Teach me, DON'T Label Me     

I am not disabled.
I learn differently.
I am not handicapped.
I take in and use information that is somewhat unique to me.
Others may see me as handicapped when they insist on teaching
me in ways through which I cannot learn or when they insist that
I demonstrate my abilities in ways that are comfortable for them but not
for me. It is not I who is out of step, inadequate, handicapped, or disabled.
It is the system.
I don’t want my teacher to be my pal,
but I do want a model and a friend.
I don’t want my teacher to make life easy for me,
but I do want a teacher filled with a conviction that what
he or she teaches is important enough for me to learn and
I do want a teacher who has enthusiasm
that encourages me to keep working
until I learn.
I don’t want to be the teacher’s pet
but I do want to be treated as a person
worthy of respect in spite of my learning style
or because of it.
I don’t want a teacher who demands praise,
but I do want a teacher who understands my respect
even if I show it in awkward and sometimes hostile ways.
I don’t want a brain transplant,
but I do want an appropriate education.
I don’t want to be called learning disabled,
but I do want to learn
TEACH ME.
DON’T LABEL ME.

  By Barbara K. Given


Associate Professor Barbara K. Given is coordinator of the Learning Disabilities Teacher Preparation Program and Co-Director of Southeast Learning Styles Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444.
http://trecenter.org/Newsletters/Spring96/poem.htm