TEACHERS INCREASE THEIR STUDENTS' DISCOURAGEMENT AND CONFUSION BY IGNORING THEIR PERSONAL GROWTH AND BY NOT RELATING SCHOOL SITUATIONS TO LIFE PROBLEMS. FOR SLOW LEARNERS, THIS MAY LEAD TO FAILURE, FRUSTRATION, AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. IF THE TEACHER IS TO HELP SLOW LEARNERS, HE MUST BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEM, KNOW WHAT THEY EXPECT FROM EDUCATION, AND PERCEIVE WHAT THEY HOPE TO BECOME. ONLY DAY-TO-DAY CONTACT IN ONE-TO-ONE RELATIONSHIPS WILL PERMIT THEIR TRUE ABILITIES TO BE RECOGNIZED. THE TEACHER MUST UNDERSTAND THE ATTITUDES AND PREJUDICES OF EACH PUPIL IN REGARD TO HIMSELF, HIS CLASSMATES, AND THE SCHOOL IN GENERAL. THE FACTOR CONTROLLING THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE SLOW LEARNER, HOWEVER, IS THE TEACHER'S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE STUDENT. AS THE TEACHER BECOMES MORE THE HELPER AND THE FRIEND, THE STUDENT BECOMES MORE CONFIDENT AND REVEALS MORE POTENTIAL, THUS INCREASING THE TEACHER'S ENTHUSIASM AND INSIGHT. FOR THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER, THE BASIC SKILLS OF COMMUNICATION ARE ONLY PART OF HER CONCERN. SHE MUST ALSO IMPART ATTITUDES AND DISPOSITIONS. AS SLOW LEARNERS PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR THEIR PLACES IN ADULT SOCIETY, THE BEST FOUNDATION IS A COURSE IN LANGUAGE ARTS GEARED TO THE NEEDS OF EACH SPECIFIC GROUP AND DEVELOPED IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING. (THIS SPEECH WAS PRESENTED AT THE 1967 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION.) (MM)