THE BIG IDEA - An Update

The school’s idea to "help" Nate is to send him to a program for behavior modification. I asked the principal if his teacher was following the guidelines under the 504. She didn’t know. We would have to speak with his teacher on Friday. Don’t you think, Ms. Principal, that it SHOULD be within your knowledge if one of your instructors is abiding by FEDERAL LAW or NOT? Shouldn’t the guidelines within the 504 be followed before other drastic measures are taken? Shouldn’t myself or Nate’s father be allowed to observe the classroom? Shouldn’t the work that Nate has trouble with be forwarded home where I and his father can give him individualized attention? Shouldn’t Nate be allowed to answer questions orally when having problems with his written assignments in accordance with the 504 plan before shipping him off to a program that will probably ship him back in five days and tell you that he has a disability and that’s his problem and you need to abide by the 504 plan? I’m not an idiot. I’m a very analytical person. Its not above me to wonder if I’m blinded by my love for my child. I have forced myself to step back from this situation, and coldly analyze the facts. I do not have all of the facts yet, but the evidence speaks LOUDLY. Nate is a complex child. He has layered disabilities which cause him difficulties which are often interpreted as laziness. However, when I show him and remind him to break things down, using a step-by-step system, I don’t have to stay on his ass to complete his work. He does it willingly, because, damn, he’s got all of this shit in his head and WOW, he can actually put it on paper when showed how to. I read this about learning disabled children today. Its from a Learning Disabilities Association of America: It is often confusing to parent children with learning disabilities, ADHD, and related disorders. One of the biggest confusions and challenges parents face is the large hiatus between what the children can do and what they cannot do. Often they are very smart, know a great deal, and reason well, yet cannot read or write. School teachers and family may be telling them to try harder, and they are usually trying their hearts out. They tend to work 10 times harder than everyone else does, but still they may be called lazy. Children may seem to be having behavior problems when, in fact, they are confronting difficulties in accomplishing a task. Children tend to withdraw or act out when a task is too demanding. It can help parents to know that when children say they hate something, that usually serves as a wonderful diagnostic tool, indicating what is difficult or impossible for them. For example, when a child loves dance, art, and music but hates drama, it could be that the child has a speech/language problem. When a child hates math or reading, these are likely areas of difficulty. Conversely, what children like and want to do usually serve as indicators of their strengths. One of the compensations listed with the International Dyslexic Association (Inland Empire Branch) is: Understand the student's inconsistencies and performance variabilities. I’m taking off the kid gloves. I’m tired of negotiating. I know Nate very well. I know when he’s crying for real, I know when he’s faking. I know his strengths, I know his weaknesses, and I know what he’s entitled to. MY SON IS NOT GOING TO ANY FUCKING BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROGRAM UNLESS HIS FUCKING TEACHER GOES TO ONE AS WELL!! They can KISS. MY. ASS.