The Unteachables

At Greenwich Middle School, being different is punished rather than celebrated, and the administration herds nonstandard learners into special education to make things easier rather than to do what’s right by them. Room 117 is where Greenwich sends “problem” eighth graders until they can move on to high school and be a new administration’s problem. Room 117 is a catchall for any student deemed disruptive. The kids in room 117 could learn well with a little extra attention, but rather than put in effort toward helping them, the school shoves them aside and calls them “Unteachables.” The administration also uses room 117 as punishment for teachers, assigning the class to those whom it would rather push out of the school altogether.

Aldo’s anger management struggles get him labeled as trouble. Rather than try to reach him, the school denies him an education because he disrupts classes. Parker’s dyslexia makes it difficult for him to read and, thus, learn at the same speed as other students. Though methods for working through dyslexia exist, no one ever took the time to find one for him; instead, and he simply shunted into room 117. Other students in room 117 seem to have been dumped there because of their outward appearance or mannerisms: Barnstorm’s injury makes him seem lazy rather than an athlete skating by, Rahim’s exhaustion is attributed to bad attitude rather than instability at home, and Elaine has a reputation for violence only because she looks imposing. Finally, there is no discernible reason for Mateo to be in room 117 at all—he’s just a little a little too quirky for Greenwich’s tastes.

Teachers suffer similarly. Though Mr. Kermit was once an amazing teacher, he gave up after being blamed for the cheating scandal. Now, Dr. Thaddeus sees Mr. Kermit a disruption to the normal running of the institution, refusing to acknowledge Mr. Kermit’s positive influence on the kids in room 117 and instead choosing instead to believe Mr. Kermit is still dead weight. In this way, room 117 is like a trash dump—once garbage goes there, no one wants it to come back.