When the teacher is too burnt out to accomodate

[Anonymous]

Has anyone experienced this? The teacher does her best to follow the accomodations on the IEP and seems dedicated and enthusiastic. You show gratitude as often as possible. Slowly as the school year progresses and she faces all the other challenges of teaching and all the parents asking for conferences and the long hours...slowly the accomodations fall out of place. You wait and then finally start to gently bring to her attention the concerns. You can tell she is overwhelmed and burnt out. You try to let it go when she only briefly makes changes. Then things start getting worse. You have to make it clear she is violating the IEP and once again you bring it to her attention hoping you do not have to make her life more difficult with an IEP meeting and admin involvement.

You even get the special ed department involved hoping they can clear things up and they defend the teacher and say "she is doing the best she can." You know she probably is doing what she can manage and she is barely treading water. You don't want to push her over the edge, but it is unacceptable and your child is negatively impacted.

I know what I have to do. I have to do what is best for my child. At the same time, I know there are too many demands on teachers and it sucks to be in this position.

[Anonymous]

Teachers don't care about your kid beyond what they have to do for that paycheck. It's up to you to provide any extras your kid needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don't care about your kid beyond what they have to do for that paycheck. It's up to you to provide any extras your kid needs.

OP here. I honestly believe most teachers do care. I just think everyone has their limits. I think in this case, she really does care, but at this point she is just trying to keep her head above water until the end of the year.

[Anonymous]

file a complaint. her problems are not yours. if a teacher has repeatedly failed to follow the IEP, and you have notified supervisory staff (i.e. principal or sped supervisor), you must file a complaint. Honestly, if the teacher is having trouble and is not getting appropriate support from her supervisors or the system, you are not doing HER any favors by letting her flail for the next 2.5 months, let alone your DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don't care about your kid beyond what they have to do for that paycheck. It's up to you to provide any extras your kid needs.

I hated to say it but in all reality this is true. They are just trying to survive. We have come to the same conclusion and supplement outside (but are lucky our insurance will help).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don't care about your kid beyond what they have to do for that paycheck. It's up to you to provide any extras your kid needs.

Ask the school what they are doing to support the teacher. Most likely, if it's DCPS- nothing. The SCHOOL should be supporting your kids- not just one person!

[Anonymous]

It's happening this year for my child, OP. Most teachers care, and this one does too. But there's clearly a limit to what she can do, and this limit is not serving my child as best as it could.

He's in 4th grade, and I have decided not to fight it. We have agreed on a weekly email check-up about all the things DS needs to catch up on because his teacher can't remind him during the week, and that's it. I could have called an IEP meeting, but since our yearly one is coming up, I can wait for that one.

I have to say that I expect DS to learn responsibility, and I don't believe everything has to be on the teacher. DS is not mature enough to get his act together right now, due to his learning disabilities and the fact that he's 9 and doesn't yet see the point of grades. The most important thing for me, by far, is to get DS to change his point of view and accept that schoolwork is a priority and to help him develop systems to organize and manage his schedule. A more involved teacher would be great, and there will be years in the future when I will certainly push harder for that, but at this point in his brain development it would be a lot of effort on her part for not much results on his. He needs to mature.

I know some parents who would be all gung-ho about getting the most services at all times for their child, but with a little more perspective, you can push for the right accommodations at the time they really matter and when the child is ready for them. I don't want to waste the teacher's precious effort and time. I'm in that position myself at home 24/7, and there are certain things you shelve for a while to husband your strength and focus on certain other priorities.

Obviously, if your child is missing out on some critical accommodations that he or she absolutely needs right now otherwise they will flounder next year, you should be more aggressive.

[Anonymous]

OP - If the teacher is experienced and usually a good instructor, then perhaps you need to look impartially at what is needed to accommodate and meet the goals of all the children's IEP. Is the staffing of assistants enough in the classroom? Is there an overage of kids with intense needs or very similar needs that is dragging her down? Is the mainstreaming being done with enough support? If it is lesson plans not being done, then request a review ahead of them by her supervisor? Are the behaviors of your child and others overtaxing so that perhaps more or retraining in certain strategies needs to be done? Does the class need a bit more "down time" in trying to attack the academics? It could also be something in her own life outside of school also pulling her down - a new baby or other aged young child not sleeping well, older parent or sick spouse with more need for her time etc. At least you are aware that the teacher is human, too, and sometimes does not quite measure up

I would suggest a meeting with her and her direct supervisor to share you concerns, the pattern you have voice here and ask how a way might be worked out to serve your child more consistently?

[Anonymous]

What in particular is she failing to do? What resources has the school provided?

[Anonymous]

Is this child is a regular ed classroom? Special ed? What are the accommodations? One teacher I work with always ends up with most of the kids with IEPs and ESOL students too. Burn out is a real concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don't care about your kid beyond what they have to do for that paycheck. It's up to you to provide any extras your kid needs.

I am a teacher and I care A LOT about my students. I would be devastated to learn that one of my students (or one of the parents) believed that otherwise. I agree that some teachers do not care (I work with a few), but many/most of us care deeply.

Also, if I were going to do a job I didn't enjoy/care about just for a paycheck, I would have chosen a job that paid a lot more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Has anyone experienced this? The teacher does her best to follow the accomodations on the IEP and seems dedicated and enthusiastic. You show gratitude as often as possible. Slowly as the school year progresses and she faces all the other challenges of teaching and all the parents asking for conferences and the long hours...slowly the accomodations fall out of place. You wait and then finally start to gently bring to her attention the concerns. You can tell she is overwhelmed and burnt out. You try to let it go when she only briefly makes changes. Then things start getting worse. You have to make it clear she is violating the IEP and once again you bring it to her attention hoping you do not have to make her life more difficult with an IEP meeting and admin involvement.

You even get the special ed department involved hoping they can clear things up and they defend the teacher and say "she is doing the best she can." You know she probably is doing what she can manage and she is barely treading water. You don't want to push her over the edge, but it is unacceptable and your child is negatively impacted.

I know what I have to do. I have to do what is best for my child. At the same time, I know there are too many demands on teachers and it sucks to be in this position.

As someone who's not a teacher in the public school system, I'm so sympathetic to teachers who are doing their best, but constrained by issues of lack of support - both from administrators and parents like OP. When the special ed department tells a parent that the teacher's doing the best she can, and even the parent acknowledges the teacher's likely doing the best she can, yet insists they're going to take the steps that - well the steps you're indicating you're going to take, OP - that's when it becomes clear how impossible the teacher's job often is. No wonder teachers leave the system It's amazing they stay as long as they do.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the posters who think the school has to step up and provide more support for the teacher.

I know my kid is high maintence and expect the school to follow the IEP but it's not just on the shoulders of my kid's in class teacher. The school has to put in the supports to enable the classroom teacher to provide the supports too.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for all the input!

A little more info-this should help explain why she is so burnt out

-3rd grade

-Teacher's first year teaching-graduated last May

-Special Ed teacher also new and recent grad

-Teacher is a hard worker-first 5 or so months- creative lessons that take a lot of effort, lots of differentiation, reviewed all homework, noted weaknesses and tried to address them-or did before she got burnt out

-mainstream class with a handful of kids with IEPs (that I know of since I usually connect with other SN parents)

-class at full capacity

-accommodation issues are academic not behavioral

-some kids with challenging behaviors in the class, but all sound reasonable for the age-nothing extreme, also some girl dramas

-teacher has difficulty managing such a large class so lots of time trying to get people to settle down and pay attention

-Looks exhausted-sense she is working long hours and is getting disillusioned

[Anonymous]

OP again- forgot mention there are probably 5 ESOL kids. I had not taken that into consideration before, but I assume there are quite a few accommodations she has to do for them with the help of the ESOL teacher.