A Movie to Remember in the Eyes of SPED Teacher

A Movie to Remember in the Eyes of SPED Teacher Article Written and Published by: Edgar R. Durana As a SPED teacher for hearing-impaired students, I have been exposed to a number of powerful commercials and short films that have certainly helped me have a deeper understanding of my students’ predicaments. I would admit that watching \"Every Child is a Special Movie\" was quite an experience, too. The movie was indeed successful, even creative in trying to describe how a child with dyslexia struggles to process, understand, or make sense of the information or situation that is presented to him. It was able to illustrate the painful everyday experience of the child in trying to cope with the academic demands of his school. The role of parents and teachers in the success or failure of a student with a disability was vividly depicted, too. Needless to say, the movie was indeed an excellent one. Parents, SPED, and even the regular teachers would truly benefit from watching the movie. It is an eye opener. As teachers, we may not be aware that the students who have been failing in our class must be suffering from a learning disability. This movie reminds us to be very sensitive, observant, and even persistent in trying to decipher our students’ repetitive failures and somewhat bizarre behaviors. Before, we would attribute a student’s poor performance to a lack of interest and family problems. However, this movie tells us otherwise. His failure is not solely limited to external factors that we have always tried to believe in. His problem might be internal, something that we cannot see, making it hard for us to recognize, fathom, and deal with it. As a result, the problem continues to persist, leaving the child to suffer immensely. Most of the time, when we finally decide to help the child, it is a little too late.It is indeed a must for all teachers to have an awareness of the different learning disabilities that our students may be suffering from. We may not have enough training to handle them, but at least we can be guided by our instinct and commitment. As a father to my ten-year-old son, this movie has also led me to take a particular interest in my child’s total development. I, for one, should also be aware of his needs, difficulties, strengths and weaknesses. Every parent hopes to have a normal child that excels in everything that he does. The movie is a reminder that not all things in our life happen the way we have reverently prayed and hoped for. If, however, parents like me discover that our child has special needs, we should be like the art teacher who never gives up. As parents, we should be the very first ones to understand, support, and help in every way we can. Despite the great ordeal, the good news is that there is still hope.