Monday, November 02, 2009
Lake Waco Montessori middle school students may use a lot of words when talking about their classmates — friend, disabled, special needs, cool, funny — but one word you won’t hear them use is “retard.”
These students have made a pledge to eliminate the “R-word” from their vocabulary, and they’ve asked students from Canada to Mexico and across the United States to do the same thing.
Six Lake Waco middle school students recently attended the Global Citizenship Action Project conference in New York City and gave a presentation to the other Montessori middle school students from all over about eliminating the words “retard” and “retarded” from their speech.
The push to eliminate the “R-word” is a Special Olympics Texas campaign. Lake Waco Montessori school was chosen by the organization last year to help advance the campaign.
The school was chosen based on its student population, which includes a significant number of special-needs students, with 36 students who are medically fragile with severe and profound intellectual disabilities.
Cody Meredith, Area 12 director for Special Olympics Texas, said the organization was targeting middle school students with the campaign because they were old enough to understand the concept but young enough to still shape how they perceive people with disabilities.
In 2004, Special Olympics changed all its wording from “retarded” to “intellectually disabled,” Meredith said. The change was spurred by the Special Olympics board of athletes who wanted to see the word eliminated.
“They said even with the words ‘mental retardation,’ they felt a negative connection with it,” he said.
Meredith said Special Olympics is pleased that Lake Waco decided to take the message almost globally, with its presentation in New York.
“It was just a blessing on our side they chose to do that and help spread the word,” he said.
At the annual conference, the students attend workshops learning about worldwide humanitarian efforts, but this time they were the presenters.
The students talked about their school and their personal experiences with intellectually challenged classmates, bringing some of the adults in the audience to tears, the kids said.
“To me, I just don’t notice it, I know them just as people,” Miryam Quetz said about her peers with intellectual disabilities.
Some people use the word “retard,” for instance, to call out a friend who is doing something stupid, the students said.
“It’s become pop culture. It’s been in songs, movies and video games,” eighth-grader Marc Marquez said.
“It’s very disrespectful, like they’re being racist,” seventh-grader Alyssa Castillo said.
Seventh-grader Marie Reinke said her group asked the students at the conference to make the commitment not to say the “R-word,” to ask friends not to say it and to sign a petition to eliminate the words “retard” and “retarded.”
Lake Waco Principal Robin McDurham says her kids are the perfect group to be carrying this campaign.
“It’s not some abstract topic to them,” she said. “It’s who we are.” McDurham said there isn’t a concerted effort to teach students acceptance and compassion for others, that it’s just part of the school’s culture.
Embracing diversity
“The Montessori method is all about embracing diversity,” McDurham said. The Montessori method, created by Maria Montessori, is child-centered and encourages students to develop at their own pace.
Teacher Adam Lackey has both seventh- and eighth-grade students with a wide range of academic abilities in his class. He says the talk of respect and acceptance and family at Lake Waco is not just lip service.
He made his point by asking his students who wanted to help out in the life-skills (special-needs) class in the morning. Every hand in the room shot up.
“They didn’t know what they would be doing, they just want to help,” he said.
Lackey said he hopes that his students will be able to find time to spread the campaign within the Waco Independent School District.
wgragg@wacotrib.com
757-6901
Comments
By big sister
Nov 4, 2009 9:58 AM | Link to this
I LOVE THIS SCHOOL AND IM SO PROUD OF THEM FOR TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY YOU DONT KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I FEEL THE NEED TO HIT SOME ONE FOR MAKING A REMARK ABOUT MY BROTHER JUST BECAUSE HE IS IN LIFE SKILLS I WISH EVERYONE COULD UNDERSTAND AND JUST LET GO OF ALL THE MEAN NAMES THEY USE AND STOP BEING IGNORANT . PEOPLE THINK WORDS DONT HURT BUT THESE KIDS DO HAVE FEELINGS AND JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK THEY ARE "TOO DUMB TO UNDERSTAND" REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS JUST LIKE YOU AND IF YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO KNOW THEM AND UNDERSTAND THEM MABYE YOU COULD UNDERSTAND THAT .
By David
Nov 3, 2009 10:09 AM | Link to this
To MelissaM:
My gay friends feel the same way about "gay" being used as a negative term. "That's so gay." (used to describe anything negative, most commonly heard in online games) etc. They've taken to saying "That's so straight." as a counterbalance :)
By DJ
Nov 3, 2009 5:55 AM | Link to this
How about tarded leave the re out retard.
By Me
Nov 2, 2009 9:18 PM | Link to this
I can't believe how some people can have a negative comment about ANYTHING, no matter what the story is about! These kids are doing a GREAT thing and yeah they probably won't "eliminate" the word but I bet they make some damn good impressions on some people and even if their efforts only make 10 people not use the word, its better than it was before. Any progress is good in this scenario because the use of the word has gotten out of hand!!!
By WoW Really
Nov 2, 2009 5:27 PM | Link to this
Really remove a word... why not Cure cancer while you are at it....That would be more productive...A nobel peace price too why not just shiny pot of GOLD too. Why not direct their efforts to better help the Homeless or people who need food at least there they can see the progress they are making... A great effort for them but a bit impossible
By Revisions, revisions, revisions!!!
Nov 2, 2009 4:53 PM | Link to this
That scenario will work just fine up until somebody goofs up and someone else tells them, "That's so intellectually disabled."
Then the system that [Tellin' it!] describes will kick into gear with more rounds of revisions on what the new political correctness will be. Gotta keep that tax dollar funding justified, you know? But it's all in the name of compassion, so.......
By John
Nov 2, 2009 4:49 PM | Link to this
Thanks to Melissa M for clearing up the point. It is not the word itself, or using the word correctly that is the problem. It is that folks over the years started using it as an insult. When it's meaning became an insult to those who don't have mental retardation, it also started becoming an insult to those who do have it.
No one would be talking about changing their speech if everyone always used the word correctly.
It's not a matter of being "politically correct" (whatever that really means), it's a matter of common courtesy and respect for other humans beings.
By MelissaM
Nov 2, 2009 4:28 PM | Link to this
I am the mother of a precious little girl with extreme special needs. In fact, she is one of the 36 at Lake Waco mentioned in the article as medically fragile with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. After reading the comments I can see that some of you missed the point. To me, the term "retarded" when actually describing a medical condition isn't offensive. It is certainly old fashioned, but using it instead of "intellectually disabled" isn't taken as an insult. However, I cringe when I hear terms such as "That's so retarded!" "Don't be such a retard!" or "you are such a 'tard." That is when it hurts. To some, using the word retarded in any context is unacceptable, but only because the word has been thrown around in so many hurtful ways. It isn't about being politically correct, it is about taking "Retard" out of your vocabulary as a way to insult someone in jest. I agree with "proud parent". If families can teach their children that shut up is not an acceptable word then I think showing them that using the R' word in a demeaning way isn't acceptable either.
By Ron-Texas
Nov 2, 2009 2:59 PM | Link to this
I sorta understand the point this Article is trying to get across. I've never liked thw word Disabled either. So does this mean that because of Today's World We have to redefine everything in the English Language??? Does this mean that 'anyone' that is of age 25-30 or more 'no' longer will be able to communicate/talk with their Parents(around 45-50), or Grand-Parents(around 65-70). Does this mean We 'all' have to throw away everything that We have learned??? Does this mean 'We' no longer have Freedom of Speech??? Bull doze down 'all' of thr MHMR Centers, stop taking any Federal/State/Local funding and shut them all down!!!!
By Tyler Durden
Nov 2, 2009 11:36 AM | Link to this
Only retards complain about political correctness. I wish they'd shut up!
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