*Happyteacher*

I've sent you a message about our discussion last night. I don't always get the little notification on here that I have a new message, so I wanted to "page" you. Thanks to everyone that gave me some insight and advice. I'm not going to barge in there this morning, but I am going to set up an appointment with the teacher, principal, and vice principal. A lady that I know here told me that they all like to backtrack on their stories, so I will also have some form of documentation. I am going to write notes, their answers, etc, then I will have them sign off on it to make sure there's no backtracking.

Thank you all again!

sounds like you have a good plan I tend to be a barge in and take the bull by the horns but I have learned over time that if you go in less confrontational you will get quicker results with out all the stress

Hopefully they will see that you are doing your best to be professional and you can resolve this 

have a great day

Hi - I read your other post this morning.  I have a child with ADHD and grade school was hell.  She was very bright but she could not sit still and at times she was disruptive but other times she was an angel.  I read HappyTeacher's response to you and it is right on.

Please consider whether homeschooling is truly the right thing for your daughter and/or why you are considering this route.  With a child who has ADD or ADHD and even Asbeurger's, socialization is very important.  If you pull her away and isolate her away from other children, she may very well have a problem with socializing later in life.  Children with special needs have to learn how to adapt to the outside world and while we want to protect our children at all costs, sometimes that is not the best thing for them.  Homeschooling can also be difficult when you are homeschooling your own child.

There needs to be a happy balance.  Getting an IEP will help.  Unfortunately, the teacher that you have does not sound like they have experience dealing with a child with special needs.  Also taking away recess as a punishment is not right for a child that needs to work off their excess energy so that they can focus in class.  To humiliate a child by writing that note is not the way to deal with a child.  The teacher's way of dealing with this issue is going to have long term self esteem issues for your daughter if they do not get a handle on this quickly.  I hope you are in a good school district that will step up and give your child what they deserve and need.  You have to be your child's advocate but the school also has to take care of the other students. 

My daughter still has challenges at times.  High school was a lot of her pushing the limits  but she has graduated from college with a biology degree and has now gone back to nursing school and will hopefully graduate in December.  She is doing well and is a responsible.

Good luck with all of this.

Thank you! Unfortunately, we're in a horrible school district since we live on post. The school is a civilian school that goes by the boundaries of the county we're in.

When I wrote to Happyteacher, I let her know that we do have a lot of things in place to get her help. Midget is on medications and has been for about 2 years now. She's also in therapy for self esteem, depression, and controlling her outbursts. On the 1st, she's going in for her Asperger's diagnosis. From there, we're being referred out for her to have therapy with other children like herself. A friend of mine has her son in it, and she said it has made a HUGE difference in how he handles himself and the social situations. We're also looking into Karate. It will help channel her energy and teach her self control as well as getting her self esteem back up. (She comes home saying she feels stupid and no one likes her, she's always picked on, etc.) It's heartbreaking to see an 8 year old feeling like that.

With the homeschool program she's being enrolled into, there's actually a BIG group of military kids on post that do the same program. It's all public schooling online. There are teachers and a principal that goes over the work with the kids, and does video conferences with them. ALSO, if there's a problem with her not understanding her work, they have tutoring classes to help. I'm amazed to see how many resources there are for the parents as well.

I know she can do well. She's a brilliant child! I honestly believe there are areas that she is gifted. She's a math and science whiz and she is very artistic. I just need to get her into the right environment to help her focus and take advantage of her capabilities. :)

That sounds great!  I truly hope it all works out for her sake and yours.  I have been a Lion several times for the years for my kids and this sounds like one where you need to be one also!  ROARRRRRRRR

Hello there,

I did see your PM and have responded.  I do at times go a few days before logging in here.  No worries, I always respond.  I think the poster above makes a critical point- socialization for your daughter is going to be critical, and isolating her will not help that situation.  Try to find a balance.  

Also, taking notes and "making" the staff sign off on it will not be received well.  Although I completely understand the need to document, this will be interpreted as being hostile probably.  It is Ok to take notes, particularly if you walk in with a list of questions or topics that you have prepared ahead of time to discuss. A different way to get them to sign off on it so to speak is to go to the meeting, take your notes, then later follow-up with an email to "make sure" you understood the various points.  Summarize (without emotion- stick to the facts) in the email and politely ask if that was the correct interpretation or something that requires a response confirming the content in someway.  Bingo- there is your documentation with a signature, and no hostility.  

I guess I missed on the other post that you are in a military base school- I would imagine that there are needs specific to that situation that I would not be familiar with.  

Good luck.