The Word

The word was too small for your child.

For generations, schools used a few words to describe children who did not fit. Those words described what school could see. Not how the child thinks.

A learner pauses thoughtfully while working at home

01 / The label

Reports need shorthand. Children do not live in shorthand.

The word was rarely a lie, and that is the point. It described what school could see.

Not how the child thinks.

What the word leaves out

A word can describe a moment. It cannot contain a child.

01

Distracted.

was too small a word.

02

Below average.

measured one setting, not the whole child.

03

Does not apply themselves.

was not the whole story.

02 / A better question

Put in the word the school gave your child.

We will help you ask what it might be missing. This does not rewrite the report or diagnose the child. It gives the next conversation a better place to start.

Paste a phrase from a school report, a teacher's email, or a parent meeting.

Words you might see on a report

One child. More than one word.

The word was too small for your child.

Talk to us about the school built around the child behind it.