There is something fundamentally wrong with a system that takes the moral high ground in terms of their implementation of extreme full-inclusion when it's failing students, staff, and their families at an alarming rate. American friends often ask me if my autistic daughter is mainstreamed or in a school for children with autism. I always answer the same thing: In my province we have full-inclusion. This means that all children regardless of diagnosis or needs are placed within the regular classroom. (If I stopped here, it would sound ideal, as if my Province is on the right side of history in terms of educating 'exceptional children', as if my Province is progressive and exemplary in its treatment of individuals with exceptionalities, as they say. and then I continue: This typically results in chaos within the classroom. Today's classroom is so very different than any classroom you might remember. Unless you work in the system, you might be shocked to spend even an afternoon in one of today's classroom. (The below description is not my particular classroom composition but this particular classroom does exist, and it exists right under your nose. In fact, maybe your child spends her days in this classroom. Imagine an average of 25 children per class. One teacher and one educational assistant (if you're lucky) 4 confirmed diagnoses of ADHD 3 Unconfirmed 2 Confirmed diagnoses of autism (1 severe non-verbal resulting in need for support 100% of the time, and 1 with debilitating anxiety and hyperlexia resulting in frequent crying and outbursts ) 1 Undiagnosed mental illness resulting in anger, hitting, biting, spitting, swearing, resulting in need for support 100% of the time. 7 'typical' children 1 Child who has recently experienced serious childhood trauma 2 Children with various learning disabilities (Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia) 2 Gifted children (Is that even the term we use anymore, it doesn't matter though, it's not like we have time to get to them) 1 Medically Fragile child We are all in the same room, in a (to borrow a term) resource-starved situation. There are multiple IEP, SEP and violent incident reports to be managed. The children must be able to function within the classroom with as little disruption as possible in order to maintain the integrity of the learning. (If you're a teacher in this system you can't help but smile a little at this thought). In what utopian system is there a classroom without almost constant disruption? Do you think I exaggerate? Come see for yourself. Let me break down a ten minute period for you, because to detail an entire day would be far too much for either of us. You leave for work around 7:00am. You are already agitated because you've had another argument with your spouse about how much you spend to maintain your classroom. You find the drive-thru that serves your morning drink of choice and you drive on to work. You make nervous comments to your colleagues, upon arrival, about potential difficulties you may face today. Will he blow? Will she refuse to stand for O'Canada? Will he cry upon being asked to remove his boots? Will she hit, bite, spit before the recess bell? You laugh because that's how you cope. You hear the bell. You are already standing outside your classroom waiting for your class to come into the building. Your heart is warm because here they come, but nervous, too, because here they come. Will little Mary learn a new curse word today? She is so innocent. Surely, she'll never forget the day her classmate bit her teacher while screaming obscenities. How will you make time to work with your non-verbal little doll today? She is acquiring language at such an exciting rate. It would be amazing to spend some 'floor time' with her. She has yet to see the SLP, PT or OT because they are so overbooked themselves, they can barely manage. Will little Ben be bitten for reaching for another's child's play dough? He won't be able to cope with that today. He's tired and he looks as if he didn't sleep well and he certainly didn't have breakfast this morning. You rush to find him some fruit. The Math lesson was postponed again because the safe word was called at 9:25 am and the entire class was evacuated as one overwhelmed little guy, tried to take the room apart in anger. The bell rings because you are supposed to send them out for recess. You are supposed to pee and grab a snack. Ha! You stand defending yourself from the sweetest, brown-eyed, rage-filled little person you've ever met. You wish you could scoop him up and hug him and tell him everything will be okay, but this is more than you can handle. You are not trained for this and you are terrified that you are making it worse. He can't manage right now and your job is to help him manage. You are failing him. You are failing all the other children in your class who've been sent to the library for their own safety. The curriculum is calling. When will you teach them number sense? 5 Star Writing? Your lesson plan sits on your desk. Your intentions were good. Didn't you just spend your weekend laminating the math centres you bought on TeachersPayTeachers.com? Didn't you just argue with your husband about the cost of the lesson, and the laminator sheets. I have to stop there. To go on would indicate that no learning of any kind could ever happen in the classrooms of today. Of course, it does. We teach the children in small groups (we call it flexible grouping) but we really mean it gives us a chance to focus on some serious learning issues when we can. I don't vent here because I don't love to teach. I adore it. It's all I could ever imagine I could do. I'm just desperately frenzied in my need for help within the classroom, within all classrooms. Our children deserve better. And so do we.
105 Comments
Tracy
2/9/2016 07:08:50 pm
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. We have the same issues in our province. Inclusion is just a word if it's improperly implemented. Every year they carve away at the education system. We've already hit bone, people. Enough is enough.
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Anica
2/14/2016 04:15:06 pm
Don't forget ELL too. In BCs lower mainland, a classroom could have 60% ELL, on top of all mentioned in the article, 5 students being Reception level with NO English at all....
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Ms.B
2/19/2016 04:06:11 pm
Yes, in our southwestern ontario school, 40% of our primary classes are ELL, many of whom are traumatized refugees. 2/19/2017 05:40:29 am
You must be a teacher, because nobody else could say this any better. Im a teachers assistant, everything you say is true. There are not enough hrs in a day to do what is planned. Ive been bitten hit, pinched, kicked, called a few choice words, had things thrown at me, Teachers are saints to put up with this. Inclusion is NOT for most students. They get nothing from being in a regular classroom, they deserve better than that, and so do regular students. God Bless
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Michael Osborne
2/10/2016 02:21:16 am
Thank you this interesting and spot on article. I am an EA and this happens a lot more than the public will ever know. Some of these students are just plain scary. I often wonder about the trauma to the other students who witness this, sometimes on a daily basis? Lack of adequate funding and training for EAs and teachers are doing a huge dis service to the students in this province. For inclusion to work the supports must be there.
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Mother of "Typical Children"
2/14/2016 09:58:36 am
TKU for thinking about the "7 typical" students" b/ this revelation became real to me years ago in what was supposed to be one of the better sought after schools to be in that my children were attending in the Public System. Many "special needs" and yes undiagnosed...I really empathized w/ the teachers and tried to teach my kids tolerance and basically gave up on them learning anything. We had a principle that empathized w/ all the learning disabilities however did not know how to manage the environment.or provide aid to the teachers to do so. I flet like a bully for pointing this out however we can set kids & teachers up for failure if they are not given the STRUCTURED support systems to manage chaos. I ran a Home Based Day Care and upon receiving an undiagnosed :Special Needs" child realized how much one on one they do require . I don't think the current classroom is set up to meet the needs of the "whole child" I am grateful for the internet b/ my daughter had to use it to teach herself.
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I love how honest and heartfelt these comments are.
I am so glad that you have mentioned the elephant in the room.
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Tanya O
2/10/2016 03:07:35 am
I so agree with your comments. My ASD son just started kindergarten and with all of the kids in the classroom with multiple disabilities I can't imagine how hard it is for the teachers and EA's to cope on a daily basis. We are failing our teachers, our EA's, our students, our students with disabilities and our families. We need an overhaul of this system and we need to do it fast before this negatively impacts more children.
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Rebecca
2/10/2016 04:46:08 am
Let's not forget the English Language Learners. You may have one or two (maybe more) that speak little or no English. You are expected to teach these children too. You have to write and to hold IEP meetings during your "planning " or after school.
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cassa
2/16/2016 07:05:22 pm
There are some classrooms here with 40%+ English Language Learners, over and above the other children with special needs.
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Liz Brewer
2/10/2016 06:46:53 am
THIS ARTICLE NEEDS TO BE ON EVERY MEDIA OUTLET IMAGINABLE! A copy needs to go to EVERY MLA with a gilt edged invitation to follow a teacher for a whole day, not just drop in, read a story, smile, wave and leave!
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anne harding
2/11/2016 05:10:47 am
Let's send it! I'm sending it to Rick Doucet, my MLA!
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Patricia Evans
2/12/2016 06:25:25 am
I am the mother of an EA I hear about all the awful things happening on a regular basis,how teachers and EA's cope is unbelievable.
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Kathy Bolhuis
2/13/2016 05:54:38 pm
I've been an EA for almost 25 years. For quite a few of those years lately, I've wished that these 'high & mighty ~ as I call them' people would come to a school ~ a day might help ~ a week would be better and try to do our job ~ or our teachers' and ECE's jobs!! There's no way EVER that they could, but perhaps they'd get a sense of what schools are REALLY like these days, because of the changes THEY'VE made. Sadly, though, I don't think they'd care enough about the students, the families, the other children in the classes, the teachers, the ECE's or the EA's to make things right.
Myrriah
2/10/2016 09:16:41 am
Yes. I hear these same things from my teacher friends and principal I know from sitting on the sideline of our children's sport. More so I heard it for years from my children who come home and want to know why this child was able to throw a book at her in class and everyone knows thats wrong and mean. She wants to know why are some students cursing in class was ignored but I punish her for it if she dared at home. In third grade she had her assingment all ready and was excited to show the class but they went to the library instead and never got to show anyone, the teacher ended up grading them over the weekend without presentations ever given.
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Caroline Harris
2/11/2016 03:00:50 am
Your last sentence is what I've been saying for the 25 years I've been a teacher.
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Annette
2/14/2016 09:35:37 am
When inclusion started in BC, it was funded and worked pretty well. In my more than 25 years of teaching, I have seen supports eroded beyond belief. The classes are in chaos. We are in danger of losing a talented young teacher because her class is so overwhelmingly in need and she just can't deal with all the issues. More than half of the class has an IEP and more should, but don't. There is not enough funding to get all of the kids who need it tested. Such a shambles.
Alan
2/13/2016 10:51:32 pm
Put your kids in french immersion. It's the only way to get them into a real learning class within the current public system.
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Mrs.M
2/14/2016 05:02:06 am
French immersion seems to have the reputation of being the publically funded private school experience, or something superior - they have the SAME issues! But worse! It is a parent's right to keep their child in French Immersion even if they are having trouble, have learning challenges that would be apparent in either language.
Rima
2/14/2016 05:20:30 am
Is that really your solution to a system wide issue of the inclusion? The French Immersion programs are only offered in a few school board. Have you given any thought to what the future will look like if we adults just let this be the statue quo?
Katelyn
2/14/2016 08:12:32 am
I'm sorry to say that the French immersion classes are headed in the same direction. I was a grade one immersion teacher for two years. In those two years I saw severe adhd, debilitating OT issues, possible autism, serious emotional needs, non-verbal children and much more. As a second year teacher, I often felt unable to cope- especially when there was the added pressure of the regular curriculum demands, as well as the acquisition of a second language. I would regularly be questioned as to why a certain little boy was unable to read. Wasn't I doing my job? Why wasn't he learning? No one cared that he was unable to speak-let alone read. No one cared that one child would get up and run out of the cladsroom. I was not equipped to deal with these issues. I also had zero support. An ea for 28 minutes a day. Help, by my admin, was considered to be that my children were on "a list". A place where children's needs went to wait. For years possibly, before anyone could get to them.
susan mailloux
3/1/2016 06:22:13 am
NB is different French immersion is in the English school board & they have the inclusion along with that, so imagine how that goes! I have a family teaching in that system leaves home at 7:00am rarely every gets out before 5:00 often works at home nights & weekends & gov. again talking about cuts! They don't have a clue!
Larissa
4/3/2016 05:23:44 am
Unfortunately french immersion is no longer a safe haven for " real learning" our classrooms are now being filled with more and more high needs students. We have students with several mental health issues, we have violent/ angry children, we have students who are struggling to learn basic math concepts in English, but in immersion we have to teach math in french until grade 5. Because people have the theory that kids in french immersion have " no problems" or are " smart" we have no EA support. We have 1 learning support teacher who is divided between hundreds of students, meaning a handful of student get a few minutes of time a week. The entire education system is in dire need of support.
Concerned mom
7/27/2016 09:14:49 pm
French Immersion is NOT the solution! My daughter, who could read before she started JK, just spent her grade 1 year in a French Immersion class with a student with obvious undiagnosed autism, another with major behaviours including bullying and physical aggression, and a third who suffered a trauma in JK and just started counselling this year. My daughter now absolutely hates school and has asked me repeatedly to home school her (which is unfortunately not possible).
Sherry Smyth
2/12/2017 07:31:55 am
I agree. French immersion . I took my daughter out after watching my older children and the chaos and lack of classroom support.
Laara Kencayd
2/14/2016 09:41:47 pm
You made a point that I thought as I read the story. If more of our politicians' children were faced with the inability to learn because of this unworkable "inclusion" system, it would be changed immediately. BUT their children, I'm positive go to the expensive private schools that are able to actually teach children. My Daughter is a teacher and I've heard so often of how much extra in effort and money (she can't afford) she puts in because of her love of all of the children. It seems to me that the children with difficulties aren't learning in this "inclusive' situation any more than the "regular" children. I wonder how these children with difficulties actually feel in this situation. No one seems to bring this part up. I myself had a serious mental impairment from birth that wasn't actually diagnosed until I was 54. School for me was a continual nightmare!!! I wonder if it is the same for these kids. And I wonder what is going to happen to society when all of these uneducated children are adults who must try to earn a living, fit in with society unprepared. I myself have met and talked to and LISTENED to many young people in their early 20's who are working in low skilled jobs, struggling to have a decent life and the one thing in common with them all was that they COULDN'T, NOT WOULDN'T, LEARN at school yet were put through the education system. I KNOW that's not because of the teachers. It's because those in the top jobs and the government are interested only in showing the numbers that say their education system is tops. Wrong. It is unworkable and my heart goes out to every single teacher and every single student being mishandled by these self-important narcissistic government idiots and politicians. Maybe our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau would do better if everyone sent in these stories to HIS OFFICE AT 80 Wellington St. Ottawa, K1A 0A2. I'd use mail rather than email as it actually states they get too many emails to deal with them individually.
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Amanda
2/10/2016 12:04:00 pm
This is the sad reality of our system. There are days where it is virtually impossible to teach. Some students need one-on-one all day to produce anything at all, other kids scream/run/hurt others or themselves...therefore the EA cannot help the struggling students (if you have an EA). Parents need to complain to the province so that all children receive the education they need!
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Tara
2/10/2016 01:24:58 pm
Incredibly well written and so very true. Parents need to know.
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karen gabriel karenrgabriel Gmail
2/14/2016 10:40:19 am
I m.a native cultural presenter and go to two classes per day. Special needs children are getting higher per class all the time. .been doing it for a long time and have seen the changes. .
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Kat
2/10/2016 02:33:20 pm
I'm especially touched by the fact that this particular teacher has a 'special needs' child and understands the impact of inclusion on not only her own child's needs, but also the needs of the other children. A few years back, the province made sure we all watched a video on 'UDL' - Universal Design for Learning - a term borrowed, somewhat, from the construction industry when they are designing for universal access. Now, according to the video, if I just teach 'to the margins' - to the lowest performing and highest performing students in my class - that teaching will 'umbrella over' the rest of the class so that everyone's needs are met. Sounds outright magical, doesn't it? However, while teaching my lowest student not to fear a toilet and algebra concepts to my highest achiever, these things do NOT 'umbrella over' and magically teach the rest how to multiply a two digit number by a single digit number. Please, someone who comes up with these ideas, come teach in my classroom for just a week. Oh, and bring your own child/grandchild with you so that you can see how well they perform in complete chaos. I still love my job, but I'm trained to be a teacher with a specialty in literacy instruction; I'm NOT trained to be a behavioural specialist, a police officer, a wrestler, or a diagnostician. This dumping of all jobs on teachers MUST STOP if we're going to seriously be able to educate ALL children. If it weren't for my outstanding EAs, I fear I'd be hiding under my desk daily.
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Anne
2/10/2016 03:32:12 pm
Amen and amen, we're all burning out!
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2/10/2016 04:42:39 pm
Amazing article!
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Cheryl
2/10/2016 04:55:24 pm
You need to send this to every MLA with an invitation to visit and see the realities of the 21st century classroom. Have them spend more than a few minutes walking through and greeting children. There is very little media attention about this reality - there is more attention and fuss made over "snow days"!!! I believe it's time for teachers to form a coalition and take a stand on "inclusion" in this province.
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Elana
2/10/2016 05:46:43 pm
Well I know my answer won't be a popular one but......he goes....
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jm
2/13/2016 06:43:29 am
Thanks for offering some kind of possible solution rather than restating the problem. I have a Sensory son in a similar looking classroom. It's been difficult. But I get exhausted by the constant conversation on what's wrong, without the offer of what can be tried to make things better. This is a problem. We need to quit complaining and take action.
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Megan
2/13/2016 03:43:45 pm
I really wish I could agree with this statement...but the very term "special education" speaks for itself. Special, out of the ordinary, beyond the realm of normal, as in not what the "typical" kid needs. I am a parent and a teacher. My kids are typical. My classroom is not. I have 30, grade 5/6. About 20 of them are typical. The other 10 range in reading ability from pre-K to grade 2. One cannot recognize his numbers yet. One is non-verbal. Two have diagnosed anxiety and are I. A classroom with a student who throws tantrums regularly. I used to believe in inclusion until I realized that, by including those 10 in mainstream, we have created a classroom where no one functions. Yes, train special ed teachers. Then, open special ed classrooms, where these students can get what they need and hopefully can mainstream down the line, not be left behind the way they are right now. Today's classroom is heart-breaking and the entire system is headed to a breakdown.
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Rima
2/14/2016 05:24:39 am
Good point, what are you doing to ensure that teachers are getting training and that classroom have enough EA's, ECE's, OT's, Educational assessments, and more?
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michelle
2/14/2016 07:33:14 am
you nailed it. the problem is teachers don't have the qualifications to deal with real life kids. things are changing - and beating children to conform to a set social norm is not acceptable anymore. all teachers should have behavioural training and the ability to adapt their teaching strategies to each child's needs. teaching other children that not all kids learn the same is just as important. My eldest son is a great help in dealing with our ASD son. He knows how to redirect him better than his teachers do. Instead we are marginalizing those that aren't typical from those that are. we have a high-functioning ASD son who has made tremendous gains from being in a mainstream classroom. the thing is people don't realize how really smart he is. His testing showed he's gifted in photographic memory recall and problem solving but he lacks adaptive functioning. What does this mean? it means he needs social interaction. with it he has the ability to change the world and I don't just mean this because he's my son - but because he's an amazing gift to society. You'd be surprised to know a lot of the greatest minds of history are those that are different. Different is normal - its time to adapt to our differences.
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Susan
2/14/2016 12:43:57 pm
You say your son can better re-direct your other son with ASD. Has he tried to manage that with 24 other kids who need his attention and still teach grade level curriculum? I can also re-direct and help special needs students, just not 25 all at once!
Jenny
2/18/2016 05:03:04 pm
I agree whole heartedly with this comment. Teachers completing the 5 year B.Ed. Program today are qualified to teach in the classrooms of 20 years ago. A spec. ed. post bacc is a must to be able to begin to meet the needs of children in today's classrooms. Student services within school divisions in our province are severely underfunded and in need of a "think outside the box approach". Inclusion is bound to fail if we are working within systems and structures that are in need of an overhaul.
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Tim
2/10/2016 06:15:06 pm
Thanks for writing this. I'm a teacher in ASD-S, and more stories like this must be shared. We can do this. But we need the resources. We need the support.
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Antonia
2/10/2016 07:04:32 pm
This is and has been my classroom for several years.
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amanda
2/11/2016 05:21:19 am
U know what if the so called system had an EA in the classroom that did the workshops offered because they are offered and the funding is there for them to attend along with the teacher the a day in the classroom would run a lot smoother and I know from experience having an autistic child with behavior problems and having attended these workshops along with his EA and his teacher it does make a huge difference. What it comes down to is having a system that has not put the funding that the school is receiving for the child into these workshops. The right EA with the right knowledge of how to deal with a certain situations is what is needed. The school needs to use the funding where it's needed!
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Heather
2/11/2016 07:52:50 am
I remember many, years ago, being at the annual Council when the idea of full inclusion was introduced. In the discussion that followed, the main concern with the idea was, what kind of support would the child/classroom teacher receive. We were assured that support would be available in order to integrate those students with special needs into the'regular' classroom. Most teachers were in favor of the idea of inclusion and could see the benefits to all students, but remained concerned about the promised supports to make it feasible. Those supports were never realized, to the extent they are needed, in order for full inclusion to work effectively. As a result, you have situations of the kind described, insufficient material resources, disruptive behaviors that affect learning of all students, extensive paperwork, the lack of time to work individually with students, and the resulting frustration. I feel it is possible for inclusion to work, but not as it stands now.
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Gisele
2/11/2016 03:10:52 pm
Reading this brought tears in my eyes because this message is very accurate about our education system in a province that includes every child in the classroom. I agree with this, but like everyone who works in schools knows, we don't have the resources to do our job and that is TEACH! Unless you spend one day in a classroom, you REALLY don't know😟
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Lalia
2/12/2016 02:47:30 am
I've been a teacher for close to three decades now and it's only getting more challenging. I think that for every child with an IPP in the class, the class cap should be lowered by 2. So, for instance, the Primary cap - which is 20 - would be lowered to 18 with the inclusion of one child with an IPP, 16 with 2 etc. in addition, for the safety of all children, children with a history of explosive outbursts should be monitored and supported by an EA. I am seriously concerned that some of the quiet, sensitive children in classes are developing school phobias and PTSD because they live in fear of certain students. Imagine if an adult had to go to work each day with a co worker who would sometimes, with little warning, punch, kick or bite you?
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Ellie
2/13/2016 10:11:36 am
Yes, I worry about the other kids too and often wonder what they're thinking inside. I've seen the look of fright on faces when one student is screaming, turning over chairs and tearing things off the walls. The situation is not safe or acceptable for anyone and I'm sure that the goals of inclusion are not being met with our current system.
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Susan
2/12/2016 05:04:16 am
Kudos to the teachers and EA's. Most of you are awesome at what you do and in the spirit in which you do it. Most schools do need an increased amount of resources and a review of the priority of funds. They also need more parents to step up and volunteer at the schools in whatever form they can. Schools have relied on volunteer aid for years, with less and less people willing to step up. We also need our teachers and EA's to insist on the types of training and workshops to aid them to deal with the modern day classroom. We also need to stop hanging onto the teachers and EA's that have seniority, but hire based on who is more suitable for the job. Principals and vice-Principals need to be placed in schools that they can handle and can cope with, in order that they can provide the support and leadership that the staff require. Teachers and EA's generally signed up to teach and support the children in a safe environment, not to be social workers and be worrying about severe safety issues for themselves and other students.
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Fraser Turner
2/12/2016 06:25:18 am
This post... this is provoking a visceral response as it brings me back to my first year of teaching.
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KH
2/12/2016 07:01:28 am
I totally agree with what you have said; Great job! To add to this....we also have 3-5 international students in each class who do not speak English and are placed in a classrooms with limited ELL support and come with Educational assessments and diagnosis done in foreign languages. This above everything else you have shared.
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Wendy DuBois
2/12/2016 09:59:48 am
I have to say I am SO thankful my Grandchildren are Home Schooled. Their Mom is a High School Math teacher, who 'saw the writing on the wall" and decided to 'retire' and teach her 4 at home. It has meant a LOWER standard of living, but a HIGHER education. Add to all the chaos described kids coming from homes full of verbal abuse, marital discord, and other food security issues... Is it even realistic to assume a kid can learn in the classroom. I salute Teachers.
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Myrna
2/12/2016 03:45:56 pm
This article could have been written by one of my granddaughters, as her teaching career is in jeopardy, for the very same reasons!
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Terry
2/12/2016 04:18:42 pm
I would like to comment as a mother of an autistic son who has been through the system. My son has many difficulties......epilepsy, development delay and behavior problems The schools coped with him the best way they could during his elementary years but outside the classroom was usually where he worked best. In middle school, he was in a classroom that met his individual needs along with other students who needed individualized programs. This was a perfect opportunity for my son to learn LIFE SKILLS (Yes........I said that terrible term - Life Skills.) This classroom was in a middle school and the students socialized with the rest of the school when possible and it was a positive school to visit. The teacher was a qualified resource room teacher and several excellent EA's helped the children succeed. As parents we had to fight to keep it open and my son was fortunate to finish his middle school years at this school. The government slowly eliminated this program and now it doesn't exist! My son went on to high school and was asked to leave after 3 months. The resources were not there for him and his needs were not met. After receiving weekly calls about my son and attending many meetings we were totally frustrated, exhausted and completely disappointed with no options available. Inclusion didn't include my son!
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Helena
2/12/2016 04:51:12 pm
So true and so scary! I am a teacher in ISP ASD(intensive support program) classroom. I have 10 boys all with autism with EA and CYW. We also have CYW SIP and SNA SIP, who are assigned for one specific student. The students are grade 3-5. Two of them just came directly from a mainstream classroom. Seeing their difficulties and needs I cannot imagine how the classroom functioned. Most likely same as the one that is described here. The expectation is that we will teach them self regulation and enough coping skills that they will be able to be integrated into the mainstream classroom. Two of them are being now integrated about 80% of the time. The rest....well, I cannot imagine them in a regular classroom.
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Although I am sure being a teacher is challenging (although at $90,000 average pay it is certainly well compensated), however why the exaggeration? Autism affects around one in 80 kids, and ADHD about 5-10%. So a typical classroom would have zero kids with autism and 1-2 with ADHD.
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Shanell
2/13/2016 04:26:37 am
Did you just use bullshit numbers to tell us that there are NO kids with autism in our classrooms?
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So if one in 68 kids has autism, then you are agreeing that a typical classroom of 25 kids would NOT have 2 autistic kids. It would be more likely to have zero. You are bothered that I pointed out the exaggerations in this article? Few things are more annoying than hearing teachers, who have one of the best jobs on earth, complain. If you can't handle your chosen, very high paying profession with three months off every year, than quit. You signed up for this. Financial Post - May 19 2015- Howard Levitt. "The Drummond Report found that the median salary of public school teachers in Ontario 3 years ago was $95,000". You are a prefect example of the shocking level of entitlement commonly displayed by Ontario teachers. Here is an article full of lies and exaggerations and I dare to point it out. And you respond with more lies. Go do the job you chose and quit your whining. You are in the top 10% of income for this province. Your job is challenging at times? How shocking!
Lisa
2/13/2016 07:13:29 am
I call bullshit to your numbers my dear. My grade 6 class of 26 (yes, only 26 - I was lucky) had 5 confirmed ASD (all boys), 1 gifted, 1 who was in and out of the Paediatric psychology ward 3x for attempting suicide, 3 who were at the 4%ile, 2 who needed support 100% of the time or else they'd get lost going to the bathroom, 1 who was so violent toward himself and others that he needed restraining several times a day resulting in clearing the classroom or being trapped in the class if the restraint was outside the door in the hall - and the list goes on ...
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Shanell
2/13/2016 09:01:13 am
Right on, Lisa! I think Maria might be a troll. Nobody told me there would be math, but....I think she believes that if 1 in 68 children have autism, you would need 68 children in a room before you'd see it. By that genius logic if we keep class sizes under 68 we will never have a child with autism in our classrooms. Brilliant ;)
Shanell
2/13/2016 10:05:05 am
Maria, I know it might hard to believe there is a world east of Montreal, but here in New Brunswick (We are a small HAVE-NOT Province, look us up) we have extreme FULL Inclusion and Little Money to spend on the policy. THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF MY ARTICLE. I am writing what I KNOW about OUR situation in THIS Province. I only write about things I KNOW because this is the best way to avoid sounding like an ASSHOLE.
Ann
2/13/2016 12:18:00 pm
Maria is definitely a troll. And an asshole.
Mother of a son who has Autism
2/14/2016 05:43:58 am
I really don't know where you get your numbers from but they couldn't be more wrong. My son just started JK in September and he's autistic and he's in a classroom with 27 children including him. They have 1 teacher and an EA (that floats between the 3 other kindergarten classes) it was made very clear to them by Early Intervention Services of our region that he would need a lot of one on one help in the classroom. They were told this when he was registered for school last January by EIS and we were told that they were going to make sure that he had the assistance and everything else that he needed or may need. Well the first couple of weeks of school came and went and he had NOTHING as all that we were told he would have. I know and understand that the first few weeks of a school year is quite busy and hectic so I didn't say anything to anyone about it cause I know that it takes time for the teachers and staff to get settled in and if there are any class changing to be done to readjust to that. Come the 3rd week of October and he still had nothing that he was supposed to have so I called the school to see what's going on why he didn't have any of the support or materials that he needed. They told me at that time that because of underfunding in the board that he might not be able to get as much support that he needs and that they are trying their best to get him the support that he needs. It really irritates me that we were made all of these promises that he would need and now he can't get it because of underfunding in the education system. I have been in the classroom with students and teachers for 7 years volunteering to help the teacher out with a wide variety of things and have seen first hand how this affects the children and the teacher and it's not right at all. A lot of the teachers that I know has spent hours of their personal time at home or on the weekends preparing or doing whatever they can do at home for the next week of classes so the they can try to spend more time working with and/or helping the students that needs more help than others.
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Ellie
2/14/2016 03:01:15 pm
Maria, It's obvious that you have not spent any time in a school. Relying on old stats and then generalizing is not recognizing what is actually happening in the school system. Go volunteer for a few months in your children's classes and then form an educated opinion.
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Stephanie
4/3/2016 05:19:44 am
Wow... What an ignorant post. Since I've been teaching, I have never had a class without at least 1 student with autism and 1 with adhd or odd. The average pay is 90,000 ? no that's the top of the pay scale. Get your facts straight. This is a serious topic. At my school right now we have 4 teachers on stress leave because of the stress of being in the classroom. They were getting punched, kicked and had chairs thrown at them. The poor children in those classroom. When is enough enough? I'm sorry, but without the proper ressources inclusion can't keep on going like this.
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Therese boudreau
2/13/2017 03:42:28 am
You live in never never land! I have been teaching 27 years and In my experience you are wrong!
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Therese boudreau
2/13/2017 03:46:04 am
I also make no where near 90,0000. (16,000 less and that's after 27 yrs!) You shouldn't speak about things you know nothing about!
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Megan
2/13/2017 06:49:22 am
Except that kids don't know they are only an average, I guess. My class of 30 5/6s has two ASD students and 3 ADHD students. On top of that, I have 8 other students formally identified with a variety of communication and learning disorders. Maria, while your math makes sense in theory, it does not work in reality. Teachers do not work in theory. I DO make $90 000/year. How does my salary justify students not being properly placed? I am doing the very best I can, for that 90 000 but, you can't draw blood from a stone. One of my students does not know his letters yet, as he is in the 1st percentile for language. He also has high anxiety and does not work well in a group setting. Whether I make 90 grand a year or not, the best place for him is in a small group setting.
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Jessica
2/12/2016 08:40:35 pm
Thank you for this article. It is a sad truth that many parents will never be aware of.
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Shannon
2/12/2016 08:51:31 pm
Yes I think they should call it "non-inclusive inclusion" ... Makes so much sense right?
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Joan
2/13/2016 03:08:35 am
Our teachers and educational assistants need to be heard. The education system is broken. There are no winners here.
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Sarah
2/13/2016 04:08:03 am
Consider the ideas in a book "Lost at School" by Ross Green, these kids are not going away and inclusive classrooms are not going away.
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Kenton
2/13/2016 09:22:09 am
What a fantastic book that is! Every educator should read it. Go. Buy it. Read it. You will never look at disruptive behaviour the same, because all disruptive behaviour stems from lacking skills. I agree with a random educational researcher, sorry can't remember the name, who argues that disruptive behaviour should be called pain-based behaviour because all of this behaviour is based on emotional pain.
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Linda Campbell
2/13/2016 08:31:09 am
This article tells it all. I began with a toddler in a daycare environment , from helping him to walk,vocalize,without screams. Let's just say all aspects of this ones life.i had a degree in childhood psychology.Then took some early childhood education,I was young and wanted to make a difference,all good intentions.But life is where I received my best,yet toughest education.Inclusion, wow 30 yrs ago , hmm sounded good ,would "help"everyone to be understanding.somewhere after some of those years,it wasn't as great an idea as it should have been.. It made me question many of my preconceived ideas. I then had moved to another school,they had classes for junior high students,called: I.O.P.. Individualized programs to suit groups of children,whether it was for language skills,math,sciences,social.. This is where I worked, there was One teacher with elementary level, and me. We worked hard,no breaks,and back then oh yes they had breaks,but we couldn't. But we made that choice. They did flourish, now as for stereo typing of kids, that happened no matter what anyone did,that did and still comes from parents,and how we teach them , bullying in any other time... Bullying of any child for whatever reason someone decides to place on another child or person ,will happen no matter what . Families need to be taught how to treat others with Respect. Back to my train of thought,our education system is hurting all children and those that try to teach them.We are hurting their futures .our governments need to step back and see what all children need to succeed at learning and life. Go forth and never give up.
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Victor
2/13/2016 09:19:52 am
The story above is what is happening all over.
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Ellie
2/13/2016 10:02:51 am
This is spot on. I've been teaching for 15 years now and the last 8 have been like this and it's getting harder and harder. I feel like our school is a powder keg just waiting to explode. All of the policy changes have made it impossible to function and it's a wonder that children learn anything at all. Something has to change but I fear that all of the feedback falls on the deaf, uneducated ears of politicians and policy makers that are woefully unprepared for their roles.
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Kenton
2/13/2016 10:21:45 am
I read this article like every other educator, without a bit of surprise. If you think that the situation is bad in the province's, know that it is ten fold in the Canadian Arctic.
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Ann
2/13/2016 12:36:31 pm
I work as an EA and see what you're describing in too many classrooms. Every year it gets worse, and every year I see burnt out staff and less and less funding for support. "There's just no more money in the budget" for "additional" resources. Additional? The government isn't even meeting the need for basic supports to make classrooms function properly.
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Jodie
2/13/2016 03:29:06 pm
It saddens me so that we have so many fragile children in the school system these days. We seem to have a concoction for disaster in today's world. There is a mixture of poor parenting skills, lack of consequence for poor behaviour by students, a sense of entitlement from parents and students alike... The list could go on and on. I have 4 of my own natural born kids. My husband and I are about to celebrate our 20th anniversary in April. He is the father of all 4 kids, we all live together and all have the same last name. It is a sad reality that this is not the norm anymore. Children these days face dealing with divorce, blended families, tragedy, same sex relationships and often times parents that are more interested in dealing with their own selfishness or who are unable to provide the attention and discipline needed due to their own stress that may be going on in their lives. Too often, students of today know that teachers are unable to follow through with any discipline for fear of "being sued" or invading the rights of these students. It has gotten so that teachers and staff can not even take a child by the hand to lead them away from their misbehaving and possibly dangerous situations. Students feel more than comfortable to tell staff to "F" off and rip the classroom apart ( I'm not exaggerating) and have no fear of what will happen to them while they are doing this. I've heard a grade one student tell faculty to " F... off, you can't do anything anyway"!!!! I'm a firm believer that all students have the right to feel safe while at school doing their job and learning. Things have gone too far to the lenient side in accepting disruptive and possibly dangerous behaviour in the classroom. Maybe I am too old fashioned, but each one of my kids know that if they make a choice to behave poorly, there will be a consequence to that action and that their dad and I are firmly together and stand behind the school staff and teachers. I think it's time to go back to some of the old ways in that if you do not do your work or try to be a positive influence in the classroom and beyond, that you do not pass through to the next level. In the real world of working class, you would not succeed in your career unless putting full effort forth and showing respect for your co-workers and your boss. It is high time the same expectations be set out for our students in school.
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Katelyn
2/14/2016 07:37:22 am
I just finished my first batch of practicum as an EA student in Saskatchewan. I was set to work or supervise 11 students throughout the week because they are intensive support needs students that the school doesnt have proper funding for at this time. It was a pleasure to help those that need it, but our government needs to wake up and fund the schools better so this doesnt bece the norm. Not all practicum students could manage the schedule I had by any means.
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Cynthia
2/14/2016 08:01:28 am
I am in my 18th year of teaching. I have been teaching secondary for the past 7 years, and just returned to a grade 4 classroom this year. I couldn't believe the difference, the decline in support, the increase in expectations on teachers to be parents and social workers, and the (in my opinion) corresponding decline in the academic level and attention span of the students. I have personally experienced everything mentioned in this post, and that's just in this year alone! We have to accept that the child we are teaching today requires more, not less, direct human contact. Stop throwing money at technology and add people and physical space.
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Angela
2/14/2016 08:16:51 am
You just wrote my day! I have been teaching for almost 30 years and would love to teach for another 30. I teach high needs kids and have the scars and bruises and wonderful memories to prove it. There aren't enough resources. There will never be enough resources. We do the best we can with what we have, and then we go home and wake up at three in the morning with another idea that might work to reach that one child... and then we get up in the morning and smile and laugh and cry a little and do it all again, and again, and again.... working for that one new word or smile or "I got it" moment. Integration could work..can work... does work when we have adults trained in the needs of the kids and who are able to facilitate the integration and deal with the "oops" moments. Integration doesn't have to be full day... it can consist of brief butterfly drop ins... 30 minutes for calendar, 30 minutes for gym, bringing "typical" kids into the classroom for playtime or reading buddies, playing in the yard together at recess with supervision, inviting some friends in for a picnic lunch or snack... but there has to be enought trained people to facilitate and WE aren't getting that training.
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Christine
2/14/2016 09:07:50 am
20 years teaching and this article comes as no surprise ... and the reason I am leaving the profession. 2nd time in 3 years that I am teaching a 3 grade split - Gr4/5/6 - with needs from Gr 1 to Gr 9. (28 students this year.) The problems kids come to class with are so much bigger than our system is equipped/funded/trained to handle. It feels like a cop-out to leave but my marriage and my friendships are suffering from the energy I pour into my students - and all I feel like I am accomplishing is sticking my finger in the hole in the dam.
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Claudia
2/14/2016 11:02:35 am
SO, WHAT CAN REALLY BE DONE ABOUT IT???? We all know that this is what is happening in many class rooms these days. Tell me, a parent, what to do. What can be done to change this? Thanks!
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Ellie
2/14/2016 03:12:19 pm
Please write to your MLA and also the Minister of Education. Those are the people that need to be pressured to respond. The problem is systemic - not in the laps of teachers, parents, or school boards (as much as some people love to bash these 3 groups). I know teachers do the best they can and I believe parents do too. School boards just follow lock step in what is dictated from the Ministry. That is where the real change needs to happen.
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Michelle
2/14/2016 12:33:26 pm
First, I want to ask about community classes? In Ontario it's my understanding that many public schools (at least for the younges pt grades) have community classes for the special needs children who are not currently able to integrate in a regular class. That is for the benefit of the regular class staff and students, but also for the special needs student. Our 6 year old son has some special needs. He's currently in a private school, integrated as an SK student, with 1-on1 support full-time (the government CCAC covers a chunk of that cost and we top it up so he has the EA/PSW full-time). About 3 years ago, when our son would have been eligible to start JK in public school that fall, we spoke quite a bit with the public school principal, special resources staff, and the school board special resources coordinator. When he explained that our son would be eligible for some 1-on-1 EA support, he indicated he definitely would not be eligible for 100%. so then we asked if we could pay the school board directly to top-up what the government would pay for our son's hours of eligible 1-on-1 EA support, so he could have full-time support (same EA staff hired through the union, etc). Clear answer we got was NO. Key reason: other kids' parents may see our son getting 1-on-1 full-time EA and ask why their child isn't getting full-time too. We ended-up deciding to keep our son in an excellent preschool another year, since he was progressing very well there. And then 1 year later we found a great private Christian school who clearly had experience with 'inclusion' and our son is in such a great place! Keep in mind that when we contacted this school, we told them we would top-up whatever the government assessed to cover, so that our son would get full-time 1-o n-1 support. There is no way that this school's 1 JK/SK teacher, with 15-20 kids in her class, could support our son's needs, even for 1 hour (and especially if he had to go to the bathroom during that 1 hour, which he can't do independently yet). And we were able to register him as JK even though he would turn 5 years old in November (public school would apparently fight that, so it takes time and energy for parents who want that to get approval for that type of exception). so, I'm not writing here with any solution...more just comments and sharing some of our experience...
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Guy
2/14/2016 01:08:35 pm
I have not read all the comments, but here is another possible scenarios that might (did) happen. A parent knocks at your classroom door and calls you out in front of the entire classroom, which includes her ODD child, who enjoyed every minute of the outburst, because you forgot to to send her to the office so she could go to an appointment. This happened to be right after recess, which you were supervising and where you had to act «in loco parentis» to stop a child from physically harming another one.
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Jane
2/14/2016 04:47:37 pm
I am a retired special ed teacher who worked in "inclusive" classes and in Special needs only classes. it was my experience that the Special needs Classes were much more effective in addressing the needs of those students. They were in a controlled environment with far more face time with the teacher or EA. They did not feel "stupid", scheduling and lessons were far easily adapted to their strengths and weaknesses. The kids showed faster progress, and less frustration and fewer behaviour issues. In "inclusive classes" The special needs kids were often left sitting unattended and unincluded and therefore looking for some way to get my attention while I tried to teach the rest of the class and assign them work that they could do without access to my help when it was time to turn my attention to the special needs children... both groups got in efffect only half of a days instruction time. It was an entirely unsuccessful situation where neither group benefitted. Yes I had EAs, but even with their help, some days were a blur of behaviour issues with little skill development or learning.for either group.
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Michelle
2/14/2016 05:06:31 pm
I have heard that for some school boards and/or schools, there is mis-management of funding which results in $$ which is allocated for 1 'special needs' student (i.e. for some level of EA support) does not fully get used for that student. I guess this is the board's way to cope with so many kids who are not able to 'behave' properly in a classroom (i.e. they are regularly disruptive), but they haven't been assessed for government funding for EA support, so the school uses some of the other special needs' kids' $$ for some EA support for those kids. And I also want to mention parents... are some parents insisting on inclusion when it's not the best environment for their child?
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Joanne
2/14/2016 05:54:18 pm
Michelle - its not 'mis-management' of funds - its lack of adequate funds from the Gov't. In BC there is a scale of $$ given to the school board for each category of child. In each case, the amount given is not enough to fund an EA....so the district must top up - in addition to finding 'efficiencies' (BC Gov't wording for dealing with not enough funding) In practice this looks like EAs assigned with a Ministry category student and others 'piggy-backed' with that one that brings the EA into the class. My work load includes 1 Ministry category kid plus 5 others with and without IEPs - that's just my morning...my afternoon is spent with an ASD child on a safety plan. BTW BC Ministry allots less $$ for ASD yet ASD kids take full time EA. The system is broken and getting worse year by year
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Noami
2/15/2016 01:22:30 am
My daughter has autism. And with that she got a 1on 1 aid from the Alberta Government. This was wonderful until we went to Kindergarten, then we still got the aid but the kindergarten class had 28 children. In the 28 children there were children who had undiagnosed behavior problems so my daughter's aid ended up helping the other children as well. The worst part was some of the children who were undiagnosed had worse behaviors than my daughter with autism. I spent some time in the class and it was crazy. I think some of the kids just had typical ADHD behaviors which have always been there. But there was one child with undiagnosed ODD or something like it who I and others felt was the product of bad or misguided parenting. Anyway my child's aid spent a fair bit of time with the ODD child. A 2nd aid was added midway through the school year.
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Canadian Teacher
2/15/2016 04:01:24 am
I have a classroom of 30 grade 7 students. Thirteen of them are identified as having a learning disability. Three of those are not even close to working at grade level and I have to modify their work heavily and offer them one-on-one support. One of those three is neglected at home and comes to school in need of love and food (CAS is on this case). I have another student who is at my side all day needing attention for one thing or another. A girl in my room cuts herself and needs close monitoring. She should be in a facility to aid her mental health issues but there is a long wait list and she is not considered a serious case. I have another student who has such severe anxiety he does not do any work, puts his head down and sleeps at his desk, and I have been instructed not to draw attention to this as it will only make his anxiety worse. Three students refuse to participate in gym class. Five students never do homework and their only consequence is if I lose my recess (pee break) by keeping them in. I have one boy who has ADHD so severely that he is at the maximum dose for medication and still can't focus. Then there's the parents who feel their child should not be reprimanded in front of the class for her calling out across the classroom behaviour because I am ruining her self esteem. We do get through the lessons, but the kids who aren't needy or acting out do not get any attention from me. I want to work with them, but there's only so many hours in a day. I have an EA in the classroom for on 40 minute period during the day and the special education teacher comes in about three days per week to assist for one 40 minute period. Usually, I'm on my own.
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Nat
2/15/2016 07:25:21 am
I'm truly shocked by this article and by some of the comments!!! I am a mother of four children, two of which would be tagged as children with special needs. I didn't realize that my children with special needs should be treated differently, and have less rights to an education than my two "normal" children. In our English Quebec school system, we have an extremely high success rate for ALL of our children- and this is a truly integrated system where ALL of our children have an equal right to an education. There are no special education classes where children are put there becomes they are "different" and should feel "different". The system you want to go back to is a system where "difference" is shamed- where children who are not "normal" and who don't fit the bill should be shambled off into a separate environment because they will never succeed in life so let's spit them out before they even have a chance to reach their full potential. I'm sorry, but I totally get that teachers are exhausted- and rightly so!! Our school system and our children are different- we have to deal with social, cultural, religious and learning differences because we now live in a culture/society that believes in the equal rights of ALL of our children. And this includes our special needs children, our children at-risk, our poorest children, our Aboriginal children, our immigrant children- ALL OF OUR CHILDREN. So instead of putting the onus on our children with special needs- let's put it where it truly belongs- we need to invest into and support our teachers, teacher aids and Principals and we need to fight our Govt. and insist that it invest in ALL of our children. We cannot leave any of our children behind- we must ensure they reach their full potential regardless of their "differences" and we do that by shifting our way of thinking, top blaming our "different" children and realizing that we need our Govt. to invest in our children by giving our public schools the funding, resources and support they need.
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Erika
2/15/2016 06:19:19 pm
I do not by any means believe that this article is suggesting or implying that children with special needs should not have the same rights as the other children nor is she blaming those children. As an elementary school teacher, I could not agree with her frustrations about the lack of support more. I could write my own version of this article quite easily. Everyday I look at my class and feel heartbroken, exhausted... I am WATCHING them suffer and fall through the cracks and I am doing the absolute best I can.
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Gail
2/15/2016 07:37:09 am
I have been a special education teacher for many years and an advocate of inclusion. That said- inclusion without the RIGHT and sustainable supports is just geography! Unfair to
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Rebecca
2/15/2016 11:15:52 am
So what steps do we as parents need to take after meeting with teachers, sert, principals, super intendants and DEVed for support that's they can't supply even though they know the children need it? On a mission for change!
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Tracii
2/16/2016 06:27:21 am
An article in the Globe echoes this important issue. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/parents-resort-to-pulling-special-needs-children-from-resource-starved-schools/article28541670/#menu
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Patrick Graham
2/16/2016 03:43:13 pm
I am not a teacher nor am I educated I am just a regular person who has read this and thought that no matter how much venting you do here it wont help a bit unless all you who are involved in these matters get together and do something about it , if not its all just talk , and all these children will keep on suffering , and then we all will suffer because without these children there isn't much hope for the rest of the world , so its up to you all who know what needs to be done to do something about it and not just write in and complain that no one is doing anything .
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Mae
2/16/2016 04:23:50 pm
I taught Kindergarten for one year, and it broke my heart. I would leave at the end of the day, exhausted, beating myself up when I realized I hadn't even spoken to one of the children that day, because I was so busy making sure everyone else was safe. I felt like no actual teaching took place, because even with only 24 students, there was always some crisis to deal with - the student who pooped his pants again but refused to go to the washroom, the student who could not control his impulses, the student who was crying again because her parents were going through a divorce and she just couldn't cope with anything else, the 'runner' who ran out the second I turned my back. And that was just a small sample of my day. Teaching intermediate students, despite the fact that I absolutely love that age of adolescence where they are just beginning to open their eyes to the world and their role within it, brought its own challenges. My last class had 28 students: 5 'cutters', one student in a foster home with extreme mental health issues, 3 with potential eating disorders, 3 ADHD, 6 with possible depression/anxiety (3 diagnosed), one of whom threatened suicide; 11 IEP's: 1 student with ASD, 7 with various learning difficulties, 3 with behaviour issues. NO EA support, NO Special Education Teacher time, NO OT, NO educational psychologist available for testing, ONE 10 minute session per week with a social worker available for ONE student. I have received training in Special Education, gone to workshops about mental health, differentiated instruction, inclusion, self-regulation; I've trained and taught in 3 different countries and have over 12 years experience. I love my job and have no plans to leave, but not even a super-human could meet the individual needs of every student in the average classroom today.
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Ester
2/25/2016 09:05:53 pm
Thanks for sharing. I really liked my children's school and teachers. According to the EQAO the school did very well for my area. However, my sons struggled in school for different reasons. One is ambitious and loves learning and studying, but had one classmate (this is last year in gr 5) who had some serious undiagnosed issue. He would disrupt the class every day, for every subject, with obscenities, jumping up on the table, riling up the others. My son kept telling me that they barely learned because if it. Enter son #2, who has struggled with reading, writing, and spelling. Was kindergarten level in gr 3. Was put on an IEP. Again, even though I liked the school I decided to homeschool because I was my children needed one on one. I got great curriculums for both the boys and now the one with difficulties is reading above his grade level. This happened within 5 months of homeschooling. One on one has been the answer for my kids, (and we joined a co op so they do see other kids all the time.) maybe one day the govt will get their crap together and lower class sizes and offer more support teachers, for EEL and EAs. 3 of my in-laws are teachers so I do know how much love and effort goes into that. I'm not trying to undermine teacher's jobs. However a lot more people are turning to homeschooling because the system is failing their kids in some way. It is increasing by 7% in Ontario every year from its current rate according to a recent study. I do hope the gov't makes smarter choices for the classroom and listens to what the teachers say they need to make the system work better.
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Most of the issues above are the result of a growing acceptance that self control, and respect for authority is not required in our world. Behaviour that would have my grand-mother turning in her grave is now common place. Why? More and more are doing a disservice to society by not having expectations of their children. We are now seeing several generations of adults who do not know how to be parents to their own children, because no body ever expected them to be anything but self-serving individuals. This pattern will continue and grow to the point that we no longer have what we call a 'society'. It's 'everyone for themselves' for the future.
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Yvonne Craig
7/29/2016 04:48:20 pm
I have a child with special needs. Cerebral palsy and mild cognitive delay to be specific. When he started school, we had the idea he would attend a specialized program with PT and OT integrated into his day (every day) and then transition to full inclusion by grade 1 or 2. After all, we didn't want him segregated and wanted him to have typical friends and all the usual social opportunities. And then we started looking at the classrooms he would be integrated into. Very much as described above. We opted instead for a specialized classroom in a public school for children with mobility challenges. He is now 19 and will stay until he's 21. The results? He has never been in a classroom with more than 12 students. He has had remarkable teachers who have tailored his education to his particular needs. His EAs understand his equipment and really focus on life and social skills development as well as his education needs. He attends some integrated classes with other non-physically challenged kids. But for the most part he has been segregated. This was not a bad thing at all. He rarely experienced any bullying and he has blossomed at his own pace. This is not true for many of his friend's who tried the full integration route in their home schools - almost all of which were disastrous experiences. Inclusion, in theory, is a great idea. But our current system in no way set up to make it work for many children. I truly believe, at best, my son would have been lost in a regular classroom. At worst he would have been victimized and bullied by poorly supervised students and benignly neglected by overworked and understaffed teachers and EAs. I'm very glad we had a choice.
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Tammy Jakeman
2/10/2017 06:07:40 am
As an EPA (Education Program Assistant) for 10 years and the mother of a now adult child who struggled through the system with undiagnosed LD (because it was a 2 year wait as he wasn't a squeaky wheel, so we learned to cope with what he could do), THANK YOU!! As for the Mary comment, that is my teenage daughter's name, she is graduating high school and THAT was her!! The quiet shy, innocent child in her primary class, who heard new words every day, but they were always directed at her, despite her teachers best efforts to protect her every day!
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