Mom Says Her 7-Year-Old Son's Teacher Is 'Gaslighting' Him
She's noticed her son's personality has completely shifted after being in this teacher's classroom.
ESB Professional / Shutterstock A frustrated and emotional mom named Amber Wardell opened up about the experiences that her 7-year-old son has been having with his teacher and how much she's been trying to advocate for him.
In a TikTok video, Wardell said that she and her husband have spent the last year trying to equip their son's teacher with the necessary tools to care for him, but their efforts have been in vain.
She claimed that her son's teacher has been 'gaslighting' him.
In Wardell's video, she explained that her son has been struggling in school with his teacher for the past year who doesn't know how to handle a student with ADHD. She maintained that she and her husband have been patient, helpful, and collaborative with their son's teacher, but it hasn't helped.
"We went to a private clinic to have a full evaluation done on my son. Spent $4,000 on that, shared the results with his school to help educate this teacher about who Roman is and what he needs," she recalled. "Although I love this school and the faculty, especially their school psychology program, this teacher has been awful."
Over the last year, Wardell noticed that her son, who is usually happy, has become anxious and withdrawn. His self-image has suffered, and yet, Wardell has still endured all of this with patience and tolerance believing that his teacher will become educated.
However, a recent incident had Wardell demanding that her son be removed from this teacher's class immediately. Wardell said that it's time she stepped in on behalf of her son because his teacher has failed to uphold his federally mandated accommodations that are supposed to be guaranteed.
After sending an initial email to the school's psychologist about the worries she had over how her son's teacher has been treating her kid, she shared the response:
"The school psychologist basically said we don't feel that moving your son out of this classroom will make any big difference. We really need to use this opportunity to teach your son self-regulation skills, better communication, and how to really understand the size of a problem."
Frustrated with the school's lack of response, Wardell advised any that parents out there who are trying to advocate for their child who has ADHD, the school system is always going to revert to self-preservation, which is something she expected but insisted that it was one obstacle parents of ADHD children needed to work around.
She shared the email response she sent back to the school psychologist.
"I appreciate your prompt response to this matter. I'm willing to keep an open mind and I'm definitely open to having a conference together with the teacher," Wardell read from the email. She agreed that it could be helpful to keep her son in uncomfortable circumstances for him to learn.
However, she pointed out that if her son must be held accountable by stretching himself, then so should his teacher. She explained that Roman hadn't changed into a difficult child all of a sudden, and he thrived in his former teacher's classroom the year before.
She continued, saying that Roman's former teacher was in constant communication with her and her husband to give Wardell's son the right tools to be successful. "Despite his challenges, he came home daily with hope and a positive self-image, believing that even on his worst days, he was still deserving of love and respect."
In another TikTok video, Wardell provided examples of how much her son's teacher has been gaslighting him. In one instance, her son had been confronted by his teacher for not bringing a jacket to school because when she asked if he'd had one, he shrugged and admitted that he didn't know.
When she checked his backpack and found his jacket and accused him of lying to her while in front of all of his friends and other classmates. Wardell pointed out that this was how she knew her son's teacher wasn't equipped to handle a child with ADHD because she didn't know that for children with ADHD if they can't physically see something then it's hard to imagine that it's there.
Wardell claimed that her son's experience with his teacher has turned him into a completely different little boy. She disagreed with the school's insistence that keeping him in this current classroom would help him learn to communicate better and regulate his emotions and ultimately, the school seemed to imply that he was the problem.
Photo: SimpleFoto / Canva Pro
Politely, Wardell wrote in her email that she was fine with having a conversation with anyone who needed to be involved in making sure that her son was removed from this teacher's supervision because her child's well-being was what mattered at the end of the day.
"I love teachers, I love the admin, I love the programs that he has access to. There is one teacher who is not equipped and my son is being blamed for that."
It's no secret that teachers often go above and beyond and have to deal with a classroom full of students who are full of different personalities and ways of learning.
But, if a parent is pleading with you to learn how to care for their neurodivergent child in the classroom and there is no willingness to cooperate, then that parent has every right to take other measures to ensure that her son isn't being ridiculed and treated horribly in a space where he should be feeling safe.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.