By Michelle Senneway
It is not uncommon for a student to struggle with newly learned material. After teaching in middle school special education classrooms for 19 years, I have seen this more times than I can count. The question we educators need to ask ourselves is when does it become problematic?
I once taught a student named Tommy. He was a typical 12-year-old boy who enjoyed spending time with his friends and playing video games. His favorite subject was gym. Everyone liked Tommy; he had a sweet disposition and was easy to be around.
However, Tommy had some struggles that were not immediately visible. He had a difficult time learning. His math scores were consistently low and his reading scores were lower. He seemed to be paying attention and staying on task in school. He didn’t have behavior problems. He asked for help at appropriate times during class.
Michelle Senneway is a special education mathematics teacher with 18 years of experience working in Pittsburgh, PA. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education from California University of Pennsylvania and a Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Robert Morris University.
