Anonymous
Post 10/05/2024 10:08     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
In MCPS they always have an extra teacher IME and they are typically smaller classes to begin with.
Anonymous
Post 10/05/2024 09:58     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Inclusion sounds great in theory, but how realistic is it to do well when the class sizes are huge? Do the teachers of these classes have extra planning time to have different materials for each kid?

Think of your own job. You’re giving a presentation and have to get through a specific topic in a set amount of time. You’re presenting to the average person in your audience. Do you add something extra for the experts who already know your topic? Do you give the background and define all your professional jargon because there might be one or two newbies in the room?

And I have one kid who does have an IEP and needs a lot of extra support.
Anonymous
Post 10/05/2024 08:27     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
The main problem at DC's MS is that they assign the worst teachers to those classes. There were no behavioral issues from what we heard but the English teacher could not spell for her life and was constantly making errors and could not put a coherent thought together. A lot of parents spoke to the admin and they were told it's because she's from a different country but those were not alternate spellings from her country. They were just completely incorrect and it was detrimental for the all the students.

Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 22:34     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile the smart parents are hoping their kids are as disruptive as possible, especially to admins not teachers, so the school admin prefers to refer the kid to a public-paid nonpublic school.


Um, wow. Go away.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 21:17     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Meanwhile the smart parents are hoping their kids are as disruptive as possible, especially to admins not teachers, so the school admin prefers to refer the kid to a public-paid nonpublic school.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 21:13     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So you need to email and document to the principal every day that the class is interrupted and for how long and in what way so they can justify getting more aides in there and all of the students can hopefully be more successful and sowe don’t lose another teacher (which we reallycan’t afford to lose.)

DP. That’s good advice. It’s unfair for the neurotypical to get neglected.

Gifted kids get neglected because kids who are at grade level need more help, more instruction, more practice, a slower pace. Public schools are supposed to help as many students as possible attain a minimum level of proficiency. Their goal is not, and cannot be, to help every student reach their own individual full potential. There’s nothing wrong with OP advocating for a better fit for her child, but public schools are legally required to teach special ed students in the least restrictive environment, which means there will be inclusion classes, and any gen ed student can be placed in them.


This. I understood OP to be more concerned about the behavior issues affecting the teacher and her child (versus OP being being upset because their child is in a class with other students who have IEPs), so I’m not understanding the hate directed at OP.

I am a teacher and unfortunately spend 80% of my time working with the 6-8 students in my class that have severe behavioral needs (and out of the 6-8 mentioned above, 5 of those also have significant academic needs as well, along with 2-3 students that need significant academic support but behavior is not a issue). IT IS DRAINING. I love teaching but come home every night exhausted. I’ve developed high blood pressure along with other health concerns and am only 45. I have nothing left to give my kids. I think this will be my last year teaching (as much as I love it and can’t imagine doing anything else). I feel like a babysitter who has been stripped of all creativity and authority, and honestly my heart breaks that I am not able to better serve the neurotypical students in my class. There’s just not enough time.

It also doesn’t help that MCPS was dinged by MSDE for having too many SpEd students pulled out vs in General Ed classes (LRE). I’m not sure what the solution is but the number of students with IEP’s and 504’s seems to have tripled without the funding to support the needs of the students. The students need more support, the teachers need more support and the parents need more support.


People climb on top of each other to hate on MCPS, but the one time MCPS does something right -- putting kids in the classroom that best suits their needs, MSDE brings the hammer down on them.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 21:12     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:It’s also amazing to me that so many public school parents are completely ignorant about basic special education laws like requirements for neurodiverse students to be placed in the least restrictive environment (ie OP’s daughters general education class)

They basically just find out about these laws the hard way; when Amelia’s classmates have ASD, emotional disabilities, and exhibit disruptive behaviors.


I don't understand why "least restrictive environment" rule doesn't apply to gen ed students too. My child shouldn't be restricted to a class that is being disrupted.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 20:29     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So you need to email and document to the principal every day that the class is interrupted and for how long and in what way so they can justify getting more aides in there and all of the students can hopefully be more successful and sowe don’t lose another teacher (which we reallycan’t afford to lose.)

DP. That’s good advice. It’s unfair for the neurotypical to get neglected.

Gifted kids get neglected because kids who are at grade level need more help, more instruction, more practice, a slower pace. Public schools are supposed to help as many students as possible attain a minimum level of proficiency. Their goal is not, and cannot be, to help every student reach their own individual full potential. There’s nothing wrong with OP advocating for a better fit for her child, but public schools are legally required to teach special ed students in the least restrictive environment, which means there will be inclusion classes, and any gen ed student can be placed in them.


This. I understood OP to be more concerned about the behavior issues affecting the teacher and her child (versus OP being being upset because their child is in a class with other students who have IEPs), so I’m not understanding the hate directed at OP.

I am a teacher and unfortunately spend 80% of my time working with the 6-8 students in my class that have severe behavioral needs (and out of the 6-8 mentioned above, 5 of those also have significant academic needs as well, along with 2-3 students that need significant academic support but behavior is not a issue). IT IS DRAINING. I love teaching but come home every night exhausted. I’ve developed high blood pressure along with other health concerns and am only 45. I have nothing left to give my kids. I think this will be my last year teaching (as much as I love it and can’t imagine doing anything else). I feel like a babysitter who has been stripped of all creativity and authority, and honestly my heart breaks that I am not able to better serve the neurotypical students in my class. There’s just not enough time.

It also doesn’t help that MCPS was dinged by MSDE for having too many SpEd students pulled out vs in General Ed classes (LRE). I’m not sure what the solution is but the number of students with IEP’s and 504’s seems to have tripled without the funding to support the needs of the students. The students need more support, the teachers need more support and the parents need more support.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 20:11     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So you need to email and document to the principal every day that the class is interrupted and for how long and in what way so they can justify getting more aides in there and all of the students can hopefully be more successful and sowe don’t lose another teacher (which we reallycan’t afford to lose.)

DP. That’s good advice. It’s unfair for the neurotypical to get neglected.

Gifted kids get neglected because kids who are at grade level need more help, more instruction, more practice, a slower pace. Public schools are supposed to help as many students as possible attain a minimum level of proficiency. Their goal is not, and cannot be, to help every student reach their own individual full potential. There’s nothing wrong with OP advocating for a better fit for her child, but public schools are legally required to teach special ed students in the least restrictive environment, which means there will be inclusion classes, and any gen ed student can be placed in them.


I mean, their goal absolutely could be to help every student reach their own individual full potential, but I will agree with you that right now in 2024 in MCPS it isn’t, for a variety of good and not so compelling reasons.

Back to the OP’s situation (because her child isn’t even gifted in ELA so that’s beside the point): in your post you say your child can’t get the support she needs. The co-teachers can absolutely help any/all students and I’d start by reaching out to the teachers and explain where your daughter feels she could use academic help. My kids have a co-teacher for almost every English class, some are special ed, some are EML, all help any kids. What your daughter isn’t exactly entitled to in a public school is a classroom free from any disruption. Of course it can be frustrating and difficult for certain students, but there’s no “quiet car” so to speak. If you really feel the teacher needs more training and admin support to manage this classroom, you can offer to reach out to the AP and counselor after starting with the teacher. I wouldn’t go over her head initially.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 18:58     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
This is middle school. Advanced classes (APs etc) in high school have less disruptive behavior.

The school should be asked why another aid isn’t in the room. Perhaps one or more of these students needs a one on one aid.

It’s not fair to bash OP for her comments when she may be noticing a problem that needs to be addressed.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 18:43     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:But, why are the teacher and her aid spending most of the period supporting, corralling, reporting issues about five or six students with learning or behavioral disabilities?

Shouldn't they divide their time equitably?

Hahahahaha.

They can't.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 18:39     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:It’s also amazing to me that so many public school parents are completely ignorant about basic special education laws like requirements for neurodiverse students to be placed in the least restrictive environment (ie OP’s daughters general education class)

They basically just find out about these laws the hard way; when Amelia’s classmates have ASD, emotional disabilities, and exhibit disruptive behaviors.


Actually the wording the law says that putting IEP students in gen Ed should not bring down the class as that doesn’t really help anyone, but school systems prefer full inclusion for a variety of reasons. Usually about saving money. Inclusion without enough support is really just another form of abandonment.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2024 18:18     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
But, why are the teacher and her aid spending most of the period supporting, corralling, reporting issues about five or six students with learning or behavioral disabilities?

Shouldn't they divide their time equitably?
Anonymous
Post 10/02/2024 23:23     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Before you demand a class change, before you email the principal, and before you believe everything your child is telling you, have you reached out to the teacher? What did the teacher say?

It would be interesting to know more. Ask the teacher how you can support at home. If you open the door to that conversation in a constructive way, you may get some clarification and helpful information about what’s actually going on in class.
Anonymous
Post 10/02/2024 23:19     Subject: Typical child being ignored in inclusion class
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So you need to email and document to the principal every day that the class is interrupted and for how long and in what way so they can justify getting more aides in there and all of the students can hopefully be more successful and sowe don’t lose another teacher (which we reallycan’t afford to lose.)

DP. That’s good advice. It’s unfair for the neurotypical to get neglected.

Gifted kids get neglected because kids who are at grade level need more help, more instruction, more practice, a slower pace. Public schools are supposed to help as many students as possible attain a minimum level of proficiency. Their goal is not, and cannot be, to help every student reach their own individual full potential. There’s nothing wrong with OP advocating for a better fit for her child, but public schools are legally required to teach special ed students in the least restrictive environment, which means there will be inclusion classes, and any gen ed student can be placed in them.