Just some random thoughts... While I am in Hawaii, getting ready to go back to work on my log home, and trying to stay active, I substitute teach at my son's old high school. I basically like to teach math but some times I get called to teach Special Ed (it may be because I have two degrees if psychology, but that's another story). I spent 7 hours in a class where the best student reads at a third grade level. The big math lesson was telling time using a analog clock. I gave a test and two of the three students that needed help to get any of them right. The best student got a reward of doing a subtraction problem work sheet... He added the first column and then did the subtraction correctly on the other columns. We went over the number line for about 10 minutes and he finally figured it out... Our job was to be with and watch each of these kids every minute (even during lunch and recess) until their custody is transferred to their parents or the bus driver. They can learn but it is very slow... extremely slow.
I count my blessing. I am also getting anxious to get back to work...