February 16, 2013

I've had an interesting couple of weeks.  Let me begin by renaming all the characters and places since this will be something I hope anyone that reads  will pay attention to.  There once was a town called Hooville, we'll start there.  A very tight knit town far away from everything.  It's amazing how cyberspace makes the miles from anywhere seem smaller though.  However, If you were a government worker or school employee, if you came to this remote location it was either because you couldn't find a job anywhere or you were being demoted, seriously demoted.  Screams and cries for injustices of all kinds are swept away with the wind, they don't echo, they don't carry, they fall to the ground unheard. 

At any rate the various government and educational entities carry a deaf mute demeanor with regard to any complaints.  One day there was a boy with dyslexia, he told the teachers he had it, he told his parent (who requested testing and did not get it), he told everyone, noone listened.  The boy continued into the second grade, he struggled in reading but he kept trying.  Finally, one day his class took a test, they were told that the kids who took the test and passed got to watch a movie, but the ones who got the highest grades got to have popcorn with the movie.  The little boy went home and told his mother he got to watch the movie, he was very happy, but he said the really smart kids got to have popcorn, but "it's okay mom I wasn't really hungry anyway".  Well, this test was in reading comprehension which the child obviously struggles in.  Well, a meeting was scheduled with the principal, who gave all the appropriate responses and nods.  However, a gentleman who works with the special education program came into the room and we continued the meeting with him.  He promised he would check in on the child and read with him to see.  Well, during this conversation the mom also mentioned that the teacher had suggested (yes I said suggested) that the child needed medication since he seemed to have problems focusing (yes she suggested medication).  Sooo the parent (against the grandmother's wishes) went to the doctor to obtain medication to calm the child down (which of course worked as well took away his apetite) the teacher was happy the child was in a coma.  Sooo the Special education teacher told the teacher he didn't need the medication he had a reading issue not a behaivor issue. Then came home the notes about the boys behaviorz (she felt it was digressing now). So the mother spoke with a friend whose child was in the same classroom and had the same problem, however, something far more sinister was taking place. 

A fly in hooville asked parents who were going to a pharmacy in Hooville for meds for their children's behavior problems asked what school they attended and magically they were coming from the same school, the school the boy with dyslexia came from and the children were magically boys. That school's test scores had been low the teachers were having problems and were (first hand information) recommending medications to improve the children's behavior.

Now noone in Hooville wants to say anything, however, some parents are beginning to talk more about it, but they're afraid of their children being treated badly (as if they're not being treated badly now) and they don't know what to do.  When the mother of the child with dyslexia approached the principal he wondered why the parent didn't put the child at another school, instead of the principal doing his job he wanted the parent to go away.  The parent pulled her son from the school until the principal can make room for the child in another classroom which remains to be seen.  Meanwhile, this teacher has put another child in the corner and told the parent he needs special education (he doesn't) she doesn't like him, another child she told to leave the classroom and go "find another classroom".  He was left to wander the campus which by the way was not fenced in at the time and close to a busy street.  This child suffered from Aspergers syndrome.  This teacher continues to work recommending medications, telling parents their children should be in special education and throwing students from the classroom.  Of course she works in a school where other teachers are also recommending medications for students and sending them to doctors to get meds so they will be quiet.  This is education in Hooville.

Hooville.