Now that Jeremy is in college, I am faced with yet another dilemma. As both a parent and teacher, I have frequently been faced with such problems. The college had him take assessment tests, both to place him in classes and to determine whether he needs DSPS' assistance. The results are puzzling and odd. He has always been good at math, doing complicated problems in his head. Of course, he refuses to show his work, and this has sometimes caused problems. Now he has been placed in the lowest remedial math class and in college writing! Given his serious problems with reading (and writing; he has been tentatively diagnosed with dysgraphia), I don't know how he will manage there. And the math will bore him. Knowing those remedial classes as I do, since I taught in that district for a while, the math class, where he will already be out of place, may also encourage him to fool around and give him the false impression that college is no different from high school. It will certainly introduce him to students who do not belong in college at all and who will not last more than one semester.
When I taught remedial writing in that district years ago (though not at this particular school), there were students who were so out of control it was a nightmare. It was more like a mental hospital than a college class. For example, there was one student who could not sit down for more than one minute. He would race around the class continually, taking his shirt off and putting it back on, and he couldn't shut up. It was either drugs or mental illness and perhaps both. I referred him to people, but I am sure he never went. Finally, I asked him to leave. There was at least one stalker. The students erupted everytime I turned my back to write something on the board. The dean came to observe and said she didn't know how I maintained my composure and went on teaching them exactly what they needed to learn, even though they were paying no attention at all.
I had hoped that Jeremy would be getting exactly what he needed and never got in high school, particularly instruction in reading. Now it seems that isn't going to happen. But I cannot by law intervene. I just have to sit tight and hope that the English instructor and the math one notice something odd and reassess him. Or perhaps he will surprise me and rise to the challenge of the English class? Who knows.
2 comments:
I guess you just have to trust the assessment results. As one who teaches "remedial" students, I see far more of them pass along through the pre-college reading and writing classes and go on to do well in the college-level courses, often better prepared than students who tested right into freshman comp. Perhaps this will be the case for math and Jeremy.
Perhaps so, but I am unsettled by the ass-backward results because you remember I've been looking at this kid's work since he was tiny, though I haven't been able to work with him. We are too much alike.
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