I was speaking recently to an elementary school teacher, who told me that there simply are some kids who can not seem to learn how to make connections among a set of concepts or ideas. I wasn't surprised to hear that. At various times in my career as a law teacher I have run across students who simply could not grasp how to think like a lawyer. Two come to mind... one actually had an MBA from Wharton but still flunked out of law school... the other was a successful paralegal who also flunked out of law school.
It has something to do with the hard wiring of the brain. I can't explain it, but I know it exists.
But the teacher told me you just can't say that at the K-12 level. It is heresy. Just as at the college level you can't stay that someone is just not smart enough to here. Instead we diagnose them as learning disabled and give them accommodations, most often extra time to complete exams. While some students surely do have disabilities and are bright enough to get through school with such accommodations, others might be a lot happier and contribute a lot more to society as plumbers and electricians and bricklayers. But we can't say that either.
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