Who is a special educator?
A special educator is a professional who trained to identify and work with children having difficulties with learning, and behavioural problems .It is generally assumed that a special educator only works with children having ‘special needs’, viz. mentally handicapped students. However this is not wholly true. A special educator works with students having different needs. These differences could be in the nature of different learning needs and social adjustments and behavioural challenges.
What is the role of a special educator at Modern High?
The special educator in a regular school helps in identifying students with learning difficulties. These problems could be specific i.e. difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, retention etc., or could be problems with classroom behaviour which affects learning. The special educator then plans an individualized programme to meet the specific need of the student. This programme is then carried out either in a one-to-one session with the child, or by way of equipping the teacher to handle the student in class and monitoring the situation.
‘Is there something wrong or lacking in my child if she/he needs to meet the special educator?’
A child with a specific learning disorder most often functions in the average or above average intellectual category. In other words there is nothing ‘wrong’ or ‘lacking’ with the child’s intelligence. She/he has a specific problem which has to do with the processing activities in the brain. A dysfunction in this processing activity results in poor spellings and reading and writing difficulties.
A special educator can thus help the child overcome these difficulties through a planned remedial programme.
‘Are special education sessions merely remedial classes?’
No. Remedial classes are merely to reinforce and ‘drill in’ what has been taught in class. Special education on the other hand focuses on the specific need of the child and understands the medium that is best suited for a child to facilitate better learning. Therefore, to put it simply, remedial classes are curriculum based while special education classes are need-based and stress on skill development.
‘Will my child be labelled a special needs child if she/he meets the special educator?’
No. child coming to meet the special educator may be recognized as a student having different educational needs which are not being addressed in the regular classroom by the regular educator for want of time and other infrastructure. The aim of the special educator, in this case, would be to equip the child with the necessary skills to fulfill the requirements of the curriculum. The time taken for this may vary according to the needs and abilities of the child.
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