“The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal” by Jonathan Mooney is the story of his journey around the U.S. in short bus nonetheless to meet with different children and their families who have faced challenges in school due to ADD, ADHD, Autism, and other learning disabilities. Jonathan Mooney himself faced the disability of Dyslexia and often had to deal with many challenges in school himself, but he appears to be one of the more fortunate ones, who was able to grow from his disability and ultimately get a degree in English. Needless to say, his book and journey lead the reader to question what really is “normal”, and how the views of this have caused the odds to be stacked against those who don’t fit the mold. Throughout, this story, for me personally however, this story gave several events that I found moving, and had the potential to influence my further work in education. The question that Jonathan strives to define all throughout the book is this idea of what is “normal”. I think this is a big question in relation to schooling. Some many educators, as well as the system have been convinced that all children should fit this same mold of “normal” and that those who simply don’t, like [person from book], are automatically classified as “learning disabled”, and are either unknowingly discriminated against, or put on a different track from those who do fit into mold. What I got out of this idea, was that nobody is normal and that is especially the case when it comes to learning. Yes, there are children who has issues like ADD, ADHD, and so on, but that doesn’t make them as less capable. Even those who are in the mold of “normal” all learn in different ways, which successfully make the idea of “normal” impossible. In relation to t... ... middle of paper ... ...etter than their own parents? With that being said in my future of teaching if I even come across as student with a learning disability I was always make an effort to talk to the parents and see what they would recommend, before just deciding myself, or leaving to an expert. In the end “The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Norma;”, by Jonathan Mooney was very inspiring, and brought up many different aspects of how the educational system may need to re-examine their approach to those who do suffer from learning disabilities like ADD/ADHD, and Dyslexia. All of which I will take into consideration in my further as a teacher. After all even those who suffer from different learning disabilities, still deserve the best education possible. Works Cited Mooney, Jonathan. The Short Bus : A Journey Beyond Normal. New York Godalming: Henry Holt Melia distributor, 2008. Print.
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Show MoreGraziano’s article over the handling of his son’s disability in the classroom also involves issues that relate to teachers detecting signs of mental illness in the classrooms, how teachers identify a behavioral troubled child, and training school counselors on the Section 504 policy that are all happening in the world today. Realizing these issues can help parents with giving their child the best out of their education and can also help teachers understand the importance of their relationship with students. Everyone should have the opportunity for a brighter future and having a learning disability should not be the end of the road for any student.
Mooney, Jonathan. The Short Bus: A Journey beyond Normal. New York: H. Holt, 2007. Print.
The Truth Behind the Bus There are many controversial issues concerning the bus service provided by Buena Vista University. BVU Rides, commonly known as the “Drunk Bus,” receives great reviews from the students using it at Buena Vista. However, members of the Storm Lake community are not as appreciative of this service. It is important, nonetheless, that people learn facts about BVU Rides in order to make an educated judgment. According to Behind the Arch, an essay compiled by students of Buena Vista University about the drinking issues within the university, citizens of Storm Lake feel that the “Drunk Bus” endorses drinking and drunkenness.
Alison’s story is the perfect example of what many families must go through when faced with the possibility of having a child diagnosed with a learning disability. Alison was not diagnosed with visual and auditory dyslexia until the summer before entering college. However, while still a toddler, her symptoms had been brought to her mother’s attention by her sister’s teacher. Alison’s mother then noticed her habits in repeating words incorrectly and how Alison would need tactile clues to follow directions. At the recommendation of her kindergarten teacher, Alison was tested for learning disabilities and the results from the school psychologists were that she was acting stubborn or disobedient. Her family did not stop with the school’s diagnosis. They had private testing completed that confirmed Alison did not have a specific learning disability. The final word came from a relative that happened to be a psychologist. He insisted Alison would grow out of her difficulties. So Alison continued on with her entire elementary, middle and high school journey as a student and daughter with an undiagnosed learning disability.
“F.A.T City” was an eye-opening documentary that enlightened me about people with learning disabilities in schools. To begin, the acronym F(frustration) A(anxiety) T(Tension) was a clever name to describe the documentary. Teachers, parents and other helping profession in schools can cause F.A.T towards learning disabled (LD) students without being aware of the harm that is occurring. I really appreciate that teachers were not the only participants in the film. There were parents, a student, a LD student, a technician, different types of therapist, psychologist and other professionals in schools. The diverse participants allowed everyone to become more mindful in their role when assisting a LD student. As a paraprofessional, I learned quality
Lavoie’s workshop provokes an emotional response. After viewing life through the eyes of a child with special needs, I cannot help but have a more significant understanding of what people, especially children with disabilities, must deal with every day, everywhere. During the many years that I have worked with children with various disabilities, I have encountered each of the topics discussed in Lavoie’s workshop and agree with the points he makes regarding children with disabilities. Particularly impacting the way I interact with my students are the topics concerning: anxiety, reading comprehension, and fairness.
In the video "Myth of Average, Todd Rose explained how designing an educational curriculum based on an average person cannot nurture an individual's talent and experience. He also proceeds in telling that using an average model can be a liability in a person who has a unique as it cannot be challenged, resulting in lack of growth and development. The design of the average also applies to individuals with a developmental disability (DD). By the reason that each one of them has a jagged development profile, that explains how some of them can be either advanced or delayed in some areas of activity. Also, their talents and strengths are often difficult to appreciate as it can be lost in the stereotyped way in which the average person has to do.
During the semester, we read an Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks and met blind people as well as numerous remarkable people diagnosed with autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, and frontal lobe damage. Although some of them have done well, we can probably all agree that they’re exceptions and that much more can be done to fully integrate disabled people into everyday life. All of these disabled people show us that even if one is disabled they can still reach their goal in life. In this paper I will be writing about Classroom education for one with a disability.
Midway through my 18th year at Waynesville Middle School, I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. I was hired to develop a program for bright students with language-based learning differences on the campus of Carolina Day School in Asheville. This program began with 12 students and now operates as a full day school with 112 students. Currently, we are celebrating our 20th year at the Key School and reflecting back on the amazing students, families, and faculty who have been instrumental in helping us change lives. Perhaps the most critical aspect of my educational career was the nurturing of our Key Learning Center, which serves parents, professionals, and educators on a regional and national level as a hub for dyslexia education. Through our Orton-Gillingham multisensory language therapy courses, our outreach programs, our Saturday Seminars, and Dyslexia Awareness events we have touched thousands of lives. We continue to strive to help the world understand the gifts and challenges of the 15-20% of our population that has a dyslexic learning
Pauc, R. (2010). The Learning Disability Myth: Understanding and overcoming your child’s diagnosis of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Tourette’s syndrome of childhood, ADD, ADHD, or OCD. London: Virgin Books.
I chose to research learning disorders for two reasons. The first is because I myself am affected by one. At the age of 13, I was told that I suffered from a type of Dysgraphia disorder. Dysgraphia is a term that describes a broad group of disorders that cause difficulties in writing abilities. The disorder often manifests itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper. I have dealt with, and will continue to struggle with this disability for the rest of my life. Furthermore, I have found that by studying the disorder I have also made strides in dealing with my own cognitive shortcomings as well. The second reason I chose to study learning disabilities is because I have chosen to work towards a degree in education. A recent report by National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities states that nearly 15% of Americans are affected by so...
Students with learning disabilities can learn; each student has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Educators must continue to focus on the strengths of each student and building on them, creating a stronger student and person. Identifying the weakness is at the core of getting a student help with their learning disability, but after this initial identification and placement, the focus should shift to the strengths and adjusting the student’s schoolwork to reflect these strengths. For instance, if a student is weak in reading but has wonderful group interaction skills and is good with his or her hands, the students' reading tasks should then be shifted to reflect these st...
The modern classroom has many challenges that face it. Shrinking budgets, less parental involvement, higher expectations, and growing class sizes, just to name a few. If this list was not daunting enough you also have the special needs students that have an array problems in your classroom that need specialized attention, lessons and seating. There are many forms of diverse learners from students who suffer from ADHD to physical disabilities to students with autism to ones that are bullied in school. There are so many things going on in our students lives we sometimes forget they have lives, pressures and disabilities that affect their performance and attitude in our class that have a profound impact on how they learn. For this paper I have chose to focus on learners that struggle with autism and students who have ADHD. Autism and ADHD learning disabilities are becoming more and more common in the everyday classroom and many more cases go undiagnosed. According to our textbook, of children ages 6-21in the United States and the District of Columbia, there are a reported 483, 554 or 8.1% with an emotional disability such as ADHD and 140,280 or 2.3% with Autism (Kevin Ryan). These disabilities can severely affect a child’s ability to learn in a normal classroom setting. I choose these two topics as I have seen first hand the affects they can have on the people who struggle through the classroom and life with them. I wanted to learn more about them so I could do a better helping my future students that may have these conditions, so that they will thrive in my classroom and hopefully have successful lives as adults.
As common as learning disabilities may be, not every child in America is affected, however, the number may be larger than one thinks. In 2001, over 2.9 million children were diagnosed with a learning disability. The number is not accurate since some definitions of a learning disability are different than others. (NCLD 2001) Some of the most common are dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Typically one who suffers from a learning disability has difficulty in writing, reading, speaking, listening, and mathematics (NCLD 2001). They may also have short-term memory loss and will frequently let their emotions overpower their reasoning. They may have a hard time paying attention in class and find ways to avoid work, especially when they find the material too difficult. (Silverman) They are disorganized in bo...
There is a history of students who have a disability having a hard time learning at the same pace as other students with a learning disability. Some teachers do not have the patience to work with students who have a hard time learning. Some teachers give up on the students who have a hard time learning. People who have a disability have a hard time being an equal in the schools, college, and workplaces. Some schools are pretty bad about