Richard Lavoie created a video called FAT City, and we recently watched a follow up to this video in which Lavoie describes the first video and what things in it mean. FAT City is an acronym for frustration, anxiety, and tension in the classroom, and is referring to the feelings that students with learning disabilities have while in school. In the second video Lavoie gives many insights about how adolescents with learning disabilities feel, which is very important for teachers to know in order to be good at helping their students.
In my opinion, one of the most important insights that Lavoie offers is pointing out that school is a child’s job. When they fail at school they are essentially failing at the biggest aspect of their life at the time. This creates negative feelings about school for these students, and often makes them want to avoid school altogether. School is a very large chunk of a student’s life, so when they are struggling with it, and especially when they are failing in it, they begin to feel like a failure, and their self-esteem and self-worth takes a dramatic blow. As a teacher, it is incredibly important to make a student with a learning disability successful so their self-esteem does not decrease, and they can be happy. You also need to make them feel safe and comfortable in school, so they do not develop negative feelings toward it, and want to come to school and succeed.
Lavoie also points out that learning disabilities are pervasive in a child’s life, and in their life as an adult. A learning disability is not something that occurs only in school and is something that an adolescent will grow out of, it is with them in every area of their life, for their entire life. If a student has trouble reading in the classroom, they will have trouble reading outside of the classroom as well. All learning disabilities are present in a child’s life no matter where they are, and a teacher must realize this in order to best teach a student. If I teach a student with learning disabilities I must realize that the strategies I teach them so they can effectively learn in my classroom must also apply to their learning outside of the classroom. If a student feels more confident that they can effectively learn in all areas of their life their self-esteem will be boosted and they will be more productive and a better learner in the classroom.
These are only a few insights that Lavoie offers in the video, which is very educational and promotes a better understanding of adolescents with learning disabilities. It is a great video and I recommend that all teachers, teacher aids, and any other people involved in educating a student with a learning disability watch it.
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