basement goals.
Basement goals are the bane of my existence.
If you don't know what I mean I will explain.
Basement goals are those people that believe (or pretend to know) that your special needs student is not capable of anything. Which in the long terms means that a kid like our son is going to end up living in our basement.
After what we have been through with the boy we generally think that people who believe that shit should f- off.
OOPS - blew my clean language resolution. Pardon me.
(it was only a matter of time...)
Most teachers we have run into have basement goals for our son.
Today was a classic example.
From what we hear our son's cooking teacher had him cleaning up, with minimal work for the program today. It was a big deal and yet before she presented the group to the parents and admins there she had shoved our son off on his cab for his next classes. He wasn't going to miss anything but PE. I don't know if she thinks he will be able to become a chef but it is stuff like that that makes parents like us think that teachers like her believe that a kid like ours should live in a basement.
(say that 10 times fast)
We go from glowing, when our son's therapist tells us that we have "worked miracles" with the boy to thinking "Crap, what do we do to get him accepted?"
People believe he is nothing.
A doctor believed he was nothing.
We don't believe he is nothing.
We aren't enough.
We aren't.
We, the cute one and I, can't fight societal norms. Although societal norms suck and are stupid we can't buck them. Even those who don't think that societal norms are what they believe in; they do. Because a kid like ours should have NEVER learned to talk, go to school, get good grades, and be able to cook.
So, in today's lesson we have:
basement goals= societal norms+ 0 expectations* parental frustration with the system.
Which is why I NEVER LISTEN TO DOCTOR'S who tell me that my kid can't. Gen and special ed teachers say the same thing....."He can't"
The cuter half and I say "He can." But we are tired- no break and little support have left us disillusioned and weary. Besides what do we know? We are just the parents.
If you don't know what I mean I will explain.
Basement goals are those people that believe (or pretend to know) that your special needs student is not capable of anything. Which in the long terms means that a kid like our son is going to end up living in our basement.
After what we have been through with the boy we generally think that people who believe that shit should f- off.
Most teachers we have run into have basement goals for our son.
Today was a classic example.
From what we hear our son's cooking teacher had him cleaning up, with minimal work for the program today. It was a big deal and yet before she presented the group to the parents and admins there she had shoved our son off on his cab for his next classes. He wasn't going to miss anything but PE. I don't know if she thinks he will be able to become a chef but it is stuff like that that makes parents like us think that teachers like her believe that a kid like ours should live in a basement.
(say that 10 times fast)
We go from glowing, when our son's therapist tells us that we have "worked miracles" with the boy to thinking "Crap, what do we do to get him accepted?"
People believe he is nothing.
A doctor believed he was nothing.
We don't believe he is nothing.
We aren't enough.
We aren't.
We, the cute one and I, can't fight societal norms. Although societal norms suck and are stupid we can't buck them. Even those who don't think that societal norms are what they believe in; they do. Because a kid like ours should have NEVER learned to talk, go to school, get good grades, and be able to cook.
So, in today's lesson we have:
basement goals= societal norms+ 0 expectations* parental frustration with the system.
Which is why I NEVER LISTEN TO DOCTOR'S who tell me that my kid can't. Gen and special ed teachers say the same thing....."He can't"
The cuter half and I say "He can." But we are tired- no break and little support have left us disillusioned and weary. Besides what do we know? We are just the parents.
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