Post-Secondary Failures

How do you tell a student who had had the odds stacked against her her whole life that college may not be possible for her? 

How do you explain that because she was born with a reading disability that will never go away, she will struggle greatly to complete the assigned work?

How do you explain that although there are disability services, because she is now in college, her protections have switched from IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) which provide for curriculum modifications to meet her needs to ADA (Adults with Disabilities Act) that only provide her with accommodations?

How do you explain that she will now have to take out loans because she lost her scholarship that required she take a full load despite her Dyslexia and reading six books in one class and needed to take two more to be considered a full-time student is what will be expected of her, despite her disability, in order to maintain her scholarship and graduate?

How do you encourage to her to go on when she is homeless again?

When she is jobless again?

When she is self-harming again?

When she is suicidal again?

As an educator, how am I supposed to push college into students when they don't have the money for the application to apply for college?

How am I supposed to push college onto students that will not be supported with their disabilities (modifications) while in college?

How do you explain to the general population that accommodations and modifications do not reduce rigor?

How is it fair that a student who wants to go to college more than anything and loves school faces every odd possible while thousands of students drink college educations away on someone else's dime?

How can someone 'make her life better' and break cycles of poverty when that path is not accessible for her?

When will the colleges be held accountable? When will true support be offered? When will alternative curriculums be offered to meet individual needs?

When?

It is what it is

How do you explain to a student who has an identified Intellectual Disability (an IQ of less than 70) and who has been tested to reside in the third percentile of working memory as his peers as well as functioning with an Austism Spectrum Disorder, that having urges and feelings of wanting a girlfriend are normal? That feeling and experiencing rejected and lonely is something that everyone goes through? That the only solution is to keep trying and to have patience and maintain hope?

How do you help this young man find and make friends when people cannot see past his diagnoses and disabilities and don't want to be friends with him?

How do you continue to coach him how to make friends but he does not remember what he has been taught?

How do you encourage him to continue to be patient and optimistic when he has been trying the skills you have taught him and he is still not experiencing success?

How do you keep him positive and hopeful when he knows that he is different and people do not like him but he doesn't know why? How does he make friends when he does not know how to relate to them and they don't know how to relate to him?

How do you teach other people to understand his functioning abilities and cognitive level when he has made transgressions? How do you teach compassion, empathy and understanding for him when those transgressions have been serious? 

How do you expect someone to function at societal acceptable social skills when he does not understand those social skills?

How do you teach these skills when he turns 21 and he loses all services geared to help him with these challenges? 

How do you support him when he is homeless and the only family member he has abuses and exploits him? 

How do you prioritize social skills when he cannot support himself financially and is simply struggling to survive? To find food, housing and clothing?

How do you reconcile that some stories will not have happy endings? How do you sit with the knowledge that no matter how hard you work, his situation may never get better? How do you let go of the fact that he will either continue to be homeless or will end up in jail or prison because there are decade long waiting lists and there are no other options for him? 

How does one find peace accepting that this is just the way it is?

Wait listed

Last Thursday was graduation. One student was there by himself. No family or friends attended his graduation. No one was there to cheer him on. No one was there to accept the rose he offered in thanks for the support given to him to graduate. 

This student has been identified with three separate educational disabilities and because of this, can receive three more years of services (social skills, job training, adult independent living skills, resume and scholarship writing skills). 

Dad is an abusive alcoholic who has been charged with both domestic violence and hold abuse in the past. Mom is an undocumented immigrant living in a shelter out of state. Both dad and son receive SSI money for their basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. Dad has consistently manipulated the system so that he can spend the money how he wants: on gas and for the car payment. Dad shows up to school functions when food is provided. But when there is no food offered, there is no dad present.

Dad and son and currently homeless. Again. Son doesn't understand that dad is manipulating him. Lying to him. Stealing from him. 

Son wants the three years of services offered to him. Son wants to meet people like him. Son is really looking forward to bowling. Dad had convinced son that the services are not wanted. Son doesn't know how to deal with the pressure dad puts in him to give him his money. 

Adult protective services have been called. Advocacy services have been called. Every service provider has been emailed to schedule one last emergency intervention meeting to offer these services one last time. Voicemail. Voicemail. Voicemail. Empty inbox. Empty inbox. Empty inbox.

The current wait list for adult services for individuals with cognitive delays and developmental disabilities is 10-14 years. Though the case has been filed, Adult Protective Services cannot intervene on cases where the perpetrator is homeless. Homeless shelters cannot disclose whether or not a perpetrator is staying at their facilities. It is the end of the school year and due diligence has been completed. 

The wait list is 10-14 years long.

They say that as a teacher I have too much time off.

They say that as a teacher this really means that I am also: a counselor, juggler, firefighter, and advocate...

As a teacher I develop and create curriculum relevant to my students so as to engage them in the lesson. As a teacher I provide direct support in the classrooms while learning is taking place. As a teacher I push, encourage, motivate and challenge students when they are ready to give up. (Past educators have told these students that they are 'stupid' or 'will amount to nothing'). As a teacher I call home to guardians to inform them of the achievements they have made. (Many of these phone calls are the first positive calls guardians have received). As a teacher I keep graham crackers in my desk drawer just in case my students are hungry first thing in the morning. (They haven't always had food to eat outside of school). As a teacher, I tutor on the weekends to help my students stay on top of work. (I tutor for free because they cannot afford to pay tutoring fees). As a Special Education teacher, I work to make sure that students with disabilities are receiving the modifications and accommodations they are legally allowed so that they can access the education provided to them. (Many students identified with learning, emotional, and physical disabilities still do not receive the education services that they deserve). As a teacher I buy used books to supply our school library so the students have books to read. As a teacher I facilitate the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) on campus so that LGTBQI students have a safe place to express and be their true selves. As a teacher I give voice to these students that have been ignored, left behind and forgotten. I give voice to these students because they are 'just gang bangers' or 'just drug addicts' or 'just prostitutes' or 'just juvenile delinquents'. Their stories don't matter anyway because of the choices they have made. As a teacher I listen to my students when they are having crisis in their lives. As a teacher, I am a mandatory reporter when a student reports abuse to me.

As a teacher, I return the next day, no matter what. Sick, sleep deprived, personal or family situations, interpersonal conflicts with co workers. As a teacher, I am there for my students.