A poster above asked what we need—we need smaller class sizes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those other places really do not exist anymore. Would you want to work in them? I'm a teacher and I have no issues with teachers getting paid much more to work there and I don't just mean a few thousand dollar bonuses either.

The few students who do end up getting a one on one aren't much better off because they continue in the same gen ed environment that is not the right place for them. I've seen a few former students end up in a life skills placement where they thrive. Fewer transitions, fewer demands placed on them, one on one attention, etc.

I've worked in a variety of special ed placements and the specific schools/programs for behavioral disorders are actually better IMO than working in inclusion or any setting where you are trying to manage 1-2 severe behavior cases while keeping everyone safe. It's quite remarkable how much more control some kids have when they know they'll get smacked back by another student or lose meaningful privileges. I have never seen a 1:1 be a meaningful intervention outside of physical disabilities, it's always a bandaid, usually because a parent won't consent to more restrictive placement.

My kid is at RICA. It’s considered the most restrictive placement. It is FABULOUS! It’s where my kid belongs. Classes are small. Teachers can teach. There are other staff members that deal with escalating behaviors. Paras in each class support the kids academically. My kid actually feels safe there even though kids sometimes attack each other or throw chairs. He feels safe because as soon as a behavior starts, support staff are called and show up to remove the child.

My kid is ready to leave RICA but there is no place for him to go so he’ll stay. It’s a shame because that means he’s not vacating the seat for a needier child.

The people who don’t want a more restrictive placement have no idea what they’re missing out on. My kids English class has 5 kids. He reads full books. His teacher has the ability to teach grammar, sentence structure, explain about complex sentences, and what makes a good essay. You can’t get that in a comprehensive school.

A poster above asked what we need—we need smaller class sizes. Most of the kids at RICA have some form of anxiety that creates the behavior. Reduce the noise, reduce the chaos, let the teachers build the relationships. The kids need to feel safe and supported. And by small classes I mean 15-20. What we do for title 1 schools needs to be the norm across the county.

Anonymous wrote:We don't let them. We are forced to deal with them in class. The true tragedy is that 30+ kids education is then stifled and teachers careers sometimes are traumatized because they are in an unwinnable situation and admin blames the teacher for it all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the F are you blaming teachers!!!! Do you think we want a kid in our class to threaten to kill us? Or a kid who hits, bites, or spits on us? Do you think we want a kid who is destroying the classroom we use our own money to decorate. Do you really believe we want a kid who is making all the other kids in the class suffer? There is NOTHING we can do.

Blame administrators- principals, special Ed. Directors, and board members who no longer allow kids to be suspended or disciplined. Or block kids from going to special Ed placements. Teachers send kids to the office and they are sent right back to our class often with a treat. We are told to “build a relationship” with the kid who is threatening to kill us or cussing us out or attacking us.

My bad.

I’m just over here dealing with a kid who is bawling because she thought when she went back to school in January she’d be in a new class and not around this child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those other places really do not exist anymore. Would you want to work in them? I'm a teacher and I have no issues with teachers getting paid much more to work there and I don't just mean a few thousand dollar bonuses either.

The few students who do end up getting a one on one aren't much better off because they continue in the same gen ed environment that is not the right place for them. I've seen a few former students end up in a life skills placement where they thrive. Fewer transitions, fewer demands placed on them, one on one attention, etc.

I've worked in a variety of special ed placements and the specific schools/programs for behavioral disorders are actually better IMO than working in inclusion or any setting where you are trying to manage 1-2 severe behavior cases while keeping everyone safe. It's quite remarkable how much more control some kids have when they know they'll get smacked back by another student or lose meaningful privileges. I have never seen a 1:1 be a meaningful intervention outside of physical disabilities, it's always a bandaid, usually because a parent won't consent to more restrictive placement.

Anonymous wrote:Those other places really do not exist anymore. Would you want to work in them? I'm a teacher and I have no issues with teachers getting paid much more to work there and I don't just mean a few thousand dollar bonuses either.

The few students who do end up getting a one on one aren't much better off because they continue in the same gen ed environment that is not the right place for them. I've seen a few former students end up in a life skills placement where they thrive. Fewer transitions, fewer demands placed on them, one on one attention, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a child who will, in later years, likely have interactions with the carceral system, whereas your child will be privileged. As equity is our most important value, the privileged need to face more struggle, and the future oppressed need to be able to have more enjoyment in their lives.

NP and a teacher. I recognize this is a troll post, but you're right about one thing. The kids who are acting out like this are likely to end up incarcerated, especially if they're not taught that inappropriate behavior has negative consequences. In most cases it's a parenting issue and the lax discipline policies in schools are doing them no favors. There are also kids with attentive parents who have serious mental health issues and need a lot more support than a public school system can provide.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the F are you blaming teachers!!!! Do you think we want a kid in our class to threaten to kill us? Or a kid who hits, bites, or spits on us? Do you think we want a kid who is destroying the classroom we use our own money to decorate. Do you really believe we want a kid who is making all the other kids in the class suffer? There is NOTHING we can do.

Blame administrators- principals, special Ed. Directors, and board members who no longer allow kids to be suspended or disciplined. Or block kids from going to special Ed placements. Teachers send kids to the office and they are sent right back to our class often with a treat. We are told to “build a relationship” with the kid who is threatening to kill us or cussing us out or attacking us.

My bad.

I’m just over here dealing with a kid who is bawling because she thought when she went back to school in January she’d be in a new class and not around this child.

You’re a pathetic monster

This right here is why this system is perpetuated. A parent is upset because their child is developing symptoms of ptsd having to spend 6 hours a day worried about their own safety, the safety of her classmates and teacher. Their child doesn’t want to worry about having to evacuate a classroom, see their classroom destroyed, her angry and aggressive cussing and shouting.

And this poster calls the parent “a pathetic monster”?

It’s all about the rights of the one kid destroying the education of 20 other students and having the teacher think about quiting every single day. I don’t understand how the pendulum has swung so far to one side.

Money. As long as people point fingers at the "problem students" rather than the system that is inadequately funded, politicians can get away with using the money for other things and have it ultimately end up in their pockets. It's the class war, just a different environment.

Anonymous wrote:This is a child who will, in later years, likely have interactions with the carceral system, whereas your child will be privileged. As equity is our most important value, the privileged need to face more struggle, and the future oppressed need to be able to have more enjoyment in their lives.

Anonymous wrote:This is a child who will, in later years, likely have interactions with the carceral system, whereas your child will be privileged. As equity is our most important value, the privileged need to face more struggle, and the future oppressed need to be able to have more enjoyment in their lives.