Learning Denied is a very difficult book to read. Not because the content is over my head, but because the situation faced by Patrick and his parents is so horrifying. I can not even imagine what it must feel like as a parent or as a teacher to watch a child be poked and prodded, and to see his parents visibly suffer at the hands of a school administration.

Reading this book led me to ask some questions of a friend of mine whose younger sister is learning disabled. While the situation was a bit different because it was easier to identify that she was having difficulty learning, the struggle of her mother was similar to that of Pat and Claudia. Parents going through this process deserve so much praise for their dedication to their child. I firmly believe that the public school system should consider reforms so that parents like Pat and Claudia do not have to be bullied by school administrations who think they know the child better than his own parents.


RE: What would you change about the disciplinary methods in your co-op classroom?
I find that in general my co-op teacher gets a lot of respect from her students, so she doesn't face many discipline issues in the classroom. However, when she does she generally issues one or two verbal warnings, and then writes out detentions to those students causing a disruption. She does not talk over students, and is clear about her expectations in the classroom. I take her cues when it comes to addressing issues in the classroom like talking or students getting out of their seats. My personal view on discipline in the classroom is that with each group of students the method of maintaining order is going to be a little bit different. I think as long as a teacher has a certain philosophy and set of expectations for what they want the classroom environment to be like and they make that clear to their students, then they're on the right track. For me, a good learning environment is one in which every student's needs are met to the best of the teacher's ability, so the teacher needs to discipline the students based on the needs of everyone in the class.