Let me preface this by saying: my dad does calculus in his head, my mom has a B.S. (bachelors of SCIENCE, smartarses :P ) of nursing, so they are both very intelligent and were amply qualified for their roles.
I was homeschooled from the time I was a wee grade schooler up through 10th grade. When I didn't study for a quiz/test, I got graded appropriately. If I got half the questions wrong, I got a 50%, failed the test/quiz, and was reprimanded. I learned that lack of studying = lack of passing grades; lack of passing grades = consequences. Of course, as a young kid I didn't understand WHY I needed good grades, but I was taught to study and work hard because my parents said so. Later on, I realized what good grades were worth, and I get good grades now because I want the best opportunities in life.
Another area I was "Schooled" in was discipline. Being schooled at home, I learned that mouthing off to teacher (mom, usually) did not result in detention, or a note to the parent...it was a good, old fashioned whoopin'. Not saying that's practical in a public school setting, but some punishment that actually instills a feeling of "Oh s4 I'm not doing THAT again" would help.
Either way, I guess I was never afforded the "advantages" of being diagnosed with a "learning disability."* I had to learn the hard way. :P
*I realize that there are people with genuine learning disabilities, and those people should be helped and aided appropriately. However, many diagnoses of "learning disabilities" are false diagnoses and foster a sense of laziness; the kids that are "disabled" are taught that all you have to do is slack off and people will pander to you. |
