“Oppositional Defiance Disorder” is a diagnosis that can get a student an IEP.
So a disruptive, violent child can show up to school every day - throw chairs, bring drugs to school - then get mom or dad to take them to the doc to diagnose them with ODD. It’s a manifestation of their disability.
“Inclusion” also means that these children need to be placed in the same classroom as all the other children. So 29 children are subject to the violence of 1.
The school is also required to have a safety plan in place for when this happens to protect the other students. The IEP protects both sets of students.
It sounds like you’re frustrated because you or a family member may have been impacted by an incident like the one you describe. It is also OK for you to request the help that you or your family needs.
All children are entitled to an equal education, and some need more supports than others. This system may not be perfect, but it’s much better than the harm and neglect that these children used to receive decades ago. Removing them from their peers at all times is harmful, but that does not mean that they are allowed to be violent and harmful at any time.
I am a teacher that is sick of physical and verbal abuse directed at me and my other students being shrugged off because the student has an IEP.
This is an ongoing issue that you can talk to probably ANY public school teacher in the United States about.
I did talk to them about the safety plan for my child. And I spoke to my child. One thing that was really helpful was having a supportive team of people at the school who understood my child’s circumstances and needs. They were incredibly supportive and helped us find the support we needed outside of school. Kid is doing great now.
While you may not like it, supporting all students is the expectation of a teacher. I’m sorry the parents are shitty to you, but a lot of that comes from having to deal with shitty teachers over and over again. You get to choose if you want to make things better or worse for your students.
I hope you get the help that you need (all care givers of kids like this need therapy, it really helps) and can think about if you want to keep helping. Otherwise, you’re the problem here, not the kids who need help.
No. The kid who is untouchable because he has an IEP who has spent every day either throwing things at other children, stopping class to scream curse words at me, or breaking the equipment I bought with my own money because I love my kids and want them to learn is the one who is given that choice.
Sounds like you only want to support some of them, but that’s not your job. Your job is to support all of them. Right now, you are making things worse for the kids who need the most help, and that’s hurting all of your students.
You aren’t in a place mentally where you can help right now and that’s OK, we all end up in that place sometimes. You need support for yourself as well. Go talk to someone who knows how to help, not only friends and family, not only coworkers. A professional licensed therapist will be able to help you. Get help for yourself and the success of your students.
How am I making it worse for the kid that needs more help? I follow the IEP. I show care and compassion for that student. Absolutely nothing I have said here has indicated otherwise. You assume, because of the hypersensitivity. My frustrations I talk to with adults. I just fucking bought a birthday present for the kid that I have been primarily frustrated with.
How many times in my career do you think I have watched a student carve a gangs name into my desk, brought it up to their parent, and been told I was lying? Do you want to guess a specific number?
You naively assume that if one does everything right, it fixes all the problems. Children are not computers. Some children are just not meant to be in a classroom with 29 other students.