u/Sendpiecks

i work in elementary education and have a 9 year old student who's been bouncing out of hotels and random people's places all year with his mom. his mom is an addict and has no license and seemingly no concern for her son. he shows up to school wearing dirty clothes every day, has shown up with bruises and human bite marks on him... i could keep going but it's not relevant with post, just some info on the child.

two or three months ago, he showed up to school with a fucked up finger. he claims it was closed on a car door. he got checked out by the nurse, and it fully healed within two weeks. but the kid ultimately needs a note from a doctor before he can start doing things like going to recess and gym again.

i feel very deeply about this and powerless in helping him. he acts like he doesn't care, but i know deep down i know he believes that there's no solution and therefore gives up. that's how he approaches pretty much everything in life. he doesn't know how to read or write, doesn't care to learn how to. doesn't care about anything. and that's because he's in survival mode.

i've never known his struggle, i grew up middle class. but i want to help. obviously i can't pull him out of homelessness myself, but i want to help with this specific situation of him getting a doctor's note. what exactly would be the best course of action for a 9 year old boy, who's seemingly fending for himself, no health insurance and no real means of transportation to get a doctor's note??? is this possible? sorry for my ignorance on this and i appreciate any advice given.

vent/advice is welcomed.

we have a boy who is two months new to our class. his aide ended up quitting on us unexpectedly (and didn't really do much when she was there.) the kid's got early onset ODD. and he's had to be restrained four times in the past three days.

i am newly cpi trained and did my first restraint with him today. it was about an hour and a half. his trigger was so incredibly small that it shocked me with how extreme his reaction was. he wanted to sit next to an aide but was told to sit somewhere else for an assembly. all of a sudden, he's trying to run away, and when i grab him to take him to a safe place, he's trying to fight, spit, bite me, and is screaming. for 90 minutes.

i'm kind of angry. i can't help but be angry with him, but i'm also angry at how inexperienced i am with this type of stuff. it feels really discouraging but i'm trying my best to not throw my hands up in the air and give up.

he's at his all-time worst right now and i don't know when it will get better. like i said, he's had to be restrained four times in the past three days, and i'm not sure if anything is being done at home to discipline him or work with him on getting better. he made two threats to kill us twice and his dad took him on a fun, spontaneous vacation for the weekend, and his mom let him stay home on monday to "take a break from how mean we are" (his words)

how the fuck do you guys work with a kid who never wants to do anything? it's like any demand at this point turns into him trying to kill us and him getting sent home, which is probably what he wants because he hates school. the whole situation feels so bleak and i feel useless.