Have your children ever had an extremely disruptive child in elementary class?

[Anonymous]

You miss the point, 17:06. I'm also going to guess if you were able to teach twelve years without having students who had meltdowns, you haven't been a teacher in a very long time, or you were a teacher in a very privileged setting.

The issue isn't who is melting down. The issue is whether there are adequate systems in place to support a teacher in addressing the meltdowns.

What is your answer to the teacher's question about what you would do in her position? Like most posters, you conveniently ignore that question. Much easier to judge than offer alternatives, I guess.

[Anonymous]

You need to read the post again. I didn't say my students never had meltdowns. I said that many of them never melted down. You (or someone) said that every child melts down from time to time. That is not always true at school.

[Anonymous]

I taught Title I and had 29 one year. Then I taught a mixed group. Of course, kids melted down. But, I certainly couldn't send the others out of the classroom.

[Anonymous]

cont. I taught an autistic child who would scream and scream. Very disturbing and disruptive. He did not belong in the classroom. I had no safe place to send the others.

[Anonymous]

And, the others also needed supervision. I repeat. A very disruptive child should only be mainstreamed if he has a place to go when he gets out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear teacher, it sounds as if you're handling a person with a mental disorder. And you have to tiptoe around him like a nurse in a psych ward so God forbid he won't go bunkers.

The whole situation sounds out of place for a school. He should be in a special school or a special class, for emotionally unstable children.

He has not been diagnosed with any specific mental disorder. Yet. Like I said there is an additional medical issue which may cause some of the issues. He is already in a special school. As I mentioned it is a school for the deaf. If he was sent to a school for children with emotional disorders he would not have direct access to language/communication and he would have the same issues it would just be in a different school.

And believe me - I don't tiptoe. If he is doing what he shouldn't be doing I am not afraid to tell him so and give a warning. And he knows the consequences and I will follow through.

[Anonymous]

What I think is so funny or sad about this whole thread is that many, many, many parents of special need kids WANT their children out of the mainstreamed classes but aren't allowed. Maybe if there were appropriate places for these children we wouldn't need to blame the teachers...or the parents.

Signed a teacher who has listened to many frustrated parents on both sides

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:cont. I taught an autistic child who would scream and scream. Very disturbing and disruptive. He did not belong in the classroom. I had no safe place to send the others.

If I may ask, how long did that situation last and how, if at all, it was eventually resolved?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear teacher, it sounds as if you're handling a person with a mental disorder. And you have to tiptoe around him like a nurse in a psych ward so God forbid he won't go bunkers.

The whole situation sounds out of place for a school. He should be in a special school or a special class, for emotionally unstable children.

He has not been diagnosed with any specific mental disorder. Yet. Like I said there is an additional medical issue which may cause some of the issues. He is already in a special school. As I mentioned it is a school for the deaf. If he was sent to a school for children with emotional disorders he would not have direct access to language/communication and he would have the same issues it would just be in a different school.

And believe me - I don't tiptoe. If he is doing what he shouldn't be doing I am not afraid to tell him so and give a warning. And he knows the consequences and I will follow through.

Great. Just great.
I feel for the rest of your class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
cont. I taught an autistic child who would scream and scream. Very disturbing and disruptive. He did not belong in the classroom. I had no safe place to send the others.

If I may ask, how long did that situation last and how, if at all, it was eventually resolved?

This was in the '70's -we didn't even know it was "autism". I'm sure that is what it was. I think it went on most or all of the year. My Title I aide devoted almost all her time to him.

[Anonymous]

We discovered, by chance, that he would calm down if put in a dark room. We had a nurse's room (no nurse), where we would take him and turn off the lights. We thought it was punishment, now I know it was a sensory thing.

[Anonymous]

It was VERY sad and very disruptive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
He has not been diagnosed with any specific mental disorder. Yet. Like I said there is an additional medical issue which may cause some of the issues. He is already in a special school.

Has he had a psychiatric evaluation or an evaluation by a psychologist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And, the others also needed supervision. I repeat. A very disruptive child should only be mainstreamed if he has a place to go when he gets out of control.

I'm not disagreeing with you but as yet another parent who's trying to get their kid OUT of a mainstreamed classroom, just how do you suggest this be handled? As a PP noted, it's not easy to get your kid out of a mainstreamed classroom. There's are incredible barriers and as noted in the FCPS report, they're trying to move even more kids to a mainstreamed class.

The fact is, it's likely there will be disruptive kids in mainstream classrooms. Since moving them out of the classroom is a non-started, what do you suggest?

[Anonymous]

I think the current trend is to provide an aide to deal with the kids. It is not idea. It is still disruptive and it defies common sense.