Can I Get a Tow? Relating to Students with LD

By Jonathan Clancy

My car's engine did not whir, or click, or do any of the other things an engine is supposed to do when the key is turned. I didn't panic, as I learned years ago that panicking does not help an auto-related emergency. I walked back to my office at the residential school where I work part-time. There were people around I could ask for help: my manager, the receptionist, as well as several staff members. However, I chose not to bother them and handled the situation myself—with some assistance. My wife had told me many times to bypass the insurance company’s roadside assistance hotline and call the local tow company directly. I dialed the number and explained the problem with language a 1st grader might use. "When I turn the key, nothing happens. Well, I guess the speedometer goes up to 80 miles an hour even though I'm not moving. And I don't hear the radio."

Here is the issue: I know nothing about cars and am fully embarrassed by this. I can't replace an air filter, an oil filter, or a windshield washer blade. I don't know the size of my engine or even my gas tank. This is all information I should know, but I don't. Thankfully, our family has an ethical mechanic who does not make me feel stupid about my lack of car knowledge. He explains how important the timing belt is and is honest with me when there is a delay in finishing a repair. Honesty and respect. It works.

As I stood in the shade of small maple tree, waiting for the tow truck, I started to realize how uncomfortable school can be for a student with learning difficulties. This is especially true in a mixed-ability classroom, where IQs and GPAs vary by two or more standard deviations. One student may have read Crime and Punishment in 7th grade, while the student sitting next to him has never read a novel in his life. With regard to writing, some students are turning in extra-credit essays about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and others are too embarrassed to place their three-sentence essay on democracy in the "to be passed in" pile. This level of discomfort does not sit well...

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