Major Decision and At My Wits’ End: RTT Rebel

After lots of sleepless nights and tears, we finally decided it would be in Princess Nagger’s best interest to remove her from the gifted program and return her to Gen Ed.

Because the gifted classroom has both 5th and 6th graders in the same classroom, and because the educational aspect was 5th grade review when Princess Nagger is already way ahead of that grade level in her learning momentum (hello?! She’s in 6th grade and tested at the 8th grade level…), it was a better choice.

At least now she’ll get bored with 6th grade learning as a 6th grader, vs. doubly bored with 5th grade review as a 6th grader. It was a no brainer.

While the whole educational aspect was a factor (or lack thereof for this particular classroom/year), the other conundrum was the fact that the students in that classroom have all been together in the same class since first grade or so. Which explained the cliquey way they acted, and Princess Nagger was left out and feeling the blues because she’s used to making instant friends.

They weren’t a friendly sort.

Now she’s in the same classroom as her new best friend, and has a homeroom teacher that makes learning fun, so it really was the right choice. I am a firm believer that while the educational aspect of an advanced learning program is good for someone like Princess Nagger, the socialization aspect – particularly at her age – is equally important.

Finally, the tears have become but a glimmering memory. Whew. And the happy smile has returned. Double Whew.

Now it’s time to focus on Little Dude. Not that we weren’t focused on him before. This school is bigger than last year’s school, so he is not getting the benefit of having more one-on-one attention and has been having consistently ‘bad’ days (as evidenced by the frowny face indicator on his daily behavioral sheet the teacher sends home). He is not completing easy (or any) work given to him within the classroom, he’s apparently always ‘off task’ like going to get water, etc.

And they enable him. Because they don’t stop him from going off task.

What’s bothersome to me is the fact that I don’t find out about that sort of thing until the end of the week when he brings his Friday folder home with that week’s school work they’ve done in class – or in his case, not  done. Every day last week he had sheets marked ‘incomplete’ – and they’re all super easy assignments like practicing number writing – a whole sheet of the same number. Stuff that he had down to a science last year.

Not only is he not  doing the work given to him because he’s not focusing (nor is he having a teacher pay attention to encourage him to focus), but he’s acting out – cutting a classmates hair, then it was something else, and yesterday it was him poking a fellow student with a pencil as he walked past, causing that student to cry.

Every week he maybe gets one smiley face out of five. One. And that’s on a good week.

I am totally and completely at my wits’ end. And not only have I run out of patience with him, but more-so with the fact that the teacher is not communicating. At all. No notes, no ‘let’s see how we can help make him successful in learning’, no nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I have half a mind to go into the school and demand that something be done – he was labeled ‘special needs’ because he is a slow learner, he was labeled as ‘ADHD’ from a previous pediatrician and we obviously need to revisit that aspect, but seriously – we’ve explained his background and he did so well in kindergarten last year, I attribute it to the fact that that school actually took the time to figure out the best way to teach LD rather than have him simply flounder, lost in the crowd of his class.

Anyone have similar issues either now or in the past that you can give me some pointers? Maybe I need to find some sort of support group so I’m not floundering, too. Hopefully they have wine.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a Debby Downer in today’s post – so let’s finish this with a funny thanks to my good friend Jan who posted it on Facebook last week and made me laugh:

Somebody better not tell Sheldon. He might sequester himself in his room and then someone’s going to need to start singing. You know what I’m talking about, right?

“Soft kitty, Warm kitty, Little ball of fur. Happy kitty, Sleepy kitty, Purr Purr Purr…”

That’s a wrap for this week – you know the drill, link up and join in the fun, everyone is welcome – random or not. Be sure to visit your fellow randomizers so they don’t feel so lonely.

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Keeping the random alive (barely) – feel free to snag a badge and play along – one for my wino friends:

And one for my non-wino friends: