Re: Special Education...
Posted by Triangulator on 7/01/08
On 4/02/08, Dwight wrote:
> I reside in the southwest portion of the U.S. and we are
> experiencing a crisis with regards to " special needs"
> children. It is a case of the needs of the few greatly
> outweighing the needs of the many. We are being asked to
> devote a great deal of taxes that fund education to special
> programs. At the same time, if you have a child on the
> opposite end of the spectrum and they are capable of great
> success, they are left by the roadside as advanced programs
> are cut back or taken away all together. I don't wish to
> appear mean-spirited but paying for programs that are only
> to the benefit of the parents of these special needs
> children seems a waste that we can ill-afford. I'm not
> saying that there should be no programs available but that
> there needs to be a balance. If you have a child who
> performs above grade-level, your only alternative is to
> place them in a private academy at your own expense or have
> them skip a few grade levels and attend school with
children
> several years their senior. Both are quite unfair and the
> latter can be dangerous as well. How is this issue handled
> in your country? Is there a balance or do they pretend that
> self-esteem of a few is more important than the ability to
> become a productive member of society as they do here?