Sisyphus and the Itsy Bitsy Spider
Working with Children
by Jim Hartsell
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How We Define Eachother
If I am a sixth grade teacher at a middle school in the US public school system. and I am approached by a seventh grade teacher who asks me about a student under my care that he or she is going to teach next year, I am presented with a choice. If the child’s misbehavior has been a problem, one thing I can say is, “Watch out for Jim. He’s a real hellion. Keep your back to the wall at all times.”
This is an example of defining the child in terms of his or her misbehavior. What I have done by describing Jim this way is to ignore all the times that Jim is not being a hellion - essentially, assigning no importance to that part of his life.
You see how damning that is.
Not just for Jim’s teachers and my position in that group. If I define Jim in terms of his misbehavior, then I am, in my position as a role model, telling Jim how to define himself. He may also begin to assign no importance to the part of his life that does not include his unacceptable behavior. This is a failure on my part. He may have arrived at that place in any case, but the fact that I am helping him along is inexcusable.
The same thing applies to students who qualify for services under IDEIA, the federal law addressing the needs of special education students. If we fall into the trap of defining a student by their disability, we limit both them and ourselves.
It’s an easy trap to fall into.
An Easy Trap
The trap of defining the children under our care in terms of their least appropriate behavior is an easy trap to fall into because the tendency is so prevalent. Using a person’s worst attributes as the definition of that person occurs in many different areas of modern life besides education and special education - sports, entertainment, politics, and so on. To be sure, a person’s best attributes can serve as that person’s definition in any of the above areas, but that doesn’t sell as many newspapers, radio time, or TV exposure.
Working with children can be both a challenging and rewarding endeavor. For more detailed information, read Sisyphus and the Itsy Bitsy Spider andvisit www.JimHartsell.com.
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