NOBODY HERE HATES OBAMA

[Hekate]

306. Would he have been mainstreamed in public school before Reagan? You finally hit the crux...

...of your problem with the system, I think: "his autism creates more of problem for him in English than in math" means there's a system that doesn't fit his needs and that he can't conform to.

Perhaps what you need is a conversation with his teacher, and maybe the principal. Maybe he needs tutoring one-on-one. Perhaps a support group of similar parents might help. But somehow I don't think this is President Obama's fault.

I am really sorry for his and your problems, but I went through public schools long before Reagan came in, and in my state, believe me, kids were vigorously tracked by a combination of test scores and performance, and those who could not keep up fell behind. Even the "vocational" classes were tracked. And there was little to no access or mainstreaming for those considered handicapped (old terminology befitting a discussion of former times). In my schools there was not a single blind child, nor one in a wheelchair, nor a child who was profoundly deaf, nor a Downs' child. Children with "severe behavioral problems" were ultimately expelled if they could not conform/cope/adjust. Those who were simply very withdrawn stayed because they caused no problems. Teachers were solo in their classrooms and they had to teach as many of the kids as they could reach. Funding was a perennial issue.

If you believe in mainstreaming all children into one public school system, then we have made tremendous progress. But the downside is that everything has been dumped onto the public school system with inadequate or iffy funding and resources from year to year.

And still the teachers have to teach as many kids as they can reach. Common Core may actually be reaching the majority of students, but clearly not those who for whatever reason are in the minority. No single program can reach ALL students; it can only be tailored so far to fit specific needs. But the point of the new scheme is that our schools are failing the majority, and as many as possible need to be caught up and urged to excel.

Your focus naturally is on your own child, and I share your frustration that you can't get as much help as you need. (You have no idea how much I share your frustration, but this is not about me.) However, President Obama's job is to rescue as many children as possible by casting as wide a net as possible, and he's not trying to hurt you. Please don't be bitter in the wrong direction. I hope so much for you and your son that this school year will get better.