"Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or 6 to ----------7!
Raising a kid with a disability is a challenge that a majority of people do not have a clue about.
My middle son had CHARGE Syndrome before CHARGE syndrome was a syndrome. At the time I learned about it, it was called an "association", because 26 years ago few knew what it was, although it was there. Similar to the recent rise in the identification of Autism, CHARGE kids are more identifiable now.
For those who don't have a clue, it takes more time in the day to raise a disabled kid than a typical kid. The sad, bad fact is that there is probably more people who are in power and control positions that have typical kids than there are power and control people with kids with disabilities. For those few who know, it is my understanding that my local school superintendent has a child with a disability, and it is also my understanding that he went to a private school. Correct me if I am wrong.
I have little empathy for the public school system, because in my opinion "they" get what they deserve. The reason "they" get what they deserve is because of the way "they" run their business of education.
The airplane industry is facing the fact that airplanes are crashing because they are stretching the number of hours that pilots work.
The trucking industry faced this same problem years ago, stretching the numbers of hours that truckers drove.
The medical industry faces this same problem today, stretching the number of hours that doctors and nurses work.
There are laws on the books that are supposed to stop the abuse.
The leaders of the business of the industries appear to have a "laws on the books be damned" approach.
Unless they are called into court.
The fact is, the odds against being called into court are in their favor.
And, the leaders know it, because their legal advisers tell them.
I, as a parent of a kid with a disability, can empathize with the number of hours that a teacher needs to meet the individual needs of the disabled kids. I, as a parent of a deaf/blind kid, only have to deal with one. And furthermore, I don't have a 1" thick federal publication that outlines all of the federal requirements that school systems are supposed to meet. Not that they do, mainly because in order to meet the law, it would cost too much time.
Time is money.
A typical disabled kid gets to school at the same time as the typical students....(wait for it)... well, they are supposed to.
A typical disabled kid leaves school at the same time as the typical students......(wait for it)....well, they are supposed to.
OK, let's hear it from the real people in the trenches. How many kids with disabilities, which have their own bus, get to school late or leave school early? What? It's only 5...10...15....20..(?)minutes difference- - for their safety..of course.
A typical disabled kid needs more resources than a typical kid to meet the same results.
I will repeat that statement.
A typical disabled kid needs more resources than a typical kid to meet the same results.
I only have one disabled kid.
You can not imagine how I felt, as a parent, when an administrator told me that my kid was not the only one "they" had to deal with. I could not easily process this concept after hours, and I do mean hours after I learned the game, of being in an INDIVIDUALIZED education plan (IEP) meeting.
Pass this on to your power and control people, the ones that say they know what "reasonably designed" means.
My bet is ............ THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE.
Now, let's talk behavior. After all, isn't the only real concern that "the system" is concerned about is behavior? Teachers, who get it, know how to address disabilities. But, when behavior becomes the focus, relatively very few understand the need to interpret behavior as communication and then develop a means of communication, and, more importantly, the social-emotional development that must occur.
How much time does it take to address changing a students behavior?
I will repeat the question.
How much time does it take to address changing a students behavior?
21 days..... if it is done correctly.
A second..... if you use a bullet.
How many disabled kids who are angry have the verbal ability to say: "Excuse me, dear sir or madam. I am a bit put out by the apparent transgression that just occurred, and I beg of you to hear my argument."
The sad, bad fact is that thought-processed kids do not speak the Queen's English - they express emotions through physical action (acting out their emotions?) - a language most people do not know how to interpret. How many of those do you know are around kids who "act out." Think about it.
Teaching special education kids takes more resources.
Time
Money
Time
Expertise.
Time.
Education.
Time.
Experience.
For those who have read, and understand, the legal requirements to meet the federal law of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and not relied on some 10 minute in-service for their watered down bastardization of what is the real law, it takes time to meet the law.
Parents can teach teachers alot, if there is time.
Teachers can meet the requirement of the law, if there is time.
MO 12's? That is just the start.
Deal with behavior.
Evaluations? That is just the start.
Deal with behavior.
Updating current present levels of performance? That is just the start.
Deal with behavior.
Regular ed teachers develop a weekly class plan for their class.
Deal with behavior.
Special ed teachers develop a weekly, individualized, class plan for each of their students.
Deal with behavior.
Time.
How much time in a day does a special ed teacher need to be a professional representative of their employer?
Posts
4 comments:
Pro—
The answer to the last question is, they need sufficient time to adequately develop, create, execute, and carryout students' Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) so they can write their own lesson plans.
Thank you.
Pro--
As an ESE escapee--there are many of us who left GE to enter ESE because the idea held so much potential, then returned to GE disillusioned because everyone EXCEPT teachers in the classes working every day with every student made it impossible to achieve that potential for most of the students, I MUST disagree with your position due to the above. There are many teachers that stay who somehow find enough reward in the unbelievably difficult situation they find themselves to do so. Those teachers have seen caseloads rise, have lost an extra planning period to enable them to conference with other teachers--ESE and GE, parents and students in their classes and caseloads, plan and collect data and then write those INDIVIDUAL Education Plans, update records, plan with co teachers,observe and test ESE and potentialstudents, attend meetings to refresh them on the "new" standards/practices and whatever changes are occurring that year--and there are more every year--AND--they still teach the same number of periods GE teachers teach and have the same other "teacher" responsibilities. Pro-- you have ONE child--they have many children/students. You have the time for that ONE child--they have children of their own, yet take untold hours away from them trying to keep up with all the extras for those many. No matter if your child is out of the system--support those teachers--work on changing the system that failed your child and continues to fail those teachers and other parents' children.
to anon 6:02
I was so stirred by your comment, I reposted it on a blog post of it's own, but left you hanging here.
Let's say I were to support the teachers. What would it would look like and how would it happen?
As far as changing the system, the best thing I can think of is the time that Dorothy woke up from her dream.
Pro--
Glad to have you back! Keep doing what you're doing -- and have been doing! Educate the public, be a rabble-rouser, mobilize the parents--it's THEIR kids we work SO hard to help succeed. Success is a relative term because success is such a personal thing for each and every ESE student we work with day after day. Every tiny little thing is why we come to school and so what we do--in spite of all the myriad of setbacks we have experienced. I guarantee you that most ESE teachers are doing as much as possible for each student without sabotaging their job. There is only so much that can be done as the system exists. Fight that system--help the teachers help each child! Remember that there are those like you who need to hear about what you have learned and experienced. ONLY when parents group together and refuse to accept less than the legal and ethical best effort for each and every child will things change. Together you can make wonderful things happen --the kids deserve it. Thank you for your reply and your loud voice--refusing to be made quiet and refusing to go away. That's what need to happen.
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