So, DD is just starting his second year of middle school (7th grade). School jsut started on the 9th here. The transition from elem to MS last year was a struggle, but he & I got thru it OK. This year, he's started out the year great! He even likes all his teachers-Whoo-hoo! Well, here is a portion of the e-mail I got this afternoon from his science teacher
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Paula,
I wanted to give you an update on Ramsey's progress in life science.
Academically, he is trying very hard, and contributing regularly to our class discussions. He is more than willing to help others, and seems very eager to learn. I have been very impressed with Ramsey's enthusiasm; he seems to have a curious, scientific mind.
Behaviorally, I am having some issues with Ramsey that might affect his grade eventually. His listening skills need some work; he doesn't listen very carefully, and is then confused or unsure of what to do. It's early in the year, so some practice is in order; however, if he doesn't learn to listen more carefully, his grade may eventually suffer, as he won't be aware of the expectations. I told him today that what I think we might do is this: If he is redirected, or for some reason gets into trouble in class, I am going to have him email you himself, and then I will add my interpretation to the end. In this way, we are able to have an open, three-way discussion so that Ramsey knows everything is above-board & straight-forward.
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So I sent this back to her along with a copy of his IEP, which has repeated directions as one of his accomodations...
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Thank you for keeping me appraised of how Ramsey is doing. I really appreciate it. When you say that you are having behavior issues with Ramsey, is it that he is mis-behaving and disrupting class, or is it strictly the listening skills you are referring to? If it is poor behavior, please know that we do not tolerate that from any of our children. If he needs to be punished for bad behavior, you will not hear a peep out of us regarding it. :)
If it is just his "lack of listening skills", then I'm afraid that we are into the realm of IEP here. Attached is a copy of Ramsey's current IEP in which it states that one of his classroom accommodations needs to be repeated directions. It is sometimes a PITA, I know (and believe me, we deal with it every day here at home, especially during homework time). I really wish there was a magical way to just get him to stay on task & to listen and "get it" every time, the first time, but there isn't. Or at least not one that we've discovered, and we've been looking for one for 7 years now. What some of Ramsey's teachers discovered last year is that if he is able to sit someplace where there are fewer distractions (a lone desk as opposed to a group setting) that he is able to stay focused and on-task much better.
What I would like you to know is that for our family, education is exceedingly important, and we do all in our power to help our children suceed. Unfortunately, with Ramsey, it takes a bit more effort. I would hate to see his grade suffer because of something that he really does try to do, but isn't able to do as well as most of the other students.
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I hope that this will take care of it, but I am doubtful as we know a family whose older son had her a couple of years ago & they went thru the same thing with her regarding his IEP & accomodations. I KNOW it's a PITA to give a kid repeated instructions every time--believe me, I know this! BUT without coming across as a total witch, I don't know how to make her understand that this is NON-negotiable for us.
Thanks for listening! On a good note, though, we switched DD to Ritalin LA from Adderall XR after being off meds all summer and it's been WONDERFUL! No rebound, it lasts all day--wow!
