Over the past decade the focus of education has shifted more and more toward problems rather than solutions.
We’re now conditioned to point to every challenge and say, “See, see, see?!”
Add to it the proliferation of official acronyms, designations, diagnoses, and buzzwords—and their ever-expanding definitions—there are ready-made excuses for every classroom.
“It isn’t possible for me to create a well-behaved class, you see, because I have . . .”
- seven students with IEPs.
- four students with ODD.
- five students with ADHD.
- two students on 504s.
- nine students with LDs.
- one student with DMDD.
- three students “on the spectrum.”
- multiple VARK styles.
Consider the many and varied ways we’ve been told we must deal with these and you have the perfect storm of chaos, confusion, and low student perception, motivation, and achievement.
There are some rebels, however.
There are teachers, veteran and rookie alike, who see these labels for what they are. They understand that through all of human history, children cannot possibly change so quickly and drastically.
Yes, of course the smart phone has made a negative impact on learning. No doubt. But what has changed isn’t so much the students. It’s how the failing educational establishment views them.
Nowadays, if a student is an arm’s length from the mean, then there is something wrong with them and thus they need special services. And while it’s true that there students who require some support, most would do better if left alone.
Great teachers see through the sham.
They’re able to grasp that most differences in ability, attention, etc. aren’t disorders and that all students respond well to good, clear instruction.
So they ignore the labels. They wave away the frivolous concerns. And they take on all comers.
They respond internally to every ninny and squawking bird, and every notation within another special red folder, that says that Anthony or Eva has XYZ and needs this or that “accommodation” with two words.
“Don’t care.”
As in, “I don’t care. I’m going to teach them up anyway.” Just because a psychologist or family doctor gave in to a determined parent, counselor, or teacher doesn’t mean it’s true. It may be, but it probably isn’t.
Great teachers sweep it all aside and decide for themselves. Because they believe in their students and their capacity to learn if provided the right tools and mindset. They’ve seen it with their own eyes over and over again.
Year after year.
The truth is, most kids who have labels affixed to their name don’t need them. They’ve been misunderstood and misdiagnosed.
Yes, some have terrible academic skills, the attention span of goldfish, and low motivation due to social media, video games, soft parenting, bad teaching, and the like. But these aren’t disorders. They’re bad habits that can be reversed.
Here at SCM, we talk a lot about how the frightening ease of attaching labels to students has profoundly hurt them and their future. Sadly, this is sure to continue for the foreseeable future.
So the question for you isn’t how many students on your roster have been given this or that classification, it’s whether or not you’ll say . . .
“Don’t care, I’m gonna teach ’em up anyway.”
PS – Check out this week’s YouTube videos:
1. How to Stop Side Talking in Your Classroom
2. The Mistake Teachers Make Before Every Lesson
3. How to Correct Misbehavior Without Stopping Your Lesson
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