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With Mite's teacher going through chemo, there have been several subs for his class.

Yesterday I arrived after school to find the classroom door shut and lights out. So I sat in the foyer of the 3rd grade pod to wait for the class, thinking they were out of the room or watching a movie or some such thing. After several minutes, a janitor came and opened the door.

There crowded at the door was the sub and most of the kids lined up to leave. I could hear the sub calling Mite saying, "Mite you are the one holding us up."

Turns out she had the lights out for nearly 10 minutes and the kids who were quick to organize their things could line up at the door before the lights were out. The kids who weren't had to get their things from their desks in the dark and traverse the room and wander through the other "disorganized kids" to get in line.

Mite had dropped his thing several times, tripped over someone's foot and fell, and knocked someone else in the head who was bending over to pick up a pencil. When I found him at the back of the line he was standing there, his eyes open wider than wide, with his books and belongings spilling through his arms. He looked terrified.

Mite has several problems, but the primary one is dyspraxia. Dyspraxics have difficulty with motor planning, attention and organization.

Why was he put in that situation? I was soooooooo sorry for him. He explained over and over to me that he wasn't trying to hold up the line. He was trying to hurry.

I've zipped off a letter to the principal, sped teacher and teacher. I want to know why the sub didn't know of his accomodation needs. I want to know why ANYONE would leave children in the dark to find their things and line up. That's just inappropriate for all of them, let alone a little guy who doesn't know where he is in space in the best of times.

ok....deep breath.....we can educate mite...we can educate mite...we can....

Your right, turning off the lights is completely inappropriate for any child, but especially Mite!

Is he alright? I'm certain that was scary for him.

I hope the principal accepts this information in a professional manner and doesn't try to turn it around on you or minimize the issue!

My advice is ask him/her to address it but don't make demands as to what he/she should do about it.

Deep breathing will get you through the day.

Oh WG,
I'm so sorry that happened!
How does Mite feel about it? How was the rest of his day?

Just two days ago I turned off the lights and encouraged DS10 to walk 5 steps towards my voice. That experience lasted 30 seconds and was about as far as I dared push it. 30 seconds, and all I asked him to do was walk, hands free, at 10 years old. Dyspraxia is no fun. The good news on our end is just yesterday, DS10 started "constantly" throwing and catching a bean bag he had won. "I'm improving my eye-hand coordination. I can even do it with my eyes closed, watch me."

That's cool! It's so cool when they can finally do something they've been working on. I know for me, whatever accomplishments I made physically were such a release! I remember when I was 10 and I finally rode a bike. Nevermind that in 2 days I was nearly killed in a bike accident that involved a horrid head injury, I could RIDE!! I still ride, even though I have to stick to sidewalks and stay under 10 mph for the most part cuz I have a tendency to overcorrect and wipe-out.

Keep working on the little things, they make such a difference.

Mite processed it all for awhile after school. He talked about how he knocked into his friend's head and how he felt so bad about that. He talked about how embarrassed he was that he kept dropping his books and everyone was telling him to hurry up. He's over it now. I tried not to make a big deal out of it...just let him talk about stuff. Mostly I overheard him telling Rite about it.

I emailed the teacher, sped teacher and principal and explained what I saw, also explained that when subs were there Mite wasn't bringing home any homework or finished work, and said I was concerned that Mite's accomodation needs weren't being communicated to the substitutes. I asked how **we** could rectify the situation.

I always say **we** to let them know I'm part of the process and willing to do my part. Seems to soften things for them a bit, I think.

oh and...I went in to Mite's teacher today to find out where all his reading and language arts projects and papers were. They never come home. She said he's supposed to clear out his desk and his cubby at the end of the day (helllllllllllloooooooooooo....DYSPRAXIA!!!) and it was his respsonbility to do that.

Then while going through his desk I found a Venn Diagram with his characteristic illegible scrawl all over it. I asked if he had been offered a scribe to do that work. The teacher said she coud decipher what he was writing and that was all that mattered. She did say he needed to write inside the lines and he would be docked points for not doing so (aiyeeee). She also said she had no time to worry about whether he had a scribe or not and no time to scribe it herself.

So...he has an illegible Venn Diagram from which he is supposed to write a paragraph about how the animal he was observing shares characteristics with a lobster.

A scribe is on his IEP. I mentioned that and the teacher said we'll just have to discuss what that means at the next IEP meeting. He is also supposed to have assistance in getting his things into his portfolio in the appropriate pockets for taking home. Neither thing is happening.

you know...this crap is just unbearable. I just seethe. I don't scream and cuss but I'm wondering if I'm going to have to adopt those behaviors.

WG - remind me what your reasons for not homeschooling "for a little while." Its all seeming hazy....

((wink))
Trin

oohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! how i wish i could.
the reason would be that we would probably go bankrupt. we're financially really hurting right now.

but i'm working toward the goal, believe me...

I'm working as a sub in my kids' elementary right now, and I just wanted to say: if you do have a child with an IEP, you may want to point this out to the sub in the morning at dropoff (if you are there). If the teacher lets you know in advance that she'll be gone, ask her to let the sub know about any special needs your child has. I've been at this fairly actively for a couple months now, and only once have I received detailed information regarding special needs, although there are 1-2 special needs kids in almost every class. I can't imagine the sub would have put your child in a frightening/destined-for-failure situation had she know more about him up front.

-- Susannah in NM

I like your suggestion to tell the subs myself and I will do so when I am there when it happens. Sometimes the teacher leaves in the middle of the day. She's been averaging 1 day a week absence due to chemo (not including the whole first month of school). I don't think the sub would have done it had she known, but I don't think it was an appropriate situation for 27 or so 3rd graders to be in regardless of ability. I personally think that much absence should call for a long-term sub to give the kids stability. But the teacher wants to teach and her rights prevail.

happy subbing. I've thought of doing that.