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Alisdair and Will started school on Wednesday. Alisdair has a new teacher. Three days in, and I'm already on a slow burn toward her.
See, I met with her before school started to check in, inform her of Alisdair's budding ADHD and how bored he can get, and generally make sure she checked in with the special ed teacher and that his IEP (Individual Education Plan) was put into place. I get some platitudes on how she will, but she's sure it'll be fine. Me, I'm seeing how she's going to have 30 kids in her class this year with no help, and I don't think fine is the word, but I let her know I was available to help whenever if she needed me.
Today, she sends a note home with Alisdair. Basically he has problems listening, problems focusing, problems being off in his own little world and forgetting where he was, and was "shooting off rockets" during Math. See, when he's bored, he pretends his pencils are rockets and makes them fly around above his desk. In this case, he's bored because he's mastered addition and subtraction, and his daddy's teaching him multiplication at home. Meanwhile, here at school, they're covering the basic numbers again for the benefit of the kids who haven't seen a number all summer and forgot. So yeah, he's bored. It was also rainy today, so they had no recess -- no chance for him to run around and work off extra energy.
She said "I hope his behavior improves next week." Well, unless they find a way to put him in a smaller class, let him run around, give him the attention needed to keep him on task, or start covering material he hasn't known for a year now, I personally don't see how it could. We've talked about it. It's just not altogether under his control, and I've not had the money to get him to a doctor to be tested and diagnosed formally for ADHD beyond the assessment the school gave last year. Nor do I want to resort to medicine straight off the bat just to keep him sedate in class. So I'm frustrated and pissed off, and so hoping I get to move in the next month or so, whether Seattle or just to the charter school in Wichita Falls. Anything but putting him through this.
Argh.
See, I met with her before school started to check in, inform her of Alisdair's budding ADHD and how bored he can get, and generally make sure she checked in with the special ed teacher and that his IEP (Individual Education Plan) was put into place. I get some platitudes on how she will, but she's sure it'll be fine. Me, I'm seeing how she's going to have 30 kids in her class this year with no help, and I don't think fine is the word, but I let her know I was available to help whenever if she needed me.
Today, she sends a note home with Alisdair. Basically he has problems listening, problems focusing, problems being off in his own little world and forgetting where he was, and was "shooting off rockets" during Math. See, when he's bored, he pretends his pencils are rockets and makes them fly around above his desk. In this case, he's bored because he's mastered addition and subtraction, and his daddy's teaching him multiplication at home. Meanwhile, here at school, they're covering the basic numbers again for the benefit of the kids who haven't seen a number all summer and forgot. So yeah, he's bored. It was also rainy today, so they had no recess -- no chance for him to run around and work off extra energy.
She said "I hope his behavior improves next week." Well, unless they find a way to put him in a smaller class, let him run around, give him the attention needed to keep him on task, or start covering material he hasn't known for a year now, I personally don't see how it could. We've talked about it. It's just not altogether under his control, and I've not had the money to get him to a doctor to be tested and diagnosed formally for ADHD beyond the assessment the school gave last year. Nor do I want to resort to medicine straight off the bat just to keep him sedate in class. So I'm frustrated and pissed off, and so hoping I get to move in the next month or so, whether Seattle or just to the charter school in Wichita Falls. Anything but putting him through this.
Argh.
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no subject
Date: 2004-08-22 01:44 am (UTC)From:That said... I'm having fun getting my ADD high school senior settled into school this fall. She's had an awful time of it, having just been diagnosed semi-officially this last year. We've busted our tails to get the teachers to work with her, but they have this attitude that she doesn't need anything extra. Are they THAT blind to her report card? Sheesh!
Meanwhile, I'm currently unemployed (but hopefully not much longer) and was diagnosed with it in March. I've done a lot of reading on how to communicate needs, my own as well as hers, and I'm becoming a pretty outspoken lil' mama. So keep the faith, and keep strong.
Alisdair is depending on you!
(PS: I live in eastern Washington now, but lived in Seattle for 5 years and have in-laws over there, so if you want to communicate, please add me to your Friends list and introduce yourself in a response in one of my LJ posts or something, or right here....)
no subject
Date: 2004-08-22 07:03 am (UTC)From:Back in the mid-80's, it became apparent that my brother had a learning disability, and my mom was determined that something should be done. She took him to a few different doctors, who finally determined that he had dyslexia and ADD (or whatever they called it at that time). She came back with paperwork and doctor's notes and stuff explaining his problems, and then sat down with every one of his teachers and explained what this was, how it worked, and how it affected his school performance. They all nodded sagely, and then said, "but I'm still failing him, because he's just not getting the work done."
So yes, I understand something of the struggle you're going through right now. I'm hoping I can avoid that same struggle somewhat myself, as there's a lot more legal framework to help deal with his condition now than there was back then. I'll keep a good thought for your daughter, though.