The school of fresh air

comedy clubber · ‎08-01-2018

My father used to say to us "Am I paying all that tuition for a school of fresh air???" when we asked permission to go on a nature field trip. Well, one of my friends from grad school just informed me that there is now a real school of fresh air outside of Milwaukee. Children were encouraged to eat snow and throw snowballs in the news story she saw last week. Sure hope the animals hadn't visited their outdoor classroom first!!!

Now I believe we have seen anything, charter schools, voucher schools and now this. And none of them feel any obligation to children with special needs. Such a crime.

KingstonsMom · ‎03-09-2010

To my knowledge most schools of any type have classes for special needs students.

Have you contacted this school to know for a fact that they do not offer classes to special needs students or is this just another blind accusation, not based on facts?

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

comedy clubber · ‎08-01-2018

To your knowledge, you are sadly perfectly wrong. I spent 26 of my 32 year career as a speech pathologist in the public school setting. Charter and voucher schools may SAY they welcome/have special needs students, but they do not. And unfortunately, because they are funded with tax dollars, public school have to offer a limited percentage of special education serices to charter and voucher schools. Those charter and voucher schools then keep mild learning disabled or speech and language impaired students and have the public schools direct the educational services for the students. Thee are no cognitively delayed, moderate or severe in degree students in any charter or voucher schools. There are no moderate to severe learning disabled or autistic children allowed to remain in any charter or voucher schools. And then there is the emotionally or behaviorally disturbed students, none of which are welcomed in charter or voucher schools. And just when the federal know nothings like Betsy DeVoss strip funding for public schools, students with special needs are returned to the public school arena WITHOUT funding!!! In states allowing charter and voucher schools, even if the student is removed from them, the public school taking the child back receives no funding for that child for at least one semester. You can blame public education as much as you want for poor test scores and other nonsense, but because of these stupid charter and voucher schools, urban public schools have populations of 1/3 to 2/3 special needs students.

And you know, as a product of private schools all of my life, I strongly believe that a private school education is a PRIVILEGE and NOT A RIGHT!!! Although I grew up in a upper class family, my parents had to give up somethings to send six children to private school from Kindergarten through Graduate school. Money does not grow on trees!

kitcat51 · ‎09-15-2016

Charter schools in my area take children with specials needs & do a great job. Many public schools are dismal & no child should be stuck in them so I'm for vouchers, schools of choice, online scbools, home schooling, etc...the more choices the better. Parents with money can choose so why shouldn't the middle class & the poor? Public schools being the only choice for them needs to end.

Sweetbay magnolia · ‎04-14-2013

@comedy clubber , yes. DH works with special needs ("ID", in the current vernacular).

It's not cut and dried, but many of the neediest get shunted around. Money and influence make it very hard for public servants to find care for those without either (money or influence), and there are those with money and influence who can choose, and bully the public schools and the public sector for service.

I have never had children. I am of course inclined to advocate for future generations, but what about all the tax dollars I have spent? It's an interesting question but I am no fan of . . . well I won't say.

Cogito ergo sum

comedy clubber · ‎08-01-2018

If you believe that public schools are "dismal", than you need to know that you have made them so, by refusing to pay teachers decent salaries, by refusing to support public education through small tax levies, and by the ignorance of not knowing how urban areas have evolved in the past 40 years. It is not the educators fault, as you seem to imply, but the neglect of state government and its citizens to support the future of their own communities. I was once assigned to a charter school which purchased speech services from my district. It claimed to be a haven for the autistic student. It was a joke of a school, lots of false promise and little actual education.

pigletsmom · ‎11-21-2011

Teachers around here make 90-100 thousands dollars. So I guess we should have great stats. Alas graduation rates stink, the kids that do graduate can barely write and do basic math and need remedial help if they go to college. Why colleges are admitting them is beyond me but the state universities have budgeted for these remedial needs.

School taxes are through the roof but we're going to fix everything buy buildng one of the most expensive high schools in the country. And I don't even blame the teachers for all of these problems. I mostly blame parents who don't care if their kids learn anything. But give me a break with all it takes is more money.

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

@pigletsmom wrote:
Teachers around here make 90-100 thousands dollars. So I guess we should have great stats. Alas graduation rates stink, the kids that do graduate can barely write and do basic math and need remedial help if they go to college. Why colleges are admitting them is beyond me but the state universities have budgeted for these remedial needs.

School taxes are through the roof but we're going to fix everything buy buildng one of the most expensive high schools in the country. And I don't even blame the teachers for all of these problems. I mostly blame parents who don't care if their kids learn anything. But give me a break with all it takes is more money.

@pigletsmom . Our teachers salaries are basically the same as yours. However we have the total opposite of everything else you stated. Going to college 99%, math and reading scores also high 90’s.

Yes, taxes through the roof.

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@comedy clubber wrote:
My father used to say to us "Am I paying all that tuition for a school of fresh air???" when we asked permission to go on a nature field trip. Well, one of my friends from grad school just informed me that there is now a real school of fresh air outside of Milwaukee. Children were encouraged to eat snow and throw snowballs in the news story she saw last week. Sure hope the animals hadn't visited their outdoor classroom first!!!
Now I believe we have seen anything, charter schools, voucher schools and now this. And none of them feel any obligation to children with special needs. Such a crime.

@comedy clubber, can you please provide a source that describes this particular school? Otherwise, this discussion is useless.

As an aside, I might add that going into the whole charter/voucher territory will likely end up controversial and political.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

pigletsmom · ‎11-21-2011

@proudlyfromNJ I'm glad you guys have good outcomes. Those rates are awesome. I have no idea what's happening here in NY. Apparently if you can get a student loan which everyone can you can go to a state university. I was just dumbfounded the other day when the chancellor (I think that's who it was) talked about making sure we get help for these students in college that are behind. Um what? Bad enough these kids are leaving high school unprepared but putting them in college like that just sets them up to fail.

If you know any kids in that didn't do well in school tell them to apply in NY. We'll probably take them easily. We can get out of state tuition.