Making a Difference in the Life of a Child
The process of helping a child with a disability overcome his or her own barriers to learning is often like piecing together a quilt. There are many pieces and many potential patterns that may be used to create a quilt. Each piece of fabric is positioned then stitched to create a quilt square. Piece by piece, stitch by stitch, the quilt becomes bigger and the pattern becomes clear.
With patience and creativity, teachers discover just which "pieces" fit best for individual students. As the "quilt" of a child's educational experiences grows larger, the student gains confidence and continues to build on previous learning. The following story offers an example of how little steps and persistence created a pattern of success for one child.
"THE DIFFFERENCE IN THE LIFE Of A CHILD"
Two teachers in a Tri-County district have done something remarkable in a little over one year.
A student in this district has not spoken at school since preschool. In addition, he has not spoken to more than 10 people in his entire family, including one set of grandparents.
For many years accommodations were made, such as him reading in front of a video camera at home so the teacher could see that he was able to read.
Not only were there academic issues surrounding his inability to talk in class, but there were safety issues as well. One year he seriously hurt himself on the playground, but did not tell anyone about it.
His fourth grade teacher decided that for this child to be successful in the world, we could no longer enable this behavior and we needed to work together in order to help him function normally within the classroom and the world.
A step-by-step plan was developed. He read into a tape recorder with no one else in the room for a while, then his teacher listened to him read into the tape recorder in the room, then he read to his teacher without the tape recorder.
His teacher continued working with him the following year, even though she was not responsible for him, but knowing that the transition period to a new teacher would be hard.
Eventually his new teacher came into the room with them and the student would read in front of the teacher as well. The original teacher was phased out and his new teacher continued with the plan.
The student read to only his new teacher for a while, then a student from the classroom was brought in. Other students were added, one by one, until there was a group of eight children. The student would read in front of all of them and answer questions.
The group was moved to a different location and then eventually moved up to the back of the classroom. The student transitioned well in all tasks because of the care that these two teachers took in setting up the plan.
The student began partner reads in the classroom and answered open ended questions with his teacher when students were not around.
By the end of the year, this student was reading orally in front of the class, answering open-ended questions in front of the class, and stood at the front of the room and read a short paragraph out loud.
At the awards assembly at the end of the year, he was one of four students that stood together and recited the Preamble of the Constitution in front of the entire school, as well as parents, grandparents and other community members present for the assembly. It was an amazing day.
He now talks to service workers, he orders his own food, answers questions at the dentist's office, and has recently had a friend spend the night for the first time . His grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins have heard his voice for the first time!
These two teachers have had a life-long impact on this student, and we are all proud to work in an organization that can affect children in such a positive way.
Their dedication and determination to do whatever it took, no matter how non-traditional it was, to ensure that the student could function in the classroom as well as his life, is phenomenal.
His life will be changed forever as a result of their actions.
Submitted by a Tri-County School Psychologist
The process of helping a child with a disability overcome his or her own barriers to learning is often like piecing together a quilt. There are many pieces and many potential patterns that may be used to create a quilt. Each piece of fabric is positioned then stitched to create a quilt square. Piece by piece, stitch by stitch, the quilt becomes bigger and the pattern becomes clear.
With patience and creativity, teachers discover just which "pieces" fit best for individual students. As the "quilt" of a child's educational experiences grows larger, the student gains confidence and continues to build on previous learning. The following story offers an example of how little steps and persistence created a pattern of success for one child.
"THE DIFFFERENCE IN THE LIFE Of A CHILD"
Two teachers in a Tri-County district have done something remarkable in a little over one year.
A student in this district has not spoken at school since preschool. In addition, he has not spoken to more than 10 people in his entire family, including one set of grandparents.
For many years accommodations were made, such as him reading in front of a video camera at home so the teacher could see that he was able to read.
Not only were there academic issues surrounding his inability to talk in class, but there were safety issues as well. One year he seriously hurt himself on the playground, but did not tell anyone about it.
His fourth grade teacher decided that for this child to be successful in the world, we could no longer enable this behavior and we needed to work together in order to help him function normally within the classroom and the world.
A step-by-step plan was developed. He read into a tape recorder with no one else in the room for a while, then his teacher listened to him read into the tape recorder in the room, then he read to his teacher without the tape recorder.
His teacher continued working with him the following year, even though she was not responsible for him, but knowing that the transition period to a new teacher would be hard.
Eventually his new teacher came into the room with them and the student would read in front of the teacher as well. The original teacher was phased out and his new teacher continued with the plan.
The student read to only his new teacher for a while, then a student from the classroom was brought in. Other students were added, one by one, until there was a group of eight children. The student would read in front of all of them and answer questions.
The group was moved to a different location and then eventually moved up to the back of the classroom. The student transitioned well in all tasks because of the care that these two teachers took in setting up the plan.
The student began partner reads in the classroom and answered open ended questions with his teacher when students were not around.
By the end of the year, this student was reading orally in front of the class, answering open-ended questions in front of the class, and stood at the front of the room and read a short paragraph out loud.
At the awards assembly at the end of the year, he was one of four students that stood together and recited the Preamble of the Constitution in front of the entire school, as well as parents, grandparents and other community members present for the assembly. It was an amazing day.
He now talks to service workers, he orders his own food, answers questions at the dentist's office, and has recently had a friend spend the night for the first time . His grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins have heard his voice for the first time!
These two teachers have had a life-long impact on this student, and we are all proud to work in an organization that can affect children in such a positive way.
Their dedication and determination to do whatever it took, no matter how non-traditional it was, to ensure that the student could function in the classroom as well as his life, is phenomenal.
His life will be changed forever as a result of their actions.
Submitted by a Tri-County School Psychologist