A guest post from a regular reader about Charter Schools and what the policy could mean for his family. His experiences mirror the same experience that I had with my son. We removed Master Whaleoil from state schools for exactly the same reasons.
I am watching the discussion about charter schools with interest.
There has recently been much commentary to the effect that the current education system is not working. There are claims that it only works for some arbitrary percentage of students. The implication is that it should work for 100% of students.
Bollocks.
Each of us has unique talents, and each of us has specific needs. No single system can cater to all of us. One size does not fit all. One school system certainly does not cater for all.
My seven-year-old son, who I shall refer to as John, is home-schooled.
There is only one reason that John is home-schooled: the public school system has proved unable to cater for his differences.
John has Aspergers Syndrome. Aspergers is a high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, meaning John is perfectly capable of normal communication, but is subject to certain handicaps. Common traits of people with Aspergers, including John, include:
- A high sensitivity to sensory input. It is easy for him to become stressed by excessive activity or noise stimulus, as is the case in a shopping mall or a classroom or playground.
- Difficulty with manual dexterity. This makes activities such as ball skills and handwriting challenging and frustrating.
- Perfectionism. John won’t attempt to write a word he doesn’t know how to spell. This presents roadblocks that further compound the stress caused by handwriting.
- Dealing with change. Sudden or unannounced changes of plans are stressful. By contrast a well-defined set of rules – that are adhered to – provide autistic people with a good foundation.
At school, these traits contributed to episodes where John simply lost it. The frustration built up to a level where regretfully he struck out, at other students, at teachers, and at school equipment. John was labelled “naughty” and the standard response was to put him in solitary confinement until a parent was able to pick him up. From the start, the school viewed autism as a behavioural problem rather than a disability to be catered for. The ambulance was at the bottom of the cliff.
Several experts were consulted, at my own and the Ministry’s expense, and some strategies were developed to help John and his teachers and classmates. These were put to John as simple rules, and included things like knowing he could take time out whenever he felt his stress/frustration levels rising.
Unfortunately, these strategies were half-heartedly implemented by the school. The time-out option I described was seen as unfair on the other students who were required to continue working. Never mind that that simple technique would have ensured the physical safety of those other students, and less disruption of their own learning.
A teacher aid was provided for John, for five hours per week. This was considered by the ministry to be a high level of support. Please take a moment to consider what your reaction would be if your hearing-impaired child was only allowed to use his hearing aid for five hours per week. By contrast it seems that autism is regarded as a disability that only affects John at convenient times.
John’s main source of frustration in class was writing, due to his manual dexterity problems and his insistence on having to spell words correctly or not at all. So I am still completely unable to understand why the meagre teacher aid hours weren’t scheduled around the writing lessons, or why the writing lessons weren’t timed to coincide with the teacher aid’s availability. That simple change would have avoided a lot of frustration and helped both John and those around him.
I am not unconvinced that the school’s management undertook a program of constructive dismissal, in order to relieve themselves of this particular problem.
Our one-size-fits-all education system fails to cater for edge cases. There is a strong argument for niche schools to fill the gap. The proposed Charter idea is a way to implement these solutions.
I am strongly in favour of having a voucher system introduced at the same time. I find it insulting that I am required to pay tax that funds an education system unable and unwilling to assist my son, while also having to fund his real education (either by paying for private or charter schooling, or by taking time off work to teach him myself). The sooner I can vote with my wallet the happier I will be. (Full disclosure: Home school families receive an annual payment of around $500 per student from the ministry to help with administration costs).
That is why I am excited by the prospect of charter schools. I hope to see schools that cater for specific needs, such as for children with Aspergers. I hope to avoid the insult of having to pay incompetent teachers as well as paying the competent ones that can actually help my boy. I know there are many other parents like me, who educate their autistic children simply because the state can’t or won’t. I would like to see something like this in New Zealand. I think Charter Schools provide the opportunity for initiatives like these.
The good news is I no longer have to give my seven-year old child Prozac just so he can cope with the education system.
