Certainly what the principal said to you was ‘gobblety-gook’ blah, blah do the same thing at home as we’re doing at school blah blah. They’re giving you the run around because they don’t have any real answers for you or certainly any tricks up their sleeve.

If it were me, I’d tell myself this school year is almost over and bite the bullet. This summer I’d either get a tutor for him or work with him yourself. When you do that, sometimes you can uncover the reasons for why your child isn’t doing well in the subject. Teachers rarely work with any child one on one in the classroom and if you do, you’re likely to get to know him better as a math student than does his teacher in school.

Does he have homework in math? Check his homework if he does. Is he getting the problems right? Check his tests and see if the problems are similar to the homework. With some detective work on your part, you can probably piece the story together better than this teacher he has can tell it.

Good luck.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/31/2003 - 6:04 AM

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hi polly,

you are definetely not alone in this situation!!! i have written so many letters this school year (and have more to go) that it is just silly.

i have very little contact with my severely dyslexic 5th graders teacher this year, because the teacher/school will not let me. the resource room teacher does not answer my questions, because as someone else posted, they don’t know what to tell me. i have realized that they really don’t have a plan, or a clue, about how they are going to teach my child. though they have slipped him into the same-program-strategies-they use for all kids with a dyslexic profile, they can’t even tell me what strategies they are using. my child has decided he is going to figure out his own way to do multiplication; he is so frustrated of not understanding,in spite of all the “help” he is getting.

we have had to “bite the bullet” this year and just count the days until this grade is over. i cannot openly and honestly tell my son his teacher is right or that he needs to listen to her, or that she is even a nice person. she is a teacher who makes him “feel” stupid every day he goes to class. the administrators do not see this or admit to this (of course they can’t) and it has become my son’s “problem”. it is sad, BUT my fingers are crossed we get the BEST teachre next year. i know they are out there and my son deserves to get a great one after this year!

sorry i wasn’t more helpful. just needed to vent a bit…

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/31/2003 - 2:25 PM

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Polly,

Just so you know you can ask for an IEP meeting any time you think there is a need. If you ask in writing they have to schedule one. Then once you have the meeting you address the issues. If they want to close up the meeting before everything is worked out then you write another letter asking for another IEP meeting because the issues are unresolved.
Also, follow up all your meetings with your a written letter stating your point of view and your understanding of what they said. State things you agree and disagree with.
Start letters like this, As per our converstation you stated blah blah blah. I am requesting blah blah blah. Be very specific about what you expect and what you want.

Start a paper trail today.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 04/02/2003 - 8:52 PM

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Thank you all for your responses. Your support is wonderful and I am afraid you are all right. I have decided to bite the bullet but I will also forward a letter as well. We will get a tutor for the summer as well.

Thanks again,

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