Reference no: EM133324992
Case Study: Praying for a Miracle
Peter Park has muscular dystrophy (MD). His family lives in the city within a Korean community. His dad speaks English, but he struggles to communicate effectively. Peter's older sisters have been successful in school and are in college. Mr. Park can quote the scores his daughters obtain on entrance exams to highly competitive city high schools and laments the fact that they missed acceptance by a few points. His mother and grandmother assume a great deal of responsibility for Peter's physical care. Peter speaks Korean at home and arrives at school speaking no English.
At the age of three, Peter entered our preschool program. We are a special school for children with physical disabilities and other health impairments. His previous teachers raved about him as a student and a person, but all expressed deep concern for his reticence and apparent sadness. One of the teachers told me that her personal goal that year had been to get him to smile.
Peter came to my classroom for 5th and 6th grade and is one of the brightest, most curious students I've taught in 25 years. Peter scored at mastery on state exams in English language arts and math. On the Key Math exam, given twice a year in our school, Peter scored at the high school senior level while in 6th grade!
Peter's enthusiasm for learning is astonishing. I don't think it's just to please his parents. He wants to know everything! I would frequently slip in challenging vocabulary words during group discussions. Peter would immediately ask, "Mrs. Darcy, what does that mean?" Later I would hear him use the word or see it in his writing. After Peter outperformed his classmates in "Social Studies Jeopardy," his friend Mark exclaimed with a mix of envy and exasperation, "Are you a genius?? How do you DO that?" Peter calmly explained his method of study. The other kids were a bit disappointed that studying was the magic secret to Peter's success. It's obvious that his family is very supportive of good study habits and assists him in his work. Although there was a degree of jealousy among classmates who were not doing as well, Peter remained quite well-liked for his droll sense of humor and his willingness to help others. Plus, he never bragged!
Pete's MD requires him to use a power wheelchair. He's really a good "driver" and tools around school with his best friend, Manuel, a Hispanic student who is Peter's equal in academics. Peter and Manuel earned the nickname "math maniacs" for their enthusiasm and accomplishments in that subject.
Peter enjoys the independence his power wheelchair gives him in school. Unfortunately, when he goes home, he's transferred into a manual chair, which requires someone else to push him. His house is not wheelchair accessible, and Peter's dad carries him on his back up the stairs leading from the street to his home. Last year our physical and occupational therapy staff made home visits and assisted the family in obtaining the proper equipment for bathing and toileting Peter. Adaptations to make the home accessible are in the planning stages. When Peter is not in school, he rarely leaves home except to go to church.
The Parks are devout Christians and are members of a Korean church. Each morning, Peter's parents wake him at 5:30 a.m. to bathe. He then goes to church from 6:30 - 7:30 and gets home just in time to catch the bus to school. He does this every day. They are praying for a miracle. They are praying that Peter's MD will be cured. When a religious leader visits their church, Peter's dad picks him up from school to go to church and has this minister pray for Peter.
His morning schedule means that Peter does not have time for breakfast. A few months into the school year, I realized that Peter did not eat anything at home in the morning. He never asked for breakfast, which some other children had in school. He finally agreed to eat with his classmates. I was happy about that because he had been awake for 7 hours without food! When I mentioned to his father that breakfast was important, he said the family was worried about Peter's weight. He's getting bigger and heavier, and his muscles are profoundly weak. Mr. Park felt that skipping breakfast would keep Peter from gaining weight. He was also adamant that Peter be given strenuous exercises to help make him stronger. He hoped that we would offer Peter wrestling and karate because he himself held an advanced belt in karate. He wants Peter to develop muscle tone. His repeated discussions with our school physician and physical therapists related to the real limits of the physical disability of MD seemed to fall on a closed mind.
During Peter's annual review, the psychologist (also Korean) from Peter's home school district spoke very movingly to Mr. Park about the emotional impact this inability to accept the disability was having on Peter. She was very sensitive to cultural issues and finally arranged for Peter to participate in a support program in his community, where he received some individual counseling.
In school, Peter had a computer with an on-screen keyboard and/or a mini keyboard to facilitate writing. He often chose not to use them and instead wrote by hand, which was laborious for him. His handwriting was very tiny and faint due to his limited range of motion and general weakness. He would often stop and rest. During a parent conference, I asked his dad if there was a computer that Peter could use at home. He said it was downstairs and that he couldn't get Peter down there. I suggested that it be moved, but Mr. Park said there was no room. In our conversation, I brought this subject up again and showed Mr. Park a sample of Peter's handwritten work. I commented that it would take less time and be less tiring if it was done on a computer. Mr. Park seemed frustrated with me and said that if Peter would only press harder on the pen and pencil, it would be okay. He said I needed to give him more practice every day in penmanship so his muscles would get stronger. As before, I tried to say that Peter tried very hard in everything he did but that these weaknesses were due to his disability and not because he wasn't trying. I did not convince him. He would repeat that Peter should try harder and that he does not know why he has this disability since no one else in the family ever had it.
This lack of acceptance on the part of his family has taken a toll on Peter. The staff was concerned for a while about his lack of effect and saw signs of depression. We provided counseling as part of his IEP, yet his dad opposed this and claimed that he was not depressed. Mr. Park said that's just how Korean people are.
As Peter has gotten older, his relationships with his peers have become stronger. They provide a source of respect and acceptance. To our surprise, he received a Game Boy for Christmas, causing my assistant to moan that our model student was turning into an American boy ? I admit to being happy to be able to scold Peter to put the game away after recess and get to work. He smiled.
Peter delivered the commencement address, along with his best friend Manuel, at elementary graduation. He wrote most of it himself, and it was beautiful. His mom was beaming and gave me flowers and a warm hug.
It's hard to know when to push a parent and how much to say. These are parents who love their children. They have demonstrated their appreciation of our efforts for their son. I know that Peter had a good experience academically, and I'm pretty sure that socially he made progress. But every day, his family prays that he can be "fixed." Every day Peter receives the message that he's not trying hard enough and that he is upsetting his parents.
I don't think I made a dent in Peter's father's attitude toward his son. At what point do we just accept a child where he is? Who am I to even ask that question? He's not my child, as much as I care for him. Our principal suggested to Peter's father that he look ahead a few years and seek placement for high school in a mainstream program for gifted students. I share the concern of many staff members that at the time when MD can become most debilitating, Peter will not have the support of professionals who understand the disability. He also won't have the support of his peer group of students who, like himself, have physical disabilities.
1. What are the particular multicultural aspects of this case? Which, if either, do you think created greater problems for Peter - his family's Korean identity or his family's religion?
2. What were the advantages and disadvantages of Peter attending a special school for students with physical disabilities?
3. Supposing you were Mrs. Darcy, what, if anything, would you have attempted that she did not in trying to address Peter's education, disability, culture, or family?
4. Supposing that you were Peter's teacher in a high school program in a regular school, what would be your primary concerns?