Academic/Grades Inconsistencies

Several times, I was genuinely confused and needed clarification about what I heard from several teachers concerning my son’s academics and grades in school.

The son’s grades did not reflect what I had heard about his math and English language arts capabilities in school. In the above recording, you can listen to Mrs. Rivera telling me that my son did well reading that morning while in school.

Here is the thing: Ms. Rivera was not the only teacher who had previously told me my son had good reading capabilities and read at a fast speed. Previously, at a different school, a math teacher had told me that my son was great at math and that she would put “him to tutor a few of his classmates.” Although my son enjoyed reading books, especially books by the author Andrew Clements, he enjoyed math. At PS 83, his grades did not reflect the acclamation from the three other teachers, which confused me.

Why would his grades not reflect what I have heard several times? Why were there inconsistencies between what I heard from three other teachers and his report cards?

As previously mentioned in the post, “I advocated for my child’s rights in NYC school, and then CPS was used as a weapon.” while my son was at PS 155, he was afraid to be in school/class, so much his Principal Mrs. Gumbs told me I had to sit with my son in school to prevent him from walking out of school.

I would sit with my son in the school stairwell to soothe him and prepare him to walk into class. LITERALLY, Monday- Friday, I would sit with my son in the stairwell from 8 AM until about noon to calm his flight response to possibly leaving school. Things were not always this way. Just a year ago, my son loved waking up in the morning to go to school and make breakfast and sometimes would already be dressed before I woke him up for school or breakfast. His fear of school began in the third quarter of 2017.

One of my many concerns was that my son was not receiving learning instruction. Despite my attempts to ensure he receives access to learning and an appropriate education, the school could not provide that. I knew then it was time for him to leave.

My son’s fear of school was situational, not dispositional. If a child is afraid to stay in school, it is the school’s responsibility to find out WHY, especially when a child has not reacted that way.