Recently I was listening to a Podcast of "This American Life," a Chicago radio show that airs weekly. Episode 366 is entitled "A Better Mousetrap" and is about people who find new solutions to problems. You can listen to the entire episode here (although it is Act 1 that this blog post is pertaining to):
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=366
This episode introduces a mother, Kristy, whose son, Tim, has mosaic Down syndrome. Kristy explains how when Tim began kindergarten at a public school she was appalled to learn that the teacher gave Tim special allowances because of his disability. Tim's I.Q. is extrememly high and according to Kristy, a "normal" boy, and she felt that her son should be held to the same standards as every other student in the classroom. The example she gives is that one day she entered the classroom in which all the students were sitting in a circle on the rug...except Tim who was rolling around in the center of the cirlce. Kristy asked the teacher why she was allowing Tim to behave this way and the teacher answered, "Well, he likes to do that."
Kristy decided to not inform Tim's future teachers of his mosaic Down syndrome. The result was that Tim was treated the same as every other student and his social and learning skilled developed "normally."
While listening to this story, I felt that Kristy's decision was wrong. Even though Tim is now 20 years old and a successful college junior, it just seems that Kristy was working against a system that helps children become better students and better people in society. To keep a teacher misinformed about a student's disability seems like a hypocrisy.
However, as I thought about Kristy and Tim's story I realized that Kristy does not believe her son to have a learning disability and therefore, did not feel the need to inform his teachers of his mosaic Down syndrome.
I have come to the conclusion that this instance is an exception. It is apparent that Kristy made a decision that has chaned her son's life for the better (as far as she is concerned). I do think that this situation could have had the opposite outcome. Keeping teachers in the dark of their students' disabilities is risky. I believe that teachers should hold all students in the same regard, but special consideration must be given to those with disabilities.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=366
This episode introduces a mother, Kristy, whose son, Tim, has mosaic Down syndrome. Kristy explains how when Tim began kindergarten at a public school she was appalled to learn that the teacher gave Tim special allowances because of his disability. Tim's I.Q. is extrememly high and according to Kristy, a "normal" boy, and she felt that her son should be held to the same standards as every other student in the classroom. The example she gives is that one day she entered the classroom in which all the students were sitting in a circle on the rug...except Tim who was rolling around in the center of the cirlce. Kristy asked the teacher why she was allowing Tim to behave this way and the teacher answered, "Well, he likes to do that."
Kristy decided to not inform Tim's future teachers of his mosaic Down syndrome. The result was that Tim was treated the same as every other student and his social and learning skilled developed "normally."
While listening to this story, I felt that Kristy's decision was wrong. Even though Tim is now 20 years old and a successful college junior, it just seems that Kristy was working against a system that helps children become better students and better people in society. To keep a teacher misinformed about a student's disability seems like a hypocrisy.
However, as I thought about Kristy and Tim's story I realized that Kristy does not believe her son to have a learning disability and therefore, did not feel the need to inform his teachers of his mosaic Down syndrome.
I have come to the conclusion that this instance is an exception. It is apparent that Kristy made a decision that has chaned her son's life for the better (as far as she is concerned). I do think that this situation could have had the opposite outcome. Keeping teachers in the dark of their students' disabilities is risky. I believe that teachers should hold all students in the same regard, but special consideration must be given to those with disabilities.
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