Every child is special

March 3, 2018 Educator's Corner Opinion

As the Bible says, God created man in his own image. Thus, every man, every child has a talent or a gift to show the world. However, because of the standards set by society, people are obliged to follow the rules of the game if they do not want to be discriminated.
As said by Francis Bacon Sr., “men commonly think according to their inclinations, speak according to their learning and imbibed opinions, but generally act according to custom.” Society dictates who is to be considered as a great person. It defines who an intelligent person is. It also influences how learners are taught. As educators and facilitators of learning, we should be aware of the biases that we have as influenced by our community or by our experiences. We should not put our students in a box and limit their understanding of the world based on how we see it. We should take note that children should be treated like all other children, like some other children and like no other children.
The film, Every Child is Special, highlights the role of the environment in shaping an individual’s knowledge and image of one’s self. A young boy, Ishaan Awasthi, was considered as a stubborn child and a trouble-maker just because he acted differently but was later on proven to be a gifted child when they started looking at him through his eyes. With a supportive environment, he was able to win his life battle of inferiority.
The Constructivist theory supports this idea. It emphasizes the idea that knowledge is created based on the experiences that learners have which is in consonance to the student-centered curriculum implemented by educational institutions. Having this type of curriculum encourages students to voice out their opinions, bring out their strengths and create outputs based on their capabilities and interests.  Thus, teachers are now facilitators of learning and not the sole source of knowledge. And for a child to be holistically developed, the whole community should play an active role. Nobody should belittle or be belittled by anybody for each person has his unique capabilities, we only have to open our hearts and minds to acknowledge and recognize it. ANDRE PAOLO C. GALONG, Pines City National High School