School Changes

[Mom70x7]

Ignoring everything else . . .

I ran a lot of kids through the West Elk and USD 282 school system. At one point I had kids in all four schools: Moline, Severy, Junior High and High school. For one reason or another, all my kids were/are special needs kids. Which means they all went through Bert Moore and the Special Ed department.

I'm incredibly pleased with the education my kids got.

I think Bert Moore did an excellent job with the very different special needs of my children. He was at most all of their IEP meetings, knew their abilities and disabilities and helped them get the best education possible.

Obviously, the teachers were also excellent - the special ed teachers and the regular ed teachers. I am still amazed at the creativity and dedication involved. My kids presented strong challenges to our system. Bert worked with his teachers and the different schools and provided my kids with a better education than I had thought possible.

I started with my kids in the Independence school system. That was disaster after disaster. Then we started getting kids from all over the state. I'm familiar with other special ed departments. West Elk has had an excellent one. That's due to the teachers, the paras (underpaid and underappreciated) and, at least in the case of my kids, Bert.

[pepelect]

I became an underachiever because of my IEP!   If things get hard now I am learning to  just quit, er resign, or seek to fullfill other career goals at this juncture in my life.  I already flunked out of college once.....by doing so shunting my dreams of a writting a doctorial thesis on why two lower economic rural Kansas communities can't have one fair.  I can't keep help because of my lack of interpersonal skills and inability to play well with others.   
Unwisely invested my entire life, not just the savings because I spent all of it already, in rural Kansas cause I have deep seeded fear of stoplights.  I was caused by the red light green light game at P.E. 

I was never taught political correctness. 

Ya WEST ELK WAS GREAT to edigimacate me

[L Hendricks]

PEP - you are silly, but atleast honest...you just like a good challenge and you got bored easily...but you can think.  Mom70x7 - I don't think you will find many to disagree with Bert's capabilities as the special ed director... teachers, parents, etc speak very highly of him in that job....however the supt position is another story... but we do that a lot in this county - overpromote someone, because of lack of others to fill the position or trying to save money.  It doesn't work.  But again, Bert is not the only problem... we have a climate, attitude that needs changing.... so we need to look past the personnel issue and look at the greater problem and spend our time trying to find the best solution...

[Diane Amberg]

PEP, I  think you were really meant to be a stand up comic, or at least a stand up in the bucket comic.

[Catwoman]

You go, Patrick!!!! :-)  You always put a  on my face! :-)

[Catwoman]

I completely agree with you about 282's SPED department, Mom...my comments regarding Bert reflected a working relationship between boss and employee, not the relationship that Bert cultivates with his patrons.  Believe me, Bert always did have a good ability with kids.  And, before the screaming begins, let me remind the gallery that I stated that I liked Bert personally...it's just how he has treated some teachers in the past that made me a little wary of getting on 'that side' of him.

[flo]

How many of you have gotten a call from the Winfield Courier?  I just did.  He was doing a story on our school situation and wanted to know what I knew.  I told him I did not attend the meetings so have no "first hand" information, that all I knew was what I read on the forum, that I have my "personal" opinions but that was all.  Guess he didn't want those, cause he said "thanks and you have a good evening".     Glad that he wanted "first-hand facts".  Maybe the people that do talk to him will get the information straight and leave out a lot of "I think they should" and "why didn't they" and things that are "personal opinions".  Just wondered if he called anyone else. 

[Mom70x7]

No calls here - but I'd be interested in what the article says when it comes out.

[flo]

Ignoring everything else . . .

I ran a lot of kids through the West Elk and USD 282 school system

didn't think they allowed running in the hallways

[john61]

I would just like to know why the school dance team had a carwash in front of the church in their bikins.  Not appropriate and very disrespectful.  Just been listening to the ladies talk about it!