Teacher struggles with being told to leave a child behind

Teacher-blogger Mr. S believes he’s responsible for making sure every child he teaches makes what Teach for America calls “significant gains.” But he’s at a loss about what to do with a child in his inclusion class who has schizophrenia, isn’t getting help for it, and severely disrupts everyone’s learning, especially after his principal tells him to focus on helping other students first:

Suddenly, all the rules of the game seem to be different. If you have a child in your room who does not belong there, is it your responsibility to teach him at the expense of other kids? Or just to coast him through? While teaching to my “best abilities” is what comes to mind for me, how long is it until he completely disrupts my learning environment in a profound way? Aren’t all children equal, and ought to all be taught?

About our First Person series:

First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others trying to improve public education. Read our submission guidelines here.