Shadow Teacher Needed - Where do I even start??

There is a FB group called Shadow Teachers Dubai, if you join that you can ask on there and hopefully you'll be able to find someone with experience on there. Also, some teachers are also on that group so they may be able to advise you too. You will have to go through the process of interviewing until you find someone that matches your son's need. Good Luck.

Hello ma'am, I am Carol Ugandan and I have experience in shadow teaching, I understand learning difficulties that children face. I have a certificate in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Please contact me on 0523452370 if you need a shadow teacher. Thank you

Let's work together and help your child. EXPERIENCED SHADOW TEACHER HERE, TOOK CARE OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN ( BS PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE ) WORKED WITH THE ROYAL FAMILYIN DUBAI . IF INTERESTED CONTACT ME AT EMAIL ADDRESS [email protected]

As a school SENCO I have spent many months trying to find shadow teachers/learning support assistants. If the school aren't willing to help then my suggestion would be to put an ad on Dubizzle or on here, posters up in places like Spinney's etc. It is difficult to find someone with experience of special educational needs or even someone with clear spoken English. Most applicants are from the philepines or India who may be teacher qualified but unfortunately the qualification may not be recognised elsewhere. They may have experience in education but unfortunately lack knowledge in special educational needs. We have Maids coming in from home to support the child....this is not useful as the child is then with them all of the time and have no independance whatsoever! Does your child's school not have a Learning support department or special educational needs co-ordinator? This should be part of the role to support you in getting the right support in place for your child? At this point i would be questioning what the school are or will be doing to help your child, yes a shadow teacher may help but in the long run the school should have steps in place to help your child. Is there a policy about shadow teachers, inclusion etc? Sorry I have my job hat on, but i am so passionate about my role and always reluctant to suggest a shadow teacher unless it is absolutely neccessary and the school really cannot support the child without one.

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Hi everyone , Check my website :www.edsolutions.ae You can contact me at :[email protected] Or 0505039976 Best Regards Fabiana.

Hi lolitta, I have the same problem my dd who is 4 years old is having behavior issues at school. The school have found a shadow for the 16th, however I have to keep her off school until the shadow starts... Any advice of a good behavior therapist would be great. I really need to look at another school for year 1 but what kind of report will she get.Any good school suggestions please.....We really need to deal with this cddsmum - see my post below, I can't recommend Sheda at reach out (knowledge village) strongly enough, she was amazing, really believed in DS, and he is doing amazingly this year. But really, you also have too look at the school, and specifically the teacher. <em>edited by eds_11 on 03/01/2012</em>

Hi everyone , my name is fabiana and i have a company that provides shadow teachers for special needs children ,and also private tuition . For more information please contact me at : 050 5039976. Best regards fabiana.

lolitta77 and others that still need a shadow or extra after school tuition, i think I might be able to help you. send me an email to mmmaren@yahoo

Lolita77, my advice to you would be to talk to the school again - even if they don't have a LEarning Support Unit or ELC, one of the teachers or one of the management team should have responsibility for any additional learning needs, whether social, academic, language etc. In the UK these teachers have undergone extra training for just this purpose, but I know that may not be the case at your son's school. Even so, it is important for all concerned that any additional person who is brought in to lend support works with your DS in a team with his teacher, the ethos of the school, the curriculum, etc. etc. It is very unfair of them to just tell you to just find a shadow teacher yourself, as whoever eventually you or they choose has to be the right 'fit', work the hours that work for your DS's class and all sorts of other criteria. If you have only so far spoken to the teacher it is time to escalate this up to the management - they accepted your child into the school so they now have a responsibility to make this work, and he may be better suited to a different teacher, or worst case scenario, a different school, but you shouldn't be under this pressure as a parent, particularly one paying big money to the school. Good luck!

Well the problem wich most people doesnt understand is: each child is individual and some can sit and do their work and some they just still wants to play.. and if y start to force such playfull children, they will only suffer and get frustrated...wich could lead to other mager problems in their future... Lolitta, yes each child is an individual, but when you say that in every school you will find something wrong, I suppose it is all relative. I am truly happy with my kids school, and can honestly say that they do try their best with each child and their personal issues. Sometimes it does not hurt to look around and speak to other schools, some offer more than others in the way of help. I know that our school does not have any shadow teachers, they deal with issues themselves and this is what you need to find out, if your school has a habit of this, and maybe another school would not consider your childs issues as being too much. Keep an open mind, and move your child if you think somewhere else would be a better choice. You have to flexible. Children are amazingly flexible.

Well the problem wich most people doesnt understand is: each child is individual and some can sit and do their work and some they just still wants to play.. and if y start to force such playfull children, they will only suffer and get frustrated...wich could lead to other mager problems in their future...

LAMVP: Well, as a parent when you get some informations wich y dont know or never have seen before in your child, how will be your reaction??? As long Im paying the full amount of my childs education, I have the right to step in whenever its necessary to protect my own child. And it is not at all the right solution to remove your child each time from school to school!!?? And believe me, in each school here in Dubai you will find something wrong..but as long your child in not suffering or beeing treated bad or from the education side, its better to keep your child there.

Lolitta, I understand your pain. Firstly, our school is paying minimum Dh 16,000 teachers salary. 2nd I think starting school early and writing in KG1 or KG2 is ok. My son could not read until Yr 2, but the school coped with him, having confidence that he would do it when he was ready. I think private education is different, and Dubai is different, and it should be too.

LAMVP: The Shadow Assistant will be employed by the school itself. But the stupid parents have to pay for it extra.

I guess its time to do something against some schools in Dubai. We are paying high school fees, are treatend like criminals when our children doesnt behave like the school wanted and forcing us to pay for a shadow wich should be a second Assistant for the teacher and not in REAL focunsing only on an individual child as his parents are paying for it. Lets be honest and look back to our childhood. I raised in Europe, went to Kindergarten with 3 years and was there till turned 6 years. And I was just playing and enjoying all group works with the teachers we had. No one of us was pushed to stop playing or to be forced to write letters or having any homework. They teach us how to interact socially and how to understand the feeling of another child and needs. And we were very happy. With six and half went to Gr.1 and it was a new world for me and was happy to go to school as I was old enough to understand the rules of a school enviremet. Look to our children now, what kind of a childhood they have??? Most of children are sick or diagnosed with Autism, SID, ADD or other issues. In KG1 they start to write and are forced in some schools to start reading+ doing homework??? In what kind of world are we living now if the childhood of our children is taken by such schools or by people who named themselves professionals???? And whenever I start to talk to such professionals!! The only answer y get is, we are in Dubai and things are different???? AT the end, such professionals who are thinking they understand the world better then we parents and judge about our children without to know them personally and force us to do things because we are stock and dont have another choice. Such people are mostly forgetting their own childhood and how they were behaving in younger ages!! EINSTEIN was a hyperactive child and was very bad at schools, at the end he was a genius and changed alot in our world. Who could understand him at that time??? But our children should be understood in this time we are living in and should be really professional people who understand the needs of a child. Before I go to be a teacher, I should go and leran the Psyco of child and how to deal with him.. In many cases, situations are getting just worse by teachers who could not and who are no trained enough to understand a need of a child or what is his problem. Schools are putting high amount of fees and bringing in a teacher for 5000-6000AED wich is not qualified enough to be a teacher...

I don't really think that shadow teachers should be allowed in the schools here. I certainly would not want a child in my kids class that has a shadow teacher, or anyone who is not employed by the school for the entire class. I also would not like the idea of another parent observing my childs class. There is not much 'real' support for children who need help in this country, and most people , once they finally realise this, move their child out to an overseas school that is equipped to cope with these issues. My son goes to learning support, but should he have needed anything further than that, then I do not expect him to remain in the school.

Dear All :-) After an advise from the school, our son did the educational test and the Psycologue found out that he has language delay wich leads to his frustration some times in the class room. Since approx 2 years we are suffering with schools and he is a bright intellegant child. His vision has a higher quote than his age level after testing him and the doc said that with a special Language therapist he will soon be confident in his language. The most important thing is that we are facing these problems only in the school envirement!! And as parents we always suffer to get to know what is going on in the school. When asked the teacher, she just say that either she was busy in a talk with another teacher or she couldnt fugure out what happen that we can help or follow up on the situation. He is going since six months to an OT. And she couldnt see any behavioural issue in interacting with other children who has Autism and other issues.. Our main problem is now, that the Doctor said that he could have a shadow teacher for a term or two. And he doesnt need a shadow for every day and for full time. It should be only on a sertain time plan per day. Now the school is insisting to have a shadow for 5 days a week and full time!!! Myself I was observin for one week in the classroom and saw that other kids, at least 3 kids who were behaving badly and were warned at least each 15 min by the teacher. Our confusion here as a parent: Why does such kids have no shadows??? Or because the school is seeing that from our income, we are the only parents who might are stupid to pay for a full time Shadow wich will work at the end not only with our child but to keep an eye also on the others!!! When asked the school that we dont want our son to know that this person is there for him and not to get attached or our child get used to the person, will be again difficult to remove her!! The answer we got is: well she will just guide him into the group wich he never had a problem with it and work sometimes with him and should cover his teacher back free. Wich means, whenever another child behaves bad, she shall step in..means she will not be there for him only as he is a very independent child but also for the other wich is anfair and we have to pay for it. Furthermore: We have to pay the full school costs wich are really high plus 5000AED for a shadow/month!!???? At the end the teacher will be free and the shadow is doing the job, so why should we pay approx 55000,- for the shadow per school year and 34000AED for the school???? This is really not FAIR. And if we start to fight with the school, we can go again and look for another school and its not FAIR for the child even to have a lot of transfers and at the end its the child who will suffer...

I understand the mixed feelings that my previous post may have caused but there are two sides to the situation. My personal experience is that we have four adult children but when they were young one was diagnosed as very gifted, another as dyslexic (not less intelligent but looked at things differently) and two that were “typical” but did not always enjoy school. I was always keeping in contact with the teachers and administrators to make sure that my children were receiving the education that would benefit them in the future. I fought what they called “tracking” to be sure my children were all receiving what they needed. As a parent it is something that you have to be active in throughout their school years. During this time I was privileged to work for a renowned Child Psychologist in the US. His guidance and books that he wrote were very helpful. If a child is continuously disruptive so that the rest of the students are affected then action should be taken because it is not fair to the disruptive child or the others in the classroom. In Dubai parents pay a great deal for their children to receive an education and they all need receive the best for their children. I agree, that regarding the child in my daughter’s classroom (my daughter is 35 with 2 children), neither the teacher nor my daughter are trained for a special needs child which may be what he needs at this time. I think everyone wants what is best for all students involved. Perhaps, a Shadow Teacher would provide the necessary attention that the student needs to adapt to the classroom. Regarding CCDsmom, your daughter is 4 years old. To label her at this age is unconscionable. If she needs a Shadow, pick one that will help her with her self-confidence and whatever learning assistance that she may need at this age. Do not be too discouraged. I always celebrated that fact that my children were o.k. at being different. As grown children, two are very business minded, one is accomplished in music and one is very artistic and musical. Proud of them all and I am sure you will be proud of yours also!

lax2dxb - I have really mixed opinions about your post. How old is your daughter - and what is her training? Yes it sounds like the child your DD is involved with is very difficult, but it does not sounds as if she has any idea what she could and should be doing to help him.......how I feel about what you have written, would really depend on the age of the child....but to me it doesn't sound like the school, or anyone around him is doing anything to help him...yes he may have some issues that can not be dealt with at school, however most probably, he feels completely out of his depth for some reason, has he just moved here, is he an english is a 2nd language child, is he like my son, who had a language delay, and because of that had huge frustration over communication issues........and yes behaved appalling at school. he also had a teacher who decided he had aspergers and ostracised him from the class, therefore compounding the social issues, resulting from the speech delay. You and you daughter need to do some reading.....I know I have really educated myself, boys in particular can have very "ragged" developement and regress terribly, just before they make a significant developemental leap, like acquiring language, or learning to read (do you want me to quote my sources?). Most boys "catch up by the time they are 7-8....What amazes me is that so few teaches educate themselves, but then profess to be experts. Saying a child shouldn't be in school, because she has experience with special needs children. Well I don't know anyone who has experience with special needs children who would clear the room and leave them throwing stuff around...that doesn't teach the child anything, infact it probably reinforces the behaviour as he got what he probably wanted....to be left alone. I am sure your DD means well as do you, but teaching isn't a sanitised experience where all the children come into the classroom, face the front, keep there hands to themselves, and are perfect angels, they will at times lose the plot, hit, behave like little monsters...the upside is of course, when you see the change in them..... the other thing is the "shadow" culture in Dubai.....where any child that doesn't fit the mold, has to have a shadow,....which sets them apart, and generally they end up being a glorified phillipina maid and the kids learn nothing, and end up further isolated, less well socialised..... Don't get me wrong there are definate times when a shadow is required - in cases of Autistic children, who have high sensory needs etc. I am not saying that the boy in question doesn't need help, but for the most part, that is the idea of school, to not only look after the academic, but the social side as well, and he made need some outside help....but marginalising him will probably only create more problems for the future.....

I just want to add a different perspective to this thread. My daughter is an aid at a school in Dubai and for the last month on a daily basis one child has bitten her, punched her, kicked her and spat upon her. This happens as she intervenes between the child beating up on another child who is usually much smaller or when the child is supposed to do something that he just doesn’t want to do. Twice they have cleared the classroom because the child starts throwing chairs etc and they need to protect the other children. One teacher who has experience in working with special needs children says that the child should not be in the classroom as it is not good for him or the other children. However, the parents have said that there is nothing wrong but have agreed to assessment tests for the child. We have told our daughter that she doesn’t need to take the abuse but she doesn’t want to give up yet. She adores the other children and hopes that this child will be able to adjust. Personally, I do not feel this is fair to the child who needs more help than the schools in Dubai seem to be able to offer or to the other children who really do want to learn but the attention that this child requires throughout the day is disruptive to their studies. The children in the class should not be suffering at the expense of one child and the school management should deal with the child accordingly, unfortunately there are very limited services here to deal with this type of behaviour. It is also unfair to the child in question as they need specialised help by the sounds of things

Out of interest what would one expect or be willing to pay for a qualified shadow if they spent all day at school with a child? I am not talking babysitter style of course but someone that can help with behaviour and learning diffculties. Any idea?

Hi Blinkthink ,i fully agree with what you are saying, My 4 year old is just a child who has a character she is not agressive or hard to handle..... It is one of the better school we are talking about.She is a very bright child and has a wonderful sense of humour but immature in some ways for her age and just needs someone to understand, and is finding it difficult to adjust perhaps it is not the right school for her?.Now she has to miss a week of school until a shadow can start and we are paying the full salary for this shadow.(once labelled with a shadow it is very hard to stop) It is very difficult for some young children to suddenly have to follow a lot of rules when all they want to do is play. Schools have to make them feel secure within there envioroment. I do feel schools are labelling children who are a little challenging and do not fit there mould,more support should be offered to solve the issues more and more of these threads are becoming apparent. laxdxb when you are mum of a child who is being labelled at a young age when there is nothing wrong it is very sad,as a parent you know your child,it is so difficult not feeling fully supported to resolve the issues but the schools are happy for the parent to pay for an extra person in the classroom.l am so glad your daughter is patient and caring to give the child in her class a chance it really depends on the individual child circumstances..........All children who need extra attention should not be judged as they all have a right to an education.Just my opinion.:) <em>edited by cddsmum on 07/10/2011</em>

I just want to add a different perspective to this thread. My daughter is an aid at a school in Dubai and for the last month on a daily basis one child has bitten her, punched her, kicked her and spat upon her. This happens as she intervenes between the child beating up on another child who is usually much smaller or when the child is supposed to do something that he just doesn’t want to do. Twice they have cleared the classroom because the child starts throwing chairs etc and they need to protect the other children. One teacher who has experience in working with special needs children says that the child should not be in the classroom as it is not good for him or the other children. However, the parents have said that there is nothing wrong but have agreed to assessment tests for the child. We have told our daughter that she doesn’t need to take the abuse but she doesn’t want to give up yet. She adores the other children and hopes that this child will be able to adjust. Personally, I do not feel this is fair to the child who needs more help than the schools in Dubai seem to be able to offer or to the other children who really do want to learn but the attention that this child requires throughout the day is disruptive to their studies.

i think schools out here really don't like having children in the classroom that are challenging and who do not fit their 'mould'. My experience over the last couple of years it seems to be the 'best' schools in dubai that some of my friends have had problems with and I wouldn't consider their kids as being problematic just characters with big personalities. I feel sorry for the kids being given labels at such a young age.

Thank you Mrs L ,I will follow this up this week as we are at home.I really feel let down by the school and not allowing a 4 year old to attend school until the shadow starts????Do you have an email as mine is my name would really benefit me to talk to someone who has already had some experience of this system here.... Does Sheda visit the school??

Hi lolitta, I have the same problem my dd who is 4 years old is having behavior issues at school. The school have found a shadow for the 16th, however I have to keep her off school until the shadow starts... Any advice of a good behavior therapist would be great. I really need to look at another school for year 1 but what kind of report will she get.Any good school suggestions please.....We really need to deal with this cddsmum - see my post below, I can't recommend Sheda at reach out (knowledge village) strongly enough, she was amazing, really believed in DS, and he is doing amazingly this year. But really, you also have too look at the school, and specifically the teacher.

Thank you so much for these options. it is the change that he can't handle. Walking between class and Art for example, he can't handle the kids pushing etc. He is also baited. The teacher knows this, but admits she never can catch the culprit. My son is exploding in anger and she can't punish the person who threw the first stone so to speak. However, this is life and my son needs to learn how to handle these social issues. This is where I need help. Thanks for these contacts. I'm going to make more calls this morning. going through this thread I'm thinking "oh my word my DS is going through the same stuff" I was thinking initially it could have become worse because of the move here, but I think it's the underlying issues we need to tackle. He used to get bullied in primary school. I've noticed he is getting a short fuse too in certain situations. But then part of me is wondering whether it's hormonal ( he's 11). I'm confused! At school he is also baited, & more often than not ends up getting the blame for it. DH doesn't seem to think there is an issue and thinks it's all in my head and that I don't understand "boys".....I'm not so sure though. It can become mentally draining at times because DS takes it out on me ( not physically!) i.e he plays up, rebels etc etc. Appreciate all the info on this thread btw and thanks for starting this thread AMW :) <em>edited by coco pops on 06/10/2011</em>

Hi lolitta, I have the same problem my dd who is 4 years old is having behavior issues at school. The school have found a shadow for the 16th, however I have to keep her off school until the shadow starts... Any advice of a good behavior therapist would be great. I really need to look at another school for year 1 but what kind of report will she get.Any good school suggestions please.....We really need to deal with this

or her email address FIONA COUTTS &lt;[email protected]&gt; But if is behaviour that you are needing to tackle - maybe talk to reachout (based in knowledge village), they may have someone who could work part time in the classroom, to help him. I have never encountered so many shadow teachers, or the apparent need for them, as there seems to be in Dubai....