Teachers.....we like half of them, we dislike the other half, and some of them we just hate. I could think of a lot of teachers at my school that we all hate or dispise of.
I've never been an LD or special needs kid since I've been in school. So I really don't know what it's like first hand. I've had a couple of friends that were in those classes through out the years, but it really wasn't because they needed the help. It was more along the lines of they didn't do their work so they got F's in all of their classes and were put into the special kids classes.
Well today I walked into one of those special classes. All of the kids looked normal to me. They didn't seem to have any learning disabilities of any kind. They just seemed like normal 3rd and 4th grade kids sitting there doing their work, minding their own business. They could all talk fine, and they weren't one of those kids that have to take special speech classes or anything of that sort.
I guess one of the teachers at my school is sick or something.(Miss Blakemore, she's a witch!!! lol.) So the kids were making her get well cards. Nothing really fancy. Just a piece of colored construction paper folded in half "hamburger" style. I noticed that they were putting little stamps on them and decorating them with little odds and ends. I guess they were required to put Miss Blakemore's name on them and some form of get well soon, and then of course sign their names.
Now, the only reason I was in this kind of class room was because I was selling mulch to the teacher of that class room and I had to find out where she lived so I could deliver it. I was just standing there while she was writing out directions to her house. Well this one kid came up and had a whole bunch of figures on the front of his card which were put on with the little stampy things. Of course he had get well and blah blah on it. The teacher started yelling at him and told him that his card looked so stupid and it was ugly and horrible. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I've never heard a teacher call any work of a student stupid. Especially an LD kid. Then she kept raising her voice as if the kid didn't hear her. I'm pretty sure you don't have to yell at the top of your lungs get a kid to hear you. Just like when people talk really loud to people of a different country expecting them to understand. These are little 3rd and 4th graders we are talking about here! You shouldn't tell them that their little crafts are stupid and ugly and what not. They're not perfect. When I was that little I could only draw stick people. And you know what....that's all I can draw now, and now I'm in 10th grade. The another kid comes up and showed her his card and she also said that one was stupid and ugly and that he should do better than that.
I personally think that with the kids who have a learning disability you should take your time with them. You should encourage them and not tell them that they're work is stupid and ugly. That will only discourage them from trying harder and doing better. I think that the teacher who is sick should appreciate what they've done even if they're not as neat as possible. And the LD teacher shouldn't yell at them. They're just kids. I mean we're all kids at some point and we're never perfect. I mean....do you agree with me?
Now, I'm not trying to say all teachers the teach special ed kids are this way. But damn....this lady sure was. I wonder if their parents know?
~carebear~
