Introducing River

My daughter mentioned that I need to use pictures so the blog will have some color.  Ok!  This picture was taken at 8:30am before the scholars arrived.  I can assure you the classroom will never look like this again until I leave to go home at 4:00pm.

As a reminder Gnu received an email message about the arrival of River to our classroom in the middle of last week.  The email instructed Gnu to set up a case conference with River's parental unit(s) so decisions can be made about River's future at our school.  Despite given very little time to get this accomplished Gnu set the conference up and got confirmation from all parties that they would be in attendance.  Does anyone care to venture a guess as to how the conference went?  Please keep in mind that all parties confirmed that they will attend the conference.  Ok, who should I start with as more than one person who confirmed her/his attendance didn't show up.  Dear parental unit(s) a case conference that will determine the educational future of your scholar is taking place so where are you?  That's correct, a no call, no show, just blow off the meeting.  Dear overhead person you committed to attend a conference that you insisted had to take place in a very short period of time and you cancel due to a schedule conflict.  You said you will attend and then say maybe you can participate via a conference call.  Brilliant!  The two most important participants attending this conference don't show up.  The problem is that the conference can't be delayed as the scholar needs to be placed in either a general education or special education classroom quickly or the school corporation is in violation of a state law.  How did the conference end?  River was transferred from a general education classroom to a classroom for scholars with emotional disabilities.  For the foreseeable future River is now labeled SpecEd. A pretty sad situation but there is more or as Paul Harvey would say here is "the rest of the story."  I wonder if I should explain that?  Naw!  You can use your device.

Day one and I have to turn in our attendance report but there is no River.  Shortly after morning announcements River's current teacher walks down to tell us he is in her classroom and she will send him down when he finishes his breakfast.  Twenty minutes or so later the teacher returns.  I'm sorry but River just vomited in my classroom so he is in the first aid room.  Approximately seventy five minutes later River makes his appearance.  Gnu welcomes him to the classroom, shows him where his cubby (locker) is located and directs him to his desk.  The plan was to have our scholars introduce themselves but that plan is put on hold. Gnu speaking, "River what is that on your shirt?"  Puke!

Still on day one.  It's the end of the day and the scholars have gone home.  Gnu walks up to me and says "I can't understand a word he is saying."  I know and not only am I having a hard time understanding him he's a low talker.  Gnu speaking again.  "When I tried to explain to him he had to do a worksheet I'm not sure if he understood a word I said."

Two items standout at the end of day one.  First, no parental unit(s) showed up on his first day of school in a special education classroom.  Apparently River's parental unit(s) had other plans.  Second, academically I'd say he hasn't advanced passed first grade.  So you know, River is in the second grade.

Day two.  He arrived wearing  a hooded sweatshirt that was probably to big for me.  He was wearing a well worn Joseph Addai (former Colt player) shirt and a pair of workout pants that were are least six inches to long and badly torn at the bottom of the legs.  Keep in mind we have a school uniform policy.

Day three.  He arrived wearing most of the correct school uniform but he had an odor.  After lunch Gnu has the scholars standing outside the cafeteria waiting for me to take them to recess.  Just as I arrive River starts vomiting in the hallway,  Gnu is grossed out and turns away.  I stand a safe distance away and watch chocolate milk exit his body.  So you know, Gnu does not do well with vomit, odors or bugs.  We also find out later in the day he isn't wearing socks or underwear.  Gnu purchases sock, underwear, tooth brush and tooth paste in the evening after school.

Day four.  Gnu takes him to our first aid area to take a shower.  She then hands him the tooth brush and tooth paste.  He takes the tooth brush and tucks it under his arm and then tries to put the tooth paste on the tooth brush.  Gnu takes the tooth brush and puts the tooth paste on it for him.  There are indications that this may be the first time he has brushed his teeth.  Later in the day EM says to Gnu that River took a rubber band from him that he was using to roll up a completed art project to take home.  River insists that it is his.  I check EM's cubby as I was the one that put the rubber band on the art project and it is gone.  Gnu takes the rubber band from him and he drops on the floor and just starts screaming.

Day five.  We are in PE for the first time with River in attendance.  The PE teacher gives the instructions then breaks the scholars into groups of four.  Today's PE activity is very popular with the scholars.  There are stations set up so you can jump rope, hula hoop, play tag, and stack cups.  Each group of four is assigned a starting station and then the whistle blows.  After two minutes the whistle blows again and you stop what you are doing and rotate to the next station.  I'm watching River closely as I know this is his first day in PE. When his group ran to their first station he ran with them but in a most awkward way.  As I watched him running I'm thinking has he ever ran before.  When he arrived at the first station, jumping rope, he stood at the station and did nothing.  He just had this look on his face that said what is going on.

At the initial case conference on where to place River one person made the decision.  He will be placed in the room for scholars with emotional disabilities and not a life skills classroom.  Sorry, but in my opinion that was the wrong decision.

Here is an abridged version of my week.

1. River arrives.
2. The Collector is removed by the School Corporation police and is suspended for five days.  Why?  He bit a teacher multiple times.
3. NoFouls is suspended for two days.  Why?  Fighting to include putting another scholar in an aggressive choke hold.
4. MiniJ is suspended for one day and this happened before he even stepped into the building.  Why? School bus incident.  
5. Em was required to take a language arts acquity test on a laptop.  He can't read.
6. Yo! was required to take a language arts acquity test on a laptop.  "This is too hard" and he clicked on any answer just to get done.
7. Wide was required to take a science acquity test.  He got very active and refused to take the test.  He eventually took the test but just click on answers without reading the text.

Politicians and pointed headed intellectuals are the driving force behind these acquity tests and the ISTEP test.  These same individuals also use the results of these tests to determine how well a school is performing and if a teacher should be retained. And these politicians and pointed headed intellectuals wonder why so few people choose to enter the teaching profession.

Despite the challenges of the week Gnu put together a very nice reading/social studies lesson on how Christmas was celebrated around the world.  The countries were Australia, Israel, Italy, Germany, and Mexico.  She discussed one country a day and the scholars enjoy learning about the different ways Christmas is celebrated.

By the way, I got to read "The Polar Express".  I'm pretty sure I mentioned previously that I like to read.  I'm out.