Children with learning difficulties

Strugglers teach; the shoe fits. Clipart-for-free

by Louise Crossley

11th of May 2010

STRUGGLING LEARNERS AND EVER AFTER

Fairy tales  – Cinderella, Three Little Pigs – are fictional right?

Sometimes, our definition of struggling learners is a fairy tale too.

In Cinderella’s resilience and the three little pig’s support for each other, I see struggling learners .  In expecting these children to learn conventional curriculum, I see a story that is destined to end unhappily ever after.

When parents are told that their child learns slower than other children, it can be difficult.  If only they see what I see – not academically challenged victims but protagonists, who can teach us about patience, selflessness, emotional purity and a whole new genre of intelligence, if we are willing to learn.

When are we going to realise that intelligence needs redefining?

Remarkable people don’t have to think quickly and understand and remember everything.  How many Einstein’s, Edison’s, Mozart’s and Churchill’s (all had learning difficulties) will it take before we believe?

We have it wrong by expecting good stories to solve every complication.  It’s more captivating when the heroes endure their limitations, accept who they are and succeed in their own right.  Think movies like: I am Sam, Driving in Cars with Boys and The Blind Side.

Perhaps it’s up to struggling learner to demonstrate the true meaning of intelligence.  After all, philosophers and geniuses have been giving us their opinions about the human brain and how to measure it for over 140 years.  Sure, they have come up with all sorts of theories and ideas about what defines intelligence and what constitutes it – all very interesting.

But I for one think it’s time we turn the page.