Unconditional Support in the Classroom (El Deafo)

Exploring Identity

The event that I attended was the “Exploring Identity” El Deafo event, which consisted of multiple workshops focusing on the importance of perspective and communication. One of the most striking moments of this workshop was when we were placed into groups, where educators and future educators alike were split into groups and were provided a scenario. In our particular group, we had to think of an accommodation for an art lesson, where a particular student was deaf and would be unable to paint colors and textures they were supposed to hear through a song. The original lesson included the teacher assigning every student to paint a picture that reflected the song they were hearing. In this scenario, our groups worked together to come up with a proposal that included the following options:

• Have peer support where students could say how certain colors reflect certain musical moods/motifs
• Plan ahead of time to have a legend created by the instructor to articulate the mood of the song being played, where the student would then pick colors based on said description of the song.
• Have an alternative assignment with the same content (student has to visually depict an emotion).

Out all of these potential options, it is essential that the student does not feel left out because of the accommodations they might need. Each lesson has to be crafted in a way that both provides necessary provisions for the student to thrive in the class, as well as ensuring they feel included. This scenario pertains to P.C. 8.1, where educators are able to provide multiple types of instruction and accommodations that reflects the diversity of the classroom.

The biggest takeaway I had from this workshop is that though I appreciate what I am able to do, I can often take for granted what I am able to do easily or without thinking about it, versus the fact that other people constantly struggle to do what is considered routine in our world.

I usually don’t delve too much into my personal life, but I believe the formative years of my life have inspired me to be an educator. For the first four years of my life, I was nonverbal, and every doctor told my Mom that I would never be able to speak and function without parental assistance, and the best case scenario for me was that I could potentially have the capability of stocking shelves at a grocery store. I was essentially told that I would never be able to function by myself. Additionally, the principal, and the teachers at my school told my Mom that I should not be attending public school, but rather I should be in an intensive special needs program. My Mom could have decided to listen to the advice of my Doctors/educators and decide that I didn’t have a chance, or she could work with special educators to find ways to help me develop in a more effective manner. My Mom decided that she was going to work with special needs educators and find ways to help me, and to this day, I am not sure why, but someone, for some reason, was able to get me to speak and verbalize again. I don’t say this as an empty cliche, but instead out of complete sincerity, there isn’t a day that goes by where I do not think about how much of a miracle it is that I am able to speak and write to you as am I currently doing. I don’t think I will ever understand why this change happened in my life, but I do know that it was because amazing people in my life, my Mom, and educators decided to give me a chance and that they believed in me.

Connecting this back to the present day, I know that I want to be an educator that will never give up on one of their students. No matter the accommodations that are needed, I will ensure that I put my complete and utmost effort in engaging all of my students, so that they are able to thrive, and that they know they belong here. I will believe in my students like others believed in me, even though I was different and had learning accommodations. I want to be an educator that makes sure every student is heard, and though I acknowledge the varying disabilities students have, I want to make sure that they do not feel like an outcast or alone because of their accommodations.

I have had the unbelievable privilege of being able to write about being an educator in college, when I was told by professionals that was never going to happen. To carry this lesson of support and belief, I will be an educator that will be the dissenting voice, when others may have given up on a particular student, I will be that teacher that gives their unconditional support to ensure their success.