When I was little, I liked puzzles (still do). I remember that the puzzles pieces would get lost with my doll's dresses, my hairbands, and daddy's cassettes. Where would these items escape to, till this day, remains a mystery. However, once those things were lost, I would abandon my puzzle set and move on to the next, new puzzle set until one or two pieces would get lost.
On Friday after school, my cooperative special ed. teacher described teaching special ed as "finding the lost puzzle piece that fits in the big puzzle." Many of our kids have potential, but something in the curriculum or instruction does not fit and is incomplete; hence, our students struggle in succeeding like the rest of the class.
It is not the child that misfits or that is broken, it is the system/ the instruction/ the material.
Little George is not the broken one, it is the environment, the lack of routine, the lack of visuals, the lack of collaboration. Little Erica is not the broken one, it is the above-her-level readings and math worksheets that discourage her from even wanting to learn.
(Clarification: we are all broken and in need of Jesus, but what I mean here is that society usually sees the disability in children like my students first and not the person that they are created to be. My kids are so beautiful and special. . . I know Jesus definitely thinks so (Psalm 139 my friends). )
So, my job as a teacher is not to walk away from the missing piece like I did when a small child, but create one so that the puzzle is complete. So that the puzzle no longer is a puzzle. This past week was my last week in the special education placement, and I believe I have come a long way from the beginning of my placement. Sadly but excitingly, I now move on to another puzzle to put together in first grade.
On Friday after school, my cooperative special ed. teacher described teaching special ed as "finding the lost puzzle piece that fits in the big puzzle." Many of our kids have potential, but something in the curriculum or instruction does not fit and is incomplete; hence, our students struggle in succeeding like the rest of the class.
It is not the child that misfits or that is broken, it is the system/ the instruction/ the material.
Little George is not the broken one, it is the environment, the lack of routine, the lack of visuals, the lack of collaboration. Little Erica is not the broken one, it is the above-her-level readings and math worksheets that discourage her from even wanting to learn.
(Clarification: we are all broken and in need of Jesus, but what I mean here is that society usually sees the disability in children like my students first and not the person that they are created to be. My kids are so beautiful and special. . . I know Jesus definitely thinks so (Psalm 139 my friends). )
So, my job as a teacher is not to walk away from the missing piece like I did when a small child, but create one so that the puzzle is complete. So that the puzzle no longer is a puzzle. This past week was my last week in the special education placement, and I believe I have come a long way from the beginning of my placement. Sadly but excitingly, I now move on to another puzzle to put together in first grade.
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