Kids Are People, Too--Not Just Part of a Group

I suppose it's human nature. We just naturally put people and things into categories. Sometimes it's easier to put people into "like" groups so that common needs can be met. Especially when it comes to educating hundreds of thousands of American schoolchildren. But something happens when we put kids into groups--we deny or overlook their individual needs.

I hear a lot about the "achievement gap" between white kids and their latino and african-american school mates. I hear a lot about poverty and how that impacts learning. I hear a lot about rich kids and communities and how those kids outperform. While I realize there are commonalities between people of the same race, gender, and socio-economic class, I also argue that everyone of those kids--rich, poor, white, or brown--has their own individual needs.

Some are auditory learners, some have natural intrinsic motivation or leadership abilities. Some are visual learners, some have learning differences. Some get things quickly, others need more time. Every kid, in every "category" deserves to have their individual needs met. I believe that once we start seeing kids as individuals and working to meet their individual needs--with a variety of instructional strategies, learning environments, integrated technology and more--then we will close the achievement gap. When we assess what kids need, listen to what their interests are and help them develop their strengths, then truly no child will be left behind.

I have a kid. An upper-middle class, white, male—two of them, actually—whose needs have not been met in traditional classrooms. They've attended schools in two states: public schools, private schools, and charter schools. The one thing we had because of our class is choice and there still weren't enough choices. My younger son would do great in a project-based learning environment, but the nearest PBL school is an hour away. My older son has ADHD and is brilliant, but struggles with executive function skills. He'd do well in a school with individualized learning plans and instructional support. There's no school like that near us. Despite living in a neighborhood with "excelling" schools, they are not schools in which my children can excel.

Choice is critical, because not every "great" school is great for every kid. I just read an article on how a kid was "encouraged to leave" Harlem Success Academy 3 charter school. The author made it sound like the charter shouldn't push kids out, but the fact is that even great schools are not the right schools for every kid. Different learning communities, that meet the needs of different kids are what we need to truly prepare today's kids to be productive citizens of tomorrow.