In today's society there are several meaningful occupations. The single most important job in this nation is an educator. Elementary and high school teachers build the foundation for this country's future, by the way they teach the fundamentals to their students. The area of education that interests me the most is special education. Special education has many different specialties, the one area that interest me the most is the field of learning disabilities. In this branch of special education a teacher must be able to recognize, advise, and help the student compensate with their problem.
             There is not a single definition used by doctors to describe learning disabilities, but these three objectives are usually found in most definitions. "First, there must be a significant disparity between the abilities that the student does well and those that he/she does poorly. Second, this observed disparity must somehow be caused by a disturbance involving some basic psychological process. Finally, the problem can not be caused directly by such conditions as mental retardation, blindness, or deprivation"(Goodman 31). When learning disabilities were first acknowledged, the students were treated like animals. For example they were caged, beaten, and tortured beyond belief. Sarah Lucas, a retired schoolteacher, said that the mentality of understanding learning disabilities has changed significantly over the past thirty years. Today, students with learning disabilities are still treated in different ways than other students, however, these special techniques are very pos!
             itive to the students. For instance, smaller classrooms, more one on one situation, tutoring sessions, audio classes, and personal note takers assist the student to progress through their education. "In actuality, about twenty-two percent of the schools population are learning disturbed, while about two percent to four percent are learning d...