Posts Tagged ‘Karen Morrow Durica’


December 9th, 2009

The Labeled Child

Anyone with a heart or with children must read this, reflect and begin the journey of empathy and respect for ALL kids!

The Labeled Child

I pray for the labeled child:
That child who is GIFTED AND TALENTED.
No longer can she be lazy and idle
Or a day dreamer
So much more is expected
Of those as gifted and talented as she.

I pray for the labeled child:
That child who is LEARNING DISABLED.
No longer will the world expect brilliance.
No longer will someone tell him to reach for the stars
Because that is where greatness is found.

I pray for the labeled child:
That child who is DYSLEXIC.
Reading—oh, the joy of reading!
Will always be hard for her to recite—no sing—
“Mary had a little lamb;”
She won’t be able to read it,
At least not without difficulty.
She will learn that all her friends
Who laugh and cry and wonder about books
Can do so because they are not dyslexic.

I pray for the labeled child:
That child who is A.D.D.
An unorganized bubble of hyperactivity.
No longer will someone teach him to cope in a world
That values compliance.
No longer will someone say, “You can do this:
Oh, it may be hard, but it is within you to do this.”
A dose of medicine now replaces the need for that inner effort
And eliminates possible victory.

I pray for the labeled child:
That child who is EMOTIONALLY HANDICAPPED.
That child who rebels
Because she should rebel.
The child who acts out
Because there is nowhere else
For the hurt and anxiety to go.
The child who is diagnosed “sick,”
When perhaps her actions are the one true sign of sanity
In the demented world in which she is forced to live.

conference meeting

I pray for THE CHILD OF NO LABEL,
In a system which marks so many special.
This child neither shines nor demands.
For this child, life has been neither harsh nor generous.
This is the one who “makes” the teacher’s day
Because there are so many children who need REAL attention.

I pray most of all for some magic day
When the tests, the labels, and the names
Will disappear—will be forgotten.
When each child who enters a classroom
Will be an apprentice of learning.
When each classroom will be a safe place
To discover—on your own—
What will be the struggles of your life,
And the victories.
When the feeble and the bright,
The gregarious and the shy
Will all find their place
In the great adventure of education
When the only label that will be
Attached to anyone is LEARNER.

By Karen Morrow Durica

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June 1st, 2009

Differentiated instruction – Redefining teaching and learning

As a parent of a 3-year old son who is an articulate communicator and natural inquirer, I am currently facing a dilemma. If I put on my educationist lenses to view the issue, the dilemma assumes very serious proportions.

My son, who will turn three in a fortnight, goes to a preschool where kids are organised by age grouping with March 31 (DoB) as the date cut-off for determining the age grouping – a logic that pervades enrolment procedure for subsequent grades as well. Since he was under the age of 3 on the cut-off date, technically he will continue to be in the 2-3 years grouping even after June (when he becomes over 3 years of age). There is a huge developmental gap between a 2 year old and a 3 year old. 

It is not that this problem has just dawned on me; it was a concern I had expressed at the time of enrolment, but my mind was put at ease by assurances of differentiated learning within the same class. From training and experience, I understand the implications and benefits of differentiated learning so I decided to be patient and see how differently he and similar children in the grade would be taught. But now patience is running out as I haven’t seen much of the differentiated instruction in action during the past 2 months that he has been going to school. 

My dilemma stems from the fact that I do understand the working of schools and the issue of teacher training in differentiated instruction and assessment in schools, but how do I reconcile that as a parent of an ever-eager-to-learn soon-to-be-three-year-old.   

As I search for sorting the dilemma, I ask myself, using the powerful words of Karen Morrow Durica: 

Is it truly easier for all to sit and learn?

Should 8-years old all share the same ability and concern?

Does everyone learn better when there is silence in the room?

Do 50-min periods give all the time to bloom?

Is the only way to learn about geometry from a book?

Are having 5 neat paragraphs how each essay should look?

Does every brain work at its best at 7:45 am?

Do practice tests for seven weeks make everyone thrive?

Does every learner need a break at exactly the same time?

Are projects better if each one must have the same design?

Does only certain literature make someone a better reader?

Do only sports, or math, or speech make someone a leader?

Can everyone show what is known by way of written tests?

Does giving “points” inspire everyone to do their best?

Does compliance to school rules define a better student?

Is it possible the misfits are as able, bright and prudent?

Appears if we look closely at the structures we embrace-

Creating hardship for some students, making school a hampered place:

We’d understand that many problems seem to be our fault-

How we do school is often for the convenience of the adults.

If teaching were as simple as using the one best way to teach everyone, “one size fits all” kind of approach,  it would be considered more of a science. However, there isn’t just one best way to teach everyone and that’s why teaching is an art.

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