Clustering of special Ed kids in gen Ed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

You are lucky.

[Anonymous]

Special Ed covers a huge range of needs. I think what people are objecting to are the kids that have outward behavior issues. I don’t think people object to the child who quietly is reading 2 levels below grade level and either has push in or pull out support. Maybe I’m wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

I meant “refuted by a classroom teacher”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Special Ed covers a huge range of needs. I think what people are objecting to are the kids that have outward behavior issues. I don’t think people object to the child who quietly is reading 2 levels below grade level and either has push in or pull out support. Maybe I’m wrong.

No, you are right. People object to the kids who are violent and disruptive. I do think that people object to situations where the kid who is on level or ahead is asked to tutor the kid who is behind. That is a different scenario then offering to help with a project or a math problem and being asked to sit next to a child to help the child.

I do think that Teachers are being asked to do too much when they are needing to develop differentiated lesson plans for 5 groups of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

I think the problem is that you're making up the idea that there is some kind of "SPED classroom" where the majority of kids have IEPs. I just don't think that's the case, and I think parents are just plain resentful that there are any IEP kids in their child's classroom. I know that clustering happens at some schools, but it's not the majority of the kids. And in my experience, it's often the best teacher that gets more kids with IEPs, so you should actually want your kid in that class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

"SPED" is insulting when you use it as a reason to denigrate others and claim your own child deserves special resources. As in, "don't put my child into the SPED class" when in reality there are just 2-3 kids with IEPs and maybe one child with an aide. "SPED class" is just a thinly veiled way to denigrate those kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

The fact that two other posters beat me to this point and articulated it better than I did above should tell you something

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

Great, make it impossible to talk about what you view as a problem and the problem goes away.