Take home lesson of the day
Went to a school for the Intellectually Disabled yesterday for an assignment.
Didn't expect much. Was supposed to just go there and do my research and get out of the place.
But boy, was I really amazed, challenged and inspired by what I saw and learnt about the school.
We were having a meeting with the Principal of the school in the conference room when suddenly this student barged in and just sat down and stared at us. Amazingly, the P didn't even create a ruckus and she started to explain that the pupil might have just wondered off and that the teacher will come looking for him very soon.
True enough, the teacher came in and apologised before bringing him back to their class.
She then told us that sometimes, the pupils in the school would just come into the conference room or the office, take off their shoes and then lie down on the carpeted floor and start to 'swim' on the floor.
What she would do then would be she would allow the pupil to carry on for awhile. She will then ask, 'Enough already?'. If the child wasn't satisfied yet, she would say, 'Ok,you continue.' Then after awhile later, she would ask again, 'Enough already?Can go back to class?'
She also told us that the pupils love to sit on her office chair and when she isn't around, they would just come in and sit on her swivel chair for a few minutes. Another would come into her office and because he didn't like messy-ness, he would clean off her notes on the whiteboard. While another girl would come into her room and flip her calendar to the month which had her favourite picture.
Later on, we went to the class for a lesson observation and I saw how the teacher catered to their individual differences because every child there wasn't just intellectually disabled but had other disabilities too, otherwise known as Multiple Disabilities. Thus it would be very difficult to diagnose them based on just one or two symptoms because of their multiple disablilities.
I really was pretty amazed at how the school was run and the system adopted by the P, the teachers and the whole school itself.
From one perspective, yah, it might seem to be really chaotic if they are allowed to behave as they wished but yet on the other hand, it really goes to show the understanding and tolerance on the part of the school.
That each child really is special and an individual in his or her own right. What really struck me was that each child had the liberty to be who he or she is, without having to conform and be 'just like the rest'.
Kinda inspired actually. Really.
When I start teaching in July, I wanna adopt the same kinda attitude, understanding and tolerance towards my children.
When I was teaching, I had many children who were just different from the rest and I expected them to conform and be like the others. I just couldn't understand why they couldn't be like the rest but had to give me extra problems etc.
But now I understand that when the child is allowed the space to be himself or herself, it's when the child will be happy and really grow.
I mean..yah..to a certain extent, because I am teaching in a mainstream school and because I have to answer to many people and follow the rules and regulations but yet, I am positive enough to believe that I can accept or at least, I can try to accept each child's peculiarities and allow them alittle space to be different.
That it is ok if they are not 'like the others' or if they cannot totally conform.
What's more important is that my kids will love learning, love school and love me??Just kidding.
No lah..what's more important is that they are able to grow and develop as individuals.
How sad it would be if every child has to be like everyone else.
I mean...we've been thru that. I've been thru dat. And seeing how much it has stifled our individuality...
I wanna break the mould.
Call me idealistic but yah...I am hopeful.
Didn't expect much. Was supposed to just go there and do my research and get out of the place.
But boy, was I really amazed, challenged and inspired by what I saw and learnt about the school.
We were having a meeting with the Principal of the school in the conference room when suddenly this student barged in and just sat down and stared at us. Amazingly, the P didn't even create a ruckus and she started to explain that the pupil might have just wondered off and that the teacher will come looking for him very soon.
True enough, the teacher came in and apologised before bringing him back to their class.
She then told us that sometimes, the pupils in the school would just come into the conference room or the office, take off their shoes and then lie down on the carpeted floor and start to 'swim' on the floor.
What she would do then would be she would allow the pupil to carry on for awhile. She will then ask, 'Enough already?'. If the child wasn't satisfied yet, she would say, 'Ok,you continue.' Then after awhile later, she would ask again, 'Enough already?Can go back to class?'
She also told us that the pupils love to sit on her office chair and when she isn't around, they would just come in and sit on her swivel chair for a few minutes. Another would come into her office and because he didn't like messy-ness, he would clean off her notes on the whiteboard. While another girl would come into her room and flip her calendar to the month which had her favourite picture.
Later on, we went to the class for a lesson observation and I saw how the teacher catered to their individual differences because every child there wasn't just intellectually disabled but had other disabilities too, otherwise known as Multiple Disabilities. Thus it would be very difficult to diagnose them based on just one or two symptoms because of their multiple disablilities.
I really was pretty amazed at how the school was run and the system adopted by the P, the teachers and the whole school itself.
From one perspective, yah, it might seem to be really chaotic if they are allowed to behave as they wished but yet on the other hand, it really goes to show the understanding and tolerance on the part of the school.
That each child really is special and an individual in his or her own right. What really struck me was that each child had the liberty to be who he or she is, without having to conform and be 'just like the rest'.
Kinda inspired actually. Really.
When I start teaching in July, I wanna adopt the same kinda attitude, understanding and tolerance towards my children.
When I was teaching, I had many children who were just different from the rest and I expected them to conform and be like the others. I just couldn't understand why they couldn't be like the rest but had to give me extra problems etc.
But now I understand that when the child is allowed the space to be himself or herself, it's when the child will be happy and really grow.
I mean..yah..to a certain extent, because I am teaching in a mainstream school and because I have to answer to many people and follow the rules and regulations but yet, I am positive enough to believe that I can accept or at least, I can try to accept each child's peculiarities and allow them alittle space to be different.
That it is ok if they are not 'like the others' or if they cannot totally conform.
What's more important is that my kids will love learning, love school and love me??Just kidding.
No lah..what's more important is that they are able to grow and develop as individuals.
How sad it would be if every child has to be like everyone else.
I mean...we've been thru that. I've been thru dat. And seeing how much it has stifled our individuality...
I wanna break the mould.
Call me idealistic but yah...I am hopeful.