Okay, I know my kid brother is trouble. We adopted him and all the baggage that he comes with. My mother and I hate the behaviours and the syndromes, but we love the child and with therapy (real therapy) we hope to shape him into a productive member of society.
Our local school is not helping.
He’s being pushed through his grade level. He’s a smart cookie, but he never brings homework home. It’s a constant battle to get him to do homework; but it’s a fight we’re willing to have.
However, the school is not helping. They say he’s doing ‘great’ and ‘meeting expectations’. Expectations of what exactly? You don’t expect any better of him because of where he comes from, or the issues he has so don’t bother pushing him to do anymore? I fully understand that he’s no angel, but his teacher is letting him draw all day in class, and then 3 weeks before school is up she informs our mother that he hasn’t done any work and is in danger of failing the grade!! What happened to ‘great’ and ‘meeting expectations’!?
And now, when we ask for addition resources to enable him to get the work done in school (IPP) and as part of a requirement to get him into a special needs school for junior high– NOW he’s doing better than GREAT!! “Oh no, we really don’t see a need for an IPP, he’s doing excellent in all subjects–hardly a bother at all.”
BULLSHIT. He’s a HUGE bother, and we know it, but you just want to push him out into that notorious junior high school so he’s not your problem anymore! If he goes to than junior high school we will fucking lose him to all the shit that goes on there. But you don’t give a shit do you?
No problem, we’ve got a lot of proof that says he needs an IPP to succeed and we’re willing to go over your head and let all kinds of different media outlets just how you are failing my brother–and other children like him in your school.
If the worse happens, and he becomes a delinquent, I’m going to give him your address and turn him loose. Just so you can see the consequences of pushing kids through school without a thought for their future.
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2008.
Schools do nothing but give parents the runaround, just ask Debbie Sutherland from the school board and Joe Morrison from Oxford Street School.
Marie, can you elaborate on that? The oxford school part? I haven’t followed the school’s reputation in a few years and I’m curious to know if people have finally figured out what a horrible school it is…
Most teachers in those grade levels don’t care. They pass the kids on and claim that “theywant to boost the kids self-esteem by passing him, and that he needs to be with his agelevel.” Then the kid hits high school, and there are no lucky breaks. They don’t care if thestudent was properly prepared for the next grade level, so they fail them in high school.Many elementary school teachers do know about learning disabilities and additionalresources, but most of them don’t care. Teachers complain about not making enoughmoney, and they only do what they think they’re being paid for. I’ve seen it happen toa lot of other people. They even play favorites in the classroom. The teachers personalopinion about the child effects the way that the child will be graded.