In the article, AIM for Digital Equality, Dylan’s story is very close to my own. Perhaps I always felt like an outsider in school but it was in sixth grade when it really hit. I always was petrified to read out load. Reading has always been very difficult for me. I had just transferred from a Catholic school, St. Philomena, where I was able to "fly under the radar” for six years. Then my parents bought a new house in Palos Verdes Peninsula and I was "forced" into the public school system. The name of the school was Ridgecrest middle school and I was terrified of “public school” from the beginning. The first thing I noticed was the infrastructure. The school was much larger than St. Philomena. The athletic fields were as large as my entire previous school. But as time went on I became fond of the public school system and the opportunities it offered. I excelled in athletics, math, and science but I was always afraid someone would find out that I could not read.
Then the worst happened in Mrs. English's history class. She was randomly picking students to read from our text book. I was lying low trying to be invisible when I heard her call my name. My heart was pounding, mouth dry as I stumbled to my feet. It took me about a minute to even start read to out loud and when I did start my voice was shaky and weak. I stuttered through the first paragraph when finally Mrs. English took pity on me and asked me to stop.
I truly felt like an outsider. Now everyone knew my secret. I felt frustrated, lonely, different, isolated, inferior, worthless, substandard, and ashamed. All these feelings are because I could not read. As I look back, I wonder why Mrs. English did not address the issue. I was too afraid and ashamed to ask for help and that the California public school system in 1967 did not have the inclusive school philosophy that it does now.
Despite my, what I know now as a reading disability, I was able to get into UCLA and get a Bachelors of Arts in Biology. Even though I was able to get the degree I still only read a fraction of the required reading. Not that I did not try to do the reading but when you spend two hours reading what “normal people” read in 30 minutes, you tend to do whatever it takes to compensate for my weakness. My learning disability is a biological “processing” problem that impairs my ability to read, write and spell. According to Wikipedia, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke named this reading disorder as dyslexia. Dyslexia makes it difficult to spell, phonological process, and respond rapidly to visual words – read. I believe this is a genetic condition because my sister, nephew, nice, as well as my son and daughter have a reading disability. People with this reading disorder usually have normal to higher intelligence but their reading processing speed is well below the normal population. Unlike, in 1967, todays public system is cognizant of these issues and has developed an IEP, Individual Educational Program, designed to create an inclusive school environment that addresses their needs.
My nephew, Matthew R., is an example of how an IEP can benefit an individual with a reading processing disorder. Matthew was tested in high school and received extra time for testing and was allowed the use of audio text books. This IEP was so successful that he was accepted into UC Davis, then UCLA Dental School, and presently he is in orthodontic school.
When I become a teacher I will be very sensitive to learning disabilities specifically reading and math disabilities. As the article points out, the tools to address the accessibility of information are available to us. We as future teachers need to be aware of our student’s disabilities or learning issues and incorporate the available technology to help all our students’ access and process the information they need to be successful in their lives.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your personal stories. It's too bad IEPs weren't around when you were in school and you didnt benefit from them the way your nephew did. Your story underscores the need to be sensitive to students with developmental disabilities, and be able to fully to provide the tools for all students to succeed. Have you thought about what sorts of specific measures you might take as a teacher keep what happened to you as a child from happening again in your classroom?
I would be more in tune to the struggling students and get them assessed for an IEP. Additional I would not push them in the public arena but would work with them more one on one.
DeleteMathew,
ReplyDeleteAs a person who never had to deal with people with disabilities, I have been in the dark about these issues. I greatly appreciate that you have shared your traumatic experiences in this blog post, because it has given me more insight to how students feel. I too will carefully monitor my students to detect whether or not they might have a learning disability, because the last thing I want to do is be like Mrs. English and ignore my students. Thank you for inspiring me!
Thank you for understanding and learning from my story.
ReplyDeleteIt is so important to help those who need the help. Some teachers tend to gloss over those who have problems because they're afraid they can't help. They aren't sure what it is, and they are afraid to ask the student because they may be told "No" or "There is nothing wrong with me".
ReplyDeleteI have a similar story, though not dyslexia, I struggled severely with math. Numbers never really made sense to me. I had gone through many school distracts and states during elementary and middle and high school. I flew under the radar, just trying to get by. I never took Algebra II. I was in pre-algebra for all of middle school and up to sophomore year of high school. I never had a teacher willing to help me and I was too afraid to ask. Later in Junior College, I tested into pre-algebra again. I failed the class. It wasn't until University College that my professor actually addressed my problems and worked with me to build a solid foundation of math that I have built upon since then...and now I enjoy math!
Because the last thing you want to do as a teacher is put a student off of a subject. As elementary school teachers, we need to love all subjects! So instead of saying, "It's okay, I'm bad at it too," Like me for math and you for reading, we need to say, "We can get through this!"
So when I have kids that move a lot in my classroom...I will not stand by. Because like you, we understand that they need help. If you can tell something is wrong? You have to help.