An embarrassed Kiran showed me his English test paper on which he had scored poorly. A quick glance revealed that the fifth grader from a reputed school in Bengaluru had to work on a number of aspects of grammar and spelling. What struck me most about his paper was that it was replete with negative remarks and cross marks. On several subtests, the child had scored full marks, but the teacher had not written a single ‘Good’ on his paper. A unidimensional focus on what a child has done wrong without acknowledging what he has got right can indeed be demotivating. Continue reading “Praiseworthy”
Parent-Teacher Communication
It is not uncommon to find parents seeking special education services for their child while leaving the school and teachers in the dark about it. Very often, a fear that their child may be deemed unfit to study in a regular school, prevents parents from opening up to teachers. While some teachers are not aware of the types of learning difficulties, most teachers have some degree of awareness. However, they should also be open to helping children with learning differences by exhibiting some flexibility in their expectations. Continue reading “Parent-Teacher Communication”
Patience
“Have a little patience…,” crooned the singer through the car radio as I navigated Bangalore’s traffic. While I may not have patience waiting in a traffic jam, my job requires heaps of it. In fact, when I inform people of my profession upon meeting them for the first time, I most often receive the response, “Oh you must be a patient person!” Working as a special educator with children who have learning difficulties, I have come to realise patience is a quality that changes and grows with time. Patience is not just about staying calm when a child repeatedly makes the same mistake or takes time to learn a skill. So what is this special type of patience that I am talking about? Continue reading “Patience”
The Learning Chapter 