My mom is a teacher and what she does is she will take children out of the classroom that are falling behind in areas and give them more of a one on one lesson. Well she worked at a lower income school, who's program has been recently cut, and when a child was applicable for her area she would talk to the parents to make sure that they would allow their children to be given special instruction, most of the time the parents would agree. At her new school now, in an area with families that on average have a very high income, she is doing the same job. When she calls the parents they often do not allow her to take their out of the classroom because they are afraid of the label, that their child gets in her class.
I think as teachers we need to help get rid of this label, it is a very hard thing to do , but many children are not getting the education they need because their parents do not want their child to be labeled as in the "stupid" kids class. My mom's job might be taken away again because the parents are saying no to these classes, my mom does not have enough students for her school to qualify for her position. This is ridiculous! Teachers are losing jobs and students are not getting the education they need because of a label, that most children do not even realize exists until they get to an older age!

AHHH! I am so glad you brought this up!! My mom is an assistant teacher at an elementary school that is one of the top ones in the school system. They get a lot of funding and every parent wants to put their kid into it. My mom has to deal with a lot of stuff from certain parents. There are certain parents that are making a lot of money at their jobs and are very smart people. Their kids however have severe learning problems and need some kind of help outside of the classroom. Some of these students have even shown signs of Autism, LD, and ADD/ADHD. When my mom and the teacher she works with talks to the parent one on one the parent often time gets really upset and tells them they have no idea what they are talking about and that their kid is so smart and couldn't possibly have this. The teacher my mom works with has a son who has a form of Autism and knows that some parents can not handle putting a label on their kids. When I heard this I was so outraged. The parents would rather their kids struggle through school and not get the adequate help they need, because they are afraid of their kid getting labeled as the weird kid and being made fun of.

One thing I always hated about school was the labels. Why are people labeled? Especially with what yall are talking about, how are children going to learn more or grow if they don't get the extra help. Should these children be labeled such a ridiculous title when all they are doing is trying to better themselves? I think it is up to the teacher to control the situation. As one of my professors says you need to "Name it, Claim it, Stop it" in these kinds of situations. It shouldn't be a teachers job to have to deal with parents worrying about labels or children teasing, teachers need to be able to focus more on their students and helping them learn and grow more intellectually. Labels are pretty ridiculous and severely hinder students confidence.

I agree that labels are ridiculous. The parents think they are protecting their children by not having the teacher single them out and letting them receive special attention, but in reality they are actually hindering them in the long run. We had a program at my school called the RJR tutoring program, it allowed students to tutor other students twice a week after school. I know of several kids who wouldn't join this program because they didn't want their peers to know that they were behind and didn't understand. I feel this goes back on the teacher. I think the teacher needs to create a classroom where everyone should feel free to ask questions and know that if they answer a question wrong that no one is going to make fun of them. Otherwise, there is a very limited learning environment.

I think that the real need here is making labels an ok thing. Parents and students alike see these labels as horrible things only because they have been made to be that way. As teachers, we need to do what we can to show that these labels are not meant to put people down, but rather to help them. Without labels, how would we distinguish children's different learning needs from one another? I think that if "labels" are presented as a helping tool early on in a child's life, it won't be as detrimental to their esteem later on. This also means that there shouldn't be an emphasis on the "normal" student. We all know that there is no common mold that all students will fit into. It should be made known to students that we all learn differently and ad different paces, and that is perfectly alright. I know this is a difficult thing to overcome, but we need to do our part to help educate those parents and students who are too embarrassed or stubborn to receive the help they deserve.

I agree with you, CJ. What teachers need to do is disregard those labels in the first place. I applaud your mom for teaching and helping those kids. My brother who has autism (but at a high functioning level so you couldn't really tell) had to be in the "resource" class where kids were falling behind or needed special instruction that the regular classrooms didn't provide. Many kids at school made fun of him or just never socialized with him. He was so discouraged in high school that even now he is very reluctant to go to college and get a degree. I can see why the rich parents don't want their children to be in those classes but what they have to understand is if they don't, their child will suffer in school academically which can lead to low self-esteem and depression. So as a teacher, I would explain to the parents why their child needs to be in the program and disregard any labels associated with it. Society is obsessed with labeling these kinds of things and I feel like we need to pull away from that.

I think that Whitney has a very interesting point. She is correct in saying that these labels are helpful to teachers in knowing students learning styles and if we could just get students and parents to accept these labels as helpful things then this situation would be a much more peaceful thing. However, I know that kids can be horribly cruel and since they already consider these labels a bad thing and make fun of others for it...how can we really overcome this situation. I do not have an answer for what I think should be done in this situation, but as a teacher I think it is our duty to encourage students to respect each other no matter what the label. If you think about it everyone is labeled in some way, so we need to encourage students to consider each other equally. This is an extremely hard topic...I am very interested to see if anyone has any more ideas on how to cope with and overcome this dilemma.

I remember when I was 3rd grade, my class was split into a lower math group and a higher math group. I was in the lower math group, and I knew it and so did my classmates. Because of this separation, I have always believed myself to be worse at math than at other subjects when in reality, had we not been so noticeably separated, I do not think that I would have been so insecure when it came to my mathematical abilities. Now I understand that I am capable at math and if I set my mind to it, then I can be fine at any subject I try, however, not every student/person bounces back from experiences like this. I am not trying to discredit pulling students out who are struggling and giving them extra help. I believe that is necessary and good for a child's learning, however, I do think that there has to be a better way of doing this, one that doesn't make the child feel as if they are inadequate in some way. Even programs like AIG which are intended to give students who are able to function at a higher level academically more of a challenge end up labeling and, I believe, doing more damage than one may imagine. As an AIG student, I was always held to a higher standard academically thus, when I wouldn't do as well as everyone wanted, I had a lot more disappointment to face. I think that the key may be to do away with standardized programs and smarter vs. lower classes and find a way to make sure students know that it's ok to be at different levels, and we are going to treat you the same way no matter what. There is a stigma associated with separating classes, and I think everyone who has ever gone through school has felt it in some way or another.

I wonder when being "labeled" became a bad thing?!? Some people do not mind being labeled "wealthy" or "privileged" so why should it be bad to be labeled in school? I mean, most of the labeling comes from those who don't mind to be labeled or classified when it benefits them, so why should they care so much when it comes to something that will benefit their child? Most of the time the answer is NO!! My question is why? Some children only need a little extra attention during one school year to help them grasp some concepts, and then they are much better and can succeed the next school year. It is true that some educators believe that if a student is struggling and could benefit from being retained for another academic year, but feel that the social impact of being retained is too harsh on the student, and they pass them on anyway!! I also know that results of EOG testing is not relevant in determining whether a child passes/fails a grade. So, back to labels--why is it ok to label a child "smart" or place them in a AIG class, but are hesitant to label a child " a slow learner" or "one who needs a little extra attention"? I think society places to much emphasis on the wrong kind of labels.

This will probably sound strange, but one of the most difficult experiences in my life was when I was labeled as "academically gifted" in the third grade. While my parents were ecstatic, it turned my world upside down. The term had such a negative connotation amongst my fellow students, and I was automatically ostracized for being, as they called it, "accidently gifted". Also, I was torn from my familiar environment and thrust into a new classroom with a new teacher and new students that I did not know. This was very distressing for me. Suddenly I was studying completely new ideas, things I had never heard of before. I felt like all the other kids in my class were so far ahead of me. So to my old friends I was the smart geek, and to my new classmates I was the dumb kid in class. I realize that my teachers thought that this was what was best for me, but I still feel like that was a negative experience for me and I would have performed better in a regular classroom setting that I was used to.

I do believe that labels should be avoided in schools. When I was in elementary school, I was labeled as AG. I did not like other students looking at me like I was different or "better" because I was in an AG class. I will know how my students learn and what areas that need help in without a label attached. We teach students not to stereotype or 'judge a book by its cover', but it's difficult for students not to do these things when all their peers are labeled.

I agree with everyone that labeling students should not occur in any school setting. I was never labeled, because I was always in the middle of the pack when it came to grades. This might have been due to me just wanting to fit in with my friends, I really didn't want to be labeled as a smart kid at the time. Looking back on my grades I got in school, I could have done much better but grades were not my top priority at the time. Teachers that give students labels are only asking for trouble, but they causing certain students to be different from the rest of the crowd . Grade school is a rough time for childern because it seems that everyone is labeled wheather it is by the way they act, dress, race, religion, sex, or achedemics. Labeling students won't be stopped eaisly but having a teacher that treats everone equal would be a big help.

Labeling in schools is never going to stop but I do feel that by having a teacher that treats everyone equal can help. I feel like labeling begins in elementary school and that label carries on with you until high school. I feel that a big reason it begins in elementary school is because kids are constantly being pulled out of the classroom for different things. Special needs kids are pulled out for help and they are labeled. AG kids are pulled out and labeled as "the smart kids." And, kids who are average must stay in the classroom all day. The troublemakers are labeled and the class clowns are labeled. I feel that once you have a label it is hard to shake unless you move schools or something. I wish this could stop but I am afraid it is almost human nature for kids and even people to place labels on one another.

This semester it seems as though most of my classes have focused on what kinds of labels are put on children in and outside of the classroom and what effect it puts on them as learning individuals. Often times when students are given a label, especially being labeled a low reader, they begin to dislike the subject. In my reading class we talked about how it is best to have a mix of ability students in a group that way either child doesn’t seem insecure about their ability. I have been in several classrooms over the past few years and I have always made an effort to become aware of how the children are labeled and where they are sitting. Every teacher is different in the way they set up their classroom. In several instances I noticed teachers would put all the ESL students in a group, all the AG students in a group, all the low readers in a group and then the average ability students in a group. I found this to be very dysfunctional because everyone knew who were the smart kids and who were the low kids. I often think of how I would want to set up my own classroom. If I were a teacher right now I would mix my students up so that there is a mix of abilities at each table. I feel as though this would be sufficient because it would allow the higher ability students to help the lower without putting labels on the students.

I think labels are a fact of life and something that is hard to avoid in a classroom. You may think that you will never label your students, I know I think that but when the time comes and we are really in a classroom you will label them. It may be unconsciously but you will still label them. I wish we could go to a school where children will not have this stigma or this label of being a "dumb" kid or being the "smart" kid, but it happens. Like a few people have mentioned so far sometimes you need labels to help separate the children in the group. Or if they all have labels you can mix them up into different groups and have the "smart" children help the "dumb" children. Throughout, elementary school I had a few strange personal experiences with labels. I was labeled as being ADHD for the first few years of my school years. The teachers would get angry at me because I would finish my work and then want to talk to someone or leave the room when they wanted me to sit still and be quiet. The teachers would then proceed to give me another worksheet that would keep me quiet for all of five minutes. It wasn't until about the third grade they put me in AIG classes to see if that helped and it did. I never thought I was ADHD but my teachers and parents begged to differ, since I am a naturally stubborn person I decided to try really hard in school to see if that helped to get away from that label. It did not get rid of that label of ADHD just simply super-imposed another label on top of that one, the label of "Academically Gifted." So, just in my opinion you are always going to have some sort of label on your or your students whether it be positive or negative.

ok so here I go looking at this from both a parent's standpoint as well as a future educator. My daughter has labels on here fro special needs. Doesn't mean she is stupid or even learning impaired. What it means for her is that the school is no able to acquire funds to offer special classes as well as funds to pay a special teacher that can give her a little more one on one time. The main issue with her is the same with most children in her situation. She just can't sit still. She is also very extroverted so when she gets excited, well everybody is going to know about it. This behavior in it self is what has her labeld in the other students eyes. For the teachers and other faculty they see her wanting to learn and how sweet she can be and see how challenging it is for her to even concentrate in class. How does this affect her relations with her peers? well for her we have had to change her peer group (held her back a year) to help give her a new set of people to be around that hadn't been tainted by her previous behaviors. This helped some but kids will be kids they still labeled her because of her "bad" days. Kids are going to label the others in their class that is all there is to it. As educators we cannot let this cary over to us. If you look at a student you know is labeled ADHD and you treat them like they are a disease then all the other students will pick up on it and do it 10 fold. But with the way funding is divided out to schools now based on test grades as well as funding for special programs it is in the schools best interest financially to have a certain percentage of students labeled something so as to keep their scores for the "normal" population as high as they can get it. There are going to be those parents that just want the teacher to be able to teach their child and are willing to do what is suggested for that to happen and there are those that think they know better than the teacher on how their child should be taught. I have been in meetings before where the thought came to my mind that from a teachers perspective I would just want to look at the parent and say "I don't tell you how to flip burgers so please do not tell me how to do my job either" I would however never say this but oh i know there will be times I think it.

Labels are stupid, but very real. A child's learning may be affected by the label he or she recieves in school and if that is the case, the problems may become worse than before because the child may have the stigma with them for the rest of their career as students. We have no way of knowing, however, if the child will be stigmatized and if they were to be, if it would follow them. We do know, of course, that children can be cruel and if they got the least hint at someone who could easily be victimized, I believe they would take the opportunity. All children want to follow the crowd, well into high school, and I think we find ourselves in dangerous territory when we venture into the topic of labels only because one can never know what the outcome might be. It may be better if the teacher took groups of students with differing abilities out for the one on one time because then the students might begin to think that it's a regular classroom activity. The student that needed help would not necessarily be singled out and I am certain that if one student was struggling then several more would be in the same boat in need of more concentrated help. It is very difficult to escape a label: we have all been to high school and know just how devestating a label can be. I think teachers should take strides to equalize their classroom best they can, even when a student is struggling. There is no law against group work and therefore I doubt a parent would need to be involved in the decision.

I hate labels in school. I was always labeled, not as a "stupid" kid, but as the "smart" kid. Most people would not think that being labeled as the "smart" kid would be a bad thing but I hated it. Whenever we were playing a game in math I was always chosen first and always had to do most of the work. I was not that great in PE so I was always chosen last for dodgeball and other games. Therefore, I always felt like the only thing that I could do or was worth trying in was math or a few other subjects I liked. I felt like some students thought of me as the "geek" in elementary school. In the third grade I would always go to a fifth grade advanced math class for math and it was one of the worst experiences. The fifth graders picked on me and in the end I ended up having to switch to the "lower" math class in fourth grade because I missed some vital third grade math instruction and I tended not to focus in math class as much because of my insecurities in the fifth grade class. I hate labels and I wish that we as teachers could just snap our fingers and make them disappear but I know that they will present an obstacle in our classrooms.