I Am Ready

This week was another long week of wrestling and fighting with my six-year-old behaviorally challenged friend. I haven't talked about this not-so-little guy in a while because it's become such a state of normalcy in my classroom to have him punching, screaming, throwing chairs, running out of class, scratching, hitting and kicking. But this week he decided he would bite as well. Collectively, of the 35 hours I spent with my kids this week, 7 of them were putting poop-head in a hold or trying to reason with him.

Don't get me wrong, he has moments of kindness and understanding but when he flips the switch, it's on. I take off my scarf and ID badge and we're on like two WWF wrestlers (except the blood is real and the pay is significantly less). 

I didn't come on here today to rant about my problem child, though. I am climbing onto my soap box once more for one purpose; one realization I had. 

On Tuesday, my co-teacher told me privately that poop-head's mom had shared in a IEP meeting with my co-teacher that poop-head made her cry on a daily basis. When poop-head's mom picked him up that day, I looked at her and all I saw was despair, fear and defeat. She has no control and no escape. It made me realize that I'm done with him in four months. I never have to hold him or take a head butt or kick from him again. He is on to first grade and out of my life. BUT his mother, his mother is stuck with him, kicking and punching and scratching for the rest of her life.

I realized how lucky I was AND I then asked myself: what could I do to help make her future easier? How can I make her feel less despair, fear or defeat? Where is the refuge for her? Where is the mental illness program or social worker to help with her poop-headed son? 

Then I was reminded of the Sandyhook school shooting (and Columbine, Springfield, Virginia Tech, Aurora, etc.) and an article I read by Liza Long; a mother of a mentally disturbed child. She entitled it, "I am Adam Lanza’s Mother", referring to the shooter at Sandyhook Elementary. What support can we provide for parents who have no idea what to do with their behaviorally challenged/mentally disturbed children? What ways can we help to eleviate the despair, the fear AND the defeat? There has to be a way to aid these parents who are stuck for lifetimes; not just one school year, with out-of-control children. 

All I know is, "I am Ready" to help the men and women like Ms. Long and Ms. Lanza who are crying out for support and are only being met by judgment and noncooperation.

Liza Long's article is listed below:

http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/