June 18, 2019, Tacoma (WA) News Tribune: ‘They love you for good reasons.’ Tacoma kindergarten teacher to retire after 48 years https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article231680953.html Point Defiance Elementary School teacher Lin Riggio has taught kindergarten in Tacoma schools for 48 years. She's retiring at the end of this school year. … Riggio retires this week from Point Defiance Elementary School after a 48-year tenure as a kindergarten teacher in Tacoma. Though she’s worked at several other schools in the area, Room 7 at Point Defiance Elementary has been her home for more than 30 years…. “It’s too much testing,” Riggio said. “It takes away from our teaching time. All the teachers would agree … If you’re a good teacher, you know every child in your class and you know what they know.”… Throughout her years at Point Defiance Elementary, Riggio has put extra effort into helping students with disabilities…. She’s donated her own money to fund projects the school needs, including a sensory room for students with learning disabilities, to help them unwind as part of their therapy….

Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
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