Medieval Times

Yesterday Sam went to Medieval Times to celebrate his friend Danny’s 8^th birthday.  They have been in class together since Kindergarten and on most days they consider themselves best friends. While both struggle with all things physical and are socially goofy, they are kind, thoughtful and caring. Sam and Danny are true good kids and you can’t help but cheer at how hard they try.

His mom, Katie, and I often breathe a sigh of relief that they have each other. Through them, we have become friends. We swap therapy stories, compare doctor referrals, share IEP details and offer each other much needed support when the worries take over.  Lately our focus has been the imminent change to Special Ed in our town. 

Four years ago, our district got a new Superintendent. Till then, co-teaching was offered in just one school and most Special Ed kids were bused there. Those who got to stay in their home schools were pulled out of their classrooms during academic lessons to learn different material with a Special Ed teacher in the Resource Room. While both options provided the academic support necessary, neither was ideal since the Special Ed kids were singled out. It added another difference to their already too long list.

The new Superintendent came blazing into town with new ideas; he mandated that each grade had to include a co-teaching classroom. This meant that kids with an IEP could stay in their home school and they wouldn’t be pulled out – they could stay in their classroom all day to learn side by side with typical kids. Sam’s Kindergarten class was the first inclusion class in our school and it reflected the start of this new policy. 

Pre-Brain Balance, having a special ed teacher in the class for the entire day was ideal for Sam. Even though he has no learning disabilities and is on grade level, he needed a lot of help staying on task and transitioning from one subject to the next. The rest of the class seamlessly switched from one book to the next but Sam didn’t. He missed the teacher’s cue and in a regular classroom, no one would have noticed. The teacher would keep teaching. He would get confused. She would ask him a question. He wouldn’t know the answer. And boom – this is how Sam could have received a label he didn’t deserve. His teacher would start thinking he’s not smart. Or that he’s a troublemaker. So she would stop calling on him or change her tone of voice when talking to him. Then he would feel bad. His self-esteem would decline and he might start living up to the label he was given. But this never happened to Sam because Mrs. Holland encouraged him to take the right book out. He kept up. He didn’t get bored or frustrated and his school experience was what it should have been.

At a meeting last month, the Head of Special Services struggled to explain the changes that are coming next year. If you think I am intense, you should have been at this meeting. It was a heated two hours filled with flailing arms and raised voices. Over and over she told us to trust her because she wouldn’t let any of our kids fall through the cracks. But no one trusts her. And the changes she vaguely outlined were scary. She should have provided more concrete details on how each child’s needs would be addressed. As she explained it, the Special Ed teacher will no longer stay in the inclusion classroom all day. She will be pulled out to work with kids (typical and those with IEPs) who need reading help. It’s great that kids who don’t read at grade level are getting what they need to catch up. But funding for this should not come from our kids’ classroom. Parents left the meeting scared and frustrated; She did a terrible job making us feel comfortable with the new system.

Very smartly, Sam’s principal followed up this tumultuous meeting with one for just our school. Our kid’s case managers attended and they all explained, calmly and respectfully, that the changes would not be as dramatic as we feared. They offered to meet with us each one on one to go through our child’s plan.

So what does this all mean for Sam? Next year, there will be two teachers in his classroom for most of the time. The second teacher might not be in the room during non-academic times like Morning Meeting, but she’ll be there for all key academic lessons. Phew. This is what I wanted to hear. Yes, he’s been a rock star these past few months. But I really want that second teacher there as backup for as long as possible.

Katie and I talk about the services offered in their school a lot. She knew these changes were coming and was so concerned that she decided to enroll Danny in private school for next year. She felt that this was the only way to guarantee that he will get what he needs. I think she made the right decision but when she told me I wondered if we should be doing the same thing for Sam. I don’t think so. Because here’s the truth – and I hope his case manager and Principal aren’t reading this - for the past month or two Sam hasn’t needed much help. He keeps up without it. At the end of the day, he is the first one with his backpack ready. He switches from one subject to the other – no problem. He raises his hand with the right answer, participates in discussions and is a true contributor to the class.

And what does Katie think of Sam these days? When I picked him up from their day at Medieval Times she said he was great:

I always knew this Sam was there, but he couldn’t quite get it out. And now he can. It was so great to see.

But shhhh. Don’t go screaming any of this from the rooftops. We don’t want anyone to take away that safety net – not yet.