I am posting this both on our blog about Austin and this blog, because while it deals specifically with Asperger's and Austin, it also deals with ignorance about larger families.
Some quick background - Austin has Asperger Syndrome, which is a type of high functioning Autism. Because of AS, he has a lot of sensory issues, plus a lot of anxiety.
For several years, Austin has worn his coat all day long at school. He refuses to take it off. I've spoken with him on several occasions about it when it first started, but then eventually gave up. Last year, because he was at a new school, I had to speak with him about it again because we got a lot of complaints about him wearing his coat all day. He still wore it. This year, there is a new guidance counselor.
When she started, I was so excited. She is fresh out of college and I thought she knew a little bit about AS. Now, I didn't expect her to be an expert, but she had heard of it and acted like she understood it. My hopes were dashed, as she may have heard about it, but understanding it is a whole other thing. She totally doesn't get it.
She has been e-mailing me for a long time and that has been good. However, as the weather got colder, I started getting e-mails about "the teachers" being concerned about Austin wearing his coat all day long and that "he might be cold" and "need more layers."
So, I decided to politely ignore the fact that most of these teachers knew Austin last year and knew that he would not take his coat off, so that didn't seem as much the point. I politely pointed out that he had on several layers under his coat (UnderArmor, a long sleeve shirt, and a hooded sweatshirt), so he was plenty warm and it was more a security/anxiety issue than anything else.
Do you know what she wrote back??? She said, and I quote, 'I'm glad to hear that he has options to wear at home and to help him with layers!' Seriously!?!?!? Like, because we have six kids, we can't possibly afford to clothe all six children and be sure they have enough options to keep them warm. What?!?! I was so offended and so angry that she ignorantly thought that we did not have enough money to afford our children.
Yes, maybe some people cannot afford all the children they have in a larger family. However, most larger families that I know, know that they can afford the children they already have and any future children they may have prior to having more children. Adding to one's family, especially a larger family, is not something taken lightly and not an accident. Everyone I know, myself included, knows they can feed and clothe all of their children in a manner which is weather-appropriate at all times. They may not be designer clothes (and sometimes they may be), but each child has what he/she needs.
In that same e-mail, she mentioned that the teachers were concerned his coat "wasn't clean." Well, I informed her I wash his coat three times a week. She was happy to hear that. I figure if I am washing the coat that often, then they really can't complain about it. It isn't dirty. So I've taken away the two reasons they want him to not wear his coat. And I've spoken with him about it. He's still wearing his coat daily and I'm fine with it. He has on layers, and it's clean - they can say nothing.
Why is a coat such a problem??? And, seriously, of all the issues we have had with him, why pick on the coat?? And if that's their only complaint right now, then we are doing MIGHTY good!!!
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Parent Teacher Conferences
Austin had his parent teacher conferences tonight. I was looking forward to going because we haven't had as consistent communication this year as I have in the past. When I need something or there has been a problem, the teachers are great about e-mailing me. It's harder, though, because there are so many more of them.
We were scheduled to meet with his language arts/lit teacher and PE teacher. I called and requested that we meet with all of them.
We started with his math and his teacher said that Austin has been really solid this year. He is doing incredible in math this year and it is great that he has a teacher who is willing to explain something a dozen times if a student isn't understanding. He said that he has called on him several times when he has thought he wasn't paying attention, but he instantly had the answer. Austin has a tendency to "look" like he isn't paying attention, when he really is. Because of all the sensory input in a classroom (lights buzzing and bright, other kids bustling about and making noise, the hard seat, etc, etc, etc), he crouches on his feet in his seat and generally puts his head down on his desk to block it all out. Hence, teachers think he isn't paying attention, but he is. He is getting a B+, right on the verge of an A- (89%). That is awesome for him!
Next we went to the PE teacher. Austin has dressed every time and is getting an A in PE!!! I was thrilled with this when I saw it on his report card, but he explained it to us. He said that it is a very subjective class (no kidding!) and Austin is trying his best, has a positive attitude, is dressing and showing up on time, and has gotten all A's on written tests. He said that's why he's doing well. The skills don't matter, as long as he is giving an honest effort. I wish every PE teacher would be this way...he's consistently done poorly in PE because of his poor motor skills and we finally have a teacher who doesn't judge on the final product, but the effort!!! I loved it!
Then we met with his Lit/Language arts teacher. She said he's doing well (A-), but could be doing much better. I agree 100%. He does the least amount of work to go squeaking through, but if he applied himself, he could do a lot better. So, we discussed it and I told her what worked last year was to MAKE him spend X amount of time on a paper. If most people got done in 15 minutes, he HAD to take 15 minutes to do it. If he got done sooner, he needed to scrutinize his work and redo it. That really helped and forced him to slow down and he did better. So, she said she was going to buckle down on him and try this option.
Next was his science and social studies teacher. Same as his lit teacher...he wasn't applying himself fully. Still getting a great grade (A-), but could be doing better. He said that very morning he had gotten a test back with a D, and Austin immediately put it in the recycling. I made him get it out and show it to me. For crying out loud, the kid got questions about dinosaurs wrong! He said that it took the entire class 30 minutes to do and Austin was finished in 6 minutes!! So we talked about the option again and he is going to do that with him. He asked if it was OK to hand it back to him and say it needed to be looked at carefully, I said you betcha.
All the teachers said it looked like he wasn't paying attention, but when he was called on, he had the answer. They all said he is a great pleasure to have in class because he is more on "their level" than his peers (they don't see this as a problem). All in all, it was a great conference and I felt like we had gotten through the first quarter well and hopefully he'll do even better next quarter.
We were scheduled to meet with his language arts/lit teacher and PE teacher. I called and requested that we meet with all of them.
We started with his math and his teacher said that Austin has been really solid this year. He is doing incredible in math this year and it is great that he has a teacher who is willing to explain something a dozen times if a student isn't understanding. He said that he has called on him several times when he has thought he wasn't paying attention, but he instantly had the answer. Austin has a tendency to "look" like he isn't paying attention, when he really is. Because of all the sensory input in a classroom (lights buzzing and bright, other kids bustling about and making noise, the hard seat, etc, etc, etc), he crouches on his feet in his seat and generally puts his head down on his desk to block it all out. Hence, teachers think he isn't paying attention, but he is. He is getting a B+, right on the verge of an A- (89%). That is awesome for him!
Next we went to the PE teacher. Austin has dressed every time and is getting an A in PE!!! I was thrilled with this when I saw it on his report card, but he explained it to us. He said that it is a very subjective class (no kidding!) and Austin is trying his best, has a positive attitude, is dressing and showing up on time, and has gotten all A's on written tests. He said that's why he's doing well. The skills don't matter, as long as he is giving an honest effort. I wish every PE teacher would be this way...he's consistently done poorly in PE because of his poor motor skills and we finally have a teacher who doesn't judge on the final product, but the effort!!! I loved it!
Then we met with his Lit/Language arts teacher. She said he's doing well (A-), but could be doing much better. I agree 100%. He does the least amount of work to go squeaking through, but if he applied himself, he could do a lot better. So, we discussed it and I told her what worked last year was to MAKE him spend X amount of time on a paper. If most people got done in 15 minutes, he HAD to take 15 minutes to do it. If he got done sooner, he needed to scrutinize his work and redo it. That really helped and forced him to slow down and he did better. So, she said she was going to buckle down on him and try this option.
Next was his science and social studies teacher. Same as his lit teacher...he wasn't applying himself fully. Still getting a great grade (A-), but could be doing better. He said that very morning he had gotten a test back with a D, and Austin immediately put it in the recycling. I made him get it out and show it to me. For crying out loud, the kid got questions about dinosaurs wrong! He said that it took the entire class 30 minutes to do and Austin was finished in 6 minutes!! So we talked about the option again and he is going to do that with him. He asked if it was OK to hand it back to him and say it needed to be looked at carefully, I said you betcha.
All the teachers said it looked like he wasn't paying attention, but when he was called on, he had the answer. They all said he is a great pleasure to have in class because he is more on "their level" than his peers (they don't see this as a problem). All in all, it was a great conference and I felt like we had gotten through the first quarter well and hopefully he'll do even better next quarter.
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