nothing works

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Home : 2003 : January : 15

nothing works
By Colleen

I had one boy last year that had the same problem you described. I teach at a Catholic school so I put in the paper work to have him evaluated. The team wouldn't even look at him because he was not two years below grade
level. They suggested a smiley face routine which didn't phase him. They also suggested he be taken to a doctor for ADD. The parents didn't want to medicate him. But the team said, "What if it works?" His parents put him on the Finegold diet. That did not help. I made a pact with his parents to send home all unfinished work. I wanted them to see how much work he didn't do in class.

They made sure he did it and he returned it the next day. That was fine but at that rate they could have homeschooled him. I go so frustrated that I phoned a priest that was an expert in this field. (He worked at a private special ed. school in the area.) He agreed to test him. He found that he was ADD and had dysgraphia (fear of pencils???) He told me I did all I could on my part. The boy's parents should have him on medication. I was not fair to the other students in my class to spend so much time with this one student. Parents didn't want to medicate. The boy's father is a doctor.

Anyway he is now in second grade and still is doing the same thing. That teacher is frustrated, too. You may not be able to help him. His parents are the ones to do this. Sometimes you just have some rough moments. That's the bad part of teaching. However,if you do all you can there is satifaction in knowing that you are not the cause of the problem.