Too often I see teachers focus on what students with disabilities can't do versus what they can do. I also see teachers getting annoyed over little things that shouldn't be upsetting about the students. I was talking to a co-worker the other day and he noticed how much one of my students draws. He draws from the moment he comes to school to when the last bell rings. My co-worker said that we should show the art teacher his drawings and how he wishes they would incorporate more of what they like in the classroom. This is exactly what I would like to do once I become a teacher. I think teachers are so focused that a student can't read, write, or do math that they forget they still have other talents. I have students who are amazing at art, love cars, or have other special interests. It is still important students learn what they do not know; however, if teachers helped these students improve their talents they could become amazing at something they enjoy. I believe it is just as important to master these students talents as it is to help them with what they struggle in. This could make these students so successful in the future.
Unfortunately, the co-workers I usually work with are not as optimistic as I am. One day my student was really excited about some paper characters he created and while we were outside he was hiding them in trees, then would run up to me and say "Where is it? Catch!" and he would point to the trees. Usually this student is very quiet and keeps to himself. I was playing with him and just as excited because I saw another side of him. He seemed so happy in the moment, but usually he is alone. I loved that he was showing interest in something and interacting with me. I went up to my co-worker and said "I've never seen Leo so hyper". He replied "Me neither. I'm not sure I like it". This seemed so rude to me. I know that these students can be difficult at times, but Leo was doing absolutely nothing wrong. We were on a break and he was just having fun. I do not know why my co-worker felt this way. I have never had an issue with my students getting excited and enjoying themselves.
I will admit that these students can be difficult to teach at times. There was a day where I was helping my student who has Down syndrome and is severely dyslexic do math. This student likes to mess around a lot and can take it too far at times. My co-workers are always saying negative things about him. I love this student. My co-workers seem to not understand that these kids do not always know right from wrong. Maybe because I have personal experience with not understanding everything I have more patience. I don't really know the reasoning. When I was helping him with math though, he kept taking the white board marker from me and wanted to draw. Every once in a while I got him back on track, but he flipped around all the numbers and had trouble counting. It was definitely not easy, but I knew he could do it. Perhaps if teachers were more patient or understanding they would not say so many mean things about these students.
Everything I have said so far may seem repetitive or pointless, but there is a point. All of this is just a couple days of being in my classroom. Imagine how these students would feel if they overheard any of this. I am sure they do overhear my co-workers sometimes and this is a regular occurrence. That is a whole year of hearing that you aren't good enough. Teachers think these kids don't understand what is going on because they have a disability, but that is not true. They have to live with the fact that they are different or slower than the average person every day. They definitely don't want to hear it from someone they see every day. I know I wouldn't. I always knew I was slower academically in school, especially having a really smart sister, but if I got reminded every day I would feel so much worse about myself. Even if I just overheard my teachers saying it about me I would feel bad about myself. Anyone who is teaching someone with a disability needs to be more cautious about what they say. My student, Sam has a bipolar disorder. One day this week he was hiding behind the recycling bin under the sink because the teacher upset him. I do not remember her words, but they caused him to want to hide. Another day, Jasmine, my other student called him stupid. He got very angry. He told my co-worker and my co-worker accused him of lying because Jasmine is quiet. Later, Jasmine started crying and I took her outside to talk. She told me she felt bad for calling Sam stupid. She apologized to him and Sam calmed down, but my co-worker should not have accused him of lying. What bothered me even more was the fact that he pretended he did nothing wrong. He didn't apologize or anything. While this student was upset, he kept calling himself "stupid Sam," because he really felt like he was. I think some of these students act out because of depression; not because they want to be difficult. Another one of my students has a short temper, but often is frustrated because he cannot read or write. I remember one time, when I was new to this job he told me he couldn't finish his work because he was "too slow" and he kept telling me he just can't do it. There have been several occurrences since then where he asks me for help with his work and I sit next to him and he does it all by himself. It's like he just needs the reassurance that he can do it. A lot of these kids think they are stupid or slow, when really they just need a lot more reassurance than the average person. I think if teachers were able to put themselves in the shoes of someone with a disability it would make more sense to them. I know teachers are trying their best and not all teachers are like this. Some teachers are so inspirational, but a lot of teachers have to learn to accept that even if it is not easy, you have to be patient. It means the world to these kids when they get compliments. Reassurance is such an important thing in anyone with a disability. They have so much built up anger in them as it is because they are different. Let them know that they are worth more.
The last thing I want to point out is that it is hard for anyone with autism to snap back into reality. I don't know if this is true for all disabilities, but I am sure for some it could be. I have students that will draw all day and be in their own little world. One student draws pictures all day and creates his own stories. Another one of my students repeats phrases he has heard on TV or in movies all day. I think this is partly a way to escape reality, but sometimes it is just very difficult to snap back into reality and there is no explanation. I believe a part of this could be because reality is just hard to live in. Even I try to pretend nothing is real sometimes to make myself less overwhelmed. I think the fear of hearing the truth keeps us locked in our safe place. We pretend we don't know what is going on, so we don't have to face it. It is important that teachers take this into consideration. It may seem like students are constantly ignoring you, but they might just be in their own world at the moment. Sometimes they just need some time to process what is actually going on around them. I think when some students are forced to focus on something right away they react angrily because they were happy in their fantasy world and in their mind you took it away. They don't want to face real life. I don't expect anyone to just let the student ignore directions all day, but maybe giving them just a couple minutes could benefit students. A lot of the time all these students want is someone to understand them and accept them. Patience and understanding are probably the two most important things when working with someone with a disability.
Reminder: All the names I use are fake for safety reasons.
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