Socialization in mainstream schools: Learners with Learning Difficultties

Very often, I meet parents who cannot wait to mainstream their children with learning difficulties. While it is easy to understand why, it is important to consider the merits and limitations of the mainstream education system where learners with difficulties are concerned.

Here is my take on the mainstream where learners with difficulties are concerned.

Socialization

Parents feel that their children can only make friends in a mainstream environment. With homeschool coordination provisions, classrooms may be smaller, and friendships less, but friendships ARE assured, due to more facilitation and higher level of adult involvement (encouragement, bridging, discussions, etc). Within the mainstream, teacher - student interactions are limited to formal situations of learning. If a learner fails to develop friendships independantly, no one will help facilitate this. This can be very traumatic for a learner especially once the other kids realise that one or two learners are different. Kids these days are terribly competitive and selective of the friends they have. Once alienated, it is difficult for the learner with difficulties to break-in again with the group. Children, like adults share stories and draw conclusions.

 For example lets take this very real scenario:

Child 1 to his Friends: " Do u know that Jac is always getting a scolding for not finishing his homework." or " Ms M is always telling Jac off about his terrible handwriting" or here is another one, " Jac cant even read one line! It was so funny that we all laughed coz the story was so easy!"

Child 1 to his MUM: That's Jac, the boy/girl who is alwasy getting in trouble with Ms M. She says Jac has terrible handwriting, and has to be try harder to read properly. She also says that Jac should finish homework like the rest of us do.

How would u feel if you were Jac the kid? How would you react if u overheard such a conversation as the Mum of Jac the kid? How do you think the Mum of Child 1 would react? How would that reaction affect Child 1 and in turn, Jac the kid?


Of all the learners I have dealt with over years who were mainstreamed, nearly 90% of them have shared scary socialization stories.  Feel free to write your thoughts or share your child's experiences..