Started working at an elementary school last week. Shocked and sad. AMA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yea, this is why I spend a small fortune for my kids to go to a private school wtih classroom sizes no larger than 12 kids of which NONE are special needs or emotionally disturbed. Its all about having them in a peaceful learning environment and not having to be subjecte to kids who really should be in a contained classroom.

Inclusion classrooms are disrubtive.

Exhibit A of the intolerance and bigotry against all SN kids. Not just behavior issues, she said it directly here. Special needs.

To PP, shame on you.

DP.

“Your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins.”

We don’t have to de okay with SN accommodations having a negative affect on other children. Of that is what happens every day, and we are allowed to balk. If that offends you, IDGAF.

You're all very brave behind your anonymous posts. Bravo, warrior.

I know you’re getting angry that you can’t bully people anymore into agreeing with you or at least pretending to, but you will just need to deal with that loss of power because voting in this country is also anonymous. Most parents of school children have started to see what goes on in schools in this country, and we want things to change. You can stamp your feet all you want but you can’t bully people into voting the way you want.

Are you on the wrong thread? Nobody is voting children off the island.

I presume that not one of you would stand up in public, say at a PTA meeting, and say out loud that you don't want SN kids in your school. Not behavior issues, SN.

But I could be wrong. Most of you are probably just as awful IRL.

I would stand up and say that I don’t want any kids (SN or otherwise) with serious behavioral issues in my school. I’m not sure what your point is or why you keep trying to make the claim that everyone is coming after all SN kids who have dyslexia or whatever. It’s just not true.

And since it’s apparently a law that is forcing schools to keep disruptive kids in the mainstream schools, then yes, it is a voting issue. It’s not a game of survivor but voting is how we get laws changed in this country.

+1. Seriously, I couldn't care less what, if any, diagnosis a kid has. If they're threatening to kill other children, punching, stabbing with pencils and scissors, and clearing the classrooms, they need to be OUT of mainstream classrooms. It is absurd to expect teachers to work in that environment, and absurd to subject CHILDREN to that type of abuse. It would get a CPS referral if it was happening in the home, but it is impossible to address in schools. That's a failure of the law and takes an emotional toll on children and teachers every day. And teachers can quit when they get too burned out, but what about the children?

Yes, not only is the trauma to other children a massive concern, but while the schools look like a circus it’s really hard for teachers to get any respect. There are always people on here complaining that teachers don’t get serious respect, but seriously, schools today are just not serious places. They aren’t for learning (apparently), they’re just daycare. And sometimes not even great daycare since physical safety is a real concern.

In VA the law allows teacher to remove disruptive students. Here is FCPS’s policy:

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=867SKJ2A8D18#

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/CE9QMC692717/$file/R2606.pdf

[Anonymous]

Let’s face it: the schools aren’t the only ones failing: American families are failing. So many problems stem from one income families. This is a moral failing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any statistics on how often this is happening in schools? Like is it once per week, or twice per day in every grade? My daughter is in 5th and I never hear anything like this happening. We're in a mid-size, high-SES/UPC public school. FCPS.

I'm a teacher and would love to know this. We are able to submit discipline referrals via our online system but we can't see what happens after that. Administrators do not like to have a high number of referrals so we're actively discouraged from submitting anything unless it's really serious. There's a lot of shaming at some schools and teachers are made to feel inadequate if they continuously refer students, even if it is egregious behavior. I suspect parents would be livid if they realized how often it's happening though.

It should be mandatory for this to be regularly reported to parents. Parents have every right to know what their children are being exposed to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any statistics on how often this is happening in schools? Like is it once per week, or twice per day in every grade? My daughter is in 5th and I never hear anything like this happening. We're in a mid-size, high-SES/UPC public school. FCPS.

I'm a teacher and would love to know this. We are able to submit discipline referrals via our online system but we can't see what happens after that. Administrators do not like to have a high number of referrals so we're actively discouraged from submitting anything unless it's really serious. There's a lot of shaming at some schools and teachers are made to feel inadequate if they continuously refer students, even if it is egregious behavior. I suspect parents would be livid if they realized how often it's happening though.

ES teacher here and I avoid involving administrators for the reasons you mention.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on your child. I have a kid that tells me every detail of every day, and when I talk to other parents from her class, they’re SHOCKED because they aren’t hearing any of it. It’s not that their kids aren’t exposed or bothered, they just don’t have the same kind of open book narrator that I have. And it occurs across SES spectrums, even harder for the teachers in high SES environments because parents aren’t just disengaged, they’re actively in denial and fighting against having their kids labeled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any statistics on how often this is happening in schools? Like is it once per week, or twice per day in every grade? My daughter is in 5th and I never hear anything like this happening. We're in a mid-size, high-SES/UPC public school. FCPS.

I'm a teacher and would love to know this. We are able to submit discipline referrals via our online system but we can't see what happens after that. Administrators do not like to have a high number of referrals so we're actively discouraged from submitting anything unless it's really serious. There's a lot of shaming at some schools and teachers are made to feel inadequate if they continuously refer students, even if it is egregious behavior. I suspect parents would be livid if they realized how often it's happening though.

ES teacher here and I avoid involving administrators for the reasons you mention.

I would encourage teachers to endure the shaming and make the referrals you need. We need an adequate picture to make and advocate for better policy. I would also push back on admin who try to shame, repeating, "I'm ensuring a safe environment for my students." I know this is hard, but principals are doing this because they get negatively evaluated by having too many 'on the book' referrals too (and maybe they don't want to deal with the hassle--they are overburdened and stressed too). Gatehouse just responds to the data given that it's a large school system. If the data isn't showing a big issue, they can't allocate the budget to handle the issue. Teachers are in a position of power due to teacher shortages right now, use that power to support your own and your students' well-being. It's also not harming the kid who gets the referral in ES--this is how they get access to better supports. Decide among your teacher colleagues on what constitutes a serious issue and encourage each other to support by making referrals for the same. Teachers have more collective power on this than they realize.

[Anonymous]

Lol. Don’t you think we already refer kids? It takes a very long time for a student to get any additional help at all. Years, in some cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s face it: the schools aren’t the only ones failing: American families are failing. So many problems stem from one income families. This is a moral failing.

Do you mean single parent households? Because me being a SAHM doesn't put my kids at risk for anything...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol. Don’t you think we already refer kids? It takes a very long time for a student to get any additional help at all. Years, in some cases.

Teachers above were reporting not reporting kids. I know it takes years in some cases--but it's often based on number of reports, not time--to qualify. But if all teachers reported consistently, the issue bubbles up to admin in large districts and budgets get reallocated. When teachers are 'shamed' to not report, the budget to support kids isn't there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s face it: the schools aren’t the only ones failing: American families are failing. So many problems stem from one income families. This is a moral failing.

Do you mean single parent households? Because me being a SAHM doesn't put my kids at risk for anything...

Yes, seems like the opposite would be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yea, this is why I spend a small fortune for my kids to go to a private school wtih classroom sizes no larger than 12 kids of which NONE are special needs or emotionally disturbed. Its all about having them in a peaceful learning environment and not having to be subjecte to kids who really should be in a contained classroom.

Inclusion classrooms are disrubtive.

Exhibit A of the intolerance and bigotry against all SN kids. Not just behavior issues, she said it directly here. Special needs.

To PP, shame on you.

DP.

“Your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins.”

We don’t have to de okay with SN accommodations having a negative affect on other children. Of that is what happens every day, and we are allowed to balk. If that offends you, IDGAF.

You're all very brave behind your anonymous posts. Bravo, warrior.

I know you’re getting angry that you can’t bully people anymore into agreeing with you or at least pretending to, but you will just need to deal with that loss of power because voting in this country is also anonymous. Most parents of school children have started to see what goes on in schools in this country, and we want things to change. You can stamp your feet all you want but you can’t bully people into voting the way you want.

Are you on the wrong thread? Nobody is voting children off the island.

I presume that not one of you would stand up in public, say at a PTA meeting, and say out loud that you don't want SN kids in your school. Not behavior issues, SN.

But I could be wrong. Most of you are probably just as awful IRL.

I would stand up and say that I don’t want any kids (SN or otherwise) with serious behavioral issues in my school. I’m not sure what your point is or why you keep trying to make the claim that everyone is coming after all SN kids who have dyslexia or whatever. It’s just not true.

And since it’s apparently a law that is forcing schools to keep disruptive kids in the mainstream schools, then yes, it is a voting issue. It’s not a game of survivor but voting is how we get laws changed in this country.

+1. Seriously, I couldn't care less what, if any, diagnosis a kid has. If they're threatening to kill other children, punching, stabbing with pencils and scissors, and clearing the classrooms, they need to be OUT of mainstream classrooms. It is absurd to expect teachers to work in that environment, and absurd to subject CHILDREN to that type of abuse. It would get a CPS referral if it was happening in the home, but it is impossible to address in schools. That's a failure of the law and takes an emotional toll on children and teachers every day. And teachers can quit when they get too burned out, but what about the children?

This. The fact that people on here consider it normal to have to clear a classroom because one child is throwing chairs boggles my mind. A kid who throws chairs does not belong in a mainstream school, never mind a mainstream classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s face it: the schools aren’t the only ones failing: American families are failing. So many problems stem from one income families. This is a moral failing.

Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s face it: the schools aren’t the only ones failing: American families are failing. So many problems stem from one income families. This is a moral failing.

Do you mean single parent households? Because me being a SAHM doesn't put my kids at risk for anything...

You guys are those Nazi homeschoolers from other thread, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s face it: the schools aren’t the only ones failing: American families are failing. So many problems stem from one income families. This is a moral failing.

Do you mean single parent households? Because me being a SAHM doesn't put my kids at risk for anything...

You guys are those Nazi homeschoolers from other thread, right?

The commies are triggered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s face it: the schools aren’t the only ones failing: American families are failing. So many problems stem from one income families. This is a moral failing.

Do you mean single parent households? Because me being a SAHM doesn't put my kids at risk for anything...

You guys are those Nazi homeschoolers from other thread, right?

The commies are triggered.

Oh you ARE! Thanks for confirming.