Quote:
Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon
I totally totally agree. One of my dearest friends (and obsessive triathlete) is finishing up her masters in special ed and wants to spend her career working with handicapped kids...in spite of the fact that she'll make about $27,000 a year.
I did not want to bring up my son because it bears no resemblance to Archaea's story, and I did not wish to detract from the Archaeans. But my little guy loves school more than anything in the world and we've been fortunate to find an excellent program with spectacular, loving teachers.
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I don't mean to demean the great programs that exist for kids in appropriate circumstances. It is a good tension that exists to pull kids in appropriately versus mainstreaming them.
Our reason for not wanting it for the son whom Jeff has met is mainly, we believed it wasn't appropriate for him and we didn't want him to have an excuse not to succeed. The boy is a little bit OCD, (geeze I wonder where he inherited that trait), but through his own work, love of teachers and general good fortune to live in this country has placed himself on a road to potential success. He is also a symbol to me that many kids who succeed, don't have it handed to them, don't have inate qualities polished but actually through the discovery of hard work and latent talent make something of themselves. It's not as if this boy, without prodding and encouragement would have become anything other than a kid with bad grades, bad self image and no future. I for one, believe most kids can succeed beyond our wildest dreams, if teachers and parents believe in the kids. Some will fail regardless of assistance, but it warms my heart to see this once little guy succeed where others deemed him destined for failure. He is, like all of your own kids, a good kid, as are my others. He has simply required the most work so we appreciate seeing some fruits from our work.
We have several friends whose children have Autism, and the special programs existing for such children is necessary and wonderful. However, even those mothers desire mainstreaming for their children. They have the children in the appropriate aged school classes.
In my exhuberance I may have offended those parents whose children are benefitted from these necessary programs. I do not wish to demean them, as many well-meaning and talented teachers devote thankless hours to them. I remember several extremely gorgeous women while at school who studied to participate as instructors in them. I almost wanted to enroll in their classes just knowing their caring personalities.