Monday, December 11, 2006

Aspergers and frustrations with math

OK, this is a rant post, so bear with me . . .

For the most part, Will's school is exceptional. They have a good idea of what his needs are, and they give him extra time for tests, they often provide a quiet environment for those tests, and they really go the extra mile in most situations. I have very little to complain about.

But this year, and last year, I've noticed that Will's math education is really slipping. We've figured out many ways to compliment his lessons in social studies, science, english, and spelling, but math is so frustrating. He learns by constant repetition, and yet he only gets MAYBE one day of homework a week, often only one day of homework every other week. This isn't unusual, from what I'm finding out. Most kids in our district get that amount. They must do their work in class. But our problem is that he is not prepared for the tests. Couple that with the fact that I've gone painstakingly through the text with him in preparation for tests, only to find that there is material on the tests that I've NEVER seen in the book. How is Will supposed to achieve OK on tests when the tests and the book have differing information?

We have considered math tutoring (at $50 per hour, it's not very enticing as an option). We have considered having my husband (who is very adept at math) teach him. But we need to know the whole schedule of math lessons that the teacher is teaching, and I don't know if that's too much to ask for? I never know what is "too much to ask for." I don't want to become the pain-in-the-butt parent expecting more and more from a teacher, but I also don't want Will slipping behind all of the time either because of a new text that isn't that great, or a teacher who isn't really qualified to be a math teacher, or because we are parents who are either too inept or too overwhelmed to make a decision and do something about this matter.

Argh!

Kris


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