From a special ed teacher....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The person who wrote about the "kind of animal" (which is an expression--the person is not saying the parents are animals) is NOT the principal!

Ok well perhaps. Sorry if that's true, principal.
Post still inappropriate regardless of who poster is. It's someone working within the school administration area obviously.

I just realized how long my post was above. Holy crap! Sorry for my diatribe lol.

I'm pretty passionate about this topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Listen, I hear your apology and understand your frustration. I have seen it hard to get families to understand the gravity of the IEP situation and their child's needs. I didn't know you didn't teach in this area. However, since you don't work in this area you have no idea the kind of animal that the families living in the DC metro area are. I will gladly work with Title 1 over families of means that hire lawyers and advocates and harass special ed staff for more services. Now granted, some of these parents are wonderful and extremely involved (n a very good way) an write me wonderful thank you notes, it just takes one or two bad ones that will sour you. I have had to sit in mediation and sit on trials because of some "involved" families along with the rest of my staff that took hours and days away from other students. And it was not because we provided sub par services.
Usually my Title 1 families are LES. Some are not though. Since I now work directly in the home (as opposed to directly in the school) I am more familiar with their trials and tribulations. And have had to call social workers and what not and do get frustrated with some of the things I see. But do realized, the same folks who work in some of the pricier areas experience frustrations as well - just a different type usually - and yes, social workers and what not have had to be called, just the same.

While I don' have a child with special needs I just work with them. I can't imagine what it is like. I truly admire those families that are involved, interested and work with the school system, and even question the school system in order to get the best for their child. I have seen that in both families of means as well as title 1.

We know.
We feel it.
But when your own ASD child struggles for over a year in and half, gets sent to the office nearly every day, is held in for recess for weeks, and on and on and on...and we are not getting anywhere with the school as we play nice, and go along to get along, and all that feel-good teamwork stuff, other measures have to be taken to help our child. Thank goodness we had the financial means to hire advocates/lawyers and "harass" our school. Give me a break.