Special Needs

Just completed the first module of my training in special needs at NIE which lasted 3 days. The entire course will stretch till next year, and if I do well enough, I'll be certified as one of the 20% of secondary school teachers in the nation who are qualified to assist in student cases requiring special attention.

I didn't volunteer for this training -- just received an email telling me I'd been nominated by the school management and I'll just have to sign up for it within the next 24 hours (yeah... this happens a lot...) -- but I was quite open to attending it cos the topic's something I'm interested in. Learning/ behavioural disorders, disabilities... basically I need to learn how to manage and assist students with special needs, whether these needs stem from a diagnosed medical condition or simply surface for whatever unknown reason.

But I'm so glad I learned more than just this. I had the chance to listen to heartfelt sharing by children facing challenges because of certain disorders or conditions, their parents, certain school key personnel, and many lecturers and tutors who come equipped not just with knowledge and skills, but also both humorous and heartwrenching anecdotes from past experiences with such cases. I never knew that there are so many cases of students who are labelled failures at school simply because they do not succeed academically when the truth is that there is an underlying condition that prevents them from doing well. Some parents refuse to accept the notion that their child could be showing signs of a particular syndrome. Some others fear the social stigma that could be attached to their child once he is diagnosed with a certain condition. Many do not even pay enough attention to their child to realise that something is not quite right.

So many challenges. Parents. School system. Teachers. Society. Everyone has to start caring about these children. They might not do well at studies, but they could be blessed with other talents. Why shouldn't they have an equal chance to succeed at life instead of being marked down as 'abnormal'? Who's to even define them as 'abnormal'? Nobody's perfect. There're people who are short-sighted. People who are hot-tempered. People who are snobbish. People who are careless. People who are bad at directions. Don't these people show weaknesses in certain areas? Aren't we all lacking in some ways? What makes these children with 'special needs' less human than us?

Okay okay... *take a deep breath* Starting to get too overwhelmed with emotions. Not gonna ramble on. Will let this video sum up my thoughts: