Students with disabilities left out — again

May 21, 2010

Students with disabilities left out — again
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/northwestvoices/index.html
May 17, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Race to the Top
Posted by Letters editor
Students with disabilities left out — again
We applaud the state’s efforts to seek $250 million in federal grants, but question why students with disabilities have been left out. ["Race to the Top education grants: a tipping point for Washington students," Opinion, May 14.]
Among the goals for “all Washington students” is attaining “high academic standards regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.” The glaring omission from this list of protected classes is students with disabilities.
This disregard for students with disabilities tracks with the Legislature’s recent report from the Achievement Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, which examined Washington’s education record to discern why “academic achievement is highly correlated to students’ race, ethnicity, and economic circumstances.”
Why does our state “forget” about students with disabilities? Why are these students not considered when talk turns to giving all students equal opportunity to access quality education? In our state, students with disabilities lack consistent access to the general-education curriculum and those who show giftedness frequently are denied entry into advanced learning classrooms.
We urge our state education leaders and legislators to stop underestimating the potential of our most vulnerable students. Many are children who can succeed when given appropriate supports and access to challenging academics. Do not leave students with disabilities behind as you are racing to the top.
— Janet Anderson, president of Seattle Special Ed PTSA, Seattle

Posted by michelle | Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment

this is what I’m talking about - read what Gary Cohen has to say - but he should not have had to suffer through 6th grade before someone knew how to provide him with an education! consider all of the teachers who went before that one special one and consider all the anguish and the potential lost opportunity!

May 20, 2010

http://rethinklearningnow.com/stories/story/?storyId=34351

Thirty-five years ago, I was struggling to pass English. Last year I became a published author. How did I find my way from failing to where I am now? Someone took the time to “see” me. In the sixth grade, I had a third-grade reading level and a fourth-grade math level. I struggled with graphomotor skills, low active working memory, and attention issues — none of which was really diagnosed at the time. Hardly a recipe for success in the classroom, particularly when my teachers didn’t really know how to engage kids like me. So I showed up each day, sat in my seat, stared at the chalkboard, and didn’t learn a thing.

It’s not like my teachers didn’t care. Knowing I was a struggling learner, one of my teachers asked me to spell “a” during a spelling bee. I froze. That moment, which seemed to last forever, still haunts me, with the images of students staring at me, whispering their advice, while the teacher’s question rings louder than a fire station’s horn. I knew it was a simple, easy question, and that the teacher was only trying to help — which made my inability to answer even worse. Inwardly, I crumbled. It wasn’t about learning anymore, it was about my value as a person.That moment for me was the start of a downward spiral into shame, hopelessness and defeat.

Pat Zimmerman, a special education teacher, threw me a lifeline, but I let it lie in the water for a while. Sometimes when you’re drowning, you’re unable to see or unwilling to accept help. But Pat persisted. She saw my potential and, eventually, helped me to see it, too. When I came to Pat, I was usually demoralized and beaten. But by the end of each period with her, I was no longer slumped in my chair; I felt inspired and excited about the possibilities ahead.

Pat “saw” me. She knew that I had a voice and important things to say. She buoyed my spirits and convinced me that my mind was fine, just different. It brought information in differently, sorted that information differently, filed it differently, and retrieved it differently. She helped me see the gifts I was given instead of the deficits on which others had focused. Not only did she help me craft narratives for my ideas and my coursework, she helped me craft a narrative about who I was and what I could become. By ninth grade, I was not only doing my grade level of work, I was coaching other struggling learners at school during my choice time. A few years later, I graduated early and in the top 10% of my class. In college, I triple majored and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I went on to co-found a call-center company and helped it grow from two employees to 2,200. And, last summer, McGraw Hill published my book, Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions. I’ve passed Pat’s gift forward to many in my life — as a board member of All Kinds of Minds, as a parent, and as an executive coach. Thanks to her, I’m able to share the value of letting go of rigid categories and labels and celebrating the different way each of us learns. At the same time, Pat’s ability to understand me as a unique learner and to help me find and value my strengths demonstrates the power of an educator who understands learning diversity — something I believe can help us transform our schools. Because there are countless students struggling in classrooms right now who are dying inside, just as I was. And I’m proof that an educator who truly understands learning can help those students find a brighter future.

Posted by michelle | Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment

Parenthood: A “lack” is not same as wrong

May 14, 2010

Parenthood%3A%20%22lack%22%20is%20not%20same%20as%20wrong.

Ok. I wholeheartedly agree that every child is unique. And, I completely agree that schools and the majority of teachers can’t deal with their uniqueness, and certainly can’t teach to it.

I think the author is trying to make the point that because the schools and educators aren’t doing their jobs in having any ability to teach to differences, that this has caused the proliferation of diagnosed “disorders” - that, then, the schools and educators can wipe their hands clean of these kids and send them off to special ed and also can get more funding for their schools.

The author should have been more clear that it isn’t “child advocates” that are at fault here. I mean, it isn’t like parents “want” their child to be diagnosed with a disorder in order to get “special” services. Good God, those “special” services aren’t anything to desire. Not to mention the lifetime of other issues we face with a disorder.

If this article has any merit, it is that we need to reform education to reflect the fact that most kids learn differently from each other. Perhaps, teachers shouldn’t be teaching if they don’t know how to teach to kids with learning differences - particularly when so much of our population has these so-called “differences”.

But, please, don’t try to make that point by suggesting that the kids with diagnosed “disorders” don’t need help. We advocate for our children because they are drowning in these schools without properly trained educators. If we don’t do something about it, our kids have no hope for the future and I know for sure the schools and educators aren’t going to follow our children through their life to insure they get what they need from the education system. That’s why we do what we do. And I’m proud of it!

Posted by michelle | Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment