As I watched this segment about the little girl in Wayne, NJ and Caroline Manzo, I realized that the population is growing of children with learning disabilities.  Being a teacher in both special education and general education for the past 10 years, I have seen many students struggle through school and they don't understand why they struggle.  My goals have changed since I have began teaching and now I would like to work closer with students who have learning disabilities and to help them feel more confident and good about themselves.  I too had a mild learning disabilities but over came them with the help of my parents and many college teachers who believed in me and worked with me on becoming more confident about the way that I learned.  Many specialist don't understand how to work with a child who has a learning disability.  Many times these students get passed off time and time again because they are recognized as a behavior problem or they are so quiet they are not a problem so they are overlooked.  I am on a mission to help these children and to help the parents work with their children and to alleviate the stresses this brings to everyone. 

The mother on this episode was heartbroken as would any mother be.  I really felt for her because I have seen this, as an educator, and I work hard to focus on these students and help them become stronger and more confident when it comes to learning.  Adults don't understand, many times, how these children feel.  It is a struggle and is embarassing to them.  We must remember, as parents and educators, we must encourage these students to do the best they can and to take risks when teaching these children, push them out of their comfort level once they begin to understand something, if we don't they get stuck in this comfort zone and no one, especially the child, will never know what their true potential is!

Thank you,

Shannon