Special Educational Needs – It’s Cool to Be Dumb
Take a kid, bring him up like a slave, abuse him, neglect him, show him hatred instead of love, keep him from his education and you will probably produce a ‘person’ who hates authority, everyone around him and even himself. He will go on to become a negative statistic adding nothing to society and will require extensive special educational needs.
So who is at fault, the kid, the parents or the sub-culture that our society has allowed to grow? I have worked with over 50,000 young people in schools, colleges and youth training organisations up and down the UK and I see the signs regularly. Young kid stressed out, in trouble with teachers, complains that everything is boring and is constantly off school. Anger and aggression are a part of his everyday messed-up life. As time goes on these things become more pronounced because he realises that standing up to anyone gets him respect and significance from his sub-culture mates.
School or education is not a part of his life because his parents couldn’t care less. They didn’t go to school so what’s good enough for them is good enough for him. Or, maybe they need him to look after his younger brothers and sisters while they are out of their heads on alcohol or drugs.
State benefits supplemented with money generated from their sub-culture activities create their standard of living and help them survive.
The odd occasion that this kid does go to school, he is not focused, he gives attitude to teachers and is more interested in messing around because he becomes the centre of attraction – something that doesn’t happen at home.
He creates a defence mechanism to justify his negative beliefs. He puts down anything that is in danger of showing up his weaknesses. Education is crap, lessons are boring, swots are weak and work is for idiots. He is always turning away from or putting things or people down because then he won’ t ever be put in a situation where someone will discover that he has low confidence, low self-esteem and a lot of fear. So his cool to be dumb, couldn’t care less attitude makes him a survivor.
This kid is a product of our society – a society that, has in it complacency, allowed kids to grow up and become dysfunctional parents to yet another generation of dysfunctional kids. We then wonder why crime rises, why more people are on state benefit and why our juvenile detention centres and prisons are busting at the seams.
The courses we offer to schools and college are for kids like the one above. We try to put back what was taken away – love, respect, confidence and self-esteem. We want these kids to know that they are as good as any person on the planet, to know that they have talents, skills and abilities just like anyone else and to know that their life can be better. We offer them special educational needs that deal with social, emotional, attitudinal and motivational barriers to achievement.
The male term above also applies to females.
There are also lots of other kids who go through similar experiences but find the light at the end of the tunnel and go on to do something wonderful in their lives.
I wrote this article because society needs a wake-up call. It needs to see the dangers that lie ahead if we don’t take action.
I personally have experienced a father in prison, being brought up on benefits, children’s and foster homes and, leaving school with no academic qualifications. Thankfully, I had a loving mother who ensured I didn’t become a negative statistic.
http://www.school-teacher-student-motivation-resources-courses.com