My friend is a single working mother of two. A girl the oldest is 12, and a boy 10 years of age. The children have been attending a catholic school since kindergarten. The oldest is very responsible, she watches over her younger brother. The young boy he is not a disciplinary problem in that he is violent or doesn't listen. He asks a lot of questions and is very inquisitive. OK, maybe he doesn't listen. If it is something he doesn't want to do he won't do it. He is still very respectful. He is very cooperative with his immediate family. He does what he is asked. This past Tuesday, he was expelled from the school. Not for fighting, not for using foul language, but for not participating in gym class.
At first I thought to myself, there has to be another reason. Why would he be kicked out for not participating in gym class. The principal told the mother, "He is a bad seed". That "He is disruptive because he asks too many questions" WHAT!?...I still say she is kidding, or there is another reason, something she is not telling me. But, apparently it is true. Monday he will begin attending a public school. This "problem" has been going on for the last two years. The principal has told the mother that she is not a good parent. I know this young man.
He has never said anything rude to me or in front of me ever. He questions everything and I mean everything. It may be annoying sometimes, but I don't mind. The mother gets frustrated sometimes by it, but she doesn't hinder his questioning, she responds with the respect I feel he deserves. She is a great mother, especially for being single and raising these two. They are both very intelligent, normal I would say. They have had difficult lives in their whole experience, and that is another story that I will not divulge. How is it that this school be so harsh. Sure to be disruptive is one thing. But to be punished for asking too many questions.
I'm at a loss. I want to make a big public deal out of it, she hasn't discouraged me from doing so. But would I be wrong to call out publicly, to make a press release explaining the situation.
That is so sad. Asking too many questions. Those questions need answers and to make this child feel like that was wrong , is wrong. Questions are the only way they learn. That is what we are supposed to do if we do not understand something. I am sorry your friend has to go through this. Best of luck to you all.
Thank you! There is more as well. The school called the new school district to let them know the children resided out of district. The new district was already aware of the situation, and the necessary steps were taken for this instance. It was not the business of the previous school to notify them. As well as the release of information without an affidavit.
It began when the school told the mother, "that the boy was behind in his studies." " The school does not provide special tutoring to children, unless the child is two years behind." The mother sought outside tutoring, the child's assessments improved. The school made aware their disapproval of the outside tutoring.
As this incident has turned out. More children in the same district have received similar treatment. All from this same school. What a troubling situation. The kids are happy, they were excited to be going to a new school.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/beendown2long
Thank you so much for the update. Pretty amazing that more children in the same district have received similar treatment. I hope they get a handle on this.
What you are describing sounds so much like the little girl I used to take care of. She has a Non-Verbal Learning Disorder. It is on the autism spectrum. It is seldom diagnosed, though, because the kids who have it are very verbal and fairly high functioning. But the constant questioning sounds just like my Miss M! She had a question for everything, and it wasn't defiance, it was her trying to understand what was happening around her. The resistance to participating in gym could be because new or unfamiliar activities are virtually impossible fo these kids. They generally have some motor coordination problems (not severe problems, so they often go unnoticed) that make athletic success difficult, and it takes several repetitions of a task before their brains understand it and the task feels safe to them.
I don't know if this is the situation your friend's son is in, but if it is, the ADA requires that he receive services in school. It would be tragic if he were to fall further behind his peers simply because his disability wasn't "severe" enough to be noticed. My Miss M gets tutoring and a few simple adaptations from the teacher, speech therapy to help with the constant questioning, and physical therapy to help her try new physical activities and improve her motor coordination skills.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Thank you, that is very interesting. There may be something to that. He was tested by a specialist, the results came back negative for any disorders. He is afraid of heights and the water. The specialist said nothing out of the ordinary. But your miss M fits his description rather closely.
The bright side of the story, is both the kids are excited to be going to a new school. Public at that. But I will mention the possible connection.
Thank you!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/beendown2long
Do you know that if you click the "reply" button at the bottom of the comment you're responding to, the comment you write gets indented under that one, so it's easier to follow a conversation?
"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible."
Send to military school.
/end thread
"Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity--and I'm not so sure about the universe"
-Albert Einstein
yes you fit your comment rather well.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/beendown2long