Valued as Contributing Members of Society

Education in this country has set the wrong goal for our children. Yes, we should expect students to perform to the best of their ability. But for children with brain damage, grade-level proficiency in reading, writing, and math may not always be possible. Instead, we should be asking how we can help make all children contributing and respectful members of society.

This week I heard presentations by fifth grade reading groups--the ESL group, the special ed group, and the proficient and above reading groups. All had done their best to read a wonderful novel listed at 5.5 grade level. They were presenting projects on character arc, plot, symbolism, and theme.

Noteworthy, was the lack of respect some of these ten-year-olds showed toward the less proficient readers. Perhaps not out of purposeful malice, but from a sense of entitlement and lack of empathy. Why could these students not acknowledge and show empathy toward those they considered lesser?

Every child must be educated to make a positive contribution to society, sometimes that means developing skills other times it means developing understanding.