[stylist] Blind and segregation

[John Lee Clark]

But doesn't smaller schools have a huge advantage in smaller classes and
better teacher-student ratios?  I took some classes at the local public
school, but had very little face time with the teachers, whereas the
teachers at the school for the deaf were my friends and very involved
mentors.  While this is not always utilitized, I think those schools have a
huge opportunity to provide education that is even better than in the public
schools, even decent ones.

And the quality of classroom content is almost a non-factor.  It is the
character-building of students that matter the most.  You really can't teach
kids.  Maybe you can train them.  But teach them?  No.  What happens is that
kids learn.  They are always learning--but often it's not what teachers
would like them to learn.  All people who are well-educated and can think
are primarily self-taught.  

So with the kids essentially teaching themselves, or learning what they will
and just spitting out the rest, what you want to do is empower them, offer
them good resources, good relationships, and feel good about themselves,
feel respected and treated as human beings--then they'll do just fine.  They
will learn tons of stuff and REALLY learn it.

To me, this is more likely to occur in smaller schools.  

Kids aren't animals.  You were once kids.  They may be treated like chattel,
or treated as pests, dismissed, but they always respond as human beings and
have human feelings.  Remember how you felt as a child when . . . ?  

John




-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of David Andrews
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 3:55 PM
To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Blind and segregation

It seems to me that in this education debate, people get hung up on 
the delivery vehicle.  That is, segregated special education, like a 
school for the blind, or mainstreaming.  We need to remember that you 
can have good or bad education in either setting.  The setting isn't 
the issue, but the quality of the teaching.

And ... having said that, I think in most cases a little of both is 
best.  Some segregated intensive teaching to get better skills of 
blindness, and mainstreaming for social and other benefits.

Dave

At 02:05 PM 12/31/2008, you wrote:
>I think the only way forward in these matters is to go back to
>segregated education.  I think education has taken a nose dive since
>blind kids have been placed in mainstream schools.

David Andrews and white cane Harry.



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