Navigating Students Needs

Having a child with special needs has helped me to see how important it is for teachers to make students feel loved and accepted in their classroom.  In my sons education he has had many teachers that have been outstanding at that, and a couple that have not done such a good job.

In order to be successfully at making students with special needs feel welcomed and accepted by us we  need to invest time, in getting to know these students personally, and academically.  We need to be persistent in setting goals and helping the child achieve these goals.  When the child can see that the goal is important to us then the goal will become important to them as well.

The child should always feel like the teacher has his/her best interest at heart.  This can be done by realizing the unique qualities that the student brings to the classroom.  Make sure the student knows that you are there to help them in anyway that you can to develop the abilities that they need to be successful both in the classroom and at home.  In order to be successful in the classroom both the teacher and the student need to figure out how to work together effectively, determine guidelines for attaining achievable goals and develop a support system both at school and at home.

When these things are done, there is a message sent to the student that the teacher cares about the student, and in return the student will try harder in class and make a better effort to work with the teacher.