I mentioned in a previous blog post about the emotional support I receive from my mother and my best friend. They provide me with the love and encouragement I need to persevere through hard times. Without their emotional support, I would have given up on my education and my career. They always share with me how blessed I am to do what I love everyday (teaching), in spite of my low salary. They help me to see the bigger picture: I am making a difference in the lives of others. My car also supports my career. I use my car to get to and from work during the week. If I did not have a car, I would have to rely on others or the bus for transportation. I could possibly lose my job if I could not find a way to get to work. Not having a car would also make it difficult to get necessities from the store or participate in recreational activities such as going to the movies with friends. There are three other supports I use daily to help me with organization. The calendar, clock, and my planner help me to organize all my day to day responsibilities. Without all three of these supports, I would always be late, forget to pay bills, and complete assignments. They also help me to stay on task when teaching. My classroom has a flexible routine that maintains order and allows for changes.
My Imagined Challenge: ESL Student
Since I have had experiences with students who speak another language besides English at home, I would like to imagine that English is not my home language. In fact, I moved to the U.S. recently and cannot speak any English. The main support I would need at school is an interpreter. An interpreter would be able to help me understand the culture and simple things like how to pronounce my teacher's name. If I did not have an interpreter, I would feel alone and confused. I might even be frightened being in a new place with no way to communicate my feelings and needs. An additional support that would be useful is pictures. There could be pictures that display different emotions or pictures of important places like the bathroom. Generally, pictures can convey a message with little need for words. Finally, a peer would be extremely supportive. Having a child assigned to be my "buddy" and show me around the school and classroom, would provide some sort of comfort in an unfamiliar place. I would feel that I have someone who cares about me and is willing to help. A buddy would give me a sense of belonging by introducing me to others and making me feel a part of the classroom. All of these supports would make it easier for me to adjust to a new language and school. Without at least one of these supports, learning would be difficult. My social and emotional development would suffer because I would not be able to effectively communicate with others. I would be lonely which would cause feelings of sadness and/or fear.
This exercise (imagining having a challenge) has reaffirmed how important it is for educators to consider the challenges students might have in the classroom. We must provide them with the supports they need, so healthy development and learning can take place.
