I asked parents to tell me what they'd like special-education teachers to know, and several teachers have used that Readers Respond page to send their own message back to parents. The latest is momfirstteachersecond, who recently submitted the following under the title "Leaving the profession":
"I am a special education teacher who was a single parent with a child who has special needs long before I went into this profession. I took the time to not only obtain a full credential but a M.A. in the field. Within the next year or two, I will be changing careers and going into behavior analysis. I need to be where the focus is with the family and the child rather than the district and the scores. I greatly appreciate those of you who have given the privilege of teaching your child. Often your child has taught me. Also, for those of you who struggled with the many challenges that you face, I thank you for trusting me with your most precious gift. For all of the others who left my students out of the field trips plans, asked me to lie at IEP meetings, talk about the students and parents like they were dirt and overall were more concerned about their own career then they were about students: your day will come."
As school resumes, it's probably a good time for us as parents to realize that teachers often are as upset about school situations as we are, and get put in the position of having to push goals and policies with which they fervently disagree. For another educator's-eye view of what's wrong with our schools, see my review of Wake Up Parents!!! And if you have a message for teachers or a message from a teacher, please add it to that Readers Respond page, or discuss in the comments here.
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Image from About.com Parenting Special Needs