This week, I have been thinking a about a discussion I had in a small group about motivation. I can't remember who started it, but basically the question had to do with helping students with disabilities to stay motivated in school. The main thread of the discussion had to do with success. When students with disabilities ( particularly learning disabilities) experience repeated failure, it can be incredibly difficult to undo the emotional and psychological damage caused by these failures. The result is that the student will slowly disengage in school, believing that he or she is incapable of succeeding. A long time ago, I remember reading in some psyche text book that it takes approximately 10 positive comments made to cancel out one negative one. As humans, we are incredibly capable of criticising ourselves, and slow to believe the best about us.
How is this impacting my thinking about the classroom, you may ask? Students with disabilities (or even just average-low) students can experience a lot of failure in school. While I try as much a possible to adapt and modify, (when needed), my assignment for my students, I have often had a mindset when assessing their work, that they should be compared with the class. In a way, I think I have been mentally marking on a curve, ie. comparing what they have done with the rest of the class. I realize now that this is completely ineffective and unfair! If a child on an adapted or modified program has done what I have asked (fully) than they should be assessed as having fully met the standards of the assignment. I should not feel 'guilty' about giving them an "A" on a project, if they have clearly met the criteria, although it is not the same as the rest of the class. This mindset shift is going to help me with making sure that my students with disabilities experience success. I believe that God does not treat each of us the same. He has given each of us particular gifts and talents. It is not fair for me to compare the work of students that have a different number of gifts and talents in the same way.
Another thought that has been ruminating in my mind this week has to do with setting expectations for my students with special needs. Over the past four years in teaching in a middle school, a number of people, particularly my Special Educational Coordinator and a number of SEAs have commented that I consistently have very high expectations for my students, as well as students with special needs. I believe that this is a strength that I have in teaching, but I also believe that it also can be a fault. While I have seen significant growth in many students with special needs, over the years, I have also seen that these high expectations sometimes cause anxiety and stress in my students. For example, this year, I had a student in my class diagnosed with ASD. He also was a very anxious boy. By the end of the year, he was so paralysed with fear and anxiety, that he was almost incapable of doing anything on his own, or even making any decisions. While I spent many nights beating myself up over this situation, and praying a whole lot, I also can't place all the blame on myself for his anxiety. There were a number of different factors that contributed to his anxiety, but high scholastic expectations was probably part of it. The interesting thing was that he was an incredibly bright and creative boy- one of the top learners in my class.
This situation and others have made me realize that I haven't yet fully found the balance yet. I need to create an environment that challenges my students both academically, spiritually and physically, but is also relaxing, free from fear of criticism, positive and accepting. I often find it very difficult to know how hard and how far to "push" my students with special needs. My experience tells me that very often they are capable of far more than you would expect, but sometimes asking that of students has unintended side effects. I know that there is no magic formula. Each student is different, and it requires that I get to know each of my students individually to be able to sense where this line is. So, I guess what I am saying in all of this rambling is that I need to pray regularly that the Lord would assist me in this with my class each year. I need his wisdom to know and challenge appropriately, each of my students.
Sounds like you are a great teacher. I, too, have been accused of having high expectations for my students, but I find that it usually works. Maybe for your grading concern you could identify the "focus correction areas" for the assignment. Tell the students that those are the things you will be grading. That way, you don't have to feel guilty giving an A to the child that meets the expectations you lay out for him. It also might help the child with anxiety because he can feel some control over exactly what will be graded. Just a thought (and maybe even something you have already tried).
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