Wasting My Life

I, R. Crowder, adoptive father, learned the School System punishes Learning Disabled youth, often treating them as prisoners or morons incapable of academic competence. They are dishonestly marked down, never encouraged upward. My James, born of alcoholic parents, blind in one eye, with huge nevi scar, muscle & speech problems, is a lovely religious child wanting to achieve. His suburban teachers relished holding back a slow learner, adopted minority kid living with a so-called black intellectual in a single-parent home. Most LD kids suffer some of this downgrading of their capabilities. I engaged for James four private tutors, & he became the only one in his Boces class to pass all seven Regents' exams. He was accepted at six colleges. Sadly we chose near home, WCC & QCC, & saw immediately great arrogance. They had him repeat high school things; he was given F in subjects he knew, even in Introductory Music & Piano, which he loved. He became ill. With 55 years as an accomplished musician, I complained. No redress, no showing of any failure papers on James! These secure American teachers could dishonestly categorize & get away with it. James writes hoping the American Education System won't allow further maligning of the Learning Disabled. To order: Chester House Publishers, P.O. Box 1469, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163; or Baker & Taylor, Inc.Miranda, James is the author of 'Wasting My Life', published 1993 under ISBN 9780935763027 and ISBN 0935763023.