When I first met Jose as a junior in high school, he had spent his first two years in resource (special education) classes where the teachers are specialized in addressing different types of learning disabilities (LD). LD is a very inclusive term that characterizes thousands of challenged students whose main difficulty lies in reading comprehension and/or math calculations. Jose was a very slow reader who had trouble understanding the concepts described in his textbooks. Needless to say, his self-esteem was very low and he often experienced severe mood swings from elation to total despair. He was sure that he could never graduate.

Acquiring Concepts

Teens usually acquire second degree conceptualization during puberty, building on the first degree concepts obtained at a very early age that we can call conceptualization of concrete objects. Piaget, the famous Swiss biologist whose research on the development of intelligence established a cornerstone upon which the whole cognitive theory is built, named the ability to remember objects the “Internal Representation System” which occurs according to the scientist between the ages of 18 and 24 months. In other words, a child that age begins to remember the toy even when it has been hidden under the rug for example. The baby doesn’t need to see the object to “know” that it exists. What seems to be so obvious for adults is actually a tremendous feat that will eventually culminate in our higher order of thinking or second degree conceptualization. As an example, if we ask the question ‘What is life?’, a child 8 or 9 years-old will usually respond in very concrete terms, such as ‘The opposite of death’ or he may actually be stumped for a answer. Now ask a teen between 15 and 18 and you will get a much more sophisticated answer.

Closed Door

Unfortunately, for some teens, that second degree of conceptualization never opens. For some reason, and that it the case for Jose, some adolescents remain at the childhood level of concrete concepts or ‘Internal Representation System’. Some argue that low levels of intelligence prevent some people from passing to the higher level; others claim that these youngsters were never exposed to adequate stimuli as children and that too much television did not allow for the practice of concept forming offered by the written text. Thus, whatever the reason, the door to higher order of thinking remained closed. Schools struggle to tailor instruction to such students, even though the curriculum is the same. Resource classes are smaller, usually between 6 and 10 students, and the teaching strategies must take into account the learning disabilities. There is however a trend to eliminate special education classes and mainstream challenged students into regular classrooms. This would eliminate the stigma of being separated from regular students, an emotional problem that led Jose to an ‘I don’t care’ attitude.

Opening Other Doors

As I started working with Jose in his junior year (he had been promoted to a regular class), I noticed that the transition was extremely difficult for him. My role as an inclusion teacher consists mainly in working with special education teens as a support for the regular teacher. This requires a close cooperation between the two instructors so as to make sure that students like Jose are not left behind. Both teachers must employ special strategies acquired in training courses throughout the year. But in order to motivate students like Jose who feel totally inadequate, teachers have to open some emotional doors that have been closed as defense mechanisms: “If I say I can’t do it, maybe the teacher will leave me alone.”

We have to find the key that will open these doors and that requires the establishment of trust with the youngster. One tactic that has worked well for me is humor, the kind type. Once I had managed to make him laugh, often at my own expense, I had broken through his resistance. Another one is sharing a passion, for example a sports team, a famous athlete or some kind of non-academic activity. In Jose’s case, we both discovered that we loved soccer: He favored Chivas (a Mexican team) and I favored America (a classic rival). We spent hours outside of class (of course) discussing the merits of each team and thus a bond was formed that transcended the considerable difference in age and culture.

Graduation At Last

Even though Jose will not go to college, he is quite capable of taking a 2-year technical course which will offer him a chance to be productive and successful. He finally graduated this year and had trouble believing that he was walking on the dais to receive his diploma. This success will do more to boost his self-esteem than any word of encouragement I may have provided over the last 2 years. He knows that he can achieve his goals because he has learned to plan according to his skills and potential. There are many Jose’s out there who need special attention and that is the main role of special education teachers.

By: Jacques Sprenger