A Special Message to Teachers

Especially all of Kara's teachers

During my daughter's time in school she had wonderful caring teachers who all gave her the best they had to give.  I  applaud you for being so caring, patient and giving and for continuing to work in a system that does not make it easy to teach and care about your students and yet still have to work within its constraints.  To Kara's teachers, I thank you deeply for making her very difficult time in school the best you could have made it.  Without each and every one of you I don't believe she would have made it as far as she did. 

The issues that I am speaking about need to be addressed by the Child Study Teams, Special Education Dept. administrators, Boards of Education , Dept of Education and the politics and bureaucracy that impedes the success of the education of many children.

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KARA'S STORY

Who We Are --

I have no initials after my name and no degree in education.  My experience is as a parent with a child who was deteriorating through the course of her education and I share through this web site our story as we tried to navigate this very difficult journey called a 'free and appropriate' education.  It is said that  "Experience is the best teacher----especially when it is someone else's experience".  My desire is to help others take the shorter and less painful route as they see their child through to graduation from the public school system.  Anything I speak about in this site is from our personal experience. 

 

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In schools today there are students like Kara, who, may be having a very difficult time trying to be educated in a system that is not tailored to their learning styles. Kara was teachable and she was very intelligent, but our present school system did not teach to her way of learning.   After years and years of trying to force information into her based on the method that works for the majority, she could not endure the relentless process of trying her hardest and failing on a daily basis. She knew that as hard as she tried, the passing grades she was given were not representing knowledge she had gained. Finally, she just broke down emotionally and could no longer face the failure. Now what you need to know is that Kara was educable, just not using the same methods that are used for the majority. Instead of finding her learning style and strengths and capitalizing on those, she was forced on a daily basis to try to learn like the other students and she always came away frustrated, overwhelmed and worst of all, hopeless.

I was in contact with her school frequently and I had asked them to equip her with two things before she graduated ---

 That she believed she could learn.

That she had learned how to learn.

  Very sadly neither of these things were accomplished.

  How many times have I been in a conversation with a teacher, counselor or a friend working in a school system and they remark about the children they see ‘falling through the cracks’.  They are commenting about the children they see in their school who are not thriving, who have no real place they fit in. Quite often these children perplex the school because they do not conform to the majority.  Each time I hear that comment I think about the slow and painful dismantling of the heart and spirit of a child.  This happening to one child is too much! 

  Why are there more than enough teachers and funding to send out homebound instructors for children in juvenile detention homes, those just out of drug rehabs, those home with newborns and even those on suspension for making bomb threats  at schools and yet I was repeatedly told there was no staff or funding to provide for my child, who had a serious learning difference but had  no behavior problems or trouble in school.  Couldn’t this be sending the message that if you really want help you need to be a troublemaker?

  Why isn’t there a safeguard system to protect the many wonderful devoted teachers who work with students and yet are fearful to come up against the Special Education Dept and their dictates?  There were many teachers since my child was in the 5th grade who knew a great deal that could help her and yet if any of these people disagreed with the Special Education Dept were their job appointments or extra work time in jeopardy?

Is there a way to protect the rights of our students and assure their education without getting caught up in the bureaucracy of the entire Special Education Dept?

  The Dept of Education has many laws and provisions made for students who have different needs and yet many, many schools do not comply.  What is the difference between breaking the law and non-compliance? 

It took too long to get Kara the help she needed before serious emotional damage was done.  How can we stand by and do nothing knowing the destiny of the children in the primary grades today?  We need to make a change and to call the school systems accountable to the laws our government already provides.  The veil of secrecy that the schools are hiding behind when they are questioned must be lifted.

 

we are a non-profit 501 (c) (3)  an outreach of Southshore Women's Ministries