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letter from a Teacher…..
Poem - From Gail Melancon.... A letter from a mother.. What help can do… A letter from a Teacher….. I read with interest your tips on L.D. I am an L.D. teacher
of 7th-9th graders. I have been teaching L.D. for 10 years. (In the field
of special ed for 20 years) EVERYTHING you say is what I also live every
school day for my kids. My biggest problem is usually NOT the kids but
the other adults who deal with these kids. As a society we are making it
miserable for a great number of kids in our schools. I usually keep in
contact with most of my students and their adult lives are not always successful.
We need to start doing something else, we are losing too many unique, wonderful
kids. Their is a very high incidence of drug abuse, jail time, divorce
etc. among my former students. I know I am not telling you anything that
you don't already know, its just nice for me to be able to voice this without
someone judging me as being an "enabler", and making it too easy for the
kids. I just wish these people would spend ONE DAY of life as a person
with learning disabilities and see how they would change their story. As
a teacher, it is becoming more and more difficult for me to go into the
classroom and expect the students to do the reading, writing, math etc
that is required in the schools, when I KNOW that some things they are
not going to be able to do. Most of my students are very cabable, average
or above in intelligence but they may never be able to take notes, write
a paragraph with few spelling errors etc. We do not expect blind children
to see or deaf children to hear, so why are we expecting L.D. students
to read and write large amounts of material, in a very short amount of
time. Sorry to take up so much time, I just wanted to connect with someone
that I know would understand my need to vent my frustration. School will
be starting again in 3 weeks, and I already know that some of my students
are starting to feel physically ill with the thought of going back. NO
child (or adult) should have to live with this type of pain for 9 months
out of the year. Not all of my students are turned off by school, but the
ones that are break my heart. I can't seem to fix it for them either. I
guess I just feel really bad right now, because a student that I had in
5,6, and 7th grades has become very close to me and my family. He is now
21 and has a MAJOR drug addiction. He is in rehab right now, but is NOT
clean. He will die, and the learning disability that he has can not be
blamed for all of the drug problems, but it sure has been a major contributer.
In closing, thank you for writing a book about your experiences. I have
not read your book yet, but plan on ordering it now. Again, thanks for
listening
Poem - From Gail Melancon Dyslexia, Dyslexia, oh what a word,
A letter from a mother.. My son Chris also has dyslexia and was in special ed all
of his school. He graduated from high school. Now he is about to loose
his daughter and one of the reasons is that they say that because he is
dyslexia he can't be a good parent. …..
What help can do… I am the mother of a very bright 11 year old boy who has ADHD and a learning disability. He is in private school in Washington State, and has received services through private individuals. The school district did their darndest to deny the problem or need. It has been so painful for me to watch him suffer with frustration and humiliation, poor self-esteem and depression. All the while he has known that he is very smart, and very loved by his parents and by God. I received the book and tapes. I read the book. He listened to the tapes. After listening to your book, he came into the kitchen and wrote "I am smart and dyslexic" on a piece of paper. He has accepted and even celebrated his difference. He used your experiences as clues to things to watch out for. For example, on the Gates Reading Test, he double checked each answer, making sure the bubbles were lined up correctly. He has always scored very low in this test. (but scored past high school when taking the test orally) This year he scored above grade level. He said you helped him. He felt very proud of himself. He listens to your tape every night at bedtime. He loves computers, and is the "Ultimate computer whiz"
of his class. He does power point presentations for fun. Very cool. I just
want to say thank you for sharing your story so personally and honestly.
It must have been painful. But it has touched this family in a very
positive way. Now he and all of us can move forward with acceptance and
our heads held high. God Bless You
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