From: Mary.Haunreiter@f114.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Mary Haunreiter)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.special
Subject: Mainstreamed Spec. Ed.
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 92 16:46:16 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:105/114 - The Electronic Educ, Washougal WA

Hi Soozi,
    Ahhh, the end of another week.  This year is something else.  Three days ago we admitted a new student from another city.  He had been involved in a gang confrontation, was shot, arrested and now has been sent to our area to live with a relative until his probationary period is over.  Just what we needed......he is really strange and we mainstreamed in all but one class, today we got him back from two of those classes.  We've gotten no records on him, so we are anxious to see what the whole story is ab
out this young man. He has struck us all as a little off center.  Should be interesting.  We take all kinds of BD kids, some are labeled ADD but for some thats just a label to cover a variety of out of control behavior habits.  Actually we have probably few discipline problems within our resource room than many of the regular classrooms but everyone outside our realm assumes we have lots of behavior problems.  We try to solve the problems with in our "family" rather than sending them to the office and we j
ust try to keep an "attitude" about expecting good behavior.  
   We are setting up IEP conferences right now and it is always a challenge to even get the parents to show up.  Many want to just either run in, sign it and leave, others want it sent home and they send it back.  Occasionally we get an interesting parent who asks good questions and they usually receive a good response from our staff.  We used to have a psychologist who attended the meetings with all his little notes and test results but could never truly remember what the student was actually like.  He ca
me off as really stupid to the parents.  One mother asked him if he had ever really seen her daughter and he had to admit he wasn't sure who the daughter was.  He would go on and on about test scores and really irritate parents.  He's gone thank goodness.  We try to communicate with parents all the time.  One of us is always on the phone to a parent about just all sorts of things.  In a small town like Camas its easy to communicate because chances are we've known these people or are neighbors even for a lo
ng time.  We call them at work, at home, anywhere.  We have ones we give up on and occasionally we have to work around a dysfunctional parent in order to protect the student.  
   With my daughter I've had all sorts of great experiences because she falls into such a strange category.  I tested her myself when she first came 2 years ago, even though I could pretty well ball park her skill levels and mental levels.  Then I had her tested by a psychologist who used the report I had written rather than write one of his own, which he sent into the state so she could be elgible for Handicapping Funds.  Her biggest handicap is probably language,  she's very teachable but slow. In two ye
ars her English usage is about equivalent to someone who has been here about 6-8 months.  Plus she's 23, not elgible for funding, but could attend school if the district would waive the funding.  We only have one district in the area that services Moderates, so transportation is a problem.  Anyone I talked to basically ignored what I was saying and just kept bringing up Group Homes.  Even though I said that was not even a concern at the present time.  All I wanted was for her to go to a regular school situ
ation for one year, learning social as well as academic skills in a structured environment.  She was denied an education in Vietnam after the 5th grade.  I've felt she needed a normal learning situation first and then be transitioned into an age appropriate center for learning other skills.  Because of her behavior disorders (she has a temper and can be very stubborn) I doubt she could ever hold any kind of job although I've taught her to use all our appliances, do simple cooking, wash clothes etc.  Actual
ly I think my background puts other Special Ed. people on the defensive and makes them uncomfortable.  For now I've given up and am trying to find someone to tutor her at home.  She really needs to see other people.   
    I've rattled on enough, enjoy sharing ideas and experiences with you.


--  
uucp: uunet!m2xenix!puddle!114!Mary.Haunreiter
Internet: Mary.Haunreiter@f114.n105.z1.fidonet.org