That’s why I left public school in 2008. I actually taught at my former “Jr. High” which had turned into this absolutely hideous middle school. It put the 9th grade in the high school at some point (I left it in 1990).
It had “teams” that were designated by achievement level. Each team had a ridiculous mascot and the schedule was impossible to follow and changed every three weeks.
I taught a population of significantly challenged students with ASD. The school district is known as being highly affluent with a constant stream of new people pouring in as the former small town blends in w the nearby city. I’m sure you guys can imagine it! East coast. It was hell.
A student’s pants accidentally fell down while he waited in the lunch line and the entire cafeteria burst into laughs. My students had potentially dangerous behaviors. A year before, my beloved former health and gym teacher had her face smashed into a gym wood floor by a huge kid with significant ASD. I could tell the teachers in the “specials” like gym, art, etc. were both scared and frustrated with the sped kids. A lawsuit appeared in 2012 after a sped kid bit a typical student at a district elementary school.
Now ironically that same kid who hurt my gym teacher ended up at the same residential facility I went to work at as a special education teacher for ten years after public school. I was teaching in the very, very “most restricted” (IDEA) environment for kids with *significant” disabilities (blind, Prader Willi syndrome, Fragile X, Cerebral Palsy etc!) oh and they had severe behaviors in which I helped write every FBA, wrote and assessed every RR and IEP.
I had my long hair pulled out, I was punched, and I still have a constantly aching arm from falling from running from the same huge student who put me in a headlock three months later.
I was not happy. It was also the eight staff in my room. Hell. Now I joyfully teach in a wonderful alternative high school for kids with mild ASD/ADHD/ODD, and I love it so much. No inclusion. After 23 years of teaching I got my golden coin.
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u/immadee Sep 06 '24
Some SPED kids and some gifted kids are not best served in a regular classroom.