I want to know if *this* is becoming a regular thing in other areas. I am posting this in TAO because I couldn’t figure out whether it belonged in the Tribal area for NC, education, activism, or where. This is mostly a rant about how “the man” is inserting himself into our lives and homes in new ways with the question of is this happening other places.
My ds2 is going to PreK at the local primary school for the second year this year. He aged out of 0-3 EI last fall and started then. It has done wonderful things for him and helped him blossom so I am very happy with him going to this school. The school itself I really like. We are both home school and public school friendly in my home. We have done both and we go with what works for our children on an individual basis.
They stagger enrollment for the PreK dept, meaning that while school may start for the county, they delay the PreK kids and bring them in to meet their teachers one on one, then pick a day and have them come in to stay one full day with their teachers and just a few of their classmates (you get a letter with what day your child is scheduled to come in) you are welcome to stay to help them adjust and watch. Then they don’t come back until the next week and when they do they just start as a regular school year. I really can appreciate that they take it slowly and want the kids and parents to be comfortable.
Here’s my concerns for what is happening now, this years as a *new* thing. We went in for our one on one meeting with the teacher. Ds was in her class last year and all went really well, until we get to the end and she tells me what time I am slotted for the “home visit”.
This year the PreK teachers (the teacher and the teacher’s asst) are *required* to go to each one of their student’s homes. I immediately ask why. She tells me that they do this in all the other counties and that this was the first county that didn’t do it. Again I simply ask why. She tells me it is to help “anchor the lines of communications” from the beginning of the year. I have the Scooby-Doo “AROOO!” look this whole time and she said that it is really informal that they just come in and let the student show them some of their favorite things and places and they take a couple of pictures of the student and a few of their favorite things. “AROOO!!!!!” They want to come in and take pictures?!?! So I ask why pictures and she says just to post around the classroom in getting to know you activities. I don’t understand why they simply can’t bring in favorite items or draw pictures or have mom and dad take a picture and send it in. So then she says that they only have 3 days to complete all of them and it will be this week.
I am not worried, and feel I am not in a position to say no. I have been having a state appointed therapist coming in my home once a week for the past 1.5-2 years for my children’s EI. And since one ds aged out and one ds is getting ready to age out of EI, the school’s SN dept has been welcomed into my home several times in the last year and this summer. I also have a friendship with one of the SN dept heads and live next to the other. I am not feeling threatened by this, but however, I am concerned for other parents. I feel this is a very thinly veiled attempt for the teachers being mandatory reporters to go into the home and asses *risk factors* for the children. Can you believe this? So does this happen elsewhere? Is this normal? Should we be helping to organize and keep this from happening?
What do you think of that?
My ds2 is going to PreK at the local primary school for the second year this year. He aged out of 0-3 EI last fall and started then. It has done wonderful things for him and helped him blossom so I am very happy with him going to this school. The school itself I really like. We are both home school and public school friendly in my home. We have done both and we go with what works for our children on an individual basis.
They stagger enrollment for the PreK dept, meaning that while school may start for the county, they delay the PreK kids and bring them in to meet their teachers one on one, then pick a day and have them come in to stay one full day with their teachers and just a few of their classmates (you get a letter with what day your child is scheduled to come in) you are welcome to stay to help them adjust and watch. Then they don’t come back until the next week and when they do they just start as a regular school year. I really can appreciate that they take it slowly and want the kids and parents to be comfortable.
Here’s my concerns for what is happening now, this years as a *new* thing. We went in for our one on one meeting with the teacher. Ds was in her class last year and all went really well, until we get to the end and she tells me what time I am slotted for the “home visit”.
This year the PreK teachers (the teacher and the teacher’s asst) are *required* to go to each one of their student’s homes. I immediately ask why. She tells me that they do this in all the other counties and that this was the first county that didn’t do it. Again I simply ask why. She tells me it is to help “anchor the lines of communications” from the beginning of the year. I have the Scooby-Doo “AROOO!” look this whole time and she said that it is really informal that they just come in and let the student show them some of their favorite things and places and they take a couple of pictures of the student and a few of their favorite things. “AROOO!!!!!” They want to come in and take pictures?!?! So I ask why pictures and she says just to post around the classroom in getting to know you activities. I don’t understand why they simply can’t bring in favorite items or draw pictures or have mom and dad take a picture and send it in. So then she says that they only have 3 days to complete all of them and it will be this week.
I am not worried, and feel I am not in a position to say no. I have been having a state appointed therapist coming in my home once a week for the past 1.5-2 years for my children’s EI. And since one ds aged out and one ds is getting ready to age out of EI, the school’s SN dept has been welcomed into my home several times in the last year and this summer. I also have a friendship with one of the SN dept heads and live next to the other. I am not feeling threatened by this, but however, I am concerned for other parents. I feel this is a very thinly veiled attempt for the teachers being mandatory reporters to go into the home and asses *risk factors* for the children. Can you believe this? So does this happen elsewhere? Is this normal? Should we be helping to organize and keep this from happening?
What do you think of that?
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