I just started my first year as a special education teacher. In conversations, when people realize I work with kids with special needs, many usually will say something like, "It takes a special person to handle that job." And, "I don't know how you do it." I can't tell you how many times I've heard similar things. And, every time, I shake my head and think, "Really, I'm not the special one..."
I think for many people the task of working with a bunch of children with various moderate-severe special needs, seems scary. I think they are scared because they don't know what to do with kids like this, or they are afraid they might hurt them, or set off their sometimes touchy dispositions. I can tell you that I used to be one of those people. Before I had my first close encounter with a child that had special needs, I was crazy scared! I didn't know what it would be like. I didn't know how to talk to them. I was scared I wouldn't know how to treat them. I loved kids and always viewed kids with special needs as equals, but I thought I wasn't called to work with them. I thought I would only work with kids in the general ed. setting. And, oh how my life was changed from the moment I met a precious girl who had Cerebral Palsy. She had a beautiful pink wheelchair, a sweet pink outfit, hello kitty accessories, and she was wearing a perfume from Bath & Body Works that I recognized. She couldn't talk, but she communicated me with me that week that I got to be her camp counselor at Camp Blessing, TX. We played games together, took walks, danced, worshiped the Lord together, and had fun. That precious girl changed my life. Since then, the Lord has taken me on a beautiful journey for getting to encounter many other children with special needs that have also touched my life. I could write forever about all the experiences I have been blessed to have had, but I'll skip ahead to some of the most recent.
Now, I have a classroom of my own filled with 11 students with moderate-severe disabilities. I have children with Autism, Intellectual disabilities, and Down Syndrome. But, apart from these labels we put on them, I have 11 kids that are just kids. They laugh, they learn, they play, they have friends, they have arguments with their friends, they bring different baggage from their home lives, they are unique. They are all different; yet, they are all the same. They are all children, each beautifully and wonderfully made by God to fulfill a purpose. Not only are they like other kids, but lately I've been seeing just how much they are just like me as well. Let me share a few examples:
I have a student who has outbursts of anger sometimes, and they are hard for him to control. He throws fits, and yells, and walks out of the classroom to 'cool off.' I can't tell you how many times I've seen myself do the same thing at home for whatever reason! Don't we all have that tendency sometimes? We just need to work through an issue and cool off. I have another student who similarly will get very upset at random times. One minute she's fine, the next, she's having a major outburst of emotion. Ummmm... can you say woman? I feel like I have these emotional outbursts way too often. haha. Another student is as stubborn as a mule. He refuses to work. Refuses to listen. And a lot of times, he even refuses to even stay in the classroom. He's a "runner" as we call it. When I go running, I often feel like I'm running away from my problems, my worries, from things I just don't want to deal with. I need that escape. Just like my student. Don't we all need that escape sometimes? Don't we all have that stubbornness that we have to suppress when someone asks us to do something we don't want to do. We're selfish beings deep down. And, I can't forget one of my nonverbal students, who gives me a hug every time he gets an answer right. It's precious. He is so proud that I noticed he did something right, and he wants that physical touch to acknowledge it. He also blows kisses to me as he leaves the classroom to go to the bus. Oh boy, how I am just like him. I love hugs and physical affection, and one of my love languages is touch too. Another student has a blanket as a sensory item he brings to comfort himself with. He keeps it in his pocket and touches it constantly. He gets very upset if you take it away. Don't we all need that comfort? We long to have that reminder that everything is okay. I know I do. I'm thankful that I can turn to the Lord for that comfort constantly. And, then you have the kids that are in their own world most of the day. They're daydreaming, making noises, trying to get into the toys to play, plugging their ears during some of the songs we sing, dancing/moving at random times, etc. Oh, how I wish I could just hum and make noises and dance around the room sometimes! I would certainly be tempted to plug my ears when I just wanted to be alone or do my own thing. And, I won't lie, sometimes I do just bust out in songs and dance moves...it just happens to be in the privacy of my own home. ha.
I feel like I could go on forever with all the similarities. The point is this: Don't we all have these tendencies? We all need escape. We all have emotions to deal with and control. We all seek attention. We all wish we could have our way. We all crave the tender affection from our loved ones. We sing and dance (Or try to! :p). We all have silly quirks that make us, US. Then, why do we feel we're so different from those that are labeled "special needs." Maybe it is because it is so unknown to most people like I mentioned. And if it is that, then I hope that this can open your eyes, even just a little to the fact that we are more alike than we are different. At the end of the day, we are all individuals, seeking something greater than ourselves. We all want to be cared for. We all want to be loved. Take a moment today, and realize these simple truths. And to all those that think it takes a special person to teach a child with special needs, I tell you the truth: They are the special ones. And, they probably teach me far more than I'll ever teach them. Words cannot express how much it means to see them laugh and smile and enjoy life. It's the simple things that mean the most. And, I get to be a part of their world. That is a big deal. And, I won't forget when I'm having a meltdown, or feeling the need to escape, lost in my own thoughts, seeking comfort, desiring affection, or craving attention that I am just like them. We are more alike than different.
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