Working as an educator in both the Primary and ECCE schools over the years, I have seen many instances where an unhelpful attitude has caused problems.  One such instance is that of a teacher not wanting a child in her class because he had a speech disorder and stuttered badly.  The teacher would ask him questions and not have the patience to wait for him to answer, sometimes dismissing him with a snide remark.  This caused the child to withdraw into himself and therefore he participated less in class.  The teacher just moved on with the others in the class as if he was not important.  When she asked if he can be moved to my class I accepted him and began to work with him giving him extra attention by keeping him close to me, which allowed me to talk to him a lot and also gain his trust.  After some time there was a marked improvement in his participation and performance in class.  As his confidence grew I found that the spoke more and with less stuttering.