Self-esteem

Modern child and educational psychology keeps stressing the importance of strengthening a child's self-esteem. Sometimes there are debates about what raises or lowers it.

One of those issues is hetero vs homogeneous classes.

There are those who say that putting the weaker students, whether MLD (mild learning disabled with normal/high IQ's) or those whose abilities are limited, in smaller classes geared to helping them will cause them to feel stigmatized.

I strongly disagree. There is nothing that lowers self-esteem like failure, and nothing that raises it like success.

For this reason, I feel that if a student is put in a framework in which he succeeds, he'll feel good about himself. Frequently it's the parent who feels stigmatized and wants his kid with the others, oblivious to his child's feelings of failure and worthlessness. It's so frustrating to see his classmates learning so effortlessly, and the teacher can't keep helping, and the other kids don't respect them. And how can one curriculum and one test accurately enrich and assess all sorts of kids?

I sent my own sons to a high school that specialized in teaching boys like them, with high and average IQ's but problems with reading, math and sitting. They did really well, as did their friends. It was much better than failing and being singled out. Also the school was geared to having them tested with accommodations.

Remember, not everyone can wear the same size and shape shoes. Schooling must also fit properly.