OPEN HOUSE, CLOSED DOORS

It is 12:30 on a school day, and I just got a text message from my daughter saying hi, she must be very bored to want to text her mother! 12:30, it must be study hall. Back to school this rainy Monday morning. Two open houses this week. For my second grader, I'll get to sit in those extra small chairs with all the other parents of children that have been assigned the teacher with the mean reputation. I wonder if she will tell me, like she told me son's class that I can look forward to a sticker and a poem on my birthday. I can't wait! I always wanted a sticker and poem on my special day and my son can't wait either! It is the dream of every 7 year old boy to get a poem and sticker on his birthday! If we don't sing him Happy Birthday, we won't have to worry about copyright! Yeah for everybody!

Open house is an interesting term for someone with a child that has an IEP. Back when we lived in the city, only one year ago, many doors were shut for my daughter. I watched as some of the children that played with her went off to the Talented and Gifted programs (she didn't have the grades to get in). I watched as some of the children went off to charter schools (could or would not accommodate her). I watched as children went to the neighborhood school (at the time, they did not have to accommodate her). She was sent off on a bus. The culture of trying to get your child into a school by virtue of having high scores on tests is deeply ingrained in NYC and many other places. She may be smart, but she could never make the grade. She would never get into any of the specialized schools. So, we came to the suburbs. Are more doors open to her here? Still, kids get separated into those that can do and those that can't. The filter remains. She may share the same school with the "good" students, but she won't share the same class. As they move up in the grades, they will filter out too. The best students will have more opportunities, she will have to get by with study hall.