OT Teacher Problems Advise Please?

[Unregistered]

I will try to keep this brief but I really would apreciate some feedback on this.

My 10 yr old child has been having a lot of problems in school this year. He has ADHD and can be disruptive etc but it got to the point with his teacher where even the school counselor advised me to contact the board of education because he was ignoring her and the principals advise on easing up on my child. He never had serious problems with any of his other teachers. He is in 4th grade.

Things went well with a board meeting months ago. Issues were address and the teacher corrected. He was angry and I worried about retaliation the principal and board assured me there would be none. There has indeed been small things ever since (a few months now) Nit picking etc. I let it go just trying to get through the school year as my child has never had so many problems. The doctor even diagnosed him with anxiety this yr and wrote a note to the school/teacher that a little positivity goes a long way. It has been ignored by the teacher.

Now to the recent problem. Teacher had warned the kids to clean out their messy desks or he would dump them. Kids went to another class and when they all came back my childs desk was dumped and emptied on the floor. Whats worse is his was the ONLY one! After being questioned by a staff member the teacher claims he is going to do it to other kids too. I think he is lying because he was caught being unfair to my child as usual. The kids would have come back to other desks being dumped not just 1. My child was left to clean up the mess infront of everyone totally embarrassed!

I just think the whole desk dumping thing is an act of aggression and to use a child who already has anxiety as a spectacle is just totally unaccetable. Am I right here? What can I do? Board of ed was already involved once. I should be able to send my child to school with minimal problems! Should I go back to the board of education again?

[countrymom]

time for a visit. You need to get the principal involved again and start writing things down. Now apparently this dumping of the desks happens here too. We had a teacher that was awful to the kindy kids, and no matter how many parents complained or withdrew their children from her classroom, nothing was ever done, because her father sat on the school board.

[Kaddidle Care]

Request another Teacher ASAP. It's clear that this Teacher does not understand your child. I see no problem with grabbing a bag and sending the child home with the contents of his desk for you to see and for you to sort out with him at home. (Disorganization and messy desks are very common for ADD, ADHD and just plain BOYS!) ::

Dumping the desk is extreme and shows aggression on the Teacher's part. It does no good to embarass a child. This Teacher is clearly fed up and it's not good to keep your son and him together at this point.

Working with children with this affliction is difficult and it takes a multitude of patience and understanding. I've been through this with my own son and the anger and frustration is all part of ADHD.

They need a Teacher that is encouraging or they will feel stupid. Not every child is a cookie cutter darling and there are Teachers that expect that. He's in for a surprise because the ADHD is more and more nowadays.

Have they set up an IEP for your child? Have they done a learning evaluation? If they haven't, it's time to press for one, even if you have to have it done privately. Check with your insurance to see if it is covered. I would love to see schools do a learning evaluation on all children - it is so good to see where they lack and where they excel.

[Heidi]

I remember a teacher doing this to a boy in my class when I was in 4th grade, lets see....37 years ago!!!!!???? I still remember how mortified I felt on Andy's behalf, and I still wonder what ever became of that boy. Clearly, he had an issue, either what we now call ADHD, or an abusive home. He never had clean hair or clothes, as I recall.

It is absolutely unforgivable that in this day and age, a teacher can still behave that way and get away with it!

You need to make the biggest, loudest freakin stink you can! YOU are your child's advocate, and he is too young to speak up and be heard. Make sure your child KNOWS that you can and will do anything to protect him, because YOU love him unconditionally. Go to the school board, change teachers, whatever it takes. My son has 1/4 of the issues your son has had, and I decided to home school him this year. He is 11. We'll see how that goes...

Now that being said, you still have expectations of your son. I'm not saying that you should blindly stand up for him in every situation. Obviously, every child is "naughty" once in a while, and he should be held accountable when that happens. But this situation is unacceptable, in my opinion!

[e.j.]

If this were my son, I'd ask to have him switched to a new teacher if possible.
If the teacher is ignoring the principal, the school counselor and the board of education, I don't see much hope that things will change - at least in time for your son.

Does your son already have an IEP in place? Assuming he does, have you included an accommodation that states clearly and specifically how the teacher is expected to interact with your son? If not, I'd request an immediate IEP meeting to get that added. This way, your son's current teacher (if you can't switch him at his point in the school year) and any furture teachers he may have, have a clear understanding of what is and isn't allowed in terms of their interactions with him. It also puts the law on your side. Teachers can ignore a letter from a child's doctor but they can't pick and choose what accommodations they have to follow without risking their jobs and a lawsuit. Good luck!

[safechner]

It sounds like you went through already. I wouldn't bother to get involved with teachers or principal or ed of board because they didn't do anything to change that. They know you can't do anything and they will continued to ignore as much as they can. I would advise you to hire the lawyer and file a due process hearing against them. Trust me, they will scared out of it because they are violating IDEA law.

That is what happened to us and we gave up and hired a lawyer to sue their a$$. My daughter is profoundly deaf and has PDDNOS who was suffered from Kindergarten to 2nd grades. We had fight with them a LOT then we finally hired a special education lawyer to file a due process hearing against that school. We won the case and they was so upset so they appealed a federal suit but we filed it first against them. Again, we filed a second DP and they settled out of it and paid my daughter's private school that is where she is very happy. And we filed a third DP last July 2011. They sure hate it but they had to settled to pay out to my daughter's private school again and they paid us to keep quiet about their case. Our federal suit is still pending from July 28, 2010 so I hope we should be done by this year. It is a long way to go. My daughter is very happy with her new school and they treat her very good. Finally, she has a deaf education teacher that is very important to her.

Here is more information about IDEA Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individ..._Education_Act

Once you found what you need and show to your son's school. If it doesn't work out then hiring the lawyer or an advocate in your area! If you won the case and you will get your money back when you pay your lawyer's legal fee.

[Michael]

Write letters to the school board and the principle. Letters will put them on notice. At some point if there are mutiple letters and documented conversations, I would get legal.

[Lucy]

I agree that you should DEMAND a new teacher. If they won't do it, I would get a small, discrete wireless recorder and have him wear it around his arm or something (under his shirt, of course). Do it for at least a week or until you get some kind of proof that the teacher is singling him out.

I remember watching 20/20, Dateline, or one of those shows where a mentally challenged girl kept saying her teacher was mean to her. The parents gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt for awhile, but the girl was so insistent that they did the recorder, and caught the teacher calling the girl fat, ugly, lazy, and all kinds of awful things. Brought tears to my eyes.

[Cat Herder]

I'd get a 504 in place and complain about this teacher.

https://www.chadd.org

[Checkinkids.com]

What My Dad would've done

I'm not recommending this tactic, but I can't help but think what my Dad would've done in this situation. I saw him stand up for my sister (who was bullied severely at school) to a very neglectful teacher and principal. He went into the office of the principal and MADE SURE something was going to get done before he left. In your situation he would've walked right in there in the middle of class and dumped the teacher's desk all over the floor, got a standing ovation from the classroom and then walked out. I always thought of my Dad as very un-cooth and rednecky - but we always knew that he'd do whatever it took to protect us, and I really appreciate that now as an adult.

Teacher's have a huge impact on a child's feeling and therefore results about attending school. I remember years when I was an outstanding student and other years where I was mediocre - mainly because of my relationship to the teacher. I can't stand the thought of a teacher that picks on one student.

Sounds like you MUST get a new teacher asap.

[Ariana]

Dumping kids desks?? Who are these teachers and who are these principles and staff members thinking that this is a-ok?? As a parent I would be livid and wouldn't rest until something was done. I'd write letters, call people, visit people etc. Your son needs you right now and he needs you as an advocate. It's obvious NO ONE else cares enough about this situation.

[youretooloud]

The desk dumping was common FORTY years ago. So, was pulling the kid's chair backwards when the kid was leaning back on two legs.


Are there any charter schools you can switch to for the remainder of the year? That way, you can try a different school, but, it's only a partial year, so there's no huge commitment. If he loves it, you can consider keeping him there, and if he hates it, you go back to the old school next year.

In our schools here, there are so many teachers in one grade, that we could easily switch classes and it wouldn't be a problem, but most schools probably don't have the enrollments we have.

I'd also POSSIBLY, MAAAAAYBE consider homeschooling my child for the remainder of the year. But, I know, that I, personally would be a terrible teacher to my own child. I have no backbone.