A few good things about the elementary program: art, soccer, music.
Some of what has made this year awful and left me feeling like I may never trust another school again:
1. In Dec of 2010 we were persuaded to keep my son at TMS for K to gain his ""leadership"" year which should occur in the same classroom he was in for preschool. Then in the spring we were told that all K students staying would be in a new classroom with rising 1st graders in order for the school to start an elementary program. The fall came and it was awful from day 1. When I asked to have him moved, I was pacified with, ""oh, let's just give him a month and see how it goes"". Well, he never got moved and my son's mental state kept going downhill daily, to the point that we brought in a psychologist, who observed significant problems. This all led to trips to multiple professionals and testing for autism and the use of the Director's recommended psychologist. After the unqualified teacher and teacher's assistant quit in December, everything started turning around for my son and all of those costly professionals determined that my son's behavior was most likely from the TEACHERS! Some time in Jan, I looked at the list of kids in my son's old classroom and saw Kindergarten aged girls. This left feeling like my child and family was used b/c they needed more boys in the new class.
2. Kids have gone on multiple outings away from school property without parents knowing.
3. Son has shown signs of anxiety by having to learn two foreign languages and doing work that is too challenging. The first spelling list that came home when new teacher started in Jan included--hour, minute, Egypt, Africa, mountain, animal, tiger, panther, rattle snake & cobra. I finally insisted that he be excluded from spelling tests after 2 months of trying to work with new teacher to produce lists appropriate for my son.
4. Recently, my son describes that at least half of lunch time must be silent and he is fearful of uttering a word b/c the teacher raises her voice and scares him. I am not sure why silence is necessary since 2 kids have already left the program and the class now only has 8.
5. This week my child was left unsupervised w/ an inexperienced individual who is apparently the Spanish assistant teacher. They have been planning a Spanish puppet show for the parents. This assistant wanted the kids to memorize their lines. My child had some tough lines and more lines than some of the others. She told him in front of his peers that he should be ashamed of himself for not having his lines memorized. He came home w/ a crushed spirit and in tears. When I asked this assistant about what she had done, her excuse was the same excuse I have heard from others who have negatively impacted my child this school year....""well I am still new here or the program is still new""
We are not sending him back to complete last weeks of school. I wish I had removed him in January when professionals evaluating him felt the school was not in his best interest.
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