OK this afternoon after school I am scheduled to meet with my middle childs new Teacher. He’s always on an IEP, not considered ’bad’ enough for a Statement (their choice of words), his last teacher was nice and really good with him, but stretched. And so she’s left. And so off I trot to meet this new young slip of a girl who is parading herself as the year 2 Teacher and Deputy Head……
I will be nice. I am nice. But I want to hear something relevant about my child. Thas she gets him. That she’s in tune with how he operates. I am fully alerted to what the GP told me yesterday ( i’m the barrier…), but I believe that in school he will behave differently to home, thank the lord for that, coz he would be facing expulsion I fear if he acted up how he does here. The fact is he is behind where he should be. He is working hard to try and catch up but the gap is widening. He is a late august baby – so the youngest in class. And I fear that he just melts into the background because he doesn’t shout the loudest or perform the best. But the things I noted to tell the GP (that she kind of ignored) about his behaviour, are these observations:-
Easily Frustrated/little patience/repetitive speech/likes routine/likes neat and tidy space/likes repetition/dislikes meat/likes a basic food range/jumps up and down when he’s cross/is sick easily/wants the same book at bedtime always/plays i want it-i don’t want it – i want it – i don’t want it/not confident in how to behave with others – maybe lacking self confidence/is really in tune with younger children and babies – very sensitive and loving/hasn’t made close friendships with school friends yet/tries really hard to be included with other children and his siblings.
Does it mean anything ?! I don’t know. Is anyone else bothered really? I don’t think so. But it is affecting my family, and I have to sort this out. I want him to be understood. To have the right support and help so that he doesn’t get so frustrated and angry. I want these boys to care for each other. And I need this Teacher on side. So wish me luck.
What was the outcome of your meeting with the teacher? (As a teacher myself, I’m curious…)
Hello! Well, in my 10 minutes i had with her, the outcome was that he is a pleasure to have in class, he’s attentive, he’s happy, he tries hard. She is continuing with the existing IEP, he has his 10 minutes reading session 121 with the TA, he will resit the phonics test this year, and she is happy he is making progress.
I’m happy to hear what she said. It’s good to know he is happy and not frustrated in class. I asked what happens if he fails the phonics test again, she said nothing. I asked how I can help him more, she said she would give me some keywords to practice with him.
I feel that I don’t know what else I can expect from the school. I still worry what happens to him in September when he moves up to KS2 and things get harder, he’s behind now, it’s going to become tougher. I know I’m not the first to be in this situ or the last, but he’s mine and I really struggle to deal with the fact that he struggles.
I guess that’s life eh.