2 posts tagged “bah”

8 a.m. this morning, the doorbell rings.  I thought maybe it was my brother because he's an early bird like that.  No such luck.  It was a police officer here to question my son about graffiti. 

He has been lectured so many times about not damaging other people's property and keeping it on paper.  He's been punished over and over, but I just can't get through to him.  He thinks he's getting "rep".  Well, come on, we live in Maine for Pete's sake.  There is no rep to get in Maine.  Besides punishing him, I've also bought him some trucker hats to paint on so he can start his own business.  He's been working on his own Cafe Press store too. 

That will have to wait though.  He's going to get a summons for his graffiti.  He was summonsed last month for the same thing.

Side Note:  Did you know that when teenagers under 18 get in trouble (at least in Maine), they don't get arrested?  They're just handed a piece of paper with a court date on it and then a couple weeks later the juvenile corrections worker calls and sets up an appointment to figure out what to do:  Pay a fine, pay restitution, or do community service. If it isn't too serious, they don't even have to go to the court date before the judge.  What is this teaching anyone?  I want my son booked, damn it.  I want them to take his fingerprints, get a mug shot of him, and throw him behind bars for a day or two.  Now THAT would teach him a lesson. 

I've been volunteering with him at a local food pantry as he works off his community service.  I'm happy he is being of service to someone, but it isn't teaching him a damn thing, obviously.  He couldn't even work an hour without complaining.

I don't want this to reflect poorly on my family either.  We're not like that.  Heck, we don't even speed, let alone break the law.  I am so angry that he thinks it's okay to deface property.

It's so sad.  He is really a talented artist, but he's just throwing his life away right now.  Hopefully something will happen soon

Sometimes I don't like being a parent.

In honor of World Teachers' Day, I would like to request that politics be removed from every school department. 

Let's start paying teachers a decent wage so that the people actually qualified to teach will want to hold the jobs.  Provide teachers with access to conferences and workshops on the different disabilities they will be dealing with on a daily basis.  And stop catering to parents who think their "little angels" can do no wrong.  Punish students who deserve it based on actions, not based on how rich their parents are or their race, etc.

Most importantly, add Common Sense to the lesson plan.  No Child Left Behind, my ass.  Even if a child's disability is discovered at a young age, there are no real experts out there.  Speaking from the perspective of a parent with two autistic children, "professional" psychiatrists and child psychologists don't have a clue.  So many symptoms overlap different diagnoses, there is no way to diagnose a child for certain at a very young age.  Both of my sons were misdiagnosed numerous times before they received the correct diagnosis and treatment.

What I said in the above paragraph about qualified teachers is based on personal experience.  For example, the special education teacher who was hired from a pizza shop with no prior educational experience.  Or the special education director who forced us to go along with the same accommodations again that had not worked the prior year because "they weren't used while she was on the job" (wasting 6 months of my son's time in school).  Or the special education teacher who didn't call me when my son was so upset that he ran away from the school and was gone for an hour (I found out when he called me).

I heard on a radio show the other day that supposedly it costs $15,000 a year or more to teach one disabled child.  Why?  Seriously, someone please tell me.  The special education teachers I have met have no more experience than working at the local pizza shop (honestly, one did).  They received no special training.  All of the special education students were crammed into one mobile classroom (a trailer), without air conditioning, while the special ed teacher's office had air.  ADHD students were in the same room as autistic students (bad combination if you want the students to succeed).   There were only 3 special education teachers for over 40 spec. ed students.  And to top it off, the school wanted me to sign off for them to charge Medicare for "day treatment services" at $85 a day just because my child received special ed services.

Here's a wild thought:  If a child has a disability and school makes them depressed or anxious, give the parent options.  Let the child take a pre-GED test to see how he/she would do.  And stop thinking about the all-mighty school budget.

My son dropped out of high school 3 years ago.  He had enough, and so had I.  It took this long for him to recover from his school experience (with an understanding therapist and medication).  He just passed his GED exam on his first try, and now he's looking forward to taking driver's ed and getting a job.  He is becoming more and more independent.  He is proud of himself, and above all else, he is happy. 

I applaud those teachers who really make a positive difference in children's lives.  I really do.  Unfortunately, all of the ones my family dealt with did much more harm than good for both of my children.  Looking back, I still don't know if the blame falls with the teachers or the school administrators.