Tuesday, April 11, 2006

DACC vs. Regular Kindergarten

This morning was a busy one to say the least. I woke up at the usual time and tried to rouse my son from his deep slumber. I succeeded after a few minutes and he was off to bathe. After his bath I told him to dress himself and that's when the whining began. I have been trying to wean myself out of his room for when he gets dressed, and yesterday he dressed himself fully for the first time EVER! So I figured that since he had done it once he could do it again. I ended up sitting outside of his bedroom in the hallway waiting for him to get his rear in gear and get dressed, but he continued whining. I finally told him that I was going to go to the basement to get the laundry and that if he wasn't dressed soon I was going to call the bus and tell them that he couldn't go to school because he was whining. After gathering up the clean clothes and bringing them upstairs, he emerged from his room dressed in HUGE pants. Well, I told him that he couldn't wear those pants, so I found some other pants for him. Then we ended up looking for his shoes and getting him ready to go. Distraction after distraction after distraction. Finally we sat down in front of the television to watch Dora until the bus arrived and waited and waited and waited. The bus seemed awfully late today so I called transportation for the district to find out if the bus was running late. The lady told me that he had already been there and I quickly realized that I was going to be his transportation for the day. I usually DON'T get fully dressed to put him on the bus, so I drove him to school while I was wearing my jammies and slippers. Prime embarrassment attire for this type of thing!
We got to the school and noticed a parked bus waiting for the teacher to come out and get the kids off the bus and I asked Cam if it was full of kids from his class. He said it was and wanted to wait for them to get off the bus. I was cold and decided to walk him inside to his classroom. We went inside and as we walked in, his teacher and his aide walked around the corner. His teacher saw me and we started chatting. He told me that he was glad that I had to come in so that we could talk about what's going to happen. We have a meeting scheduled for this Friday to discuss Cam's transition into kindergarten. He told me that he wasn't very happy with the school district at the moment and that if I noticed he was making unhappy faces at the meeting that was why. I mentioned to him that we were really hoping to find a person to shadow for Cam (to keep him on task) when he enters kindergarten and that we DO NOT want him in the DACC (Developmentally Accurate Curriculum) because of some of the things we had heard about the teacher. He asked me what we had heard and I told him that someone my husband worked with had been a shadow for a child in her class and noticed that the kids only got ONE crayon a day to use for the ENTIRE day. She doesn't want a mess, so she cuts everything for the kids and glues things for them too. I'm sorry, but to me that ISN'T what kindergarten is about. To me, it's about making messes and LEARNING how to do these things! So I told him that if the district decided that he needed to be put into DACC we were going to transfer him to another school. He told me that it was our choice and that we had to do what was best for Cam.
So here's my dilemma. We are going to the meeting and we want to do what's best for our son, but we don't want to be rude either. If they suggest DACC should we just ignore what we've heard and let him go into this class or should we push for him to go to regular kindergarten? Even if we can't get a shadow for him and they recommend regular kindergarten should we seek out alternative ways of getting him a shadow or should we just let him fail? We feel that it would be best to get Cam transitioned into regular kindergarten but with a shadow. He's a smart kid, but he needs someone to constantly keep him on task. I'm quite annoyed with the whole situation and hope that the district can help us get him the things that he needs, but with his teacher's attitude with the district I don't think it's gonna happen unless we push for it. What would you do in this situation?

5 comments:

CareBearMommy said...

Well, as advice from one push-over to another, try not to let them get to you or push you into doing something you'll regret! Just keep in mind that you are there to do what's best for your son.

Anonymous said...

I am with Carebear! You know what will be the best for Cam...they are there to HELP YOU help him learn! YOU are his parent! You have the last say over what will happen to him at this point! I would probably gently let them know what you want for him even before they suggest DAK. Let them know your feelings, and don't let them push you into anything you are not comfortable with! Remember that you have stewardship over him, and that you need to keep in mind that you have other options if they refuse to allow him to have a shaddow at that school! Good luck!

Mama D said...

Be pushy if you need to be. If there is one thing I am learning it's that sometimes, if you need to get something done for your loved ones you gotta be a b!tch! I hate it cause it's not me, but acting that way sometimes gets the job done or gets people to take you seriously!

Diana Mancuso said...

I'm not exactly sure how the education system works in the U.S., but I think that you know what is best for your child and you should do what you can to see that he gets it. As a teacher, I feel that an open discussion amongst parents, teachers and administration is the first step, allowing you to inform everyone involved of your intentions and desires. Good luck!

Blackeyedsue said...

First off, you are a tax-payer and it is your right to see that your child gets a proper education. MY dd's K teacher even told me that. PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!!! YOU are the only advocate for your child, and you have Cam's best interest at heart. Be kind and firm. It is so cliche' but trust your gut and doubts usually mean no.