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Isn't My child special too?

© Mary Pantazis

Note: This article first appeared at Epinions. I received so many positive and negative comments on it that I was surprised to be honest. I decided to put it here too.

For twelve years I have worked in special education. I also have worked nights in a group home. I have lots of degrees behind my name related to the field of special education and I have loads of experience to fall back on while I am writing this review. I know this review is going to offend a few parents of special needs children. However, I am no longer just a teacher. I am also a parent.

I have read many reviews about special needs children on this site. The majority of which talk about the needs of the special child. They talk about the lack of awareness of children with special needs. They talk about the need for more services for the children. They attempt to give information about specific disabilities such as autism. While I find all of this necessary, I also notice that no one with a "normal" child who goes to school with a special needs child had written about that part of mainstreaming.

My son started Kindergarten this year and I am considering homeschooling him because I believe that the school now caters to the special needs children more than they care about the regular kid. I cannot afford to send my children to private school and I do not think he is learning what he should.

Since school started I have been hearing about a child named Mikie. I have heard my son have nightmares about Mikie. I have seen my child not want to go to school because of Mikie. I wanted to know more about Mikie so I went to school last week. In fact for the last week I have been attending recess at school to watch what is happening with Mikie.

Mikie is the largest boy in the class. He does not speak English and is also obviously developmentally delayed. Mikie does not play on the playground, he runs, he hits, he chokes other kids, he grabs them by the jacket and he throws them to the ground. The teachers cannot control Mikie. Mikie is emotionally handicapped. I do not know what his codes are.

My son, has come home with a ripped jacket, a bruised leg and a bloody lip from Mikie. I went to the principal about this of course, and I was told that Mikie is new and all the systems are in place to help Mikie and that Mikie is a foster child and his parents do not speak English and all I heard about was MIKIE.

The copyright of the article Isn't My child special too? in Special Education is owned by Mary Pantazis. Permission to republish Isn't My child special too? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.