Why Are So Many Teachers Fleeing Education?
Some of us think holding on makes us strong but sometimes it is letting go. ~Herman Hesse
September 9, 2024
Dear Ms. Principal,
As a follow-up to our conversation on Tuesday, I am concerned about several issues. You suggested that a substitute work with resource reading groups while I provide direct services from 8:30 to 10:00 to a non-verbal student who is leveled at a ten month old learning readiness according to recent district testing data.
There are several behavioral challenges within the reading groups. Thus, I foresee more disgruntled parents when they discover their children are being pulled from the regular classroom to be instructed by a substitute. I have been using the Wonders Curriculum for both the 4th and 5th graders, and the sub has been assisting me, but it would be difficult for her to do the entire lesson on her own. And, she is often pulled to fill in for other vacancies within the school.
On the other hand, I gathered from the first long IEP meeting on September 1, that the student’s mother and the child advocate want him with peers as much as possible. Therefore he has been going to home room first. That is part of his program to interact with other students and his bathroom routine.
I inherited a very difficult case. Because of my extensive experience with other disability categories, I am not qualified to provide the type of programming required for this one student. I have no desire to spend countless hours and energy going through a due process hearing over something that began years before I arrived. The entire situation has been upsetting to say the least. And, I see no light at the end of the tunnel.
As demonstrated in the last meeting, the list of grievances is endless. When one condition is discussed several more problems surface to be addressed.
I have never experienced a parent(s) so dissatisfied. It is impossible for me to function under the current conditions of being cross examined, misinformed, and misrepresented. I am not able to adequately answer questions from the past. There are special education teachers on board who are familiar with this student and his family, and they have worked with him in previous years. Yet, I question why I was assigned to be his care coordinator as a new employee at your school.
If I had known the severity of this student’s disability or the level of hostility and heated history, I would have accepted a different position within the DOE.
I am not a good match for this special education assignment. It seems that setting up programming, data collection (Catalyst as demanded by parent), providing several hours of direct services per day, consulting with an outside contracted provider several hours per week, attending three hour meetings, changing the IEP repeatedly, supervising a resistant skills trainer, and toilet training for a fourth grade student leaves no time to provide meaningful instruction for the other children. Most of them need modified consistent curriculum in reading, writing and math. All of this …without mentioning the administrative and regular record keeping for 10 other students.
In addition, there is another very high end student on my roster, and I have heard she is on the way from a private facility. The student’s guardians are unhappy with this elementary school and have every intention of litigation against the DOE.
I have not failed. The system has failed everyone involved including students, teachers, parents, and community. At present this is clearly a no-win situation for anyone.
One solution might be to hire a BIS to oversee the student mentioned above and the nonverbal fourth grader. Another alternate solution would be to hire a teacher who has been specifically trained in services for autism and has an ABA background.
I must protect my own mental health and physical well-being.
I do not want to be part of a continuing problem. Either we figure out a solution that is best for the students and teachers, or we can discuss my exit strategy at your convenience.
Respectfully,
All Special Education Teachers
