[Pibe-division] Rewriting the book

[Andy & Sally Thomas]

When our TVI and special ed officials told us how hard they were working, my husband told them that we didn't want them to work harder, we wanted them to work smarter.  There is so much "reinventing the wheel" going on in special education!  In our area it appears that TVIs are coddled because they can't find people to do the job regardless of the quality of the work.  They think some services are better than none but on reflection, I wonder if some of the services my son has received have been more harm than help.

Sally Thomas
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carlton Anne Cook Walker 
  To: ksims at opsb.net ; Pibe-division at nfbnet.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 9:43 AM
  Subject: [Pibe-division] Rewriting the book


  Kristin,

  I wish this were the case.  Currently, even though she doesn't know every contraction, all of Anna Catherine's books are fully contracted.  (I support and actually pushed for this last year.  As a result, she has really advanced in her contraction knowledge -- using about 80% of them with proficiency now.)

  Thus, even though there might have been a reason to do this for a child using uncontracted or "partially contracted" braille, that is not the case here.


  So, can I assume that the teacher simply did not bother looking for the book in BookShare.  Thus, it appears that she spent one week of her time, spent one week of the aide's time, and kept Anna Catherine from having the entire book for 6 days longer than her classmates (for an assignment that needed to be completed in 7 days) for no good reason.


  We have an IEP meeting on Friday, and I want to know if I will have egg on my face by bringing up this matter?  I don't want to embarrass the TVI, but she has the administration wrapped around her little finger regarding "all the time" she spends on preparing materials for Anna Catherine.  While I don't doubt that she's spending this time, it appears that the time is being spent foolishly.  It seems she is working hard rather than working intelligently.  

  If there was no good reason for all of these extra hours to be spent -- and for withholding the entire text from my daughter until the assignment was almost over -- I want to say so at the IEP meeting.  It appears to me that Anna Catherine is suffering as a result of the TVI's lack of skills/knowledge.  Something has to give.




  Carlton

  -- 
  Carlton Anne Cook Walker
  213 North First Street
  McConnellsburg, PA    17233
  Voice: 717-485-3383



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