Shadow Teacher Needed - Where do I even start??

I think the right number for Fiona Coutts is: 050 544 8916 (that's what I found on an old thread, anyway).

Dear Mrs. Laughan, I checked for Ms. Fiona on Forum but couldnt find her!! Any contact details, pls. forward to: [email protected]. Thanks.

Hi All :-) Need urgent a SHADOW TEACHER for my son KG2 with strong personality and should be a qualified person with experience. Who can help or knows someone??? Thanks in advance.

Sorry, am not contributing to this thread, just wanted to ask you how you are doing, Mrs Laughan? And how is your DS's new school in England?

AMW - your post made me so wild, angry and frustrated - your son is being bullied - lets call it what it is - he is systematically being targeted and the school can't/won't do anything about it!!! The answer is you pay for a shadow? You are just basically being asked to give the teacher a teachers assisstant b/c the school have taken it away. The school should be putting someone in the class to sort out who is targeting your son, and putting a stop to that. The reason it winds me up is that this happened to my son at 2 schools in dubai, and the schools/teachers are so soft on it. It is not acceptable. By all means get your son the help he needs - and I can't recommend Sheda enough, she taught my son to stay away from the boys who were taunting (is best friends in the class ended up the girls for that reason), she taught him to manage the change and transition, and to not explode in relation to the taunting. But you need to demand of the school and the teacher that the bullying is stopped...it happens to much in dubai that children that are a little different, maybe have a developmental delay (my son had a speech delay - he has now caught up) - are picked on - the most vulnerable and the schools do nothing.... Sorry for the rant, but obviously as a parent who went through 2 years of this, it really really makes we wild.

Send me an email on [email protected]. I have some suggestions which may help as I have gone through the same problems with my DS.

AMW - can u email me, i might have someone that can help u. Mmmaren (atyahoo.com)

Well the first thing is - if is to help him, then you want someone who is properly trained to do this....are you sure you need a shadw and not someone like a behavioural therapist? From what you say, is he ok in the structured times in the class and it is just the unstructured times that he ends up "out of his depth" ? From what you have said and Shadow seems a little extreme....it seems to be the first thing dubai schools suggest..... Here are 2 suggestions from me - firstly, if you just want to organise a shadow and be done with it - Fiona coutts (search her on the forum - her contact details will come up), she can help you find a qualified one. OR - our son had social issues relating to a speech delay, he also really didn't cope with moving to dubai and became very angry and frustrated,. plus was bullied in our compound.... Anyway we worked with Shada at REach out in knowledge village - amazing results, and if you are getting nowhere with Kidsfirst, I would try and see her. She worked with DS one on one at home (it ad to be during school time so he missed a little bit at the beginning of the day), and then at school - it really helped him. It was money very well spent...she was also a great go between with us and the school - she was seeing things in the classroom that were exacerbating his behaviour...he was being taunted/baited into anti-social behaviours...the school should have been on top of this - but sadly they weren't. So for my money I would start with reach out...but there are two options.... and I found kidsfirst hopeless too...... DS had OT and speech therapy at Dubai community health center.....I gt spots because I harrassed them - rung them every week, and asked if anything had come up....picked up Backhti's card and got in touch personally.....unfortunately in Dubai, it is very much - its the squeaky wheel Reach out can also assist with finding you an appropriate shadow...but expect them to ask why it is necessary....for that matter Fiona probably wil too. <em>edited by Mrs Laughan on 28/09/2011</em>

Just wondering whether the assessment you did last year suggested you get a shadow teacher or is it the school who cannot / does not want to help your kid (but will take the money nonetheless) suggesting you have a shadow teacher. If your child has behavioural issues, is sad, it is a symptom not the cause. Shadow teachers an't for every child. Often that's what the school says cos they don't want to look at the problem from their point of view instead blame the child and the family.Sorry beeen in your shoes a while ago, so understand your predicament. Not sure if you have to go to Kids First but Dubai Community Health Center on Jumeirah Road has therapists too. We started going there as it was recommended by the psychologist. Both therapist my DS sees have been working there for years and their reputation is well established. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 28/09/2011</em>

You are making positive steps though. You are setting up the appointments that will help with assessment and then they can give you all strategies that will help both in the classroom and outside. Ask the school if they can include a small ad in their newsletter. I have seen this done in Dubai in different schools. I think when they say it is your responsibility they mean that they can't negotiate terms and conditions on your behalf. The person you hire has to be someone that will work best with your son and no one knows him better than you so you are best suited to making that choice. I bet there are other children in the school with shadows. Maybe it would be possible to talk to one of them. This can be a difficult thing to do emotionally but is very worthwhile.

I know it is hard to see this at the moment but I'm sure school just want your son to be happy too and reach his full potential. It can all seem so over whelming though. I would advertise in the school newsletter, website and local area like the supermarket. You are looking for someone who lives locally, can speak fluent English if that is the medium of teaching and is firm but calm. There may be a mum in the school who would be interested as it would have the same hours as her children. It is usually about the same salary as a TA. Good luck. I hope you find someone lovely.

The school should help you find one. I know at JPS they will advertise and find the learning support teacher for you. Do you need someone full time? Couldn't the school help at all? Maybe try Kids first medical centre, they may have some ideas, you could also advertise on here. <em>edited by TimTam on 28/09/2011</em>