too appropriate?????

[steffipoo]

Hi guys I am just pondering a la CC!!!! CC I LOVE when you ponder...

Olivia has a fabulous sp ed teacher in the morning. Her only downfall I get unnerved with(which is small in comparison to her strengths) is she is really into making her kids APPROPRIATE!!!!! Almost TOO appropriate. For example if a kid from her class pushes another kid on the playground its like the sky has fallen. Ya know what I mean??? Its like the world has come to an end. Another mom and I were laughing about it after school one day cause her son had pushed another kid from our class . It was a small fight over the ball or something like that but it seems when one of the special ed kids do something it is IMMEDIATELY dealt with as if the freaking world were ending. LOL ...I mean if my son pushed another kid(this is all not hurting each other not a giant angry fight just one I think kids can try to work out but are never given the chance cause adults rush in right away)an adult would NEVER intervene unless someone was getting hurt. How are we to learn all that conflict resolution if never given the opportunity to use it??? Ya know.. Just pondering. theres that fine line between overprotectiveness and lettin em be. How do your teachers react in situations? Ever feel like they are trying to make our kids WAY too appropriate??? I mean Liv can be silly here and inappropriate according to her teacher but she seems to get where she can and can't do things but her teacher never gives her the chance to think it thru and perhaps wait to intervene and see what arises. Maybe I'm wrong... I dunno just wondering...Steff

[Jessie]

I agree with you Steff, I think that's the way things are handled at Jason's school as well. I realize his teacher and the 2 aides are dealing with 12 handicapped children, but they do act like it's just awful when the boys are acting like boys. There are 4 boys all around 12 years old (that age when they are "changing"), 3 have Ds, and some of them can't communicate. Heeeeelllllllloooooooooo, there are going to be some behaviorial "issues"! But the teacher is always dropping hints to us that we need to put Jason on ADHD medication. WHATEVER! Teach him to communicate and maybe he wouldn't act out so much.

I've also seen how the aides handle the kids and I personally think they are a little too rough and too on their a**es about everything they do. However, I'm not in their shoes dealing with that many kids all day long. . . and I don't want to be either!!!! LOL


Jessie

[steffipoo]

LOLOL Jessie... PHEW I am glad I am not the only one. Sometimes I just wanna say Miss B.... reeeeeeelax...let em work it out then intervene. I was thinking I may go in and do a lesson plan in her class. Her teacher lets me practice my college lesson plans on her kids and then she critiques me. I think I might try to do a lesson on lets say... what would you do?? then give em different scenarios like pushing etc and ask em what would be the best way to deal with it. And maybe teach em a lesson on stopping and waiting before reacting. Act out things... Hmmm it might work in my subtle way. Olivias class has now 7 kids in the morning. In the afternoon all but 2 are mainstreamed into their appropriate classes.Liv is mainstreamed into 1st grade with her pals. But in the morning there is 1 teacher a T.A and 3 aides for kids. Now that is 5 adults to 7 kids seems like just watching and waiting is an option for her class rather than immediate intervention.Hmmm. Thanks for responding.. Steff

[Emilysmom]

Oh man Steff~ I totally understand what you're saying!! Especially the part about how we want our kids to learn for themselves how to work things out.....without someone immediately rushing to MAKE them do "the right thing"!!! I see that a bit at Em's school, and it's frustrating. However, more than that right now....I'm concerned because she is being allowed at times to NOT act appropriately, and the teachers seem to think it is "cute". GRRRR. Somewhere right in the middle would sure be helpful!!
Have you talked to the teacher about this? I wonder if she sees the problem?
Susan

[christie]

YUP STEFF, I know exactly what you mean. Kids need to be kids too in order to learn, not every little move that our kids make has to or be jumped on is my thinking or looked at as if its more inappropriate then say a typical kid if they did the same thing. Its tuff cause we all want our kids to be appropriate but also be a kid.

I know one teacher from Christopher's old school was famous for saying "Well we have to be on the kids in special ed more cause we don't want the parents of the "typical" children getting amunition (sp?) to moan bout the special ed classes" Honestly that is what this one teach said.

BUT then he had another teach one year that always made excuses and would say "oh but he has DS"

Its a fine line I guess...

For Chris it was hard cause he never ever hit till he was mainstreamed in Kindy lunch/recess. Well boys will be boys and they hit, play hard and such. K, well Chris picked that up 1 2 3 but for him, at that time I will have to say I don't think he quite got it. You know he saw all the others do it so he started. They actually did have to jump on him the second they thought he might hit someone for awhile till he actually got it, KWIM But once he got it, he got it

YIKES girl you have my brain going even more now

All I can say is Geez I am glad I am not a teacher

CC ~

[rickismom]

I agree- its a real fine line....but I think that the condoning of misbehavior is more dangerous in the lomg run....