Punishing Kids with Learning Disabilities

I am sitting at my desk with my spelling book standing upright on my desk trying to hide.  Please don't see me Mrs. Novelli.  
I don't know what is going on, I never do.  What page are we on?

I am just dumb, we all know it, especially my teacher.  "What are we doing?" I thought.  I continue to look at my pages.

She figured me out, my teacher storms over to me, yells about me not paying attention, in front of everyone.  She picks up my desk and throws it into the corner. I am in trouble again. I sit alone. Again.

This just one of my memories from the second grade, apparently we have not gotten as far as I thought.

Warning, this video is sad, and disturbing...

Yes,  you really saw that.  Some under-trained security office handcuffed a third grader.  I don't care if this little guy swung at the school resource officer, this is inexcusable.

This little man is diagnosed ADHD, he has also been diagnosed with PTSD which adds to his problems.  And this scenario has just probably made onto his ever-growing laundry list of childhood trauma that could dictate how his life turns out.

I cried and was very angry when I saw this. I have not walked in this man's shoes, I don't know why or how, he found it necessary to handcuff this boy once and another girl twice. I have however, walked in the shoes of an underprivileged, learning disabled child.  I have known the disdainful looks from teachers, the "you have so much potential" speeches, I know being punished for not paying attention, when I simply couldn't..  I have been labeled "at risk" and "one of those kids".

Sharing this much of myself in my blog is why it is called "Transparently Teaching".  I really respect the Ed Tech people who blog regularly on the cutting edge topics, I tried that for a long while. However, my strength lies in my experiences, and my ability to share them, hopefully to benefit others. 

I know this little guy, I was this little guy. I wish I could hold him and tell him that he is perfect exactly as he is. That he was built this way for a reason, and one day he will understand why.  I wish I could speak to this man before he took these actions and ask "Are you sure you want to be THIS memory? Are you sure that you want to be the one who labels him "bad"?  Because in an eight year old's eyes, already being handcuffed by third grade means "I am bad".

We have such a unique honor as educators, we actually have the ability to speak faith and love into a child who may never hear it from anyone else. We really do get to change lives.  The kids who challenge us the most, are the ones who most need us.
Please, if you see, or hear of a child being treated in such a way, report it, dog it, don't let it slip through the cracks. Because if it slips through the cracks, so will the child.

Thank you to Lorraine Cubeta, Nancy Witt, and most of all Jacqueline Foley. All of whom had a hand in saving me.  Every success I have had has boiled down to the teachers who went out of their way for me.