Schools can't forgot 'Leo' late bloomers
As I drove by a high school marquee announcing Senior Achievement Night, I found myself thinking about the other kids. I wondered how the kids who barely survived high school were feeling. I thought about the kids who hadn’t survived. I thought about the book that my wife used to read to our kids, and to her students: "Leo the Late Bloomer," by Robert Kraus.
Leo, a young tiger, has a hard time; all of his friends can read, write, draw, and speak clearly, and Leo can't do any of those things well. Worried and sad, Leo wonders if he'll ever catch up.
With love and understanding, Leo’s mother says that Leo is just a late bloomer. His mom and dad encourage him, and Leo eventually becomes successful.
Every kid wants to succeed in school. Platitudinous mission statements notwithstanding, public schools can’t handle the public’s kids. Rather than providing the expertise, understanding, and tenacity that is required for each kid’s success, school resources are squandered on standardized tests, teacher evaluations, the Common Core Curriculum, and other junk that doesn’t help kids. Many are not being served, and by high school, a struggling kid’s identity is based on his failures, rather than his strengths.
Little tigers like Leo never had a chance.
Curtiss Thompson
Stonington