i just got back from school

[Seveen]

we are one month into the school year so i made an appointment to meet with my son's special education teacher to review his IEP (i do this every year so my son is not just another face in the sea of faces)

when i get to the school - no one can find the teacher - they ask me "are you sure you have an appointment"

thank goodness for smart phones - i was able to whip up the email exchange

about 15 minutes late - she turns up

i begin to discuss my concerns with her that his "modifications" are not being met

close proximity to teacher - one class he's sitting in the back of the room

ESE assistance 4 times a day - he's getting 2 and she tells me it may be a problem to get 4 due to "contrainsts" (school has to provide IEP services)

i emailed his teachers on september 6 and not one of them responded - not even with a "thank you" and not one teacher has reached out with concern about my son's grades (not doing so good right now).

although the teachers are able to post homework on-line - they are not doing it - without this the liaison between teacher and parent are broken

the meeting lasted about 20 minutes

she told me she would touch base with his teachers again

i told her i would follow-up with an email noting our discussion and my concerns (this is the paper trail)

and i assured her that i have been dealing with special ed issues since kindergarten

and that <span style="font-weight: bold">i know how and where to take the next steps </span>if i don't see any results

thanks for letting me rant

now i will be able to write a nice calm professional followup email

[mountaingal]

Re: i just got back from school

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Seveen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">w

thanks for letting me rant

now i will be able to write a nice calm professional followup email


</div></div>

lol. sevvie

[FrenchTickla]

Re: i just got back from school

what grade is he in now seveen? is a new school? u haffi go thru this every year?

between fi u and fi wendy story mi may as well start hit di lotto hard and hope mi can retire and home school /0\

[kia027]

Re: i just got back from school

(((Seveen)))


What is ESE?

At my son's school the guidance office has a form with all the subjects listed. Every Friday boykia has to have the teachers sign the form to tell us how he is doing . WE have to sign it over the weekend and he has to hand it back to guidance on Monday. The forms are kept in his file until the end of the year when they are dumped. This is how we are keeping track. Granted this is only the 2nd week into the form. Funny thing is boyKia does not feel as if he is standing out because there is a line on Fridays for the teachers to sign.

Yes keep your paper trail (we do too) and yes come in with the child advocate... You would think the school would know you from LAST year ~sigh~

[Seveen]

Re: i just got back from school

ESE = special education services

yep i have to go through this every year - new teachers

i should be able to see homework on-line as well as grades - but the teachers are just doing the grades

abu do you have any homework - &quot;nope&quot;

she could tell i was &quot;upset&quot; when i left the school (oscar performance)

i'm not as upset as i acted to her - because i know what to do next

and the county and state folks know my name - but i can't go there yet - soon though

[Seveen]

Re: i just got back from school

at home i have taken away all distractions

PS3, iPhone and computer and the TV out of his room

he says &quot;i have no life&quot;

[kia027]

Re: i just got back from school

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Seveen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">at home i have taken away all distractions

PS3, iPhone and computer and the TV out of his room

he says &quot;i have no life&quot; </div></div>

Have him prepare and share with you a study hall schedule - 2 hrs a day is what I have boykia doing. Granted he does not have enough schoolwork to use that time but he
1) reviews what he learned in school that day
2) does hw
3) reads ahead where he can
4) reads his other books

Once a week boyKia has to show us his notebooks, textbooks (aka dump his bag out) and show his father what he is working on. This helps us to see if he is writing his assignments down (because the so called online teachers are not online like yours ) as well as removing banana peels from his bag


BTW he just realised why he cannot open his locker had the combination wrong. I looked at his schedule with the combo (telling him to put it in afolder with his miscellaneous stuff) and he noticed it

I lost my bet i thought he would not get that locker open until October

[kia027]

Re: i just got back from school

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Seveen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">at home i have taken away all distractions

PS3, iPhone and computer and the TV out of his room

he says &quot;i have no life&quot; </div></div>

We follow RichD's advice about the phone - as you go to bed so does the phone so it is taken out of his room and placed in a general phone charging area in the house

never had computer and TV in the room.

I remember the VP of middle school saying the worst thing u could do is give ur kid a computer in their room. So the iMac is in the living room

[Seveen]

Re: i just got back from school

kia - i don't have a child advocate - that was when i was in atlanta (5 years ago)

and i learned enough from her to do it myself because now i know what the school is supposed to provide and how to escalate and how to do it FAST

and her being late didn't put the best taste in my mouth before the meeting even started . . .

[Seveen]

Re: i just got back from school

well the phone is home now

some of the teachers tell the kids they can listen to music when they finish their work - so of course he says he's finished

the last straw was seeing facebook postings from school

abu is in 10th grade and 15-years old

[kia027]

Re: i just got back from school

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Seveen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">well the phone is home now

some of the teachers tell the kids they can listen to music when they finish their work - so of course he says he's finished

the last straw was seeing facebook postings from school

abu is in 10th grade and 15-years old </div></div>

sounds like he can the phone on weekends. If he must have a phone, a flip phone with no texting during the week may work

[Seveen]

Re: i just got back from school

so i received an email from the special ed teacher that she sent to abu's teachers reminding them of his modifications

i emailed back restating what she and i discussed and noted that not one teacher had homework and due dates on the grade portal

the real issue is that abu is not getting the support in class that is needed based on his IEP - now that is a big issue - federal issue here - and i have NOT gotten a response on that

and she should know whether the modifications are in place - not hear from me that they are not

[Seveen]

Re: i just got back from school

he would rather die than have a flip phone

[Nanook]

Re: i just got back from school

Go Seveen! I am scared for today's children when I see such slackness in the schools. Abu and little Wendy are the lucky ones, some parent's just plain don't give a damn. Kudo's to you both for your diligence, as it will ultimately help the rest.

[Seveen]

Re: i just got back from school

i think some of the teachers are good - but they pre-judge your child

and unless you step in they will just let the child languish

i expect this to be over by the end of the week

you should see the emails i wrote

they KNOW they are on notice to get it together . . .

when i wrote the media last year - the issues were resolved in minutes