I wanted to focus on this week's blog on labeling and the effects it has on children.
Chapter
4 talks about labeling students on their "intelligence" or by their
disabilities. I don't think it's fair that students should be labeled, because
then they are stuck with that label forever. In the text, it states "many
teachers, parents, and classmates see a label as a stigma that cannot be
changed"(Woolfolk, 116). Labeling a student "mentally retarded"
is not only hurtful, but also so degrading. I remember back in high school,
when many of my classmates used to call the special education kids
"retarded". That used to make me so mad, because those kids knew they
were being called that and it hurt them. It made them think of themselves
as stupid or not being able to do things, just because of a label. What a lot
of people don't know is that disability and handicap are two different words,
and both of those words shouldn't be used to describe one person.
"Disability is an inability to do something specific such as walk or hear.
Handicap is a disadvantage in a particular situation, sometimes caused by a
disability" (Woolfolk, 116). If people had a little more knowledge on these two words, maybe the labeling would stop. I feel that labeling a student is almost like
adult bullying. Students label other students by the way they dress, what car
they drive, or where they live. Teachers or adults label students on how high
their IQ score is, what class level they are in, by the way they talk, and etc.
Chapter
5 goes into bilingual and immigrant children. Many immigrant children's first
language is not English, which makes it hard for these students to adjust to
school life. They are put into ESL classes, and then are labeled as being
"foreign" or "stupid". Then they come home and they are
back to talking their native language. My brother used to be one of those students.
My parents were only here for a few years, before they had my brother.
Therefore, they didn't know English very well, which meant my brother didn't
either. So he attended classes to learn English, but felt out of place because
he couldn't communicate with this classmates or teachers.
It
is said in the text that, "in 2003, 12% of people living in the United
States were born in another country" (Woolfolk, 185). 12%? That is so low, it's crazy as it what it is now. Currently, English Language Learners are the fasted growing segment
of the U.S. Wow. Now we have diversity growing everywhere, and there's no need
to make someone who doesn't speak English, feel powerless. The population has
increased so much that now my friend, who is a teacher in Arizona, HAS to get
an endorsement in ELL. It has become a requirement in the state of
Arizona.
I
know students and teachers alike will continue to judge or label students on
various things, but it's great to see that the education system is working to
help overcome these barriers for these students.
Annette, I am with you a 100%. Labeling is so incredibly detrimental to all students. It's bad enough that children have to deal with bullying in and out of schools. Why should they have to deal with labels on top of everything else. At least as we grow up, we leave our schools and the bullies behind. It's not the case with labels, those tend to follow us for life. For those children with learning disabilities lives are difficult to begin with. They have to work a lot harder in order to try to overcome their disabilities, and to be labeled doesn't make it any easier for them. Being called "retarded", as you mentioned in your post, and made fun of would bring anyone down and discourage them from working hard. I agree with you, that more emphasis should be put on educating people on the differences between disabilities and handicaps. Also, more training should be given on the effects of labeling kids. Only than, people would be more aware of, and more sensitive to the differences and needs of those with disabilities and handicaps.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about labeling children. Unfortunately, having a label was the only way often to get special services. I believe this is beginning to change with RTI (response to intervention), as more teachers are having to find research based ways of dealing with their students, regardless of what they can and cannot do at the time. It's interesting too that you specifically mention "retarded," and I am embarrassed to say that Illinois still officially uses this term. I think that it's time we just teach every student in the ways that will be benefit them.
ReplyDeleteAnnette, you use an explanation of the definitions of disability, and handicap and saying that everyone needs more knowledge on these two words is fantastic. Some people are so uneducated and do not understand how much power a word like retard has on anyone, let alone someone who may not be able to control their emotions as any other person. I believe labeling is awful, people are people. It is human nature to judge others, but we need to use our judgement for us to make our own decisions, not to criticize others.
ReplyDeleteI believe our education system is on the uprising more than it ever has been. We are not only making advances in the basic skill subjects, but also in cognitive skills. We are giving more knowledge to students about what is around then and what is acceptable.
Annette, I also focused on the effects of labeling in my post. I agree that labeling could be very detrimental for students. Often times these labels stick with individuals, and they feel it is beyond their control. You make a great point in breaking down the difference between a disability and handicap as these terms are often misused in our everyday lives. Additionally, I appreciated your story about your brother and how his first language was not English. This is similar to my sister as our parents moved to the States a few years prior to having her. One particular incident occurred when she was in preschool, and she did not want to go down the slide because it was hot and she was wearing a dress. She kept saying “hot” in Greek, but the teacher did not know what she was saying. I always found it quite ridiculous when people make fun of others who are learning a language and might make some mistakes or sometimes just because they have an accent. I mean, those people are furthering their knowledge, expanding their abilities, and becoming multilingual. How can you criticize that? Personally, I’ve always been infatuated with other languages and hope to learn more. With the rapidly growing number of English Language Learners, it is great to see the increasing emphasis being placed on ELL endorsements as you expressed with your friend who is a teacher in Arizona. I did not know that an ELL endorsement was actually required in Arizona. Very interesting.
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