[Ohiogift] Published letter regarding Rosemond column

[Rosado Feger, Ana]

Katie

First of all, I would like to say I am very sorry that you and your son have to go through this.  No child should ever be made to feel like a failure.

I only know what you have written, but it appears you may have exhausted what the school district can offer you.  So my suggestion is to take a different tack.  Instead of trying to make it work, I suggest you look around to see if there is a private school near you that would be able to serve his specific, documented medical/mental health needs.  Then argue to the district that instead of fitting your bright square peg into their ill-fitting round hole, they pay for him to go to the private school.  Our neighbors (in Athens) have a similar arrangement for their autistic child.  Of course, that only works if there is an appropriate school near you (our neighbors drive their son to Marietta, a good hour away), and if the district agrees to pay.  Considering your reams of documentation, I think you would have a strong case. Some districts around Columbus were doing this for kids with learning disabilities, I have no idea if this is still the case.

Your other choice is to homeschool through one of the two or three public online schools.  They are tuition-free, and in theory (or their brochures anyway) would allow him to move at his own pace, within limits.  As public charter schools, you have to follow their calendar and Zach will be required to take the usual standardized tests.  In any case, information is free.  Sometimes the mere freedom in knowing you can set your own schedule can be a godsend.

An advantage of being enrolled in a high school is that he can then qualify for PSEO...taking college classes for dual credit.  I think that would be true even if he is enrolled in the online programs.

Or, sometimes you have to think of the future and make drastic changes.  My nephew had immense troubles in high school, much like your son.  He ended up being expelled in his junior year.  He tested for a GED instead and enrolled in college courses.  He is thriving academically now.  But, college is not free if you are not enrolled in high school...the dreaded Catch-22.

I wish you much patience and perseverance.  I don't know that I can be much help, but, know that I am in your corner.

Best of luck,

--Ana 

-----Original Message-----
From: ohiogift-bounces+rosadof=ohio.edu at lists.service.ohio-state.edu [mailto:ohiogift-bounces+rosadof=ohio.edu at lists.service.ohio-state.edu] On Behalf Of Katie Thurston
Sent: Sunday, June 16, 2013 4:08 PM
To: Lisa Henry
Cc: Ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu; artsnyder44 at cs.com
Subject: Re: [Ohiogift] Published letter regarding Rosemond column

Hey all-

Although it has been awhile since I perused the gifted listserve commentary, my quandary is the same:  how to best protect the interests of my gifted son, who, unlike his older sister (who excels), is failing high school after his first year there. This in an 'excellent' rated school district, no less.

School for Zach has always been awful, and it shows. I have enough paperwork to fill a file drawer. He's been hospitalized, cajoled, labelled (ADHD/ODDwGAD), dismissed, and ostracized. However, I have tests results that verify his gifted aptitude in math, etc...
Unfortunately, the results diminish year to year as his learning hasn't kept pace.

My son calls himself a failure. It is easy for me to understand why. I hated school in many respects but like his sister, I did well. He is brilliant, any one who has engaged him in a conversation may sense this; yet his experience of school has been, for the most part, abysmal.

I try to help, but the courses and methods are so much different from the 70's when I was in high school. I feel stymied. Z and I are discussing homeschooling. Again. I fear the district will try to intervene, on his "behalf"- although given their treatment of him, I'd posit that a strong court case could be made that his interests are being neglected in the name of the district saving face. The district's interests are its own.

I'm not worried about "socialization" since where we live now, he's enough of an outcast since gradeschool (in part due to the ignorance of others), that he really has mostly online friends. And the children placed in the "resource" room where he has been forced to spend part of the school day are not all gifted.

Any suggestions? I am impotently angry about the situation. I cannot afford a decent lawyer. And I have written to state reps in the past on behalf of gifted programming. Didn't get any response, at all. If I had thrown cash at them, I believe I would have gotten better results- but if I had said funds, my son would be enrolled in a school for gifted children, or perhaps even college by now.

Thanks for your time.

Katie Thurston

On 6/16/13, Lisa Henry <lmhenry at zoominternet.net> wrote:
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Art Snyder <artsnyder44 at cs.com>
> Date: 06/16/2013  2:46 PM  (GMT-05:00)
> To: Ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
> Subject: [Ohiogift] Published letter regarding Rosemond column
>
> Mary Collier's letter to her local newspaper regarding John Rosemond's 
> parenting column was a breath of fresh air and clarity on behalf of 
> everyone involved in gifted ed.
>
> I'm really glad she (and perhaps others) have taken Rosemond to task 
> for his consistently dismissive response to gifted service and the 
> students who ultimately benefit.
>
> Bravo, Mary!
>
> Best wishes,
> Art Snyder
>
>

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