There's a teacher in my school who has a student on my caseload in his class. The student is generally a good kid. I have him in two of my own classes and he does everything I tell him. I get on his case A LOT because he can be an excuse-maker and he just doesn't have organization skills. To make things worse, he is at a 4th grade reading level and can't spell worth a lick (doesn't even try to spell things right although I can riddle out his words because they are completely phonetic).
So this teacher...he's so stupid. Last week he apparently wrote an email to my department head about a "kid" in his class (he never named the student though I knew right away he was talking about my kid) and how he wanted to know why he wasn't in my pullout history class (or a co-taught once, which he originally was but there was a schedule change blah blah blah) and what kind of assessment did we use to determine and basically saying he didn't want this kid in his class because he couldn't read. Oh, and did I mention he carbon copied my principal on the email? I mean, dude, are you a first year teacher!? (No, he isn't!)
And BTW - my principal is all about gen ed teachers differentiating and accommodating and ending the thought that special ed kids aren't theirs, they're ours (meaning the sped teachers kid).
So anyway - my department head shows me this email (very unprofessional first of all) and not because she knew who this kid was and that he was on my caseload. She showed me to illustrate how stupid this teacher was. She told me that my principal was going to have a serious discussion with history teacher.
Fast forward to last night...me in bed getting ready to do some reading...I check my school email real quick and find this:
Hey there.
{Student} is refusing to do work in my class. He refused to do work for my sub today as well. I can't get him to do anything. I differentiate and modify and bend over backwards to help him. Do we have any flexibility to get him into the team taught class? I have never had a student not respond to my kindness. He is starting to get defiant as well. Let me know what you want to do.
So my first thought when reading this was, "Oh, f%&k it, I'll just put him in my history class!" But then I thought, wait a minute! A) the teacher obviously got a talking to! Notice the use of buzzwords, "differentiated" and "modify" and the fact that the student doesn't respond to "my kindness" (yeah, right) and B) I'm sure he didn't even attempt to contact home. I mean, wouldn't it make sense if you're having a problem with a kid, the first thing you do is call home...see if there's something going on...make them aware. But no...this teacher just wants to pass the buck! I find it highly suspicious too since he wasn't at school yesterday and he emailed me at 4:30. Once again, he doesn't like the fact that he's having to do something different in his class with a student who struggles. He just says, "this is too hard...who wants him?" My email back was, "My first suggestion is to call home." Ball's back to you, sir! This is a student in YOUR class...not mine. Take the proper steps and then call me.
Okay - well, Jim's working 2nd shift tonight downtown. Sucks that he'll have to be there and not be able to watch the game AND he will most likely have to deal with the traffic and riff raff. Oh well...should be the last jaunt down at this job so that's good.
And I'm out. Who Dey!!! Later!
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