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There is no denying that there are different levels of ability among people.  Just check out your own family for starters.  Someone in the family is considered the better (or dare I say, best) athlete; one of the children is known as the “snuggler;” another is the “talker;” and yet another is the motherly type.  They are all labels and as parents we often tag our children as a way to show that we recognize their strengths and special attributes.

Now think of those same children at school.  What sort of label do they carry there?  Who gave that label to them?  The very same parents who have labeled their children by their attributes exhibited in the home become incensed if they discover their child has been labeled at school. 

Since formal education began, teachers have broken students into specific learning groups. The classification most feared by parents is the one in which students are grouped by ability.  Parents worry that the reading teacher will create a Bluebird group for her high-level readers, the Sparrows for her middle-level readers, and the Crows for her low-level readers.  They are concerned that all the students will know what each group’s ability is and that somehow their child will suffer because of his or her placement.

In reality, there really aren’t any groups labeled Bluebird, Sparrow, and Crow.  However, teachers, through assessment and observation, know the capability levels of their students and, at times, design learning groups based on ability.

This year, a new family enrolled in my school.  Two of these new boys are in my math class.  I noticed the first day that there was an enormous gap in one boy’s number sense and expressed concern to his homeroom teacher.  I then met with Mom to let her know I was concerned.   

“Should I take him to a psychiatrist for testing?”  Mom asked.  “I want to know if something is wrong with him, because if it is just him being lazy, then I am going to crack the whip.”

I assured her that a psychiatrist wasn’t necessary and that any testing could be done in the building.  I further assured her that if she and Dad chose to have some testing, the purpose would be to discover how her son learned.  In fact, we would not be affixing a label on her child, just trying to diagnose how the teachers could best support him in his learning style.  When she left the meeting, she was all for it.

However, (and there is always a “however”) I started to get weird vibes within a few days.  First, the permission slip to begin the testing was never returned.  Emails and phone calls trying to discuss the situation were never returned.  Weeks have gone by and I am now hearing through the homeroom teacher that Dad doesn’t want his child to be tested because then we would be labeling him.

Funny that he has that opinion.  It was Dad, who on move-in night at the opening of the school year introduced his boys as “this is the smart one, this one is dumb, and this one is lazy!”  Hmmm... I guess he is satisfied with his labels and doesn’t want to hear something more positive or more productive.

The fact of the matter is that many parents fear their children being labeled.  What most don’t seem to recognize is that labels are things that get attached to everyone everywhere.  The day a child walks into the school building, a label has been affixed, whether by the classmates or the staff.  Jenna – she’s the cutie patootie with the gorgeous blond curly hair.  Christopher – he is uncooperative.  Isaiah – a voracious reader.  Lindsey – the high-pitched talker who sounds like she sucked helium.  Jake – kinda spacey.  Tina – sensitive and kind.  And the list goes on.  Mikey – the one who struggles in math.  Keely – doesn’t finish her homework.

The question often is: Why?  Why does Mikey struggle in math?  What won’t Keely finish her homework?  Why is Christopher uncooperative?  Wouldn’t you like to know?  I know that as the teacher I would. 

The solution is simple. Cooperation and communication from the parents would allow for open dialogue and a path to understanding how to best help their child be successful.  Teachers can often see how a little bit of extra attention and encouragement can help a child move forward when they have been stuck in a rut for a long time. 

But until mom and dad cooperate, this exhausted, sometimes overwhelmed, frustrated teacher will just have to keep doing what she can in the classroom.

Margaret Andersen is the mother of three teenagers and is a middle school teacher somewhere in the Midwest.  She is a regular ShareWIK.com columnist. For more Margaret Anderson articles, click here. 

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