"Glitches"

I'm perturbed. Adults are supposed to take care of kids and it's hard for me to sit by and see shoddy performances by the grown ups around here.

J is one of my former students and has a hereditary syndrome which, among other awful things, is taking her eyesight. She actually has been legally blind for several years and it's not getting better. She is a bright child, a hard worker, a trooper, not a complainer....I've seen her walk right up to the chalkboard and squint, inches away, determined to see.

There are tools that can help J and when she was at my school, she had some of these tools. So I was shocked to hear that now at the middle school, she is doing without. They have none of the various magnifing machines as aids for her. I'm not faulting the teachers. J brings out the best in educators and I've never seen a teacher who didn't stretch and grow from working with her (including me).

It's the special ed department that fell down here. They only ordered the supplies last week, nearly a month after the beginning of school. Who knows how quickly these things will arrive? This child has had as IEP for seven years. She was not a surprise who showed up at the special ed department's doorstep on the first day of school. I am angry about the low standard of care for this child. And I'm afraid some of it might have to do with the fact that J is also gifted. Is the SpEd department doing that "thing", that thinking that because she's gifted, she will make it even with this disability? They are calling it a "glitch". I'm wondering if it's not a possible lawsuit.

And on another note, one of my little 3rd graders today told me that his mom took him and his two brothers out of school last Wednesday afternoon for a "weird reason". She wanted to go to the movies so they went to see Hancock. This kid knew this was screwy. He said several times that it wasn't his idea. No, it wasn't his idea....he's eight. It took a bonehead adult to think of something this lame. I would call this a major parent brain glitch.

I'm very impatient with these glitches. Hey adults, don't make life harder for children. That's just plain wrong.