teachers, schools and budgets OH MY!

met with noah's teacher for our parent/teacher updates. of course it wasn't enough time (45 minutes). of course I went in with a detailed outline. and of course it's my luck that there was a fire drill in the middle of it-- was that planned?? hmmm. :)

i will first highlight the positives. one of noah's november benchmarks was to be able to trace his name (2 inches or smaller) and he was doing it! I was shocked! I knew he could do it when the letters were bigger, but he was doing pretty small letters and it looked like he was following the lines really well. Another mom said this was her daughter's goal and when she went in the teacher had said they hadn't started working on it yet. She was pretty upset. This was the answer I was planning on-- but she surprised me. She informed me that Noah preferred his left hand-- I knew this and wanted her to determine this on her own. I was so happy to hear that she picked up on it. But then she said something weird-- "would you like me to encourage him to use his right hand instead?" I was shocked-- I didn't know teachers ever suggested this. I thought it is what it is and that's it. It's not ideal that he prefers the left, but if it's easier for him then it's fine with me. She went over the schedule for the day and showed me all of the things Noah loves about school (circle/calendar) time is always his favorite. I chuckled when she talked about the "job of the day"-- she said whatever his job is he wants to do the exact same thing the next day. She told me they discuss it every morning. If his job was lights...he thinks it's his job forever. He loves "jobs." It was evident that she likes Noah (she is very nice-- not academically agressive, but very nice) and could clearly see his strengths. She also said he had been eating better and more independently. I was relieved and proud to hear all of these things. YAY Noah!

Now the not-so-positive. As always, things come down to budget and money. Ugh--so frustrating. Especially since the school get's tens of thousands of dollars for every child with a disability that attends. Do these kids see one red dime? nope. This poor teacher (literally) is paying for things out-of-pocket because the school gives her nothing--even though they get extra funds for these children. The school uses it on gen-ed kids only. grrrr. Noah, along with most every other child in the class, is unable to use the computer because they have no small or rollerball mouses. All they have are adult, regular, non-wireless mouses. Most of these kids have fine-motor issues as it is, so this is an additional challenge. She said the school won't even get her one to share. Are you kidding me? Then we really got into the thick of it...

Background--Noah is currently in an ESE (Exceptional Student Education) class. This class is made up of all children with disabilities. They are all segregated from their classmates. The school would love for you to believe it is for the children's best interests--smaller class, slower pace, etc. Although that's true, there is another reason. I have written about it before so I'll be brief. It's FCAT-- a test in Florida that all kids take later in elementary school. The better the school's scores, the more money they get. Principles preach to teachers to teach according to this test only. And almost any teacher in this district will tell you how frustrating that is. Knowing this, who then do you think they don't want to take this test? Anyone that will not get a high score. That would be the ESE kids. If they stay in ESE, they don't take the test-- easy fix. But then they don't qualify for a typical high school diploma-- they go on a track for "special diploma." With that being said, Noah is in ESE most of the day and he is pretty bored. He loves the singing, interaction, etc. But he is further ahead academically. Last year his teacher had suggested mainstreaming (putting him in a class with gen-ed/typical peers) for two classes per day. She told me that she thought it was imperative that he start on that track. She suggested calendar time and reading-- the two subjects/times he loves. His IEP (legal document of goals they must work toward that is unique for every child) only refected a total number of gen-ed hours (including PE and music) and I never broke it down (grrr). It states only 8 minutes of mainstreaming per day. Keep in mind, Noah is pulled out of his class to be placed into another class and is expected in approximately 8 minutes to adjust to the environment, sit quietly and learn. Seriously?! The teacher informed me that the only subject he gets pulled out for is math because it works better for her schedule. She then informed me of what I already knew. it isn't working. Well, of course it's not. How could it?! The school and that teacher were both failing him. He could never, ever be successful under those circumstances. So during this meeting I expressed my frustration with all of this and told her that I would hate to call and IEP meeting (they hate that) but I would. That I would hate to hire an advocate to sit with me in the meeting (they really hate that) but I would. She agreed to change the schedule, do more minutes and put him in for reading. I think I still may call that IEP meeting to get the IEP amended so at least this is all in writing, legally.

On that same topic, she told me that an aid was gone from her class. She shared with me some of the negative behavior (very disturbing) that had been happening. I was relieved she was gone. But now they are looking to hire someone new (will take time). And Noah has to have an aid go with him for mainstreaming...and the teacher can't lose the one she has. So I am setting up a meeting with the principal to work that aspect out (and the mouse issue).

Overall, the meeting had it's good and it's bad. But one steadfast thing is ALWAYS the budget. It's exhausting!! This is why inclusion (inclusive education) is so important. Every child is educated in the least restrictive environment. Everyone learns together, in different ways. We have nearly 1000 signatures (online and hard copies), but we need more! If you haven't already, please, please sign:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/inclusive-education-in-pinellas-county-fl.html

For the first time in Noah's life I am looking at private schools (I know, Heidi, I know). I have never looked and if Inclusive Education doesn't pass I need to know all of my options. I have had one particular school recommended to us three times now (today was the third time!) and I feel like I keep getting this message (over and over) to check it out. And Noah's tuition would be covered under the McKay Scholarship. We would have to pay for an aid out-of-pocket and there would be no IEP (so, so scary)-- but I feel as though I owe it Noah to at least look. Be open minded. I hope to see the school this week.

More to come on this, I'm sure.