Special Needs

I think when it comes to special needs and teaching kids with special needs requires one very important thing, patience. I've met many of these kids, and they really are such wonderful,intelligent lovable kids. They just require extra attention and care. I've been doing research on ADHD and I've found many interesting things about it. My brother hasn't been diagnosed with this but it's become more obvious lately. Ever since he was very little, 4-5 years old, he wouldn't understand simple instructions. I would send him to get me the broom and he would bring a brush. He was always fidgeting mad moving constantly. He gets angry fast, always has. Lately he hasn't been turning his homework in, even when he does it. I've seen him work on his homework but still he gets a 0 for it. That's why I was especially interested in learning more about this. I was going to do it anyway but having it as a project really gave the push I needed to investigate. I have a special needs student at the daycare. I'm not sure what disability he has but he is only 5 years old. He doesn't really speak so he tends to cry a lot in order to receive attention or out of frustration for not being understood. He loves to dance and plays with others. In the right environment, these special needs kids will get along. At the daycare everybody loves and understands this kid. They play with him and constantly want to hug him. The teacher has explained to the class how this little boy is special and how to treat him. She mentioned how he's different but he's our friend and we must treat him like one. I believe that as a teacher, having special needs students in the classroom is challenging but a great learning experience and it isn't as bad as you would think. As a future educator, I wish to always involve all students into the classroom with/without a disability. I believe that in order to do this, I must create that sort of environment. Be clear with how I teach and the instructions I give, and keep in mind that they need extra time and help. The key is effort, with it, you can do almost anything.

Creativity

Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas. I think creativity matters in Education because without it, students aren't intrigued into what you are trying to teach them. They will not be interested. I've had many teachers and each one with their way of seeing things. Just like students, each teacher is different. I remember back in 7th grade, we had to use rubber bands and some needles to form a shape, our teacher gave us the instructions, we weren't allowed to choose what we wanted it to be, it had to be either an octagon or a square. We had to paint it black and gold because those were our school colors. Everything was limited. Some of my classmates did something else with the project some formed it into a bulldog since that was our mascot and painted it all kinds of different colors. Those students who were exploring their creativity ended up getting a zero because "That wasn't the assignment". After they received a zero, no one dared try creativity. Everyone stuck to the assignment and it turned out to be annoying and boring to accomplish it. Everybody's project looked exactly the same. But according to our teacher, she had been doing this for years and it was always a success. Point is, education without creativity is boring. Despite having that class for two years, I had English teacher who made us write a research paper and he said that we could add anything we wanted as long as we had back up to our statements. He let us draw out our writing and even perform it. Which means standing up and presenting it but in a enthusiastic dramatic form. I loved that class because nothing stopped me. I grew a passion for Reading and writing. Because I had explored the area with every part of my mind, it made me love it instead of hate it. The problems discussed by Sir Ken Robinson, need to be resolved through the teachers. He mentions how that relationship between a teacher and a learner should always exist. That is the top priority. Only use materials and technology and everything else available at school, if it will help the teacher teach and develop a lesson appropriate enough for the student. It starts there. There are so many things we, as future educators need to keep in mind, but one of them would be to never forget the importance of creativity. The way we felt in school when creativity wasn't an option.