That's just dumb!

The other day, Mr. Blue Barn ran into a mother that we know who has two boys.  Knowing that one son suffers from a form of juvenile arthritis, he asked how things were going since he switched schools.  This poor mom went into a very lengthy story about how the local high school will not classify his condition as a strong need for accommodations within the classroom and went as far as to claim that the real reason her son was doing so poorly within the classroom setting was because he was lazy.

Of course, you know how this makes my blood boil. Difficulty in learning usually has its roots in one or more areas which can be either physical or cognitive.  First and foremost, any physical ailment has to be ruled out before you can delve into the myriad of areas of inefficient processing or thinking skills that may be in the way of academic success.  While I do not know all of the issues with this particular student, I know that her son is bright and appears to pay attention.  I also know that it is difficult for him to sit within the confines of an over-crowded classroom and break-down the material presented to him because of his constant management of juvenile arthritis.

Naturally, I could turn this post into a rant of why I hate this high school so much.  Time and time again, parents have informed me of the inadequate and inappropriate accommodations provided within the classroom setting.  It saddens me that students are continuously denied an education that successfully benefits them. While I am sure this parent asked for what was completely appropriate to strengthen her son's skills, she was still slapped in the face by the school psychologist who called her son lazy.

No teacher or psychologist should call any child lazy, and she should be called on that since it is unacceptable behaviour. Be aware that she's either going to deny saying it, or she'll say the word was taken out of context. Hopefully, she blurted the word out in front of other people so you can at least provide a solid frame of reference. Either way, the teacher needs to be aware that words have consequences, just like our kids have to be. If the teacher feels this way, certainly she has been trained to deal with an assorted list of learning disabilities. 

While I have given our friend a list of options that we tried that have been successful for our learners, it is not always easy trying to make changes or develop your own set of accommodations that will assist your student.  Here's one thing I have learned over the years that have helped me through these type of situations: not everyone learns the same way or at the same pace.  Some students learn better at home than in a classroom, while other strive to compete amongst their peers.  And all students have different strategies for monitoring their attention, organising their homework and preparing for tests. 

Sadly, so-called "lazy" students are wrongfully labeled and ignored because they appear unwilling to try hard to succeed.  And here we have a situation where teachers and professionals treat these students as if there is nothing more that is needed than to put more effort into their work.  While I am sure any student will greatly benefit from additional effort, the true tragedy lies in the fact that this student will soon live up to his lazy diagnosis which will sadly limit his choices for the rest of his life. Unless his mother intervenes. And I am positive she will.