Ok, let's see...where did I leave off? Oh yeah, the tour of "Hell High"....we were standing in the classroom talking to the teacher about the program and her class/students. I can honestly say that it just blew my mind when she made the remark that none of her students were on track for obtaining a diploma, then she came up with one excuse/lame explanation after another as to why. At that point I'm pretty sure she began to sense our doubt about this program being the "best fit" for Taz, because she desperately tried to change the subject.
She began to talk about her "plan" for Taz -- the ideas that she had for when he arrives the next school year. By the way she spoke, hubby and I both got the impression that she had been given a lot of incorrect information about Taz and his abilities. She spoke about various math skills and took a step back when I said "umm no that's not correct, before switching to the other school he was getting an 'A' in his Algebra I class." (look of shock on her face when I said that) So then she started in on something else, I forget what...and I said "no, that's not correct either." Hubby & I both looked at each other and thought "who the hell gave her this info?"
At that point the teacher said "well apparently I've been misinformed, why don't you tell me a little bit about Taz and his skills." Ok lady, you asked for it...now it's our turn for some "shock and awe"....we told her about his amazing memory, how he's a whiz at math, loves sports, etc. We mentioned again how prior to switching schools and having the behavior problems, he was in ALL Gen Ed classes -- was on the HONOR ROLL -- and was doing grade level work. At that point a light bulb went off in her head and she switched gears....started to talk about ways she could challenge him, keep him on grade level work, etc. Suffice to say, once the tour was over and the conversation ended, we still weren't 100% certain that this was the best program for Taz. We thanked her for her time and left the building.
We had some time to kill before our next tour/meeting, so hubby & I stopped for lunch. While we sat there enjoying our meal, we discussed the tour of Hell High, the teacher, the program, etc. After lunch we headed over to the high school in our district to meet up with ISD boss #2 to take the tour. When Taz first switched over to the other school, everyone on the team told us that this was just a temporary thing -- the plan was to get his behavior back on track and return him to our home district for High School. Either someone lied to us, or somewhere along the way they switched the plan and just "forgot" to tell us. Everyone at our home district school was surprised to see us there taking a tour....they were shocked that Taz "might" be returning in the fall. We got the impression that they thought he was gone for good -- that he would be staying in the other district. Ummm, no that was never the plan -- sorry sparky, but we want him back here.
Although our district has it's problems, we KNOW that Taz would be doing grade level work and the academic quality/standards are a LOT better here than they are at the other school. Anyhow....we sat and talked to ISD boss #2 for a little while then took a very short tour. The principal barely spoke to us, stopping long enough to say a quick "hi" and shake our hands, then rushing off down the hall in the opposite direction. Compared to "Hell High", there were very few things about our home-district high school that we didn't like....however, the sad thing is, those things are big issues.
For example, here in our district the disciplinary rules/policies are very strict and everyone is treated the same, regardless of disability.....they do not take the child's disability into consideration at all. Thus if Taz were to attend school here, and IF he did something similar to what occurred in the past, odds are he'd either be suspended for a longer period of time or possibly even expelled. Students here do NOT have one-on-one aides....the only exception to that rule is if the child has a physical disability (wheel chair or they are blind). Thus it wouldn't matter to the "powers that be" that Taz can be impulsive and might try to bolt from the classroom if he's feeling stressed, etc -- sorry no one-on-one aide for him -- in their opinion, if he needs an aide because of issues like that then perhaps he'd be better off at the other school (Hell High). The other thing, they really don't have a program that would fit with what Taz needs.....the options are either: (1) all Gen Ed classes with no aide assistance or resource room time, or (2) a mixture of Gen Ed and Special Ed (for high functioning students who have a physical handicap, thus Taz wouldn't qualify for that), or (3) attending all class in the low functioning/Special Ed classrooms (yes they actually refer to it as "low functioning". This program is reserved mainly for students who have an IQ of 60 or lower). Thus there isn't any "middle of the road" type of program -- something that would provide the aide service that he needs yet ensure that he's working on grade level work.
The other thing that disturbed me about the visit to our local high school, even though there are some high-functioning ASD students....the graduation success rate is still very low. The "Boss Lady" wouldn't provide exact numbers, but said repeatedly that very few students have had graduation success (receive a diploma) -- the majority receive the "Certificate of Achievement". As we spoke, I stated that it felt as though the "powers that be" along with the ISD in our district just give up on these kids....I also mentioned that it was rather disappointing that there is nothing available to address the needs of a student like Taz, someone who does have the capability to succeed and obtain a diploma. I told the boss lady that not only did it feel like a slap in the face, but also like we've spent all this time fighting and working with our kids to help them be as successful as possible, just to get knocked down and told that all of our time and effort was a total waste. She agreed and said "unfortunately that's all that is available at this time, we just don't have the resources or staff available." Well gee, thanks for that....I guess I'll just take my press-on nails and go home now huh? How in the hell do they expect these kids to believe in themselves and their abilities (and expect the parents to do the same) when the "powers that be" don't even believe in them?!
So.....that's where we are at right now. The options are:
1. Send Taz to one of the lowest performing academic schools in the district that "might" be able to provide for his other needs
OR
2. Return him to our school district, to a school that really can't provide for his needs and has a "sink or swim" mentality
OR
3. Just give up, say STFU to the schools and ISD, and homeschooling him for the next 4 years.
Sigh.....I thought after dealing with the hell of puberty, things were suppose to level out and get a bit easier from here? I guess not....welcome to Autism....the music might change from time to time, but the dance is always the same.
One last thing....as I've said before, I know that there are some children who just aren't able to do "whatever" -- because of their ASD, etc. -- I get that, I understand that, and by no means am I trying to say that they are less worthy of anything compared to my son. These kids ALL deserve the best possible chance -- they deserve to have all of the support and services that are out there, regardless of the level of disability they may have.....to provide them with anything less is unacceptable. It ticks me off that the "powers that be" have the attitude that these kids can't and/or won't amount to anything, so why bother investing any time in them....give the parents and kids a false sense of security all the way through Elementary school, tell us how much you believe in our kids and how much you want to see them succeed, then just drop them when we/they need the support the most....it's not right. How can the "powers that be" just write them off without even giving them a chance? Our kids deserve better than that...we deserve better than that....
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Planning for High School - Part 1
Hello everyone!
What a crazy freakin' week it has been! Hard to believe that we have just a little over a month left in the school year.....and of course you all know how hectic the next 30+ days will be as we deal with final exams, last-minute field trips, track & field day, IEP meetings, etc. As we wrap up this school year, we enter the planning & prep stages for next year....High School....gasp, yes High School! I can not believe that our "baby" will be entering High School already, where has the time gone?
So anyhow, if you've been following the blog at all then you know how stressful the Middle School years have been and that due to behavior issues, we had to transfer Taz to a Middle School out of district that has an "enclosed" ASD classroom. If you haven't been following the blog and/or have no clue what I'm talking about, then I suggest you go back and read the last few months worth of posts. Go ahead....we'll wait for ya.....
Ok, now that we're all on the same page, I'll begin to explain how our week has gone. As mentioned before, everyone on the "team" just assumed that we'd be sending Taz to what I've affectionately dubbed "Hell High".....the high school that is located in the same district as the school he's currently at (which by the way is not our school district), and the only high school in our county that has an "enclosed" ASD classroom/program. Hell High is located in the worst possible part of town, it is an old 3-story building (4 stories if you count the basement) that looks like it was once a mental hospital or some other type of hospital or hotel....the campus is huge and so spread out, we got lost just going from the parking lot to the door we were "suppose" to enter the building through. Oh yeah and did I mention that this school district has the worst academic record out of all of the school districts in our area? Yeah....needless to say, we're not very thrilled about that. According to the state's education info website, this school district was considered "at risk", but this year that status changed to "failure".....thus meaning that they are no where near providing what is required by the state in the area of academics, thus their MEAP scores are super low, etc. Nope....not impressed with that at all....
So after driving around the several different parking lots, trying to find a place to park and hoping that our vehicle wouldn't get broken-into while we were inside, we went to what we thought was the correct entry door (as per the instructions of the woman I had spoken to when I set up this little tour). Suffice to say, we went into the wrong door (sheesh, there are at least 20 different doors going in/out of the building).....had to track down a staff member to try to find out where we were suppose to be, and then hike what felt like several miles to the other side of the building, up and down flights of stairs....to reach our correct starting point destination. We met the ASD classroom teacher at the starting point...aka at the desk of the "security guard" (yeah something else we weren't thrilled about, there are check-in spots for each floor with security guards at each level) -- thus I felt like I was walking into a prison. So after signing in, acquiring a badge from Billy Bob the security guard (who by the way was "armed" with a can of mace and a set of handcuffs), we followed the teacher down the hall and began our tour of Hell High.
The teacher explained that the kids will get off the bus and enter the building at Billy Bob the security guard's check-in area, then proceed down the hall and cut through the cafeteria to the next hallway where the classroom is. So we walked the route that our kid would take if he were to attend this school....next stop was the cafeteria. Suffice to say, the cafeteria was HUGE....with rows and rows of tables, various food station/lines that reminded me of the terminals you'd go through at a train station, and lunch ladies who looked like they could double as guards at a woman's prison. Although school had begun an hour before we arrived for the tour, the cafeteria was gross & dirty.....garbage all over the tables & floor, etc. The teacher cheerily explained that there are 3 different lunch periods and the school is so over crowded that for "second lunch" there are not enough seats for all of the kids to be able to sit down and eat (her class goes to second lunch)....hmmmm, ok I'm not impressed thus far.
Next stop was walking down this hallway that felt like we were entering some underground tunnel.....I swear to God the hallway had a downward slope to it! The classroom was located in the basement hallway, or what they call the "ground floor".....half of the classrooms in that hallway were empty and not being used for anything. There was absolutely no color on the walls at all, everything was an off-white/beige color and the classroom doors looked like heavy solid metal doors you'd see on a prison mental ward.....(remember the movie Terminator 2 and the mental hospital Sara Conner was in, well this place looked kind of like that).....the poor lighting made the hallway seem even more creepy....and suffice to say, I was still not impressed (to be honest at that point, I was walking as closely as possible to my husband, holding onto his hand and felt like I was in the middle of some horror movie waiting for a creepy killer clown to jump out at us at any moment). At that point the teacher stopped in the middle of the hallway and said "that's the science/chemistry classroom (pointing towards one dark room and door), and over here is the kitchen area that is like the home ec/life skills type of classroom (pointing towards another door)"....then she opened this big door to what I thought would be a classroom, but it turns out that it was just a very large closet.
Yeah it looked like it used to be the janitor's room or a large storage closet, but according to the teacher this was their "study room" and where the kids kept their stuff -- coats, backpacks, etc because the school didn't have enough lockers for everyone to use. The teacher went on to explain that the kids take turns using this creepy closet, umm I mean "study room" when they need some relax time and/or a place to go work on their own away from the other students. Ummm ok, so I'm suppose to be impressed by the fact that you're going to allow my kid to sit in a converted mop closet all day? I don't think so scooter....
Then the teacher opens the door to the classroom....boy was that room SMALL! Seriously, my living room is larger than this classroom (ok maybe about the same size). They had so much "stuff" crammed into that little room, I have no clue how they'd expect any kid to be able to work.....to be honest it made me feel a bit claustrophobic just being in there. Ok yes I sound like a "Negative Nelly" right now, but honestly there was nothing that I had seen thus far that had impressed me....and I really really tried to go into this with an open mind. The classroom did have it's own single toilet restroom....that was one positive thing. And there was a small sink in the corner (looked like a mini kitchen area with a sink and some cabinets). The classroom had the teacher's desk, 2 work tables, 2 small desks with computers on them, and a couch.....yes an old leather type couch....over in the corner was a rug on the floor surrounded by some divider type bookshelves (that was the "low stim"/relax area).
As the teacher talked about her classroom and what the students do, etc I looked around a little bit....the books on the bookshelf were things I'd find in an Elementary classroom (seriously -- there were disney chapter books, sesame street books, stuffed animals, finger paints, etc....nothing I would consider "high school" level reading materials or high school level items), and on one work table there were some bingo cards and worksheets that had "simple math" things on them (spots to count/line up pennies and other coins, basic math coloring worksheets, etc -- again nothing I would deem "high school" age level items). Ok now before anyone jumps down my throat and calls me a snob or anything, I understand that some students have an IQ that is below 60 and/or due to whatever disability they may have, MIGHT require this type of stuff at a high school level.....I totally understand that.
But this place is the classroom that the "team" is suggesting would be the best fit for our son....this high school program is what they suggest, and aside from the computer, there was NOTHING in that classroom that I felt was appropriate learning materials for our son based on where he's at academically. Our son has a higher IQ, then learning materials in this classroom are things he mastered already in Elementary school....thus how is this program better than returning to our district to attend high school? Prior to switching school districts due to his behavior issues, he was at and/or above General Education grade level work, he was getting all "A's" and "B's" in all of his classes, he was on the Honor Roll for crying out loud.....yes some things were a bit more challenging than others, but he was able to do the work that his Gen Ed peers were doing -- he had homework almost every night -- he passed all of the test, read novels and wrote book reports, did power point presentations, etc.
Ok side note for a moment....the program/class he's currently in, we have been questioning thus far. Since he entered that class/program, he has not brought any homework home....nothing, nadda, zip, zilch.....I had been asking repeatedly "is he doing grade level work?" and had been told "oh yes, he's doing great and gets all of his work done in class"....REALLY?! When we first enrolled him in that program, the "plan" was that they'd get his behavior back on track and he'd be going out for Gen Ed classes (for the 4 core classes -- Language Arts, Science, Math, & Social Studies)....well thus far, that hasn't happened. It wasn't until recently that they started to send him out for 1 Gen Ed class (Science)....and since that began he has brought home homework only twice. Both times the "homework" was a single page worksheet that had questions that our fourth grade son could answer.....thus in my oh so humble opinion, what I saw coming home was not "grade level" work. The only other "work" he has brought home is a spelling list each week, which to be totally honest I think is utter bullshit (excuse my language) -- the words on his spelling list are words that his 4th grade brother is learning, words that Taz already knows. In my oh so humble opinion, 8th grade students should NOT have spelling lists or spelling tests each week.....he didn't have work like that at our middle school....he was reading books and writing papers, etc. Thus I have really been questioning whether or not he is really doing grade level (general education level) work like he was before going to this program/school, and if not then is he really prepared for what the work load will be once he enters high school?
Ok, so back on topic.....the teacher explained what they do in her class, how there are currently 6 or 7 students in this program and only ONE goes out for General Education classes....the others remain in her class all day. She also explained that due to budget cuts and blah blah blah, none of the students have a one-on-one aide (Taz needs that service because he's so impulsive and has had behavior issues that deemed the service necessary in the past). Thus there is no way in hell I would trust my son to walk from room "A" located on the "ground floor" to room "B" located on the third floor of the building -- to attend whatever Gen Ed class -- on his own. I feel comfortable saying that he could do the Gen Ed work without a problem, but trusting him to walk on his own from point "A" to point "B".....ummm probably not. The other thing that the teacher said that REALLY bothered me....none of the students in her class (even the one who does go out for Gen Ed classes) are on track to obtain their diploma. None of the students who have "graduated" from her class in the last 2 years obtained a diploma. Thus the only thing those students have/had a chance of receiving is the "Certificate of Completion" -- no diploma -- which means no chance of college or getting a job that would pay a decent salary. I guess the teacher noticed the look of shock on our faces at that point....and when we said "not even the kid who goes out for classes?"....well at that point she avoided making eye contact and came up with some lame explaination that I can't even remember at the moment. It was at that moment in time my brain said "oh hell no, this is NOT the program for Taz."
Taz is capable of more than that....he is capable of getting a diploma. He has worked too hard and come too far to just toss it all away. More on this later....
What a crazy freakin' week it has been! Hard to believe that we have just a little over a month left in the school year.....and of course you all know how hectic the next 30+ days will be as we deal with final exams, last-minute field trips, track & field day, IEP meetings, etc. As we wrap up this school year, we enter the planning & prep stages for next year....High School....gasp, yes High School! I can not believe that our "baby" will be entering High School already, where has the time gone?
So anyhow, if you've been following the blog at all then you know how stressful the Middle School years have been and that due to behavior issues, we had to transfer Taz to a Middle School out of district that has an "enclosed" ASD classroom. If you haven't been following the blog and/or have no clue what I'm talking about, then I suggest you go back and read the last few months worth of posts. Go ahead....we'll wait for ya.....
Ok, now that we're all on the same page, I'll begin to explain how our week has gone. As mentioned before, everyone on the "team" just assumed that we'd be sending Taz to what I've affectionately dubbed "Hell High".....the high school that is located in the same district as the school he's currently at (which by the way is not our school district), and the only high school in our county that has an "enclosed" ASD classroom/program. Hell High is located in the worst possible part of town, it is an old 3-story building (4 stories if you count the basement) that looks like it was once a mental hospital or some other type of hospital or hotel....the campus is huge and so spread out, we got lost just going from the parking lot to the door we were "suppose" to enter the building through. Oh yeah and did I mention that this school district has the worst academic record out of all of the school districts in our area? Yeah....needless to say, we're not very thrilled about that. According to the state's education info website, this school district was considered "at risk", but this year that status changed to "failure".....thus meaning that they are no where near providing what is required by the state in the area of academics, thus their MEAP scores are super low, etc. Nope....not impressed with that at all....
So after driving around the several different parking lots, trying to find a place to park and hoping that our vehicle wouldn't get broken-into while we were inside, we went to what we thought was the correct entry door (as per the instructions of the woman I had spoken to when I set up this little tour). Suffice to say, we went into the wrong door (sheesh, there are at least 20 different doors going in/out of the building).....had to track down a staff member to try to find out where we were suppose to be, and then hike what felt like several miles to the other side of the building, up and down flights of stairs....to reach our correct starting point destination. We met the ASD classroom teacher at the starting point...aka at the desk of the "security guard" (yeah something else we weren't thrilled about, there are check-in spots for each floor with security guards at each level) -- thus I felt like I was walking into a prison. So after signing in, acquiring a badge from Billy Bob the security guard (who by the way was "armed" with a can of mace and a set of handcuffs), we followed the teacher down the hall and began our tour of Hell High.
The teacher explained that the kids will get off the bus and enter the building at Billy Bob the security guard's check-in area, then proceed down the hall and cut through the cafeteria to the next hallway where the classroom is. So we walked the route that our kid would take if he were to attend this school....next stop was the cafeteria. Suffice to say, the cafeteria was HUGE....with rows and rows of tables, various food station/lines that reminded me of the terminals you'd go through at a train station, and lunch ladies who looked like they could double as guards at a woman's prison. Although school had begun an hour before we arrived for the tour, the cafeteria was gross & dirty.....garbage all over the tables & floor, etc. The teacher cheerily explained that there are 3 different lunch periods and the school is so over crowded that for "second lunch" there are not enough seats for all of the kids to be able to sit down and eat (her class goes to second lunch)....hmmmm, ok I'm not impressed thus far.
Next stop was walking down this hallway that felt like we were entering some underground tunnel.....I swear to God the hallway had a downward slope to it! The classroom was located in the basement hallway, or what they call the "ground floor".....half of the classrooms in that hallway were empty and not being used for anything. There was absolutely no color on the walls at all, everything was an off-white/beige color and the classroom doors looked like heavy solid metal doors you'd see on a prison mental ward.....(remember the movie Terminator 2 and the mental hospital Sara Conner was in, well this place looked kind of like that).....the poor lighting made the hallway seem even more creepy....and suffice to say, I was still not impressed (to be honest at that point, I was walking as closely as possible to my husband, holding onto his hand and felt like I was in the middle of some horror movie waiting for a creepy killer clown to jump out at us at any moment). At that point the teacher stopped in the middle of the hallway and said "that's the science/chemistry classroom (pointing towards one dark room and door), and over here is the kitchen area that is like the home ec/life skills type of classroom (pointing towards another door)"....then she opened this big door to what I thought would be a classroom, but it turns out that it was just a very large closet.
Yeah it looked like it used to be the janitor's room or a large storage closet, but according to the teacher this was their "study room" and where the kids kept their stuff -- coats, backpacks, etc because the school didn't have enough lockers for everyone to use. The teacher went on to explain that the kids take turns using this creepy closet, umm I mean "study room" when they need some relax time and/or a place to go work on their own away from the other students. Ummm ok, so I'm suppose to be impressed by the fact that you're going to allow my kid to sit in a converted mop closet all day? I don't think so scooter....
Then the teacher opens the door to the classroom....boy was that room SMALL! Seriously, my living room is larger than this classroom (ok maybe about the same size). They had so much "stuff" crammed into that little room, I have no clue how they'd expect any kid to be able to work.....to be honest it made me feel a bit claustrophobic just being in there. Ok yes I sound like a "Negative Nelly" right now, but honestly there was nothing that I had seen thus far that had impressed me....and I really really tried to go into this with an open mind. The classroom did have it's own single toilet restroom....that was one positive thing. And there was a small sink in the corner (looked like a mini kitchen area with a sink and some cabinets). The classroom had the teacher's desk, 2 work tables, 2 small desks with computers on them, and a couch.....yes an old leather type couch....over in the corner was a rug on the floor surrounded by some divider type bookshelves (that was the "low stim"/relax area).
As the teacher talked about her classroom and what the students do, etc I looked around a little bit....the books on the bookshelf were things I'd find in an Elementary classroom (seriously -- there were disney chapter books, sesame street books, stuffed animals, finger paints, etc....nothing I would consider "high school" level reading materials or high school level items), and on one work table there were some bingo cards and worksheets that had "simple math" things on them (spots to count/line up pennies and other coins, basic math coloring worksheets, etc -- again nothing I would deem "high school" age level items). Ok now before anyone jumps down my throat and calls me a snob or anything, I understand that some students have an IQ that is below 60 and/or due to whatever disability they may have, MIGHT require this type of stuff at a high school level.....I totally understand that.
But this place is the classroom that the "team" is suggesting would be the best fit for our son....this high school program is what they suggest, and aside from the computer, there was NOTHING in that classroom that I felt was appropriate learning materials for our son based on where he's at academically. Our son has a higher IQ, then learning materials in this classroom are things he mastered already in Elementary school....thus how is this program better than returning to our district to attend high school? Prior to switching school districts due to his behavior issues, he was at and/or above General Education grade level work, he was getting all "A's" and "B's" in all of his classes, he was on the Honor Roll for crying out loud.....yes some things were a bit more challenging than others, but he was able to do the work that his Gen Ed peers were doing -- he had homework almost every night -- he passed all of the test, read novels and wrote book reports, did power point presentations, etc.
Ok side note for a moment....the program/class he's currently in, we have been questioning thus far. Since he entered that class/program, he has not brought any homework home....nothing, nadda, zip, zilch.....I had been asking repeatedly "is he doing grade level work?" and had been told "oh yes, he's doing great and gets all of his work done in class"....REALLY?! When we first enrolled him in that program, the "plan" was that they'd get his behavior back on track and he'd be going out for Gen Ed classes (for the 4 core classes -- Language Arts, Science, Math, & Social Studies)....well thus far, that hasn't happened. It wasn't until recently that they started to send him out for 1 Gen Ed class (Science)....and since that began he has brought home homework only twice. Both times the "homework" was a single page worksheet that had questions that our fourth grade son could answer.....thus in my oh so humble opinion, what I saw coming home was not "grade level" work. The only other "work" he has brought home is a spelling list each week, which to be totally honest I think is utter bullshit (excuse my language) -- the words on his spelling list are words that his 4th grade brother is learning, words that Taz already knows. In my oh so humble opinion, 8th grade students should NOT have spelling lists or spelling tests each week.....he didn't have work like that at our middle school....he was reading books and writing papers, etc. Thus I have really been questioning whether or not he is really doing grade level (general education level) work like he was before going to this program/school, and if not then is he really prepared for what the work load will be once he enters high school?
Ok, so back on topic.....the teacher explained what they do in her class, how there are currently 6 or 7 students in this program and only ONE goes out for General Education classes....the others remain in her class all day. She also explained that due to budget cuts and blah blah blah, none of the students have a one-on-one aide (Taz needs that service because he's so impulsive and has had behavior issues that deemed the service necessary in the past). Thus there is no way in hell I would trust my son to walk from room "A" located on the "ground floor" to room "B" located on the third floor of the building -- to attend whatever Gen Ed class -- on his own. I feel comfortable saying that he could do the Gen Ed work without a problem, but trusting him to walk on his own from point "A" to point "B".....ummm probably not. The other thing that the teacher said that REALLY bothered me....none of the students in her class (even the one who does go out for Gen Ed classes) are on track to obtain their diploma. None of the students who have "graduated" from her class in the last 2 years obtained a diploma. Thus the only thing those students have/had a chance of receiving is the "Certificate of Completion" -- no diploma -- which means no chance of college or getting a job that would pay a decent salary. I guess the teacher noticed the look of shock on our faces at that point....and when we said "not even the kid who goes out for classes?"....well at that point she avoided making eye contact and came up with some lame explaination that I can't even remember at the moment. It was at that moment in time my brain said "oh hell no, this is NOT the program for Taz."
Taz is capable of more than that....he is capable of getting a diploma. He has worked too hard and come too far to just toss it all away. More on this later....
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Catching up
Hello peeps, yes I know "long time, no blog"...sigh.....
I swear one of these days things will slow down and I'll have more free time to actually work on the blog more (yeah right). The kids were on Spring Break this week -- of course we didn't do anything exciting. I had a few things planned that I wanted to accomplish, but suffice to say a good chunk of that didn't happen.
To add to the chaos, Taz's case worker decided she wanted to stop over twice this past week for "home visits"....oh yippee....like I didn't have enough going on. The first visit we discussed plans for next year (High School) which in some ways was a bit helpful, but the second day was a total waste of my time. She just sat here on the couch rambling about random topics.
My "to do" list is super long, and it seems like more items are added to it on a daily basis. I am so thankful for my little pocket calendar....I have to write EVERYTHING down in that, and heaven help me if I ever lose that thing cause I'd be totally lost! I used to be so organized, and now I feel like I've become senile....can't remember stuff without looking at my calendar.
Wow, can you believe the school year is *almost* over already??? Holy cow, my schedule is packed full between now and the last day of school.....field trips, class parties, IEP meetings, etc. In some ways it cracks me up, the "powers that be" have all assumed that Taz will attend the High School from Hell (ok that isn't the real name of it)....suffice to say it is NOT my "school of choice" for him. Yes it does have a program similar to what he's in now, BUT...and this is a huge but...it is located in the worst part of town possible, the academics there totally suck (they received very low scores from the state), and rather than following the whole concept of "inclusion" -- they have the ASD kids totally isolated in a far corner of the building completely away from the rest of the student body (which in some ways I guess is a good thing, cause I really wouldn't want Taz mixed in with a bunch of bad kids).
The thing that irks me though is that "they" all just ASSUME that Hell High is where we'll be sending Taz. I guess the "plan" to get him back into his own school district was just tossed out the window huh? To be honest, no I haven't gone to visit the program -- I really have no desire to do so. My plan has always been to transition him back to our school district -- that is our school of choice. From what I've been told, the high school here is working on developing their ASD program more (much better than what was at the middle school), and I really want to go and visit to see if what they have available will meet the behavior, social, & academic needs that Taz has. If not, then I'll consider other programs....but Hell High is my LAST choice.
I'm not 100% impressed with how things have gone thus far this year -- Taz was suppose to be "going out" to Gen Ed for his 4 core classes (Science, math, Language Arts, Social Studies) and thus far he's only going out for Science. The Science teacher really isn't thrilled about having an AI student in his class and has been kind of a jerk about Taz being there. Taz isn't where he needs to be academically, although the "team" claims that he is.....and my numerous requests for copies of his classwork and an academic report have yet to be provided. Last year he had homework on almost a daily basis....until recently, he has brought nothing home for homework (a week or so ago he started bringing science work home once or twice a week). Not 100% sure what he's doing in Language Arts....sure isn't writing term/research papers or book reports, that's for sure.
I'm starting to feel like the "team" has given up...like they don't want to bother with investing any more of their time or energy into helping Taz achieve his full potential. Based on comments Taz has made, it feels as though the teachers really aren't trying to challenge him academically.....seriously.....this kid brought home a "spelling list" a few weeks ago and the words on the list were words that I KNOW he already knows, stuff that he would have learned several years ago. When I asked the teacher about it, the response was "well this is where the class is at"....ummm, no....perhaps some of the students in the class are only at that level, but that is something Taz has already done thus why aren't you challenging him and providing separate work? Probably because it's easier to just have all of the kids on the same level, but that isn't acceptable for me.....just because little Johnny is struggling with whatever the class is working on, that doesn't mean that you hold everyone else back until little Johnny can catch up -- that's not right. Don't hold the other kids back from being where they need to be and where they are capable of being.....
Suffice to say, I'm not 100% impressed with where things have gone thus far this year. The "plan" to work on Taz's social/behavior needs hasn't really been followed, thus I feel like he hasn't been properly prepared for the demands of High School. And it appears as though he hasn't been challenged and prepared for things academically, thus I worry that he will struggle regardless of what school/program he is in. So....although I have a million things on my "to do" list for the next week or so, I'll be devoting more time to checking into the various programs available (or not available) within our district and other schools in the area, to determine what would be the best fit for Taz going into High School. I'll be working on putting together my notes, etc for our upcoming IEP meeting (still no clue when they plan to schedule that)....and preparing myself mentally for what I'm sure will become a battle.
I swear one of these days things will slow down and I'll have more free time to actually work on the blog more (yeah right). The kids were on Spring Break this week -- of course we didn't do anything exciting. I had a few things planned that I wanted to accomplish, but suffice to say a good chunk of that didn't happen.
To add to the chaos, Taz's case worker decided she wanted to stop over twice this past week for "home visits"....oh yippee....like I didn't have enough going on. The first visit we discussed plans for next year (High School) which in some ways was a bit helpful, but the second day was a total waste of my time. She just sat here on the couch rambling about random topics.
My "to do" list is super long, and it seems like more items are added to it on a daily basis. I am so thankful for my little pocket calendar....I have to write EVERYTHING down in that, and heaven help me if I ever lose that thing cause I'd be totally lost! I used to be so organized, and now I feel like I've become senile....can't remember stuff without looking at my calendar.
Wow, can you believe the school year is *almost* over already??? Holy cow, my schedule is packed full between now and the last day of school.....field trips, class parties, IEP meetings, etc. In some ways it cracks me up, the "powers that be" have all assumed that Taz will attend the High School from Hell (ok that isn't the real name of it)....suffice to say it is NOT my "school of choice" for him. Yes it does have a program similar to what he's in now, BUT...and this is a huge but...it is located in the worst part of town possible, the academics there totally suck (they received very low scores from the state), and rather than following the whole concept of "inclusion" -- they have the ASD kids totally isolated in a far corner of the building completely away from the rest of the student body (which in some ways I guess is a good thing, cause I really wouldn't want Taz mixed in with a bunch of bad kids).
The thing that irks me though is that "they" all just ASSUME that Hell High is where we'll be sending Taz. I guess the "plan" to get him back into his own school district was just tossed out the window huh? To be honest, no I haven't gone to visit the program -- I really have no desire to do so. My plan has always been to transition him back to our school district -- that is our school of choice. From what I've been told, the high school here is working on developing their ASD program more (much better than what was at the middle school), and I really want to go and visit to see if what they have available will meet the behavior, social, & academic needs that Taz has. If not, then I'll consider other programs....but Hell High is my LAST choice.
I'm not 100% impressed with how things have gone thus far this year -- Taz was suppose to be "going out" to Gen Ed for his 4 core classes (Science, math, Language Arts, Social Studies) and thus far he's only going out for Science. The Science teacher really isn't thrilled about having an AI student in his class and has been kind of a jerk about Taz being there. Taz isn't where he needs to be academically, although the "team" claims that he is.....and my numerous requests for copies of his classwork and an academic report have yet to be provided. Last year he had homework on almost a daily basis....until recently, he has brought nothing home for homework (a week or so ago he started bringing science work home once or twice a week). Not 100% sure what he's doing in Language Arts....sure isn't writing term/research papers or book reports, that's for sure.
I'm starting to feel like the "team" has given up...like they don't want to bother with investing any more of their time or energy into helping Taz achieve his full potential. Based on comments Taz has made, it feels as though the teachers really aren't trying to challenge him academically.....seriously.....this kid brought home a "spelling list" a few weeks ago and the words on the list were words that I KNOW he already knows, stuff that he would have learned several years ago. When I asked the teacher about it, the response was "well this is where the class is at"....ummm, no....perhaps some of the students in the class are only at that level, but that is something Taz has already done thus why aren't you challenging him and providing separate work? Probably because it's easier to just have all of the kids on the same level, but that isn't acceptable for me.....just because little Johnny is struggling with whatever the class is working on, that doesn't mean that you hold everyone else back until little Johnny can catch up -- that's not right. Don't hold the other kids back from being where they need to be and where they are capable of being.....
Suffice to say, I'm not 100% impressed with where things have gone thus far this year. The "plan" to work on Taz's social/behavior needs hasn't really been followed, thus I feel like he hasn't been properly prepared for the demands of High School. And it appears as though he hasn't been challenged and prepared for things academically, thus I worry that he will struggle regardless of what school/program he is in. So....although I have a million things on my "to do" list for the next week or so, I'll be devoting more time to checking into the various programs available (or not available) within our district and other schools in the area, to determine what would be the best fit for Taz going into High School. I'll be working on putting together my notes, etc for our upcoming IEP meeting (still no clue when they plan to schedule that)....and preparing myself mentally for what I'm sure will become a battle.
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