Re-Write of Opinion Paper

HED: Grab Bag Classrooms

DEK: How Special Education Isn’t Working

BYLINE: Emily Brammer

WORD COUNT: 586

COPY: I am one of three C.S.S. (autism spectrum) aides at an elementary school. We have eight kids that have little to nothing in common, dubbing us a “grab bag” classroom. This means that the kids don’t match educationally, emotionally, mentally, physically, physiologically, intellectually or socially.

This is a story about Troy. He’s one of my special friends, a first-grader that fits into the three core symptoms of autism (Communication, Sensory and Social skills), so he belongs in our classroom. He is six years old and is technically in first grade; however, he can do math at a second to third grade level and read better than most fourth graders. He has excellent communication and written skills and will remember anything he ever hears from anyone. He is autistic, so a lot of his time is spent in an imaginary world made up of Cartoon Network characters. With the gentle coercion of his teachers, Troy can work at any pace you set him to. He’s probably more intellectually brilliant than all of the kids at my school combined, but no one besides his dad and his teachers may ever figure this out. I wonder why.

The “lowest” kid in our class can barely feed himself, the “highest” kid is Troy, and all of the other rugrats vary heavily between throwing violent temper tantrums and eating anything that they can hold. If a child falls into just two of the various areas of CSS or the autism spectrum, they are dropped into our room. Via the “No Child Left Behind” abomination and the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), each child must be given individual education programs (IEPs) in the least restrictive environment possible.

Wait. Four teachers and eight kids. That should work, right? In a big, beautiful theoretical world, it would. We would write yearly goals and curricula for each kid, adjust them accordingly throughout the months and shuffle the darlings off to regular education next fall because of their astounding improvements. Except, in this world I spent today keeping the two six-year-olds from hurting each other or themselves because I can’t understand that their far-off mumbling means that they’re not in the mood to learn. And, because we are the teachers that refuse to give become babysitters, we hide the movies and struggle day in and out with these sweet little devils. If all Jack learns is to how to wait in line for his lunch—success. Greg can finally tell me when he needs to pee? Score. Take note: we are not holding them to the low standards that Bush wanted us to so that we could shuttle these kids to the next grade. Any small advancement will exponentially improve the quality of their lives.

But, what happened to Troy? During the skirmish of our guerilla teaching, he sucked further into his imaginative mind. We left him alone because we never had any behavioral problems with him. What did he learn today? It seems ridiculous to claim that only Troy belongs in our classroom (as it was intended), but he’s the only one who truly fits the bill. All of these children deserve an education, but none of them belong in a classroom together. And, in this scenario, where the placement of children is based on equality laws and a system of diagnostics that doesn’t different behaviors within a single disability, the child with the largest capacity to learn and be integrated into regular education is the child that will—thanks, Bush—be left behind.

The End of the Road

Thanks to everyone who has paid attention to my blog this semester.  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Animals are a serious passion of mine, and although I don't intend to turn it into a career, the advice I give is always from my heart.  For this last blog, I just want to recapitulate some of the ideas I've presented in early weeks.

Thanks for getting to know us!

Food
I've touched on this topic a few times because it is, by far, the best way to lengthen the life of your dog or cat (or rat or ferret..  anything, really).  Stay away from the bad stuff. Period.  This includes, but is not limited to:

• Pet food with byproducts of any kind of meat - This stuff is usually made up of eyeballs, ears, beaks, feathers, or anything else those people can find on the floor and grind up.
  
• Corn - animals cannot digest this!
• Table scraps - the fat content alone of some of the stuff we eat is enough to make their bathroom habits repugnant.  They will also gain some serious weight.
• Chocolate - Dogs are straight-up allergic to it, and it could kill them. 

Grooming
There are several local grooming parlors that are great places to take your pet such as All Pet Supplies, but if you don't have the funds, you are stuck doing it at home.  Here are some helpful ideas if it comes down to this:

• Shampoos - Use something that contains proteins or oatmeal.  This will soothe their skin and make it less itchy.  You only need to wash your dog a couple of times a month (unless they are very messy), because the PH-Balance of their skin is different their humans.  If you use a soothing, soap-less shampoo, you will drastically cut down on the dryness of their skin after a bath.
• Grooming Tools - Depending on the dog or cat, you should use different tools.  Long-hair animals require a rake or wide-toothed comb and short-haired animals need a slicker or rubber brush to pull out the dead hair.  Whatever you use, it's always a good idea to use a spray conditioner to help loosen the tangles before you brush.
• Nails - In some cases, you may need to take your pet to the vet to get his nails clipped.  Some dogs and cats are just too aggressive or skittish to do it at home.  If you want to conquer this task, here is a helpful website to lead you through the process.

Toys
I will reiterate that items you find at home or at second-hand stores make nifty toys for your pets, but you also need to make sure that they are save.  For stuffed animals, make sure there are no button eyes or easy-to-tear seams.  For other toys, just make sure there are no small parts that your pet may pull off and choke on.  Here are some general ideas for good toys.

• Rubber Toys - Especially those that are hollow, rubber toys make a great chewing device for your dog.  It massages and cleans their gums in the process, too!  If they are hollow, you can put treats or peanut butter in them to entice more chewing.

• Mylar Toys - These are excellent toys for cats.  Not only are they inexpensive, but they bring out a lot of inherent hunting abilities in cats.  Because they are made out of mylar, they make an enticing crinkling sound when thrown or batted at, and they reflect the lights around them to keep the cat's interest.

For me, these are the three biggies.  If you can make your pet happy in these areas, you are sure to succeed as a pet owner.  I'm going to go play with Frankie and Ollie now, so I'll see you guys later!

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving!  I got sick, again, of course, but not until the day after.  Luckily, I still had working taste buds on Thursday to enjoy my mom's homemade miracles of food.  On the topic of Thanksgiving and this holiday season in general, I have a few helpful tips to allow your pets just as much enjoyment out of this festive season. 

Wake me when it's Christmas.

It's okay to allow your pets scraps from the table now and then, but don't ever give them any sort of poultry bones.  These particular bones tend to splinter, which means the pieces could either tear up their throat and stomach or even cause them to choke.  No good!  I keep Frankie away from all bones because, no matter what kind, they wreck havoc on his digestive system.  Nuff said.


It's true that chocolate is bad for dogs, but don't freak out if they sneak into some of your Christmas candy.  Baker's chocolate (the more cocoa, the worse) is what can poison them most easily.  Most of your over-the-counter baked goods and wrapped candies are made with milk or white chocolate.  This can still lead to toxic poisoning, though, if they ingest too much!  This is a great interactive chart to determine the amount of toxicity your pet may have come in contact with after indulging.

Taken from veterinarypartner.com, this is another handy chart so you can predetermine what may harm your pet.

Number of OUNCES of CHOCOLATE a Pet Would Need to Ingest for TOXICITY   Weight of Pet in Pounds 5 10 15 20 25 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Milk Chocolate (ounces) 2 4 6 8.2 10.2 12.3 16.4 20.5 24.5 28.6 32.7 36.8 41 Dark Chocolate (ounces) 0.7 1.4 2.1 2.8 3.5 4.2 5.5 6.9 8.3 9.7 11 12.5 13.8 Baking Chocolate (ounces) 0.23 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.2 1.4 1.9 2.3 2.8 3.2 3.7 4.1 4.6

There is also a magical alternative to chocolate called "carob", which is what most Christmas pet treats are made from.  Your dog won't know the difference, and you will have fun picking out different varieties!  Places such as Three Dog Bakery and All Pet Supplies offer many different festive treats you can stuff in their stockings.  Your pet do have their own stockings, don't they?

If you're like me and don't feed your pets table scraps (okay, maybe some occasional popcorn and extra chicken, but that's it!), there is a wonderful wet food that I can't recommend enough.  It's made by the company Merrick, and they supply both dogs and cats with dozens of full-course meals within a single can.  I only feed my pets wet food once a week as a treat, but during the holidays, they get an extra helping of Thanksgiving dinner.

 Anyway, I hope you and your pet enjoy this holiday season just as much as you!  Mine will!