Beyond the "dead-end"

I'm not sure if you will agree with my belief that the greatest satisfaction of a teacher is not the success of a student who is academically-exceptional but the victory of a student who has achieved his/her learning goals after struggling really hard. I believe this because I think that,as teachers, we are not there for those who know but for those who don't know. And, if we are able to make those who don't know, know; then we have fulfilled our purpose.

One thing for sure, in your years of experience as teachers, you must have encountered a student or two who really find it difficult to catch up with your class requirements. Since you are a responsible teacher, you must have really worked hard to help that child. But, there comes a point of saturation--a point where a teacher might think that all his/her efforts to help the child are in vain. Or, worse, he/she might find being caught on a dead-end, asking, "What am I supposed to do?" or, worst, "Why aren't you getting it?"

Believe me, being a young blood in teaching, I have so much experience of "dead-ends" and asking these questions.Fortunately, I've come to realize that answers are readily available. The only thing I had to do is ask. Maybe not others, but myself. I had to ask myself and recognize that I don't know. Then, only that I will try to find. Should I have not asked, I would have not found. This made me realize how self-reflection is imperative.

So, going back to your child who seem to not respond to your teaching, we have to remind ourselves that students--although they learn in groups (that's how education is designed for centuries since its formalization)--are individually different. There is no one-size-fits-all approach (although, going down the lane of the history, this is what education has been dying to achieve). They have individual needs such that, at some point, we must flex our teaching so that students will learn. Sometimes, we are so much engrossed with the output that we forget the process. Sometimes, we are so overwhelmed with similarities that we fail to appreciate and celebrate, or at least manage, diversity. The "how" and "why" of these principle are so extensive and multi-faceted that they cannot be contained in a single discussion.

I am, nonetheless, linking you across a presentation by Dr. Stephen Shore (a doctor of education who, himself, is a person living with autism) delivered during a conference I attended in Dubai. It is about promoting students with special needs in the classroom. It discusses the 9 Educational Domains--nine different ways--on how we can tackle students with learning difficulties.

To access the presentation, click here.

As it has did to me, I hope the presentation also gives you valuable insights on how to move beyond the dead-end over a student with known difficulties in class. Ultimately, may the insights bring all of us towards a celebration of our students' individual differences and diversity and make these realities, a friend rather than a foe.