During that summer, Lisa was invited back to the private educational program, because she had kept up with her tutoring sessions.  If they had heard about Lisa's low grades in two of her classes, they would have dropped her from the program.  Lisa could not have below a 'C' in any subject.  They did not find out, because they did not receive her final report card.  Their decision was based on the third nine weeks' grading period.


I deeply wanted Lisa to have a better school year, than what she had in sixth grade.  I was very uneasy about the response of my letter and I wanted more ammunition about Lisa's disability.  I had heard, from the grapevine, that the best doctor for audiology was Dr. S.  He had the best reputation in the city!  so, I took Lisa to see him.  He did not have the facility to test Lisa for this condition, but went with the results from the naval hospital.  Since then, I went every year to have Lisa's letter updated by him and have Lisa take another hearing examination.  As the years went by, his letters were vital in securing and maintaining Lisa's 504 Plan.


Check back in August for new posts.
 
 
Lisa received a drop in her grade from her orchestra teacher, because she showed up late at the end-of-the-year concert.  She received the information orally.  This important information should have been in a form of a memo to take home.  Out of ignorance, these particular teachers would decide where Lisa would be placed for the rest of middle school.  The stone had already been caste.  Naturally, I was an outraged parent and should be.  I had done my part on getting her properly diagnosed and thought that the school's IEP would be enough.  I wrote a letter to the school system's administration and told them my concerns.  Later, I received a letter in return and would meet with the new principal in the fall.
 
 
Lisa's first year in middle school was horrible.  Her grades suffered during the last nine weeks.  I was more than upset with four of her teachers, for not respecting the four classroom accommodations that were necessary for Lisa to succeed.  To begin with, they accused Lisa of cheating on an English test.  She was looking around the room and not keeping her eyes focused on the test.  They apparently gave the oral directions for the test to the class, but not to Lisa's comprehension.  Lisa had difficulty in her science class, because she could not hear the videos from which she was being assessed.  Again, Lisa would have to depend on her auditory skills.  The need for visual aids was tossed out the window.  Her social studies teacher did not like Lisa staring at her, as she walked around the room talking.  This same teacher had no respect for an individual's privacy, for she would share all individual test scores with the class.
 
 
To their amazement and Mr. S's, I took out the original paperwork that I had in a folder.  They made copies from the original and passed it out to the team.  The team had not seen the report, only Mr. S.  Great planning is what I called it!  I thought that I would not have any more problems, well, I was wrong!  When I began to read some suggested classroom accommodations, Mr. S. flared up!  He told me that sending her to a school for the deaf would be better!  At this point, the psychologist intervened and they decided that Lisa would receive a special IEP.  She would not qualify for special education, since she was not failing and was not considered hearing-impaired.  The team wrote some suggestions on headless carbon paper.  The suggestions we needed were:

1. Verify that student has correctly written homework assignments for the next day.

2. Give the student only one direction at a time and face student when giving them.

3.  Use visual aids.

4.  Provide vocabulary words in advance.

Copies consisted of these suggestions and placed in the teachers' mailboxes.  Nevertheless, it did not matter.  The principal was retiring that year and nothing was enforced.
 
 
It took time to get the appointment, but on November 30th of that school year, my husband took Lisa in for the test.  It took several hours and Lisa did have CAPD.  They would send the test results to us.  We received the packet in the mail and I felt that they could not have been more precise.  They also included suggestions for classroom accommodations.  Soon after I received the packet, I made an appointment to meet with her cluster teachers.  Meeting with her teachers was a pure waste of time.  The only help I received from them was directed to the office.  I had to arrange to meet with the child study team.  An office assistant made  a copy of the packet and placed this information in Lisa's cumulative record.
 
 
I took Lisa again to an audiologist and had her tested.  Of course, they remembered me!  I had an instinct to write everything down that concerned me about Lisa, because I knew she would again pass this hearing test.  When the audiologist met with me, I was adamant about my observations of Lisa.  Yet, on this day the young female audiologist listed to me.  She told me that Lisa might have CAPD (central auditory processing disorder).  They could test Lisa at the local naval hospital, because they had the facilities for it.
 
 
I met with Lisa's sixty-grade cluster teachers and explained to them about Lisa's hearing problem.  Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, I did not have any real proof.  Although, I had requested that Lisa sit in the front of the room, they did not respect my request.  In fact, they did not do much to help Lisa.  It was truly a very rough year.  I received many phone calls that year on how Lisa was socializing.  She was always crying and being picked on.  Lisa kept doing the wrong homework assignments and it was reflected in her grades.  I became angry and more determined to prove that Lisa had some kind of disability and needed certain accommodations!
 
 
I kept identifying Lisa with a hearing problem when I knew I had no real evidence.  I think they accepted Lisa into the program, because they considered her as a special needs' student.  This would politically help their program.  A total of only twenty slots were available and two hundred students applied.  Later, their program was more known for helping ethnic students.  Lisa had good ITBS scores in the fourth and fifth grade.  Her weakness on this standardized test was in Spelling.


Lisa was selected for this program and enjoyed going.  A bus came near the house to pick her up and bring her back.  In the evening, she would have three hours of homework.


The rich, private school that sponsored this program, actually believed they were far superior to the local public schools.  In my findings, they are NOT superior.  Imagine, having children complete three hours of homework a night and the parent does not complain about it.  In a public school setting, they would!  As a former classroom teacher and now as a reading specialist, those students whose parents are supportive perform quite well.  It's those parents who do not help their child with completing homework and encouraging their child to read at home, are those ones who suffer and it becomes a continual cycle.


Lisa attending this program gave her an experience of meeting students with similar interests.  However, a few trips, writing a few essays and reading a variety of books would have provided the same experience, except for socializing with students her own age.




In other words, it was hyped-up press.  It was a way for the student teachers at the private school to earn points for community service, as well as the school to receive additional funds.
 
 
The summer before Lisa entered sixth grade, they accepted her at a special summer program for potentially gifted academic students.  At first, Lisa did not pass the interview, because she could not hear the questions given by the interviewer.  I thought it was unusual that the interview was a short one.  As we left the building and headed for the car, I asked Lisa about the interview.  


"I did not do very well," she murmured.  


"Why?" I questioned.


"Because I could not understand what she was saying," she murmured back.


Well, I had to take the initiative.  We hurried back to the building and I spoke with the person in charge.  I explained the situation and Lisa received a different interviewer.
 
 
During those years, Lisa took art lessons, ballet lessons, swimming lessons, karate and piano at the nearby community centers, with my other two children.  She was good at these creative opportunities.  At one time, I was hoping that she would become more involved in becoming a lifeguard.  She was on a community swim team, but she did not pursue it.  She learned what she needed from each of these activities and that was all.  Lisa also got involved with the Girl Scouts, but it turned out to be too cliquish and we stopped going.  One reason, was that I worked at a job that required more than a forty-hour week.  Being a volunteer helping out with the many activities that they expected, was just not possible for me.