I step into the room at 6 a.m. Empty. I stand in front of the room, a space waiting to be filled. A blank slate soon to be filled with tables, chairs, manuals, recording equipment and of course, a full breakfast buffet.
But it is the expectations of the newbies; the teachers in training with hearts and minds waiting to be "educated" that are the most exciting. I envision the empty space being filled with eyes that are seeking solutions, ears that are open to listening and minds that are waiting to soak up ideas and underlying principles of Special Education.
The most important thing for me as the education specialist is to lay a foundation of understanding the complexity of kiddos with special needs. Despite their challenges each child is a unique individual with thoughts, feelings, a physical body, and a life history filled with experiences. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. Challenges with social skills, behavior, communication, regulation of emotions and other disabilities can blind us to the positive attributes of atypical kids. It is of utmost importance to see beyond the challenges and accentuate the positive of each child.
How a child learns, and how information is processed is just one aspect that needs to be considered. The physical learning space of the classroom; how it is organized and designed is a necessary consideration for optimum learning. A child -centered room has multiple evidence of each child's strengths, successes, and interests. Such a room should be filled with visual evidence of progress. Rooms should also showcase materials that are age appropriate and that are based on students' interest.
Classrooms should be rich with rewards that motivate learning. A rewards rich classroom helps insure student success. It speaks of high rewards for student success. There is so much more to know, to explore and to understand. But for now, at 6 am. ,standing in an empty classroom. I am filled with excitement and expectations of what is about to take place.
All rights belong to its author. It was published on e-Stories.org by demand of Joseph Trance.
Published on e-Stories.org on 06/15/2022.
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