It is a sad turn of events
when an educator starts to lump our children into one category by making haphazard
statements that every child of a certain race, ethnic group, or physical or
mental disability cannot accomplish what other groups or communities can. This
educator is indiscriminately grouping all of our children together instead of
looking at their unique strengths and abilities.
Some of our students may not
have the exposure or rich experiences as some of their counterparts. It should
be our mission to give them exposure and rich experiences by weaving it into
our lessons. Make every day an interesting and exciting journey into ‘undiscovered’
topics. Pull out all the stops, grab their attention and take them on an
adventure! Reading alone is okay but bringing that book to life is better.
Our students, even those who
lack in exposure, are on different levels of learning. Figure out their
learning styles and deliver your information in a way that they can receive it.
We must meet them where they are, finding common ground, and taking them to where
they can stand on their own amongst their counterparts.
Do some of our students have
great deficits? Yes. With all of the focus on assessments is it hard to find
the time to give them what they need? Yes. Do we need to overcome those
challenges and find ways to make the most of every moment that our students
have with us? YES.
For those of you who may
have forgotten, ALL of our children CAN learn!!! Will you be the one to invest
time, energy, and your resources to ensure that it happens? Will you be the
one to choose to not focus on the deficits or behaviors but focus on the possibility?
I hope your response is a resounding YES.
