Spend a Day with Mikey

Spend A Day With Mikey

This is a hypothetical case. Any similarity to a real situation is purely coincidental.

Mikey is eight years old. He is small for his age and has few friends. It is seven o’clock in the morning and Mikey is already in trouble.

Mikey has not yet established good sleeping habits and he still wets the bed occasionally. He had another “accident” last night and now mother is angry. He didn’t get up when he was called and now he must hurry to get ready for school. He can’t seem to get his clothes on properly even when Mother puts them out for him. He arrives at the breakfast table, clothes askew, shoes untied, and hair uncombed. The traditional lecture follows as Mikey gulps his food. He is then hurried to the bathroom to finish preparation for school as the bus pulls up in front of his house.

Mikey ambles to the door but then remembers his books and must scramble to find them. The bus driver is blowing the horn and in his rush to leave the house, Mikey forgets his lunch. As he hurries up the steps of the bus, he trips over the untied shoe laces and falls, spilling his books and papers on the floor. The children laugh at him as the bus driver scolds him for being slow and clumsy. Mikey gathers his things and stumbles to his seat as the bus lurches ahead.

As Mikey settles into his seat, he is angry and embarrassed but covers it by acting like a clown. He teases and heckles the other children until the bus driver must stop the bus and isolate him from the other children. It is getting warm on the bus and the breakfast gulped down earlier makes an unwelcome reappearance on the floor of the bus.

Mikey is now truly humiliated and sits quietly until the bus arrives at school. It is not unusual for Mikey to be sick on the bus so he stays at school rather than returning home. It is now eight-fifteen in the morning and Mikey’s day is just beginning.

Some of the children who rode the bus begin to tease Mikey about falling down and being sick. Mikey retaliates in anger and begins fighting with all his strength. Since Mikey is small, he is easily subdued by the taunters and during the incident his shirt gets torn.

The bell rings for school to begin and Mikey is late again because his books have been scattered in the scuffle. Mikey is late often and receives the standard “late lecture” as he enters the classroom. He slumps into his desk disheveled and defeated, wishing to be as far from school as possible.

Class time presents a new set of problems for Mikey. First, he must produce last night’s homework, which if it has been done, is now either at home in his lunch box, under a seat on the bus, or laying crumpled on the playground. Well, no homework will mean no art class, and art is the one thing Mikey really enjoys and does well at in school. Then it is time for oral reading. Mikey reads very poorly and also has a minor speech impediment which causes him much embarrassment. He stumbles through his paragraph amid the snickers of his classmates and suppressed sighs of his teacher. He finishes and sinks into his seat. He now turns his attention to what he excels in, disrupting the classroom. Despite reprimands and punishment (he has now also forfeited recess) Mikey continues misbehaving until he is sent to the principal’s office.

It is now nearly lunchtime and Mikey remembers his forgotten lunch. He is feeling quite hungry because his breakfast didn’t stay with him very long. As he enters the office, he meets his mother who has just driven fifteen miles to deliver his lunch. She is already angry and when she learns of Mikey’s misbehavior she becomes angrier still. She insists that Mikey be spanked and placed in severe restriction for the remainder of the week and promises further disciplinary action “when his father gets home.”

Grateful to have his lunch, Mikey sits separated from his class and eats slowly. He is only half finished when lunchtime is over and he returns to his classroom. He feels exhausted and falls asleep at his desk. His teacher leaves him alone because he is less trouble that way and he has already lost his privilege to participate in art, music, and recess due to his misbehavior earlier in the day.

When the bell rings for dismissal, Mikey wakes and goes to the bus. He has three tests the next day but has forgotten about them and leaves his books at school. Refreshed from his afternoon nap, he is rowdy on the bus and throws one of his morning antagonist’s books out of the window. This starts another fight and Mikey arrives home with a bloody nose. The bus driver gives a full report to Mikey’s mother and notifies her the Mikey will not be allowed on the bus if one more problem arises.

Mikey is restricted to his room until his father arrives home from work. After having a full description of Mikey’s day, he takes away all privileges and determines to have a look at Mikey’s books. Finding that Mikey didn’t bring any books, Father has Mikey’s supper sent to his room and Mikey is put to bed at six o’clock.

Mikey can’t go to sleep and as he lies in his bed, he begins to imagine monsters and burglars until he is thoroughly frightened. He falls asleep, but dreams disturb his rest, another “accident” occurs, and all too soon it is again time to wake up.

DO YOU KNOW A MIKEY?

CAN MIKEY BE HELPED?

If the answer to the first question is yes, the answer to the second is also yes. We hope that you will begin to find solutions for your Mikey within the following pages. Remember this is only an introduction and is not designed to make anyone an expert with special children.

Posted in Articles, Articles On Learning Disabilities.