Frustrated!! !!

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I thought I was making such gains at my sons school, now I'm not so sure.

J my 9 tear old AS dx'd son has been complaining on and off all year, " why can't my teacher just give me the school book or the work sheet to learn from?" He says this would be easier, then he could read it for himself ( I understand his need for the visual text, makes perfect sense as he is on the spectrum and is a visual learner) He has also recently been adding to his complaint that when the teacher talks its confusing and she changes what she says. ( I believe this is just the teacher changing the way she is explaining things, most kids/people would appreciate this, J is confused by it) All of this is adding to his not wanting to go to school.

I went to see his teacher yesterday, I told her what he has been saying. Her response was, "but I don't feel I talk enough", I told her he thinks you talk to much, it's confusing him. He is asking why can't he have a hand out or the work book to learn from, her reponse was "Oh, I don't give out work sheets". There was a student teacher in the room who also added her two cents and said that she loved talking too. Yeah good on her!! !
I rephrased all J's complaints (maybe I didn't explain myself well, my son is disliking school because he is confused by all the talking, he needs the visual) I was then told that the teacher has been attending a lot of personal development days lately and the big push now is less handouts more talking . Apparently she even went to one on Wednesday and again the push is for more talking! I rephrased again!! ! She informs me "but I haven't been handing out many worksheets all year, this isn't something new". My response, last year he would have been given more worksheets yes? "yeah"(teacher) He has been complaining on and off all year, his complaints arent new! "Oh, but they are pushing for more talking less handouts, but I guess they haven't covered everyone". ! !! !! !! !!Der.
So what is she going to do about it????? I don't know!! !! !! !!

I am soooooooooo frustrated. I just needed to rant.

I would ask them to give the your son the grades and books, and give you the report cards proving it!

They might look at you like you are nuts, etc... BUT look at the words I underlined. Who are ****THEY**** to say THEY can do what THEY want!?!?!? Your son only wants what it is THEIR JOB to give him!! !!

GOD I hate "teachers"! I can't even use the term teachers, as it is a FARCE and a LIE! SAVE YOUR SON! Don't let HIM succumb to the garbage I had to. MAN am I angry for your son!

One of my worst subjects was MATH! My third grade "teacher" apologized AFTER the school year for being such a lousy "teacher". I was in her FIRST class as a "teacher"! That was almost FORTY years ago and I STILL remember that IDIOT! My mother is almost 80, and SHE still remembers that IDIOT apologizing to her!

My first semester was STRAIGHT "A"s!! !! My second semester was almost straight "B"s. BTW in case that loses something in the translation, "A" is the highest grade, and "B" is the second highest. "C" is the next lowest, and considered average.

Ditto about frustrations - some people take ages to "get" what how to teach to the processes of AS kids. At the same time, they have 20-30 other kids to get their brains around too, so I guess we need to give and take a little.

What the teacher needs to "get" is that it is not a matter of her deciding what teaching style is appropriate for the entire class, and then everyone else having to lump it. Your child has a disability (the same as my child) which means that they have difficulty processing auditory information and need things presented in a visual way. The teacher needs to understand this, and adapt. To not adapt, or at least individualise for your child, is the equivalent of saying to a kid in a class who uses a wheelchair, "Sorry, love, but we don't do wheelchairs here anymore. You'll have to flounder around on the floor while you're in here. We're not in the business of allowing for your disability. You just have to stand on your feet like everyone else." Duh! Duh! Duh!

A teacher's job is to TEACH! They are to give the student a decent break! There is a technology that was invented long ago, and any TEACHER will consider it's use PARAMOUNT!! !! !! !! !! ! What is really sick is that the basic technology is so old that it's history is really unknown. What IS known is that it became widely available in MASS quantitys almost 6 *****HUNDRED***** years ago! It can now be SO inexpensive that it is practically FREE! Of course, I am talking about the printed word. Why can't that "teacher" give the child a book?

If a "teacher" EVER dares to not give the child a book, the principle should just come in and say YOU ARE FIRED!! !! !

Did I mention I am ANGRY!?!?

Does your son have an IEP? If not, work on getting one. Start now, even though the school year is nearly over. It can take a long time to get one done.

If he does have an IEP, request a meeting. They will be glad to work with you most of the time.

My, has school really changed that much since I've left elementary school?

I can remember back when I was a kid, the teachers still explained how to do the work but they would also hand out the work sheets and the books. Sometimes they would hand out the worksheets, then the teacher do the talking telling us how to do the work sheet. Then after the teacher be done explaining, they would go around and help each student who still needed help.
Unfortunitly there are teachers out there who don't even want to help a student who are visual or have a different learning style. I think they are just lazy. I had a bad teacher when I was eight but the rest I had for the rest of my elementary school years were all good but the student teacher I had when I was 12 was terrible. Even the other kids had problems with her. Losing our school work so we had to do it over, taking a long time explaining the math problems and boy were we all bored of the blah blah blah so lot of the kids would throw things around the room and goof off. Augh.

i think what is so frustrating now a days is that teachers are taught to teach the why's and concepts behind things as well as the actual skills but it is really just a waste of time. my mom is a teacher and hears some of the other teachers complaints and how the cirriculum is so stupid and it just creates all this extra work and the kids still don't get it.

the other thing is that maybe they are moving away from work sheets becasue the kids who don't do as well may feel bad, and we can't ahve anyone feel bad or inferior to anyone else becasue they never will in the real world (sarcasm)
i understnd the damaging nature of holding kids back but sending them on when they don't have the skills just seems pointless too. yes we need to encourage kids and it's funny becasue you'd think that with the more we know now about different learning styles they would teach the same thing in many different ways not just talking about it becasue it only helps the auditory learners. plus how many 9 year olds have the attention spans for long winded explainations???
perhaps they have implimented that more talk less papers becasue some teachers would just hand out work sheets instead of really teaching.

it is hit and miss but it is sastupid that after talking to them they can't just give him some work sheets to do, if not i wonder if they would be willing to give J a written copy of the lesson plan. i don't suppose a text book is an option either???

Thanks for all the responses peoples

I don't see the big issue with giving him a worksheet, surely the teacher has some written notes for herself, or some sort of text she is working from? Its just so frustrating. Yes he was only diagnosed late last year with AS, however he was diagnosed 2 years ago with central auditory processing disorder any way, so they should be aware he has issues with following spoken instructions. Gesh they've had nearly 3 years now to get it right! Goes to show how much note they have taken of J's difficulties.

Lol can't remember who mentioned the wheel chair but just wanted to let the poster know you made me laugh, thanks.

maybe you need to remind her that there are all different kinds of learners in the world.....the best approach, IMO, is a multi-faceted one which includes: visual, auditory, and written language....kinesthetic is good too , if you can find a way to include it.

If he has an IEP, work on getting class notes put into the IEP. It's done all the time. If he does not have an IEP, you might want to talk to someone about it. Here's info about the special education and evaluation process for parents:

http://www.schoolpsychologistfiles.com/ ... ation.html

take a gun to school, walk up to her, point it to her and say: shut the f**k up, b***h.

then have sex

well, that's another option...

If that doesn't work, try the IEP!

I can supply the reason the teachers are being pushed not to hand out worksheets.... and it has nothing to do with teaching.... it is simple economics... the cost of paper.... the school doesn't want teachers printing out busy work for 30 students every day in every class.... so they tell the teachers to turn towards a lecture style of teaching....

That other teacher is just lazy, she loves talking because she doesn't want to grade busy work.

best suggestion here is to use your IEP to get copies of the teacher's notes (which she will have somewhere) for your son to use in class.

Hi, I just needed to join in here and vent a little too.. my son has just started highschool, in Queensland, Australia, and dear god in heaven what has happened to school since I went there... My son has a double diagnosis, adhd and aspergers, so him and orgainisation and the ability to organise going together is like oil and water trying to mix, so what happens when we get to highschool? I have to pay around $350 in school text book fees & class "extra's" fees.. (here we have a text book hire scheme, you pay for the 'hire' of the books and then return them at the end of each year, supposedly saves the parent money.. HA..)

Anyway.. here I am waiting for the text books to arrive and all im seeing are endless amounts of paper begining to pile up on N's desk (and floor, and under the bed, and in many other areas of his room).. so I start asking questions.. whats this.. whats that for.. etc etc.. and I find out that these are all PHOTOCOPIES of the text books being sent home so they can stick them in their books.. or finish them and hand them back....

well you know where most of them got stuck.. (and I know where I would like to stick them..) the answer?.. he doesnt remember... he thinks he has to have it finished by next tuesday.. he thinks that one has to get glued in his book and this one has to be finished and given back to the teacher.. but he isnt sure and cant really remember so guess what.. he just leaves them on his desk..

firstly the stupidity of expecting ANY young teenage boy to be orgainsed enough to keep these sheets neat, uncrumpled & managed to be glued in on the right page in the right book, is a stretch in my mind to begin with... but to expect a child with adhd/aspergers to manage it is beyond ridiculous... their solution... give him a folder to keep all his loose leaf sheets in.. so now his disorgainized mess is just localised to one book.. great... cleans up his room .. BUT DOESNT HELP HIM FIGURE OUT WHAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THEM.. god.. sorry.. im so frustrated with it..

we are in process of tweaking his IEP, and he now has a case manager, who is trying to help, but the problem is the system.. there is a text book shortage.. so Im told.. so I ask then why am i being made to pay for text books I dont get.. the answer.. because that is the system.. This fight isnt over by a long shot but has just been interupted by a few family accidents and me having to be nurse to a hubby on crutches and a dad going to chiropracter every other day.. so Im a bit stretched but I will sort this out eventually..

I know its not the teachers fault all of the time.. but for heavens sake when is there going to be some common sense put into the education system.. these teachers are people too are they not?.. Do they not have common sense?.. Or is it because they have spent their entire lives in school that they dont apply the same logic to their work as those of us who've spent time in the outside world do?.. I do not mean to dog on teachers.. I know there are some really dedicated and hard working teachers out there who are trying to make a difference.. the problem is they are in the minority.. most teachers have just given up trying to help and are just happy to get through the day if one child is paying attention... Frustrating for them too I guess...

If I win lotto lmao, I will start a private school that supports alternative teaching methods and small numbers of children lol.. fingers crossed....

Lissa