Hi to all,
I am not sure how your schooling system operates. Where I am there are teachers called Learning Support and we work in and out of the classrooms with students needing extra support in areas of work. I am not talking about the ascertained IEP students, but that large group of students who do not fit a “box” to obtain special funding.
I am finding that onct they reach about 10 or 11 they are reluctant to obtain the extra help. They tell me they find the sessions helpful and enjoy them. Their concern is that it is at this age the other students see them as” dumb, Stupid, not smart” They feel that when they leave the room the others snigger and laugh. Many of these students also have social problems and they believe that some of these problems may be related to the fact they need support.
I really angry and disappointed because some of the students who are seen as being behind some of this “bullying” are the more able students ans should know better. Many of them have worked with me on enrichment activities and always appeared to be great kids. The children being affected by this tell me it is very subtle and done when teachers are not around.
Please I am looking for some clues on how to handle it and would appreciate some insight from others (parents or teachers) about similar experiences.
Oz Teacher
Re: LD students being looked down upon by other students
I have had problems like this in the past. I have found that many times, when people are uninformed they will make fun of or act crudely because they don’t understand. What I did was put up these huge pictures of Tom Cruise on my classroom door. Underneath is a story of how Tom can’t read scripts and he depends upon taped versions of the script. I also explain to students why I take my students out, and what a learning disability is. Also I agree the reg.ed. teacher needs to back you up. I have students that aren’t in spec. ed. that want to come with me and my students!!!! Hope I helped in some way.
This is a tough one. It is also something you cannot effectively deal with without getting the classroom teachers on board with you- in a functional and positive way. The sad fact is that there are always going to be people in this world who will get their jollies from making others feel badly. Needing a victim is a symptom of some emotional need that is not being met despte the appearance of social success. Anyway- what we used to do to help this out is to blur the lines between the two populations of kids. Whenever possible we would have groups with all sorts of kids- sometimes the top group and sometimes not- sometimes the group was more heterogeneous. It removed the stigma of “place you go ‘cause you can’t do it on your own” from my staff and me- and gave the classroom teachers an opportunity to devote some quality teaching time to the kids who needed it. Now granted- we had a great staff od teachers with really good skills- but they also understood that the point of more adults for extra help was just that- more adult bodies so more kids could receive support. When the addults stopped playing “your kid”, “my kid” the students did too- eventually.
Robin