The back-to-school experiment lasted four days for the little one. By Thursday of the first week, it was clear that this wasn\u2019t a good experience for her.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m still in the processing stage. I\u2019m the one who advocated for her return to school. I wanted to believe she would have a great teacher and a fun experience. Both girls need to develop social skills, which is the primary reason for them to return to a public school campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnne\u201d really wants to be around people. She\u2019s an extrovert, and the only one in our household. I wrongly assumed that the value of being around people again would outweigh the challenges of too much stimulation. Wanting to be around a few friends isn\u2019t the same as being in a noisy classroom, a crowded cafeteria, or a school gymnasium.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the depressing realization that her desire to be with other children doesn\u2019t always mean they want to be with Anne.<\/p>\n
I let her down. The school let her down.<\/p>\n
Now it is back to homeschooling for Anne. She\u2019ll have Girl Scouts, swimming, and probably tumbling classes. She won\u2019t be as isolated as she was during the worst of the pandemic years.<\/p>\n
There were systemic failures at the district, campus, and classroom levels.<\/p>\n
The district wasn\u2019t prepared for full attendance after the pandemic years. There aren\u2019t enough classrooms\u2026 or even enough schools. The community has grown rapidly during, as has much of Central Texas. Factor in the nationwide teacher shortage and there\u2019s a serious overcrowding problem in some classes.<\/p>\n
At the campus, there are new leaders, new teachers, and the massive influx of students. Things will stabilize in future years, but right now the administration needs to get a handle on what is, not would should be.<\/p>\n
The leaders need to take some assertive steps to ensure teachers adopt good classroom management practices \u2014 immediately. Administrators set the tone for how a campus operates, which classrooms reflect.<\/p>\n
Some of the classrooms are chaotic. Certainly not all, especially those led by experienced teachers with effective management structures. Great teachers don\u2019t need to raise their voices, count down for silence, or use negative consequences to secure the attention of students.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve watched a teacher just walk to the front of a room and command attention. The students knew, from a carefully rehearsed practice session, that the teacher wanted attention when he was at that location. It was very cool and a practice I adopted in my university teaching: If I\u2019m at the podium, please get ready to listen in your own best way.<\/p>\n
Excellent teachers rehearse the rules, the polices, and the procedures for their classes. \u201cLet\u2019s practice getting our supplies.\u201d Later, \u201cLet\u2019s practice putting our supplies back in our cubbies.\u201d One of the most important elementary school practices might be, \u201cLet\u2019s practice getting into a line quickly and quietly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spending two or three days reviewing the basic procedures, and then reviewing those by \u201ctalking through\u201d the steps for the first two weeks, helps students feel secure. The order helps maintain a calm, steady classroom experience.<\/p>\n
A good teacher doesn\u2019t suddenly transition from one task to another, either. That\u2019s not transitioning. Even in my college courses, I mention the time remaining on a task at 10, 5, 2, and 1 minute. When the time ends, that\u2019s not suddenly time for something else, either. That\u2019s just the \u201cstop what we\u2019re doing\u201d signal. It that\u2019s a good approach in college course, it\u2019s really good for elementary students.<\/p>\n
I appreciate that the first days are busy and chaotic, which is why organization and classroom management matter.<\/p>\n
A well managed classroom gives the teacher and any paraprofessionals available time to work with students requiring additional attention. When the class is chaotic, it\u2019s nearly impossible to support students with differences.<\/p>\n
Our little Anne needs someone to help prompt her to read, write, and complete other tasks. She will not work without supervision. You have to ask her what she should be doing and what she is doing to help her redirect herself. The goal should be the development of self-redirection and self-regulation .<\/p>\n
Not only does her energy too to be focused on tasks, her emotions also need to be monitored by the adults.<\/p>\n
Amid the chaos of the first few days, Anne felt isolated and lonely. We don\u2019t know if her teacher noticed, but we did. After school, she was upset and near tears. She told us that the she was so alone she didn\u2019t want to exist anymore.<\/p>\n
An attentive teacher, checking in with students as they worked, should have noticed Anne was depressed.<\/p>\n
The week before classes started, Susan and I emailed IEP\/504 Plan notes to the homeroom teachers. Leigh\u2019s fifth grade teachers read the notes and responded promptly with a few questions. We never heard back from Anne\u2019s homeroom teacher (or the other teacher in the team).<\/p>\n
During the first week of school, the fifth grade team was in daily contact with parents. Yes, many of these messages were bulk mailings, but they were helpful. The teachers also sent us personal emails about Leigh\u2019s needs and performance.<\/p>\n
The lack of communication from Anne\u2019s teachers was disappointing.<\/p>\n
We had informed her homeroom teacher of Anne\u2019s past IEP and her current diagnoses. We summarized her academic standing, her emotional needs, and our goals for Anne.<\/p>\n
At the very least, acknowledgement that the notes had been received would have been nice.<\/p>\n
We had our \u201cARD\u201d (an early IEP planning meeting) on Friday, while Anne was at home recovering from those first four days. I thought the teacher might follow-up after the Admission, Review, and Dismissal review. Surely our concerns had been made clear during that meeting. Nothing from her teacher.<\/p>\n
Anne\u2019s IEP revision and screening assessments wouldn\u2019t be due until November. In the meantime, the school would adhere to the previous IEP for supports.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just assumed among special needs families that schools will do almost anything to delay or deny supports. Schools will try to tell parents and guardians that only the school\u2019s evaluations matter. Sure enough, the special education team tried to imply this to Susan. We know better. You can always seek a due process hearing. Plus, your existing diagnoses and assessments\u00a0do have to be considered\u00a0<\/strong>by the school. The school doesn\u2019t get to ignore what your child\u2019s mental health team has already determined to be true.<\/p>\n We have supporting documentation for all of Anne\u2019s diagnoses, which were performed by court-appointed experts in Pennsylvania and CHIP\/STAR approved providers in Texas.<\/p>\n Under the CFR for IDEA \u00a7 300.502.c, Independent Educational Evaluation, these evaluations:<\/p>\n (1) Must be considered by the public agency, if it meets agency criteria, in any decision made with respect to the provision of FAPE to the child; and<\/p>\n (2) May be presented by any party as evidence at a hearing on a due process complaint under subpart E of this part regarding that child.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n We cannot wait weeks, much less months, for things to change. We also don\u2019t want to fight the school for educational supports.<\/p>\n Since Leigh also attends the same school, we need to be considered cooperative, positive, and supportive parents.<\/p>\n Anne might have been ready to return to school, but we\u2019ll never know. Her needs were not being met by the classroom teacher and we\u2019re uncertain the school can meet her needs regardless of teacher to which she\u2019s assigned. The explosive growth of our community exacerbates the teacher shortage and lack of classroom space.<\/p>\n Did I want her back in school, on campus with her friends for the social experiences? Absolutely. Did I want her in school so I could work on my projects and pursue freelance work? Absolutely.<\/p>\n We will do what is best for Anne. It\u2019s in Anne\u2019s best interests to return to homeschooling. Anne will be homeschooled and I will continue to be her teacher.<\/p>\n Our children always come first. We chose to be their parents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The back-to-school experiment lasted four days for the little one. By Thursday of the first week, it was clear that this wasn\u2019t a good experience for her. I\u2019m still in the processing stage. I\u2019m the one who advocated for her return to school. I wanted to believe she would have…<\/p>\n