Friends, Romans, Copy Editors

You've all been saved a lot of strum and drang about living with Gameboy since I started the Aspergersville blog. Since the beginning of the school year, Ed has been getting nearly daily phone calls from Gameboy's teacher. Mind you, I had yet to receive one, and I'm the one who is around 24/7 lately.

Anyway, I was thinking that if we're getting such frequent phone calls, then perhaps he's not in the right setting. In fact, I felt we pretty much got confirmation by a note and punishment that was sent home on Thursday. His teacher said we "need to work harder" on Gameboy's behavior at home. Oh, really? You think we let the child do whatever the hell he pleases at home?

Then I looked at the 'punishment' she sent home. She expected him to handwrite the following assigment. (This is where you editor types will have a ball, because this came from a certified teacher!)

*****************************************************************
When I socialize in class during instruction, I create a
disturbance. I am then off task and cause others to be off task,
too. Talking hurts me and robs others around me. Talking to
others when the teacher is talking to the entire class prevents
me, the person I am talking to, and those around me from
learning. Time is wasted when the teacher has to stop the lesson
to deal with me, and wasting time is not fair to those in the class
who have the right to learn in a quiet, uninterrupted manner.
When I am quiet in class during instruction time, I can hear
everything the teacher says. When I am quiet and listening, I will
understand the lesson, I will follow directions, and I will get
better grades. Being quiet when others are talking will earn
me the respect of my classmates and my teacher. Being quiet
requires self-discipline on my part, and I am solely responsible
for my actions.

Education is important for my future success since learning is a
life-long journey. If I do not develop educational skills, I could
seriously impair my future, and my earning potential. Being a
class clown sets a poor example to those around me and
demonstrates disrespect towards authority figures. Being a class
leader presents a positive role model to my fellow classmates and
my teachers. Being a class leader also allows me to feel proud
myself and more positive about my responsibilities. I will try to
be a better example for myself and those around me. In doing so,
I will feel better about myself and will gain the respect of my
teachers and my fellow classmates.
*********************************************************************

I was a little hot under the collar when I found this in his bookbag (buried, in fact) and started off an email pretty quickly. I realized that it probably was a good idea to wait until I'd calmed down before I sent this thing. Late Sunday night, I sat down to it and was pretty clear without being nasty, that she gets the better end of the deal. He tends to be better behaved for others than at home.

I almost feel like anyone else who deals with him tattles over the slightest transgression, not realizing that whatever it is they're telling me about pales by the crap he pulls on me and Ed. I just can't say how ridiculous it sounds (but I can think it)

That note and the quantity of phone calls set me into Mama Bear mode. I went over to the school yesterday to meet with his Guidance Counselor and insist that we revisit his IEP, give him some OT and probably place him with a one to one aide. It's obvious that the current situation is not acceptable.

The one comment that we hear over and over (and over and over and over and over-you get the picture) is "Gameboy is SO intelligent, we just need to get his behavior in line". Finally, yesterday, I said to the ESE coordinator that emotionally, he's three years old, which is typical for kids with Aspergers. We have to deal with the emotional before we can even begin to think about the academics here. She looked at me shocked, "He has Asperger's?" This was after she seemed appalled that he was assigned a written punishment when the first thing on his IEP says "Reduce ALL pencil and paper tasks."

Long story short, he's getting re evaluated. We found out when his IEP got ported over to this county, instead of entering Other Neurological Impairment, they entered Other HEALTH Impairment. One word makes a huge difference, because he's placed with other kids without behavior issues and sticks out like a sore thumb. This teacher seems ill equipped to diffuse his meltdowns.

Now it's time to go Mama Bear at the old school, because they still have not sent ANY of his records. All the supporting documentation and records from Maryland is in their files. They say that they only need to supply proof that he was enrolled. Then why is it that I had to get his entire file from Maryland when we moved here?

I think I'll be contacting the school board instead...