Everything has Additional Meaning

Sorry... but today's post is a little ranty.  B had a rough day, and I'm on his side, naturally. 

Braden, Kaelin and I spent the better part of Sunday working on a volcano project that was due today.  As Braden was running out the door, he forgot his trumpet at home.  I don't blame him; he loves science, and carrying the huge volcano project was his priority.  The project along with his thirty pound backpack and trumpet case would have been serious overload going to school this morning.

Right now, it's about 3:00 in the afternoon.  Braden should be in band... and subsequently should be getting in trouble for forgetting his trumpet.  Below is a texted conversation between B and me.  I'm going to assume that if you're reading this blog, you're also familiar with what texts from dyslexics might look like, so I'll also assume you'll pick up on what he's trying to tell me.

 

 

I spoke with Ms. C, and was told the following:

• Braden was playing games on his iPad while in band when he was supposed to be "air playing" a fake trumpet for practice.
• He doesn't know the pass code to his iPad.  So how exactly was he able to play games (instead of fake-play his trumpet) if a teacher didn't log him on?  Someone must've unintentionally allowed him to see his pass code for him to log on unsupervised.
• He refused to go to his remedial reading program before school.  This is the program where they flash words like cat and dog on a computer screen and he's expected to read it, say it, and touch it.  (As an aside, he hates - hates - this program.)
• He's had a rough day all around. 

Why any of those points should matter when I'm calling about a bullying incident is beyond me.

 

As for the bullying issue:

• She doesn't see how the project is damaged. 
• From what she could tell, everything is fixable. 
• She asks that I remind Braden that this is the second time he's had his iPad taken this year, and if it gets taken again, he's no longer allowed to bring it back to school. 

Good to know the school is addressing bullying so effectively.

 

I know Braden has a story, his own version of events.  The words are there and he can't get them out, especially when he's upset.  You can even see through his texts that he relays events in a jumbled up context.  So this poor kid has something he needs to say; it just won't come out.  Unfortunately, B's brand of dyslexia affects his speech, too.  So let me translate what happened from his point of view based on the texts:

• Ms. H (the teacher he has before band) said he could play on his iPad.  (She probably entered the pass code so he could do so.)
• He was not aware that he could pick up his project after band and before coming home.  That's why he brought it with him.
• With no clear motive, the other kids on the band bus started pulling the grass off of his volcano project and ruined it in his eyes.
• He was still playing games with his iPad in band because no teacher - at any point - ever told him he was no longer allowed to play.
• He ended up getting in trouble and getting his iPad taken away.
• He feels like he was first bullied - and when he tried to report it, he was the one who got in trouble.  The other kids essentially got away with picking on him.

This is what life is like when a child literally doesn't see the world the same way everyone else does.  Always remember when working with dyslexics that instructions need to be clear, precise, and consistent:

• Yes, you can play with your iPad while you're in my class, but when you leave my classroom, you need to turn it off.
• Don't forget to take your volcano projects home today.  For now, you can leave them here and pick them up before you catch the bus home.
• I know I let you play with your iPad in band last time, but today I want you to pretend you have a trumpet to practice with.  Please put your iPad under your seat or give it to me.

Every word counts.  Every sentence has meaning beyond your intent.  Be clear.  Be precise.  Be exact in what you want to say.  Take my advice and the issues Braden had today will be minimal in the future.



 









State Testing: Do We Opt Out?

In Texas, we call it the STAAR test.  Your state may call it something else.  I have plenty of other names for it, but we'll just call it the soul-crushing, anxiety-inducing, totally unnecessary state mandated standardized test for now.  You know the test I'm talking about: it's the one on which your child is taught his or her entire future is hinged.  They're told it's the magical future-predicting test, that if they don't pass, they will not just fail at school but that they will fail in life.  They are taught that their self worth and level of intelligence are entirely dependent on how they perform on this test. 

For my son the STAAR test causes extreme anxiety, nights filled with tears, and angry arguments with the teachers throughout the school year when they bark at him to use his strategies.  As the days get closer to the actual STAAR test at the end of the year, the anxiety of the teachers is always thrust upon him and those like him.  It never fails.   

Braden recently took his umpteenth "benchmark" test about a month ago.  (For those of you not in the know, benchmark testing is the testing before the testing to determine how prepared the children are for the real test.)  When he came into the classroom, he lied to his teachers and told them he didn't have his iPad when, in fact, he did.  Strange as it sounds, his iPad is his security blanket... and it's his link to me on the worst days because he can use the school's wireless internet connection to send me a quick message.  (Sneaky little genius!)

When I was informed that he brought his iPad to the test, my jaw hit the floor.  I foolishly sided with the school when they told me that if this benchmark had been the real deal, his actions could have put the school under a formal investigation, that the TEA would be called in, and teachers put under review.  In the words of the Vice Principal, her heart nearly stopped beating!  *Gasp!*  This may seem dramatic, but it's all true - and it's an understandable and genuine fear for the school because it works like this:

If children fail, the teachers fail.  If teachers fail, the school fails.  If the school fails, the district fails.  And nobody - NOBODY - is allowed to fail. 

Some parents here in the Lone Star State have decided to opt out of standardized testing.  Apparently, we can use Section 26 of the Texas Education Code and the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment from the U.S. Constitution.  Now I don't know what all of that fancy talk means, but it sounds pretty legit to me.  From what I can tell:

it is my parental right to choose to “opt my child out” of curriculum or instruction that is harmful to children as stated in the Texas Education Code CHAPTER 26. PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Sec. A26.010.EXEMPTION FROM INSTRUCTION. (a) A parent is entitled to remove the parent ’s child temporarily from a class or other school activity that conflicts with the parent ’s religious or moral beliefs if the parent presents or delivers to the teacher of the parent ’s child a written statement authorizing the removal of the child from the class or other school activity.
I wish I could take credit for that, but I straight up stole it from the "opt out" link above.

Considering that Braden has diagnosed anxiety directly related to myriad classroom settings, it could be considered morally reprehensible for the school to subject my son to the exact environment that triggers his anxiety.  Hmmm... must ponder that some more.

I'm still on the fence about opting out, though.  Yes, it's good to take a stand regarding such an important issue, but what example would I be setting for my son?  We, as adults, know a genuine issue when we see one.  Children don't necessarily see things the way we do. 

While I see opting out as an important statement, my son may interpret opting out as simply saying "no" when he doesn't want to do something: "I don't like this test, so I'm not gonna' do it... and you can't make me."  Could I end up teaching him this lesson?  Maybe.  So the question - to me - is this:

Do we tell our children it's their right to opt out if they want to and potentially teach them the old "when the going gets tough" cliché, or do we give them a pep talk and to remind them of their true value and worth before sending them off to school to potentially teach them that sometimes a problem presents itself as a mountain when it's really just a hurdle.  After all, these tests don't mean a thing when it comes to life in general, do they?

Do we fight this battle legally, as TAMSA is striving to do... or do those of us without TAMSA's resources fight the battle in the classrooms?