Difficulty Learning Isn’t Just About Not Knowing

There are many reasons a student can have difficulty learning math. Familiar ones include autism and dyscalculia, among other neurodiverse possibilities.

Did you know that some students have poor school attendance for seemingly less obvious reasons? It can be quite difficult for them to learn when having to catch up often or for long periods.

I used to wonder why Monica, a fifth-grade classmate, was often absent. Then I learned she had epilepsy, and I eventually witnessed one of her grand mal seizures. She felt bad about the occurrence, thinking that she had scared or worried everyone present. Actually, they cared about and felt protective toward her, especially a worried and crying sixth-grade boy with a crush on her.

When I was about 13, my grandfather married a retired teacher with a son. Niles was 20 and didn’t consider himself to be an uncle. As a sickle cell anemia patient, he had lost his father to the same condition some years earlier. He wanted to make good use of his time, so he recorded a song that got airplay. That led to favor and support in his community. Before he was born, Grandma Liz didn’t know she was a carrier of the sickle cell trait or that her only child would manifest the disorder. Hospitalization and recovery time impacted Niles’ school routine.

Some students live in foster homes or are temporarily placed with a relative instead. This can occur if the parent is in recovery or transition, which involves county or state agencies. For everyone in these scenarios, it can be a huge effort to maintain the legal requirements for a minor’s education. Anyone who thinks this doesn’t affect attendance until a plan is in place should rethink that. It can even continue after the goal is implemented.

Being unable to maintain required attendance is one reason some parents choose to alternatively school, e.g., homeschool their children. Its flexibility works better, and the students still learn. Kids grow up and look back on their lives. Working parents usually retire at some point. That makes family matter more since it really does come first—hopefully not in hindsight.