Case Book Three

Char's students are working in groups on combining and dividing fractions, which are needed for a science experiment on pollution factors. While keeping an eye on the entire class, she has engaged in a conversation with one of the groups of students, Julio, Sam, Imelda, and Grace.

JULIO: Let's be real here, Ms. Emmer. This is really hard for some of us, and some of us get it. Sam is L.D., our group knows that, and we work with Sam. Sam has lots to offer, but hey, Sam, are you getting this? NOOOOOoooo!

SAM: I am lost. I get fractions, but combining them and dividing them is really too much. My l.d. kicks in and I get lost. Am I getting this? NOOOOOooooo!

IMELDA: I think you can do this Sam, if we break it down.

GRACE: Sam, for the thousandth time, stop whining. I keep telling you that you are not l.d., just using excuses. I don't get it either, but I am trying to learn it because Ms. Emmer says it is important for life stuff.

MS. EMMER: Each of you has had a say, let's think about this. Just because someone has a label, does that mean that the label should be an excuse? No. Remember what we decided earlier in the year, each of us has strengths and weaknesses and in schools some of those are labeled so that we can try to better help that person learn. Lots of strengths and weaknesses are not labeled. Outside of school, we get other labels for what we do or how we function. Lots of those labels are very large, and don't tell us much, but we make lots of judgements off of them. Do any of you really want to be judged based on a label?

I don't like to hear that anyone uses his/her label as an excuse. Julio, I would like to have your group continue to work and try to avoid even thinking about labels on anyone in your group, or in any other group. I don't think it is fair to use a label on Sam then chide him for his behavior. Let's refocus to the positive. No more NOOOOoooo! Grace, I think that while you are being a bit harsh on Sam, I do agree with you. This is important to learn, and excuses won't cut it. I think Imelda is on the right track, you need to break this down. I wouldn't give you a task that you can't do. I think that there are pieces here that you can look at, and things you can do to get through this task. Would you please have Imelda explain her thinking about breaking this down, and then try to do this? I will be back in a few minutes and check on your progress!

GRACE: See, I told you! Wow Julio, did you get nailed or what?

JULIO: NOOOOoooo!

IMELDA: Would you like to hear what I have to say? Ms. Emmer said that I should explain how to do this.

JULIO: NOOOOoooo! She said you should explain your thinking, not explain how to do this.

SAM: Do you think that I have used my learning disability as an excuse not to work?

GRACE: I think you do that a lot Sam, but hey, you are a male. Males do that!

JULIO: NOOOOooooo! It is not a male thing!

GRACE: I am not saying that being l.d. is a male thing. I am saying that it is a male thing to have an excuse for not doing something.

IMELDA: Grace, stop it. You're teasing, and you know the rules about that. Let's get to work. Ms. Emmer is not going to be pleased when she comes back and we have nothing done. Here is how I see the problem! We have to separate each of the fractions and then get them to common denominators. Then we do the division. When we have the fractions done, we can apply them to the science experiment. We have a lot to do.

SAM: Okay, I will take the first set, because I know the common denominators there. But, I don't know how to find them in the other sets. Char's students are working in groups on combining and dividing fractions, which are needed for a science experiment on pollution factors. While keeping an eye on the entire class, she has engaged in a conversation with one of the groups of students, Julio, Sam, Imelda, and Grace.

JULIO: Let's be real here, Ms. Emmer. This is really hard for some of us, and some of us get it. Sam is L.D., our group knows that, and we work with Sam. Sam has lots to offer, but hey, Sam, are you getting this? NOOOOOoooo!

SAM: I am lost. I get fractions, but combining them and dividing them is really too much. My l.d. kicks in and I get lost. Am I getting this? NOOOOOooooo!

IMELDA: I think you can do this Sam, if we break it down.

GRACE: Sam, for the thousandth time, stop whining. I keep telling you that you are not l.d., just using excuses. I don't get it either, but I am trying to learn it because Ms. Emmer says it is important for life stuff.

MS. EMMER: Each of you has had a say, let's think about this. Just because someone has a label, does that mean that the label should be an excuse? No. Remember what we decided earlier in the year, each of us has strengths and weaknesses and in schools some of those are labeled so that we can try to better help that person learn. Lots of strengths and weaknesses are not labeled. Outside of school, we get other labels for what we do or how we function. Lots of those labels are very large, and don't tell us much, but we make lots of judgements off of them. Do any of you really want to be judged based on a label?

I don't like to hear that anyone uses his/her label as an excuse. Julio, I would like to have your group continue to work and try to avoid even thinking about labels on anyone in your group, or in any other group. I don't think it is fair to use a label on Sam then chide him for his behavior. Let's refocus to the positive. No more NOOOOoooo! Grace, I think that while you are being a bit harsh on Sam, I do agree with you. This is important to learn, and excuses won't cut it. I think Imelda is on the right track, you need to break this down. I wouldn't give you a task that you can't do. I think that there are pieces here that you can look at, and things you can do to get through this task. Would you please have Imelda explain her thinking about breaking this down, and then try to do this? I will be back in a few minutes and check on your progress!

GRACE: See, I told you! Wow Julio, did you get nailed or what?

JULIO: NOOOOoooo!

IMELDA: Would you like to hear what I have to say? Ms. Emmer said that I should explain how to do this.

JULIO: NOOOOoooo! She said you should explain your thinking, not explain how to do this.

SAM: Do you think that I have used my learning disability as an excuse not to work?

GRACE: I think you do that a lot Sam, but hey, you are a male. Males do that!

JULIO: NOOOOooooo! It is not a male thing!

GRACE: I am not saying that being l.d. is a male thing. I am saying that it is a male thing to have an excuse for not doing something.

IMELDA: Grace, stop it. You're teasing, and you know the rules about that. Let's get to work. Ms. Emmer is not going to be pleased when she comes back and we have nothing done. Here is how I see the problem! We have to separate each of the fractions and then get them to common denominators. Then we do the division. When we have the fractions done, we can apply them to the science experiment. We have a lot to do.

SAM: Okay, I will take the first set, because I know the common denominators there. But, I don't know how to find them in the other sets.

Teacher Notes:

• In every school you will find students who have been labeled because of special learning needs, students who have not been labeled but could be eligible to be labeled, and students who are not labeled. Teachers need to be sensitive to the fact that some students will react to being labeled, some will try to "use" their label, and some will work very hard to not be labeled. Teachers should not use labels in front of students. If students use labels, teachers should be careful to have the labels be explained and not used as an excuse from doing the work that is appropriate for the individual student.