Buckets Lists and Bumper Stickers:  Some Reflections from Seat 17B

As I write this blog, I am on a Delta flight over southern Saskatchewan headed for Minnesota and eventually, my Boston home. Yesterday, I gave an all-day lecture on student motivation to 350 rural school teachers in Prince Albert, 200 miles north of Saskatoon. They were a great and responsive audience. Many of them teach in one room schoolhouses in isolated areas of the province. The majority of their students are First Nation, the Canadian term for their aboriginal (Indian) population.

One teacher told me that her village is facing a crisis this week because their only small food market and gas station were suddenly foreclosed upon and shuttered. The nearest gas station and market is 160 miles away. A difficult, challenging life.

Next week I travel to suburban Alexandria, Virginia with its gleaming state-of-the-art schools and a gas station and supermarket on every corner.

And yet, the presentation that I delivered at both venues will be basically the same.

You see, I think that our field of Special Education has, at its core, some Universal Truths…some beliefs, principles and practices that apply to all classrooms, all teachers and all students. These Truths, with a nod to our 16th President, are self-evident.

Last January, I checked off an item on my bucket list when I spoke to an Educational Convention in Anchorage. I have now delivered workshops or keynotes in all fifty of our states. Through these travels, I have seen the aforementioned Truths up close and personal. I have also seen pain, humiliation and isolation that occurs when these Truths are not adhered to.

After delivering a keynote recently, an audience member approached me and began, “I hope this doesn’t offend you, Mr. Lavoie, because I mean it as a compliment. I have heard you speak several times and you speak in bumper stickers.”

Guilty as charged…and thank you.

I, quite purposely, “speak in bumper stickers”. My audiences consist of parents and professionals who are often harried, overwhelmed and frazzled when facing the challenges of raising and reaching children with learning disorders. They need “nuggets” of information and inspiration to give them wisdom and strength as they face these challenges. Lengthy research, detailed pedagogy and philosophical meanderings have their place in the development of and effective special education parent or teacher. But when these folks attend a workshop, they want solutions and understandable “sound bites” that they can use that day with the struggling children in their families and classrooms. So that’s what I try to deliver…Universal Truths. For the veteran teacher in rural Saskatchewan or the concerned young parent in suburban Virginia — Truth is Truth.

Among these Truths are:

• “Learning disorders” is a generic term. Special education students are not only different from the general, typical population…they are also different from one another. Therefore, each student must be viewed as an individual with unique needs, programs and affinities.
  
  
• At any moment, any student would prefer to be viewed as a “bad kid” than a “dumb kid”. If a child feels that he is in a situation where he can appear “bad” or “dumb”, he will choose to look “bad”.
  
  
• Learning and attentional disorders are very pervasive. They do not impact solely on the child’s academic performance. The disorders may also compromise or complicate the child’s social, emotional and personality development.

• Negative feedback (e.g., punishment) serves only to STOP specific behavior. It does little to CHANGE the behavior. Meaningful, lasting behavioral change can only be accomplished through positive feedback from teachers and parents.

• Cooperation and collaboration between and among the adults in a child’s life are fundamental to the child’s success and potential.

• The key to effective special education services is the constant balance of support and challenge. In order for the child to reach his fullest potential, the educator must consistently challenge the child by providing him with assignments that are at his instructional level. Simultaneously, the teacher must offer adequate support that allows the child to meet the challenge.   Challenging the child without supporting him is not special education. Conversely, supporting the child without challenging him is, also, not special education.

• Success is the only true motivator of human behavior. However, teachers often say, “If the child would only try harder, he would do better.” In actuality, the converse is true. “If he only did better, he would try harder”. In order to motivate a child, he must be provided with opportunities to experience success. He will, then, work toward achieving additional success. Success begets success.
  

• Every school has two curricula that a child must master. The Standard Curriculum includes the course of study, academic requirements and published school rules. The critically important Hidden Curriculum consists of unwritten, unspoken social rules that are fundamental to the child’s social interaction and acceptance. The child with special needs must be provided with instruction and guidance in both curricula.

The above “bumper stickers” are applicable to the one room rural Saskatchewan schoolhouse AND the gleaming, polished hallways of the suburban Virginia school.

These Truths are timeless. I learned many of them at Fitchburg State College forty years ago in the classes of the legendary Drs. Goldman, Borg, May and Berkowitz.

I am delighted to be returning to FSU on March 11, to pass this information on to a new generation of special educators.

Hope to see you there.

Richard D. Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed.
Fitchburg State University
Class of 1972

Don't miss Rick Lavoie at our ninth annual Distinguished Speaker Series at Fitchburg State! Register today!

Learn more about Fitchburg State's online/hybrid special education degree programs!

Join the community and share your thoughts! 
#RichardLavoie

Do you have any strategies for working with kids who struggle?