Everyday teachers and students struggle with different things. Teachers struggle to find the best way to meet the needs of their students. Students struggle to grasp new concepts. Without perseverance and hard work, no one would be successful. Take a look at the following famous people:
Thomas Edison
Beethoven
Albert Einstein
Ray Charles
Vincent Van Gogh
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Helen Keller
Now, take a minute to think about each of them with a disability. They each had one that may have interrupted their successful careers. Thomas Edison had a learning problem. Beethoven was deaf. Albert Einstein had a learning disability. Ray Charles was blind. Vincent Van Gogh was mentally ill. Franklin D. Roosevelt had polio and was paralyzed from the waist down. Helen Keller was deaf and blind. Did they let their disabilities interfere with their accomplishments? Absolutely not. Each one persevered through their situation and made the best of it to accomplish a positive outcome.
Teachers should always reflect on their teaching styles and never give up to meet the individual needs of their students. If we give up on our students now, then they will always give up on themselves. If something isn't working correctly, try, try again. If a student is not grasping multiplication with one strategy, provide them with a choice of other strategies to assist. It is imperative that teachers show students that perseverance and working a little harder is what will help everyone be successful.
Great post. I wonder if there is a better way to work with these types of students. We have case after case of success stories.
ReplyDeletethe point you make about reflecting on teaching styles is so important. The one thing I have learned that has helped me immensely in this area is that you must be open to the ideas/suggestions of others especially students. Sometimes students have great ideas of how to demonstrate information/knowledge in a new way that their peers are able to understand. We can not be too"proud" to brush their ideas aside but rather embrace what they have to say and the ideas they have-it will help build a relationship of open communication that every teacher wants with their students. They can learn a lot from us but we can also learn from them,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I think the really unique thing is that they all are different people and they handled their disability each there own personal way. I think the students that we have in these situations need that custom approach as well. I do not think there is a one size fits all model even for students with disabilities.
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