The Power of Raising Awareness

I came across an article in the CEC SmartBrief that came from the Newton Daily News in Jasper County, Iowa, titled “Teacher writes book to raise awareness,” written by Jessica Lowe. It is about Jennifer Springer, a special education teacher at Delaware Elementary School, who was concerned about the teasing and bullying she had seen her students endure at the hands of fellow students. She was quoted in the article saying: “One of the more unfortunate things I have seen in my experience as a special education teacher are instances where my students are made fun of and rejected by peers. I feel that the issue for most kids is not that they are just cruel children, but that they are not educated and do not understand whey children with special needs do the things they do.”



As a tutor of those with learning disabilities I do not often see the actual bullying, but I have stories recounted to me by my students about their experiences of being teased and bullied. On a more personal level, my son, who is dyslexic, has shared with me his painful struggle with these types of encounters. The one that he remembers most and brings up occasionally is being called “dumbo” by a class mate after he received a low score on a spelling test. Others have made fun of his handwriting, which looks very juvenile with floating letters of different sizes and incorrect spacing due to his dysgraphia. I agree with Springer that these kids are not just cruel children but really do not understand the issues associated with dyslexia and so to them, it does appear as it will to most that these students are simply unintelligent.



I wanted to do something, and so did my son. In the fifth grade he had a wonderful teacher who helped him in many ways—usually stretching him and requiring more than I even thought possible from my son, but with extra work and accommodating options he accomplished a great deal. My son, along with the other students, was required to read a book a month and write a literary response. Most books were student choice but often a certain genre was outlined, and there were numerous options for literary responses. The options were great and allowed my son the freedom to play to his strengths instead of struggle with his weaknesses. One particular month we read the book Niagara Falls, or Does It? from the Hank Zipzer series written by Henry Winkler (a.k.a. the Fonz from the television show Happy Days). The Hank Zipzer series “follows the everyday adventures of a bright boy with learning challenges” (taken from http://www.hankzipzer.com/authors.html) and is based on the experiences of Henry Winkler, who is dyslexic. As we read, my son Tyler and I laughed and cried together as we identified with Hank and his struggles. Tyler kept saying, “This is me, Mom.”



Tyler decided that for his literary response he wanted a guest speaker, me, to come and share with the class what it is like for dyslexics, why they struggle and what they see. We put together what he wanted addressed, and he chose his favorite quotes from the book that he most identified with to explain to his class what it is like for him. On the day of the presentation, Tyler shared the quotes, and then I used the overhead projector to show pictures of the brain—taken from Sally Shaywitz’s study conducted at Yale—to describe to Tyler’s classmates how some people’s brains are wired differently and that it has nothing to do with their intelligence. I showed them a few overheads of what the page can look like for dyslexics and explained why they struggle with reading and writing. I also talked about their gifts and how with the right kind of intervention, particularly reading intervention involving systematic phonics instruction, they can excel in many areas. Following the presentation, I could see that Tyler was pleased, and that was all that mattered to me. But what came after I didn’t really expect. I had a couple of mothers contact me later that week to tell me their kids had come home so excited by that presentation and what they had learned. One kid told his mom, “I will never make fun of kids again who struggle with reading.” Another kid, whose brother is dyslexic, said, “I get it now, Mom. I want to help Chad (his brother) in any way I can.” In these moments, I knew the power of what we had just done. The presentation took a total of 10 minutes, but it was life-changing for Tyler and his classroom experience for the rest of the year. My job is to make teachers aware and to train them in this Orton-Gillingham based program to help their students, but I had no idea how important it could be to educate the students on these issues.



Jennifer Springer knew the importance of raising awareness in students and, as a result, she wrote a children’s book titled My Friend Jade, about a nine year-old girl with special needs who is often misunderstood. At the end of the article, Springer said: “It was important for me to write this book because I feel like the most important aspect of my job is to be an advocate for my students. They mean the world to me and I want others to be able to see their wonderful qualities the way I do. I feel like this book is a step in that direction.”

I echo her feelings and urge all educators to take the gravity of this issue to heart. Spending a few minutes explaining to your class the struggles and gifts of those with learning disabilities, like dyslexia, can save those living with it from harmful, unnecessary teasing and bullying. It could be one of the most important teaching moments of your career.

About the Author

Shantell Berrett holds a B.A. in English and a teaching degree, specializing in dyselxia. She has taught and tutored for over 10 years. She has three children, loves to read and teaches dance and is passionate about raising awareness about dyslexia