I’m not sure about this idea. At-home teaching for students with mental illness has both its pros and cons.

Stevens Point public schools in Stevens Point, WI set aside a little over $40,000 a year for students with mental illness to be taught in their own homes. Rather than homeschooling, a teacher is sent to the student’s house to teach the school curriculum so that they don’t fall behind. It’s a temporary solution, not meant to be a year-long situation.

“Students are recommended for the service by either a team of educators or a doctor. Although the district tries to provide [housebound] students a one-on-one teacher as soon as possible, it can sometimes take weeks to find someone who is prepared to teach complex subjects like advanced algebra or physics.”

This begs the question: In what situation would doctors and educators recommend a student be sent home to be taught there?

“Mental health, especially anxiety, is becoming a big driver of the need, said Jesse Jackson, principal at Charles Fernandez Center for Alternative Learning.”

Okay, I can understand that. I remember experiencing a lot of anxiety in school. I was bullied every day and typically dreaded the school bus, where the bullying was the worst. I managed to get through it all, but I can understand how some students with mental health issues that have developed earlier than mine did could be forced to take a break from the school environment.

What’s concerning to me is this bit:

“‘The board has decided that it’s better for us to do this program than deal with the difficulty of the child being way behind,’ [Jackson] said.”

What do you guys mean by “difficulty?” You mean the difficulty of having to individualize their learning environment or give them a tutor? Because that’s what you’re doing with the at-home program, so what “difficulty” are you referring to?

I’ve never heard of anyone doing this for special needs students. They just lump all the special needs students into one classroom with a one-size-fits-all curriculum. At least, that’s the way it was when I was in school. I searched the net for a bit to try and find something about it, but I only came across homeschooling programs (not the same as at-home teaching by the school district).

It just seems a bit insulting to me that students with mental illness are referred to as “difficult,” so difficult, in fact, that we need to send them home to get them away from other students. While some things about the program are good, it seems like people with mental illness are always labeled as “difficult.” I hear that term a lot. It’s the last thing we want to be labeled as (that and “crazy”).

I also don’t think avoiding stressful situations that are crucial to emotional and mental development is a good idea. There’s a difference between having to deal with some life lessons and experiencing truly traumatic situations. I was happy to find that the closing of the article pointed this out:

“But school is not only academic, it’s also social, Paisar [a mental health and substance abuse therapist] said. That social piece could be the cause of students’ anxiety if they don’t get along with classmates. But it’s also important for kids to learn to get along in large groups.

‘They’re going to have to do it at some point in a job setting or later on in a higher education setting, as well,’ she said.”

I’m still undecided on the program. Hopefully we’ll see and hear more about it in the future.