Just need to vent..

[6_Time_Momma]

Sorry, guys, I just need to take a minute to vent. At the end of the shool year this past
year, my son's school sent home a note that said they (the TMI closs) had been offered a classroom at a non-special needs elementary school and that they were considering this move. There was no furhter note, no parents meeting, etc. Well, today got a note from his teacher saying she couldn't wait for the new school year, gonna have fun, etc., blah, blah. She signed it her name and from the new school in question. I called his old school saying that I was rather upset about not being informed of the new definate move, but the prinicple wasn't in. He is not going to be considered part of this special needs school anymore. THere is no full time nurse at the new school. Will he still get the speech therapy he needs? We have never been invited to see the new school.

I am torn about him being a "regular" school as it is. He will have regular class time with his old teacher and classmates in their own classroom, but will go to things like art, lunch, recess, etc. with the other kids. I am worried about safety (he wouldn't hesitate to wander away) and of course, i wonder how the other, non-special needs kids will treat him.

To top it off, he has a new bus driver this year. He had the other driver for 6 years. I just think the school should have been much more communitive with the parents.

Sorry, I just really had to vent. I am sure he will end up having a great school year, but still it really bothers me.

 

[teri]

It might not be so bad.... I pulled my son out of a special day class long ago and put him into the regular classroom with full inclusion. It hasn't been perfect, but he did very well. The other children have taken it in stride. One thing I did to help was to make a little life-book for him that told them where he was from, why he is different, and how they can help. the teachers loved it, shared it with all teh classes.

I just found out our inclusion aide quit.... I put a note on the CB about it. I am a bit upset about that and have no idea how it is going to work. And my daughter is transitioning into a new regular school this year after 3 years in a private special ed school... and we haven't had a transition meetin gyet. I can relate to your stress and anxiety!

 

[SueM in MN]

I can sympathise with you. That should have been a decision that the parents were informed about in a better way. Things like an open house and a meeting with the teacher to make the announcement would have been nice.
On the other hand, my DD has always been in day care and in school with non special ed students. In the earlier grades she was more full inclusion, now she's more in special ed classes. She could roam away in her wheelchair, but never did. Whenever we go to the mall, we get a lot of "Hi, Katrina" repsonses. One day when we were eating at Burger King when she was about 13, a group of boys walked by our table and one said hi to her. One of his friends asked who the girl was and he said she was one of his friends from Science class (his face got a little red). He asked Katrina if she was shopping for new clothes or something. He was a really cute guy who could have ignored us, but he risked embarrasment form his friends just to be nice.

 

[teri]

Originally posted by SueM in MN
He was a really cute guy who could have ignored us, but he risked embarrasment form his friends just to be nice.

I LOVE inclusion!!!

 

[Boots]

Hope that all works out for you! I'll be thinking about you. By the way, my DD spells her name exactly like you do yours. She is 25 and wishes that just occasionally someone would spell her name right!!!

 

[nancycels]

just wanted to let u know, u shdnt have any problem getting speech therapy at the reg ed school, lots of kids there where have it too. my kids have always been in a school that has
full inclusion, and i really think its been much better for them. the important thing is that they
be included in school activities too, some of the kids at the high school in the type of class u describe had a teacher who told them they cdn't go to the prom if they were post grads(kids who cd stay at school till 21) which was totally bogus!!! gotta watch the teachers!!! some of them baby the kids way too much! best of luck!

 

[mickey'sbud]

Public school, right?
What about an IEP? So often sp.ed teachers and administrators don't see that environment/location "is" an IEP matter. Though the IEP cannot dictate a particular teacher or assistant it CAN dictate an appropriate environment (and yes, sometimes-the teacher). After all, that is a major component to the success of the child. I'm a great believer in inclusion!!!! It's the real world. However, this must be evaluated carefully.

Does changing the schooling location adversely affect your child? What about the environment of the inclusion setting? Example: the lunchroom---some children only get aggitated (sp?) by the noise and the crowd --- Other children thrive!

Your child may love having this opportunity! Go for it. Make sure the IEP is being followed and that all adults envolved are trained in your child's particular needs.

One more thing, what you described is not inclusion. It is mainstreaming. Inclusion is in the regular classroom all day. Schools all too often try to get away with saying they are doing inclusion and they aren't doing true inclusion. By law your child should get "least restrictive environment". "Least restrictive" is different for each person and their particular needs. If you believe your child could be successful in a regular classroom with appropriate modifications and with appropriate assistance, then by law your child should get it. But, remember sometimes the small setting is the better choice. It depends on your child and what your school can "truely" provide (not just wishful thinking). It also depends on what your definition of "successful" is. Success comes in many forms. It's not just academics. It can be social skills.

Part day/full day regular classroom: each will have their own successes!

Now about wishful thinking,----be creative. My Dad always says, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." So venture forth and create your dream for your child. You may find out that the school would love to try your ideas. ------ Good Luck

 

[6_Time_Momma]

Just as a bit of an update. The principal (of his former special needs school) phoned me on Thrusday (I had called wanting to talk to him) and spoke with me at length regarding my concerns. He said that a second letter DID get sent home stating that the move was definite. I told him I never got the letter. He apologized. The classroom will be completely self-contained for all there classes at least until his IEP in OCtober, then they might try to include them in music, P.E, etc.

Anyway, I took Garrett to see the new school on Friday. He was sooooooo excited. I felt much better after the visit to the school and speaking with his teacher. He went today for his first day, and seemed to do very well.

I guess my main complaint was, not so much the change, but that I feel the parents really weren't informed about it. Anyway, things, for now, seem to be okay.

 

[fostrmom2mny]

Kristy, I think that as everything gets settled and in routine, you will be pleasantly surprised. Our school has Mainstreaming/inclusion classes and I feel that is is just as rewarding for the other kids to see what great and neat kids we have. They may not have an opportunity to have contact with our kids.

As a foster parent, most times my kids come to me without having any self esteem. Because in part of our school and the students, my children have been accepted, included and encouraged by their peers. I have a DD that is in High School now, but when she was in Jr. High, she was the 1st Special Ed student to take Drama. Last night I spoke w/ her Jr. High Drama teacher (she's now the High School Drama teacher) and she related to me that she tells about my daughter's story. (without using her name of course) She tells her class about a young lady that came to her class and gave her 100 percent. In the beginning, she was only able to memorize three lines of the Gettysburg Address (with note cards/which she couldn't even read) But by the end of the year, she had memorized and acted out an entire scene with a partner (that my daughter fed her lines to her

As a Sr. she has the highest self esteem that anyone can have. She's not afraid to try anything, and expect to do well at it. I know that some of that came from being so accepted by her other peers.
Gerri

 

[Michelle NY]

kristy
I hope all works out great in the new school. Good luck.
Michelle NY

 

[nancycels]

regarding drama classes, i find this was one of the best things i ever did for my daughter... she's mr...but mild, so its a bit easier than some disabilities to include, but from the time she was 15 we sent her to
a summer program at the Univ of the Arts in Philadelphia, letting her live on campus for the
last summer. This program did worlds of good for her self-esteem! She also took drama in
high school with the regular ed kids... her teacher was surprised at how much she could do.
my oldest was the first mr kid to run track at our high school... she had a ball and still runs
recreationally. Point is, inclusion was far better for them than a self contained class. When-
ever they were in regular ed classes, they did far better than in sp. ed. classes... why?
they knew what the expectations were, and were not 'babied'... nothing bugs them (and
me) more than when the kids are still getting candy for doing homework in HIGH SCHOOL! When we
first put my oldest in a child dev. class, we mistakenly forgot she'd never had to do oral reports!
wow...did we sweat that one!! but she did fine! her explanation of the genetics of color-blindness
probably wasn't as complex as it might have been from an honors student, but she worked really
hard to do it herself! Anything that gets the kids out in the community is wonderful. My youngest,
the drama fiend..<g> ...worked on a play called 'the boys next door'(the play is about young men who live in a community living apartment...) she did it in conjunction w/one
of the local private prep schools and a residential school for the mentally retarded. What was
interesting to her, was that these kids had never met kids in special ed before... she found this very
bizarre!<g> but she was the light tech for the show and did great! she also helps teach drama to
some of the kids in conjunction with some students from one of the local colleges. So, my message is,
get the kids out in the community as much as possible...and into inclusive classes whenever possible.