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I don't know if something in particular prompted neanerbean to bring this post back to the C-D limelight, but the issue, itself, has been back in the (local, not national) news lately.
I don't approve of what has been described in the press as having occurred in Wendy Portillo's classroom - and if what happened went exactly and only as described, then I can safely say that I would not want her in charge of any classroom.
But...
We have no idea if what was claimed is what went on. We cannot know. I know too many situations in which the public version of things and the private were worlds apart. So... put me down as horrified by the situation, but with judgment in abeyance on the specifics. Something unfortunate has gone on, even if I don't know exactly what it was - and more than one life has been damaged by the events.
However, I do think we need to re-evaluate whether these special needs children should be in regular classrooms.
I don't at all disagree with your overall point, but how do you determine if a child should or should not be in a regular classroom when he's only FIVE?
Yep. But there are two culprits here. The teacher and the parent. A child who exasperates a teacher this badly has a parent who is obviously asleep at the switch.
Are you serious?
My son has ADHD and has on more than one occasion had issues at school. When he was this childs age he was suspended from school for his behavior. A young child with these kinds of issue does not yet know how to control it. That is in no way my fault or his. Kids with learning disabilities and mental disabilities should never be treated like this poor kid was.
As the parent it is not her fault. She was not there to help control her child. Children with disabilities act different when in a place they are used to than they do when they are unfamiliar with their surroundings. And from what I gather the teacher was acting like a 5 yr old just like the children in the class. Even at 5 kids can be very mean and this was completely wrong.
This ignorant teacher should not still have her job. No child deserves to be treated this way, disability or not. And children with disabilities are more sensitive than any child with out a disability.
maybe i am unfamiliar with the school board rules, but isnt a teacher having all the kids list what they dont like about a certain student something that could get them fired???????
My son has ADHD and has on more than one occasion had issues at school. When he was this childs age he was suspended from school for his behavior. A young child with these kinds of issue does not yet know how to control it. That is in no way my fault or his. Kids with learning disabilities and mental disabilities should never be treated like this poor kid was.
As the parent it is not her fault. She was not there to help control her child. Children with disabilities act different when in a place they are used to than they do when they are unfamiliar with their surroundings. And from what I gather the teacher was acting like a 5 yr old just like the children in the class. Even at 5 kids can be very mean and this was completely wrong.
This ignorant teacher should not still have her job. No child deserves to be treated this way, disability or not. And children with disabilities are more sensitive than any child with out a disability.
If it was your child you would feel differantly.
Yes it is your fault. ADHD is treatable with medication and if you choose not to use it and the child still exhibits the really bad behaviors and bothers other kids in class, they need to be in the special needs class or private school so that the other children can learn. I have a son with ADHD so I know what I'm talking about. In no way was the teacher in this situation right, but people cannot continue to blame teachers when their children get into trouble b/c they refuse to handle behavioral issues themselves. It's very easy to pass the buck but if you choose public schools you have to understand that ALL the children are there to learn and not just yours. If your child is keeping the majority of the kids from learning, then he/she needs to be removed. That's life and yes, it is fair. Maybe not to your kid but to the majority who also have rights.
I have a son with ADHD so I know what I'm talking about.
In no way was the teacher in this situation right, but people cannot continue to blame teachers when their children get into trouble b/c they refuse to handle behavioral issues themselves.
It's very easy to pass the buck but if you choose public schools you have to understand that ALL the children are there to learn and not just yours.
*sigh*
That you have a son with ADHD means you know what you are talking about with your son, at most. The notion that therefore you understand every other ADHD-diagnosed kids' situations is just not right.
It's very easy to point fingers, but if you choose message boards, you have to understand that you are getting snapshots of scenarios, not complete pictures.
Yes, people to readily blame teachers. And they too readily blame administrators. And they too readily blame parents and kids, too!
It is not about blame - or if it is, then it needs to STOP being about blame. If there is a problem, then folks need to work together to resolve it.
In the news story, it's pretty clear the problem did not come out of nowhere. We don't know the background to the story - and probably never will. Somebody needed to have taken more responsibility in that situation than they did - and probably more than one somebody, but we cannot tell who, how, when, or what - only that a bad situation developed.
If your child is keeping the majority of the kids from learning, then he/she needs to be removed. That's life and yes, it is fair. Maybe not to your kid but to the majority who also have rights.
You're mistaken. The only children who have legal rights in school are diagnosed special needs children. The rest of the children have no legal rights whatsoever.
You're mistaken. The only children who have legal rights in school are diagnosed special needs children. The rest of the children have no legal rights whatsoever.
That seems like a bitter comment on the surface (and it's certainly a sad commentary) but it is absolutely true. I have often wished that every single child, not just the ones diagnosed with problems, could have an IEP (Individual Educational Plan). It would seem only right that every single child's individual needs should be addressed, but the system sadly doesn't work that way.
The unintended consequence of the idea of inclusion is that it has put people on one side or another of the question of who should be included and how much. Everyone here (on this thread) is right in a way, and everyone here is also wrong, in a way, myself as well.
Some kids should be included in the regular classroom all the time, and some should be there perhaps just part of the time. When a child is included in a classroom and his/her behavior prevents everyone else from getting an education, there is something wrong with our all or none approach to inclusion.
I am reminded of a very ill little child, who had so many issues and was so developmentally delayed, that no one could actually tell if he could see or hear, because they hadn't worked out a way of testing him since he couldn't respond. He was confined to a wheelchair and unqualified (to my way of thinking) staff members were required to deal with his feeding tube during the lunch hour. His chair was placed at the back of the classroom where he was parked next to his aide. He made grunting noises and wet his diapers and everyone else adjusted their voices so that they could be heard over the sounds coming from the back of the classroom.
Who was served in this admittedly extreme example of inclusion? Did that little boy take in any of his surroundings or were his senses so impaired that he was lost in his own darkness? Did the kids in the class gain anything from his presence? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
I hope that you see my point. Inclusion should be tempered with some sort of common sense, but that is hard to build into a law. We want what is best for all of our children, but the educational process often suffers because of the heavy-handed administration of certain kinds of legislation.
Yes it is your fault. ADHD is treatable with medication and if you choose not to use it and the child still exhibits the really bad behaviors and bothers other kids in class, they need to be in the special needs class or private school so that the other children can learn.
a few things here, but not everyone has those resources and yes adhd is treatable, but treatable doesnt mean it will go away, the child will still have issues. my cousin has adhd, and i notice more and more children being diagnosed with it these days
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