Teaching? I wanna QUIT!

I usually can handle challenges and pressure. My first two years I taught hearing children with severe behavior problems (for example, kids who are repeat sexual offenders, killed their parents, blow up cats, etc. Most of them show up in my room in shackles where the guard takes the shackles off and gives me this strange look before he tells the kid to come into my classroom). Needless to say, by the end of that semester my students were behaving like - well, students. I was able to control and maintain control within the perimeters of my classroom. They respected me. Many of them were able to go back into regular public schools with their futures a little brighter.

But this current situation is beyond my control. The difference is the first school gave me whatever I needed for support. One time I needed a cow (a real live cow) because regs wouldn't allow some of the kids off the campus to learn about dairy life. So I brought the farm to them. I was able to find creative ways to teach and work with these kids. With my current situation, they are basically telling me, "You're the teacher. Deal with it. Go in your room and don't come out and ask questions." Is this about me? No. It's about THE KIDS. They are the ones suffering because their teacher is not able to provide them with what they need. SUCKS. Thanks for YOUR support though. Hugs.
 
deafbajagal said:
I usually can handle challenges and pressure. My first two years I taught hearing children with severe behavior problems (for example, kids who are repeat sexual offenders, killed their parents, blow up cats, etc. Most of them show up in my room in shackles where the guard takes the shackles off and gives me this strange look before he tells the kid to come into my classroom). Needless to say, by the end of that semester my students were behaving like - well, students. I was able to control and maintain control within the perimeters of my classroom. They respected me. Many of them were able to go back into regular public schools with their futures a little brighter.

But this current situation is beyond my control. The difference is the first school gave me whatever I needed for support. One time I needed a cow (a real live cow) because regs wouldn't allow some of the kids off the campus to learn about dairy life. So I brought the farm to them. I was able to find creative ways to teach and work with these kids. With my current situation, they are basically telling me, "You're the teacher. Deal with it. Go in your room and don't come out and ask questions." Is this about me? No. It's about THE KIDS. They are the ones suffering because their teacher is not able to provide them with what they need. SUCKS. Thanks for YOUR support though. Hugs.
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I saw a similar thing like that at a mainstreamed program in Phx, AZ where I worked as an aide for a short time. The deaf/hoh unit constisted of 14 kids ranging from kindergarden to 8th grade and the teacher was a strict oral-only advocate for all of them. It didnt matter to her that more than half of them relied on sign language to communicate. She said that they have to learn to speak and hear her or they will just fail in society. I was appalled and sick to my stomach by that attitude.

Not only that, all 12 kids were put together in the same class for language arts. The 8th grader boys would act out and she would say that they have behavior problems. Well, duh! I dont blame the kids! What 8th grader wants to be in the same class as kindergardeners or 1st graders??? That is not healthy and it hurts their self-esteem so of course they are gonna act out!

All day, all of the kids came in and out accoding to their schedules which can be like every 10 mins or every hour. Due to that happening, it created chaos and distraction throughtout the day.

It was just the oral teacher and myself managing this program. I quit cuz I tried to offer ideas for improvement only to be brushed aside. I was told that I didnt have the knowledge due to my deafness.

Basically the adminstrators of that school sounds like the ones you are dealing with....shut up and just deal with "these" kids and dont cause trouble. I quit cuz I was broken hearted to see these kids suffer and I had no power to do anything cuz I didnt have my degree in Deaf Ed yet.

That experience plus a few others turned me off about mainstreaming programs.
 
These places like the one you're talking about and mine needs to be shut down immediately. So frustrating!
 
deafbajagal said:
These places like the one you're talking about and mine needs to be shut down immediately. So frustrating!
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No kidding!!! I dont know if that program is still running. It has been 10 years since I quit.

That is why I dont want to see the deaf schools shutting down but according to another website, that is the goal of many parents who support AVT and CIs. They want the deaf schools to shut down because it would be more cost-effective. It makes me sick when all they can think of is saving money and dont care for these children's well-being. Jebus!
 
Awww......*hugs*
One thing I would do is if you have any kids who have involved parents....talk to the parents and make sure that those kids get placed in a better schooling sitution ASAP!!!! Maybe suggest the possibilty of relocating or sending their kids to live with relatives in other states that have good dhh programs? It's very common for parents of special needs kids to relocate for better schools.
Are there any other regional programs for the dhh?
What kind of "multihandicapped" kids do you have? I know it's hard to tell how affected kids like that are. Maybe suggest to those parents that they have their kids evaluated at places like United Cerebal Palsy or the Arc.......those places might be able to take some of your students.
Oh, and your experiance just totally 100% refutes that mainstream sped is so fucking broken. It really is too bad that your state doesn't have a Deaf School.
You know what? Maybe a good idea might be to contact local media or a local writer, and have them do an expose on how bad the program is. Sort of like that book by whatshisface, the one about the schools in Chicago, the Bronx,and E Saint Louis. You know....it might not be directly the administrations fault. They might be a bit iffy about hiring new aids and stuff both b/c they're unfamilair with the intensiveness of sped, and also b/c of budget cut issues. Pisses me off............
 
deafdyke said:
Awww......*hugs*
One thing I would do is if you have any kids who have involved parents....talk to the parents and make sure that those kids get placed in a better schooling sitution ASAP!!!! Maybe suggest the possibilty of relocating or sending their kids to live with relatives in other states that have good dhh programs? It's very common for parents of special needs kids to relocate for better schools.
Are there any other regional programs for the dhh?
What kind of "multihandicapped" kids do you have? I know it's hard to tell how affected kids like that are. Maybe suggest to those parents that they have their kids evaluated at places like United Cerebal Palsy or the Arc.......those places might be able to take some of your students.
Oh, and your experiance just totally 100% refutes that mainstream sped is so fucking broken. It really is too bad that your state doesn't have a Deaf School.
You know what? Maybe a good idea might be to contact local media or a local writer, and have them do an expose on how bad the program is. Sort of like that book by whatshisface, the one about the schools in Chicago, the Bronx,and E Saint Louis. You know....it might not be directly the administrations fault. They might be a bit iffy about hiring new aids and stuff both b/c they're unfamilair with the intensiveness of sped, and also b/c of budget cut issues. Pisses me off............
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Thanks for your suggestions. The parents are aware of the situation (and they have the right to know). What I mean by additional disabilities - just to name some: two have moderate CP, cognitive development delays (two of them were born addicted to drugs), vision impairment (not enough to be deafblind but just enough to affect his learning process), mild autism (possibly), and oral and/or tactile sensory issues. Basically, I got a plate full - and a half. The administration of this school system have told me that their hands are tied (which I just cannot accept that as an excuse) because of lack of programming availiability, budget issues, and last but not the least-political reasons. Politics is the core of this problem.
 
Oh wow...............ugh you do have your hands full with those kids!
It sounds even worse, in terms of management then my Chapter 766 preschool placement.(all kinds of disabilites...still no idear how my teacher managed us) That's good that the parents are aware of the sitution.....have you suggested alternative placement options? Espcially for the ones who aren't multi, and who have somewhat involved parents?

two have moderate CP, cognitive development delays (two of them were born addicted to drugs), vision impairment (not enough to be deafblind but just enough to affect his learning process), mild autism (possibly), and oral and/or tactile sensory issues
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You know.......maybe if the CDD kids were put in a school/program specificly for MR kids, they might do much better then with you. I think it might also make things easier for you. It can be very hard to teach kids with MR, especially as a result of being addicted to drugs. (lots of those kids have behavoir problems) You could advise the parents of the multi kids to look at programs like at the ARC or other special school programs. Do you have specialists who come in and work with the kids? I mean it does sound like the plm is that the administration is expecting you to be spread too thin.
 
girlfriend, it sounds like you need two weeks in Fiji!

*flamboyant closed-fingers, bend-at-the-wrist hand gesture*

as per the crazy new kids that throw tantrums and piss on the floor and whatnot...

i don't have any good advice other than to draw inspiration from people that are solid and unmovable as a mountain. my high school psychology teacher was a supersweet lady who loved everyone unconditionally. she was basically Christ 2.0. she told us about a "problem student" she had, who was a hardcore criminal type who didn't give half a shit about school or anything else. he had an attitude with all his teachers. the trick is to not react to these kids like "normal people". normal people react to troubled kids by shouting, getting mad and impatient, spanking, calling security/ police (both of the preceding are clearly age-sensitive). in this cynical world we live in, no one obeys The Golden Rule, let alone even knows what it is. but i think the Rule was invented for cases like this. they worked wonders for my teacher. when that kid gave her lip or whatever she never stooped to his level. she always, always, always took everything with a smile and with more patience than God. and before the end of the year she had tamed him completely.

my sister in law got her credentials and took a job teaching kindergarten or 1st grade or something around there. she's always lived in a perfect world where everyone was a good little well-behaved boy/girl. she's a delicate little flower and wasn't prepared for problem kids, and couldn't handle them. she quit her job after 1 year and will probably never teach again. what a waste of a degree.
 
Well no one really can prepare us for the teaching job...all what we learned in school is just crap. Can't really blame your sister-in-law. A lot of teachers quit after the first year because it is not what they envisioned the job to be. No one really can know until they've walked in the shoes of a teacher.
 
deafbajagal said:
I usually can handle challenges and pressure. My first two years I taught hearing children with severe behavior problems (for example, kids who are repeat sexual offenders, killed their parents, blow up cats, etc. Most of them show up in my room in shackles where the guard takes the shackles off and gives me this strange look before he tells the kid to come into my classroom). Needless to say, by the end of that semester my students were behaving like - well, students. I was able to control and maintain control within the perimeters of my classroom. They respected me. Many of them were able to go back into regular public schools with their futures a little brighter.

But this current situation is beyond my control. The difference is the first school gave me whatever I needed for support. One time I needed a cow (a real live cow) because regs wouldn't allow some of the kids off the campus to learn about dairy life. So I brought the farm to them. I was able to find creative ways to teach and work with these kids. With my current situation, they are basically telling me, "You're the teacher. Deal with it. Go in your room and don't come out and ask questions." Is this about me? No. It's about THE KIDS. They are the ones suffering because their teacher is not able to provide them with what they need. SUCKS. Thanks for YOUR support though. Hugs.
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No field trips? Gee... sorry about that.

I remember when I was a kid. I went to the state fair, the zoo, the aquarium, the science museum, the post office, the bread factory, and a few other places. I went to some of these places more than once. (The state fair was every year until I was 12.)
 
deafdyke said:
Awww......*hugs*
One thing I would do is if you have any kids who have involved parents....talk to the parents and make sure that those kids get placed in a better schooling sitution ASAP!!!! Maybe suggest the possibilty of relocating or sending their kids to live with relatives in other states that have good dhh programs? It's very common for parents of special needs kids to relocate for better schools.
Are there any other regional programs for the dhh?
What kind of "multihandicapped" kids do you have? I know it's hard to tell how affected kids like that are. Maybe suggest to those parents that they have their kids evaluated at places like United Cerebal Palsy or the Arc.......those places might be able to take some of your students.
Oh, and your experiance just totally 100% refutes that mainstream sped is so fucking broken. It really is too bad that your state doesn't have a Deaf School.
You know what? Maybe a good idea might be to contact local media or a local writer, and have them do an expose on how bad the program is. Sort of like that book by whatshisface, the one about the schools in Chicago, the Bronx,and E Saint Louis. You know....it might not be directly the administrations fault. They might be a bit iffy about hiring new aids and stuff both b/c they're unfamilair with the intensiveness of sped, and also b/c of budget cut issues. Pisses me off............
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I agree.

While there's an issue of "equality", I still think that those with unique needs should be placed in schools designed for those needs. If not, then the current school should adjust and/or make additions in order to accommodate those needs.

When I entered elementary school, it was my first exposure to a sign-language community. So, i was placed in an all-deaf class. A year later, they started involving us with a few hearing class activities. Based on observations, they felt that a few of us were ready to be mainstreamed... and placed us in a few mainstreamed classes a couple years later. By the time I was in the 8th grade, I was fully mainstreamed. In high school, there were a few students who had severe learning disabilities and were placed in one all-deaf classroom.
 
While there's an issue of "equality", I still think that those with unique needs should be placed in schools designed for those needs.
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YES!!! Don't even get me started on that!
 
Oh and that's really gotta say something that you taught kids with severe issues and were able to handle them, and even get many of them mainstreamed, but yet THIS placement has really gotten to you!
 
Sorry to hear you're still in that crappy job.

Do you reckon if they broadcast "The Ron Clark Story" in teaching training course, many will be spooked and walk out?

I think we need a deaf version of "The Ron Clark Story".

You and Shel could star in it. ;)
 
Miss-Delectable said:
Sorry to hear you're still in that crappy job.

Do you reckon if they broadcast "The Ron Clark Story" in teaching training course, many will be spooked and walk out?

I think we need a deaf version of "The Ron Clark Story".

You and Shel could star in it. ;)
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LOL! They should do a real life show of our classrooms. Just maybe we will get the same respect as teachers in many other countries. In some countries the role of a teacher is held in the highest regard. I went with a few friends to Japan, where I had the opportunity to teach ASL in a Japanese-based school that was learning about English and American culture. They treated us teachers like we were royalty!
 
VamPyroX said:
No field trips? Gee... sorry about that.

I remember when I was a kid. I went to the state fair, the zoo, the aquarium, the science museum, the post office, the bread factory, and a few other places. I went to some of these places more than once. (The state fair was every year until I was 12.)
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The reason for the restriction is at the 'behavior school' some students were so violent that they couldn't handle going out in public without actually attacking a person or animal. Also, some kids were at high flight risks. There are various levels (we used a color system) that the students are placed at. For example, if they are at level green, they had the least restrictions - they can go out in public, etc. If they have level red, then that's the highest restriction. Most of my kids were red and orange. Some of them had to be restrained to keep from raping me in my own classroom, simply because they couldn't resist the anger of women who probably were the main sources of abuse and neglect in their lives.

So, going to a dairy farm for some of them was too much stimulation. It is hard to control the enviroment (for instance, the farmer might have a pitchfork laying around). However, I knew that they needed the same quality instruction as other kids with special needs. So I had to be creative...and filled out like over 30 pages of paperwork and do some serious convincing on my part...and was able to bring the farm to them. ;)
 
deafdyke said:
Oh and that's really gotta say something that you taught kids with severe issues and were able to handle them, and even get many of them mainstreamed, but yet THIS placement has really gotten to you!
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No kidding. High school rapists and sadists vs. cute little deaf preschoolers. Who would have thought?
 
deafbajagal said:
Well no one really can prepare us for the teaching job...all what we learned in school is just crap. Can't really blame your sister-in-law. A lot of teachers quit after the first year because it is not what they envisioned the job to be. No one really can know until they've walked in the shoes of a teacher.
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This is so true. The theory taught in the classroom intended to prepare teachers fails to address the reality of practice.
 
deafbajagal said:
Most of my kids were red and orange. Some of them had to be restrained to keep from raping me in my own classroom, simply because they couldn't resist the anger of women who probably were the main sources of abuse and neglect in their lives.
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you know, i can't even count how many times I had to be restrained to keep me from raping my teachers. i can really relate to those kids.
 
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