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Interesting answers to parents asking for help with reading concerns, part 3

 37) 5th grade teacher, "But none of the kids can spell..."

38) "Your expectations of your child are too high" and "Not every kid can be really smart" the first time I began asking for testing. Turns out her IQ is nearly 140 (she was sent home with a 102 fever after she "hurried up" to finish this last test).

39) "I didn't think you were serious." The kindergarten teacher who never turned in my written request for testing for my youngest son.

40) "Wouldn't we all be happier if your son were not in my class" third grade GATE teacher during an hour and a half conference when I finally asked her what her problem was. The principal moved him to 4th grade GATE class and everyone was much happier.

41) "What do you mean he qualified for GATE too." The diagnostician at my youngster's Initial IEP while we were making his class assignments. Seems no one told him that my son was being tested for both programs at the same time.

42) 1st grade teacher, when I mentioned the private neuropsychologist evaluation. was pointing to ADHD, "But Mrs. X, your daughter couldn't possibly have ADHD, only BOYS get that!"

 

43) In the meeting, the regular education teacher on the phone, said, (after all the testing was presented and the testers agreed that 1) he tried hard on the tests, and 2) he had a definite visual motor problem, and unnamed specific learning disability that came out in written expression) "He's just not trying hard enough and he doesn't pay attention!"

 

44) teachers from last year discussing a mysteriously failing child who was labeled gifted. I said, well maybe he's got a learning disability. His response: "Oh come on, HOW can you be both Gifted and Special Ed?!"

 

45) "IQ's don't change." Said very emphatically when we requested a new IQ test when in fourth grade because we did not think the results were accurate based on the facts that the first IQ test was done in when he was six and pre-ADD medication, pre-letter and sound knowledge, pre-Lindamood-Bell, etc. We finally convinced her to do it but she told us, "Don't expect much change." I really worried about tester bias. She called me after testing with genuine surprise in her voice that his full-scale IQ had gone up 16 points!

 

46) "A child can't be diagnosed with dyslexia until second grade because dyslexia means inability to read and until they have been taught to read, they can't have an inability read and they don't teach reading until first grade." Told to me by a district employee after I told her we had a private diagnosis of dyslexia and that he wasn't even getting the basic building blocks of reading (letters/sounds).

 

47) Many teachers have given me glowing reports on how hard my son tries. Then, when we get into the discussion about his struggles they inevitably tell me that he needs to "try harder." I have always wondered how someone who already tries hard can "try harder." Do they grunt, squint their eyes, or what?

 

48) "That's what spell check is for." Said by doctors, teachers, diagnosticians, principal, strangers, etc. when I say that his spelling is far below the norm.

 

49) Explaining to my younger daughters kindergarten teacher my concerns that she is at risk for reading difficulties and could she please keep a careful eye on her?  My daughter was just declassified from pre-school speech delays/therapy plus her older sister was experiencing severe reading difficulties.  I was in the throes of special education hell and blasting my older daughter with early remediation (about $5k into private Orton Gillingham tutoring at that point in time, resource room, supportive reading and supportive math pull-outs). The kindergarten teacher proudly explains that the district just had all the Kindergarten teachers take a 1/2 day seminar on pre-reading skills and "it is all about something called phonemic awareness" complete with pronouncing phonemic s-l-o-w-l-y for me. I just about bust a gut.

 

50) When the classroom teacher had to look for an academic strength to describe my son, "He is a good door holder."

 

 51} 4th grade music teacher opening comment at a conference to:" I assume you must be here about the report I gave X a bad grade on because she can't spell." Parent says, "Are you aware that X is dyslexic and what her IEP says?" Teacher repies,:"Yeah, I know she has some kind of processing issue or learning disability that makes it hard for her to spell. What does that have to do with anything?!"

 

52) The most poignant of all comments about our 6 year old son from his teacher, "He can`t read,write,cut out, glue or do math.He also scribbled on that poster over there". My comment back to her was "We thought that it was your job to teach our son to do these things.This is school". The teachers` comment was "I can`t be expected to teach everyone in the class".

 

53) After intense communication to all teachers regarding his newly diagnosed severe central auditory processing disorder, "Your son has a wonderful caring nature but he does not listen. If he spent more time listening and less time laughing he would be a happier student".

 

54) School principal at IEP meeting says to parent, "Well, you are the one who insisted we follow the law!"

 

55) "What does being dyslexic have to do with spelling wrong?" said a substitute teacher in an English class.

56) "She'd be the smartest kid in the class if she would try to do her work correctly," said 3rd grade teacher

57) "I will not give a passing grade for the year in history to any child who can't identify and spell all 50 states and their capitals."  says a classroom teacher.

58) "Your child is on a daily behavior plan because she is too helpful." 1st grade avoidance technique of a teacher pleaser. Child couldn't get her work done because she was "too busy" helping all the other kids!

 

59) "He's not the only one!"

 

60) From a teacher who didn't believe in LD or ADD said after I mentioned that I was worried about my son's failing grades and decreasing self esteem, "I can't give him self esteem, he gets it from his grades. I have nothing positive to say."

 

61) From the Supervisor of Special Education, "I KNOW you have private evaluations that state your son has an auditory processing disorder, a visual processing disorder, inattentive ADHD, and a non-verbal learning disability. But, as far as the school system is concerned, he doesn't HAVE ANY processing disorders, and they don't impact him educationally."

 

62) From school staff, "Well, his processing problems are probably a result of his home life!"

 

 

Imagine how incredibly brave these kids must be to attend school day after day when they are so misunderstood. *

 

Imagine how helpless parents feel when they get responses like these from the professionals who are supposed to be the experts in education.

 

* http://www.childrenofthecode.org/

http://www.examiner.com/x-4959-SF-Special-Education-Examiner~y2009m3d29-The-best-kept-secret-in-special-education

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-4959-SF-Special-Education-Examiner~y2009m3d31-National-and-local-evidence-of-reading-neglect-and-how-YOU-can-fix-it

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-4959-SF-Special-Education-Examiner~y2009m4d6-The-myth-of-developmental-lag- in-reading