02/13/98

No Throwaway Children

The current film "Good Will Hunting," starring Robin Williams and Matt Damon, provides compelling evidence to support one of my strongest beliefs: There are no throwaway children. Too many of our intelligent, talented but troubled children wind up under lock and key, isolated in residential schools or on the streets. Only a tiny percentage of them, in my opinion, are true incorrigibles. Before you leap to judgment about whether we should or should not serve disruptive children in public schools, please see the film "Good Will Hunting."

Reader reactions to "Mainstreaming Disruptive Students" (1/30/98) follow:

• Please bear with my soliloquy, but seeing your article about mainstreaming brought forth a flood of pent-up frustrations. My wife is a veteran teacher with over 25 years experience in primary public education in CT.

  I have had to live with the personal and family fallout of abusive and neglectful behaviors toward teachers, when "abnormal" or "disruptive" kids are placed into a "normal" classroom setting without appropriate assistance to the teachers. My wife, and several other teachers she knows, have experienced nervous exhaustion, changed schools, or quit teaching in order to deal with the stresses of inadequate support from administrators who demand top level performance from the teachers, but burden them in ways of which Christ warned the Pharisees and lawyers of His day to beware.

  I have been and am disgusted with the generalized lack of concern for teachers and students alike, on the part of the public, the administrations, the parents, and the ivory tower pedagogues who dream up "nifty" sounding ideas to load up the curriculum, yet minimize class time that these excellent teachers would otherwise put to good use with the children.

  Am I mad?

  Yes, about seeing my wife work long hours (often from 7:30 am til 10 pm), and getting the smelly end of the stick.

  Yes, about seeing school paperwork and planning intrude constantly upon family life, during the week and on weekends.

  Yes, about seeing the pain and tears shed by her, and other teachers, over the social chaos that is now called the public education system.

  Yes, about seeing her go through counseling, medications for raging blood pressure, nervousness, and unwarranted self-doubt.

  Yes, about seeing a woman, who works well with kids, question whether she is fit to be a teacher at all, even after being previously hailed as a "teacher of the year".

  Yes, when I see my wife and other talented, hard working teachers half out of their minds trying to do what is right for the kids and being held back with red tape, frustrated by poor disciplinary support, thwarted by scant time with the students when forced to attend excessive meetings, buried under excessive paperwork, attacked by unruly children, threatened by insane parents, connivingly ridiculed by administrators, and overlooked by the union.

  What now passes for our educational system is but a dump for unwanted children and a war zone for competing political dogmas and collegiate fantasies, concocted by people who have never been in a classroom for any appreciable amount of time or by people who have run away from it because they did not like or were unable to work with the children. Jonathan Swift would have a field day with what the educational administrators want to pass off on the public as education, how they run things, and how the students and teachers are treated so slavishly. -- Master Teacher's Fed-up Husband

• As a teacher, I take great pleasure in watching troubled kids grow when exposed to caring and appropriate adult role models. I like seeing their reactions when they make a mistake and are not beaten or verbally assaulted, like so many of them are at home. It's fantastic to see potential come out which has been subdued for so long. -- I Can Make a Difference

• Schools are too shy about using two methods they have at their disposal. First, they wait too long to get probation officers and judges involved who can hold students accountable for aggressive behavior. Secondly, when a child is having an emotional crisis, they fail to call the ambulance. If it is a physical problem, as minor as a sprain or strained muscle, they call quickly. If the child has a mental health problem, they send the child home (sometimes on the bus)! -- Take Early, Decisive Action

• As a Juvenile Probation Officer, I often work with the schools as an advocate for troubled students. It is difficult for these students to make the adjustment from a highly structured residential setting back into a normal classroom environment. I attend Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meetings, with the student and family present,too, and make it clear to the family that their needs are no greater than those of any other student and family. We set up specific approaches for meeting the student's needs. If a youth is failing academically, I often recommend summer school. Many community based programs offer support (during the summer and after school). Finally, the student and parents (or guardian) need to be accountable for their children's behavior and education. If everyone is doing their part and a student still cannot participate in a positive manner, a return to a residential placement may be necessary. -- Student, Family, Teacher, Community Collaboration Can Work

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.