Cano 1

Jennifer Cano
Professor Batty
English 113A
10 May, 2016
Not All Brains are the Same: Equality in Schools
Not all brains are the same. Everyone has their own different way of thinking and
learning. Brains are unique and there is not one brain that we compare all the other brains too.
Since there are so many different types of brains why does society single out those who are not
neurotypical. When we start to categorize what is normal we start to push discrimination on
people who dont fit those standards. Society starts to turn and single them out. Kids and schools
are where most of the discrimination and bullying starts. Teachers and administrators need to
stop treating people with disabilities poorly in school and instead provide them with the proper
recourses they need; although I do understand that it can be quit expensive, we need to focus on
creating a better learning environment for kids with disabilities.
Brains are all unique and we can not compare one to another. It has been proven time and
time again that we do not all think, act, or learn the exact same way as everyone else. In the
article The Myth of the Normal Brain: embracing Neurodiversity by Thomas Armstrong states
Search as you might, there is no brain that has been pickled in a jar in the basement of the
Smithsonian Museum or the National Institute of Health or elsewhere in the world that represents
the standard to which all other human brains must be compared. This quote is just more
evidence to explain how there are so many different types of brains. We dont have one authentic
brain prototype that resembles what is a normal brain. Each brain has its own way of working.
Some brains are stronger with certain things than other brains are.

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Many people who suffer from a mental illness are not given the credit they deserve for
how well they understand certain things. Some brains can excel and be great in math or special
awareness while others have a hard time understanding them. This just shows that brains
function in many different ways. We need to keep in mind that there is not a normal brain they
are all just neurotypical. Knowing this information, we need to look into schools and see how
they are making these different types of brain strive.
The first change that needs to happen is the way teachers who educate young kids view
children. They must learn to not look at all the children the same because non of them (the
children) are exact clones of one another. Teachers need to do some training so they can
recognize a mental disorder. The Association for Childrens Mental Health states Mental health
problems are common and often develop during childhood and adolescence. Early detection and
intervention strategies work. They can help improve resilience and the ability to succeed in
school and life. What this quote is trying to say is the way teachers can make a difference in
children. Most mental illness can be detected by social interacts such as school and if a teacher
who works with young children has the ability to recognize the familiar traits that are associated
with a mental illness, then they have the power to reach out and give the education that the child
deserves. This means the teacher themselves can do the extra work in helping the child
understand or they can reach out to the school and have the child placed in a different class that
will better suit their needs. By doing this we give the child the chance to strive and exceed in
school. Now, of course achieving all this wont be easy.
I understand that it can be challenging for schools to provide all these recourses to those
in need. We can use most of the money that the schools are provided with for this change. Time
after time I always whiteness schools spending a lot of money in order to better improve the look

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of the school rather then funding recourses or teachers. A school cant strive by just having new
tables. They can only strive by putting the money where it actually matters, and that is in the
education for all the children. What we need to focus on is more about the child and less about
the money. If these children are not given the proper education they deserve they will learn less
than the other children, and doing so will cause them to have more issues when they grow older.
In the article Case management of young children with behaviour and mental health disorders in
schoo, written by Browne, Cashin, and Graham state When young children with behavior and
mental health disorders do not receive appropriate specialized support their problems can
escalate over time. This quote restates the point I made about getting the children help earlier
rather than when it is later and they have developed more problems.
Children can suffer a great amount without the proper recourses at school. The article
Children with Behavioral/Mental Health Disorders and School Mental Health Nurses in
Australia written by Browne, Cashin, and Graham, conducted a study on how children react
over time with the lack of recourses and how the school system is helping them. Once they saw
the outcome they said, When children with behavioral/mental health disorders do not receive
specialized support based on their problems and needs, their problems can escalate over time and
in adolescence their behavior may become more challenging, with increased aggression,
substance use, contact with the criminal justice system, and school failure with or without
dropout. This proof is not something that can be hidden. It is starting to be more and more
proven that when schools do not provide proper recourses to children in need it effects their
whole outcome in school and in life. The article decided the hire some nurses that were trained
and knew how to help children with mental illnesses. They discovered that the children who
received the help ended up doing so much better in their schoolwork and in socializing than

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those who did not get the resource. In the article it was stated Mental health nurses, working as
case managers, could be effective in the support of children with behavioral/mental health
disorders in schools. Mental health nurses, because of their professional education and clinical
practice, work not only with the individual child but also with family members. This quotes
supports the fact that children with mental illnesses need a support system and recourses for
them to achieve in school and better their social skills.
Discrimination is something that is a big issue when we talk about mental disabilities. Many
dont understand the way the person thinks or feels. When people dont know how to treat others
they turn to discrimination. Many kids are labeled with a type of stigma. Stigma is defined as a
set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something
(Merriam Webster). When kids are stigmatized it makes it easier for those who dont understand
to discriminate against them. Discrimination starts at a young age with a small problem then
increases and gets worse over time. It can start by a group of friends not letting a person with a
mental disability play because theyre weird. When the child gets older he will be faced with
harsh discrimination like not being able to sit in a restaurant because of the way they appear or
act. These are things that schools can prevent by spreading awareness in schools. If others
understand the way these unique individuals think then their actions wont seem weird to others.
Not only are they put down by other people, but they themselves may feel that they agree with
some things said. In the article Mental illness stigma: Concepts, consequences, and initiatives to
reduce stigma by Rusch, Angermeyer, and Corrigan state Persons with mental illness frequently
encounter public stigma and may suffer from self-stigma. This quote explains that those who
suffer from a mental disability can believe some negative comments said of them. Its not easy to
grow up different, and it makes it harder when youre constantly feeling different and not fitting

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in with the rest of the children. In the article Mental Health and Inequity: A Human Rights
Approach to Inequality, Discrimination, and Mental Disability by burns it states Mental
disability and mental health care have been neglected in the discourse around health, human
rights, and equality. This explains how people with mental disabilities are being effect in the
world around us. Its not easy living with a mental disability. For these many reasons schools
need to in cooperate recourses to help children. They can provide self esteem work shops or
therapist that children with disabilities have access too. This can really help children and make
them feel as if school is a second home to them.
At the end of the day children with mental disabilities need recourses at school so they are
given a chance to succeed. They need to be seen as equals so no more discrimination is put upon
them. Schools have the chance to better help children in need. Schools have to make a priority
list for where the money has to go, and the first thing on the list has to be students not new
tables. Children with disabilities need a lot more attention from the government relating to
school then they do now. We as a nation must come together and make positive things happen.
We must stand as one and realize that we need to provide children with the recourses they need
to succeed.

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Work Cited Page
Browne, Graeme, Andrew Cashin, and Iain Graham. "Case Management of Young Children with
Behaviour and Mental Health Disorders in School." Australasian Journal of Early
Childhood, 37.2 (2012): 49-55.
Browne, Graeme, Andrew Cashin, and Iain Graham. "Children with Behavioral/Mental Health
Disorders and School Mental Health Nurses in Australia." Journal of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 25.1 (2012): 17-24.
Burns, Jonathan Kenneth. "Mental Health and Inequity: A Human Rights Approach to Inequality,
Discrimination, and Mental Disability." Health and Human Rights, 11.2 (2009): 19-31.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
"Problems at School | Association for Children's Mental Health." ACMH.N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar.
2016.
Rsch, Nicolas, Matthias C Angermeyer, and Patrick W Corrigan. "Mental Illness Stigma:
Concepts, Consequences, and Initiatives to Reduce Stigma." European Psychiatry, 20.8
(2005): 529-539.