Learning Denied Class Lesson

I really enjoyed class today. Unlike some of my classmates, I never caught on to the fact that Dr. Winters was acting in a way to demonstrate the ways in which Patrick was treated in the classroom. I was shocked by how she treated the one "slow" group and including us in embarrassing them. During this class time, I felt very awkward and afraid to upset the professor. I also felt bad that she kept drawing attention to the same group. I thought that this was a very effective way of helping the class understand how Patrick was treated, and in turn, better understand the book. Reading Learning Denied was very difficult to read. I couldn’t understand how teachers could try and deter a student’s learning. This is exactly what happened in class when the professor had the slow group continue to work on the first assignment while she taught the rest of the class other important lessons, causing these students to miss learning important ideas. Reading this book, I felt completely helpless, which Patrick and his parents felt at an even bigger magnitude. I was shocked and couldn’t believe that the school district would rather focus on Patrick’s weaknesses and build upon those rather than taking into consideration his strengths. I have always thought of special education as something that is positive, but this book shows that there are some circumstances in which the special education program doesn’t work in the best interest of the student, which occurs when certain learning disabilities are misdiagnosed. Now that I have seen the horrible effects that holding back a student have on that student and their family, I will be careful in making observations about my students when I have my own classroom.