When are we going to learn

The latest educrat is labeling children who refuse to study as suffering from learning disability or attention deficit disorder. James Lewes accurately sums up what we are doing to our children:

Dear Grown Ups:

I am a child, and you brought me into this world. You have the responsibility to teach me, guide me and protect me. I am like a canvas, and you are the painter. You have created school systems to teach me, and although I do not know what a curriculum is because that is a big word, I think it has something to do with the way I am taught. You grown ups change the way you teach children and then argue about what is best for us, all the while we are learning less each year.

You big people say you are smart because you went to something called college and know lots of big words, but I am just a little person waiting for my turn to grow up. I am scared now because you said I am learning disabled and my future is not very bright. I don’t want to be disabled anymore, but you said I have something called Attention Deficit Disorder and I need medication for it. I don’t know what all that means, but I am tired of being called names. I don’t want to be called Learning Dsiabled, ADD, Special Ed or any other name. So, to play fair, I think it is time for you to see things from my point of view, way down here in kindergarten,
1st and 2nd grade. After all, from my position, your problems look much bigger than mine.

I think you big people suffer from a condition known as KDD, Knowledge Deficit Disorder, because you keep telling us that we cannot learn, even though it is you who are teaching us. We are the fruits of your society. My classmates and I have concluded that you also have CDD, Curriculum Deficit Disorder, because we are learning exactly what and how you tells us to, and still it is not good enough for you.

Lots of you grown ups suffer from Social Dyslexic Disorder which causes big people to do and see things backwards. You teach us with concepts of comprehension at levels even you have trouble understanding. You substitute phonics instruction with word cues, picture cues, and other fancy terms and then blame us for not being able to read. At first I thought this was a fun game. But after watching so many of my friends struggle and fail and feel bad about themselves, I think educational roulette is a much better name.

Many grown ups also suffer from a previously rare affliction called Political Deficit Disorder, a disease that infects adults all across our great big country and is caused by a general lack of common sense and reasoning ability. Some grown up s want to bring something called politics into our classroom. I don’t know what politics are, but my dad says that it messes everything it touches. Because of politics, I understand that my school gets more money for everyone of us little guys that you label. So, to be fair, (mom says always be fair), I want to increase my allowance for every label we find for you.

Most big people suffer from a large list of other disorders, including RDD, Rationalization Deficit Disorder, because I see plenty of rationalization going on. By the way, since I am just a little guy and not that smart, isn’t rationalization just another big word for lying to yourself?
Signed,

Just a Little Gut