First Integration Paper
ATENEO TEACHER TRAINING CENTER
Ateneo de Naga University
Naga City
EDUM110 – CHILD AND ADOLESCENT LEARNERS AND PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
Name ANNA MARIE H. FORNOLES
INSTRUCTION:
After watching “Every Child is Special”, write an INTEGRATION PAPER. Find connections between
the lessons discussed and what you have seen from the film. NO NEED to narrate the story again.
INTEGRATION PAPER is affect-based. This is good for 50 points. The rubrics attached may help.
INTEGRATION PAPER
EVERY CHILD IS SPECIAL
“Children with special needs are like butterflies with broken wings. They are just as
beautiful as all others but they need help to spread their wings.”
The Indian film “Every Child is Special” is a perfect representation of what is happening
in the real world in the current generation - be it in school, home, work and community. A very
piteous film that almost pushed me to embrace the pitiful, innocent, young boy Ishaan Awasthi
and comfort him from the cruel world he is living. Truly tears on my eyes are overflowing. I
already watched the film last year and watching it again now, knowing an integration paper will
be submitted, just makes me feel more emotional and specific to what factors I have to highlight
that made me think nowadays, should be given priority considering the diversity among learners.
HOME should be the safest place on earth especially for children and young ones where
they can feel at ease, comfortable and always welcome. Parents should be the protector of their
children and should always be the first person to understand their feelings and gestures. For
Ishaan, family is his strength. His father, mother and brother Yohaan serves as his comfort zone.
Not until he was sent to a boarding school and felt like he was being punished for misbehaving.
At this point, it was not explained clearly to him the purpose of transferring him to New Era
School where he can learn to be dependent and be more disciplined away from his comfort zone.
What clearly remains on his mind is that his father sent him away to be punished for his naughty
and mischievous attitude. Sometimes, we forget to share our objectives in doing such things that
would help a lot to further understand our actions. Or else, there will be an unending conclusion
and thinking of what really your purpose is in doing so. I feel sad and disappointed on ways how
Mr. Awasthi disciplines his son. Yes. Maybe it’s right to scold your child for a mistake he has done
just like a small fight with a neighbor, but we don’t need to do it in front of them where we just
let the child feel he was being ashamed. Self-discipline should be taught properly but it must start
from you. Parents should be the best example of solving a little quarrel among their kids and
ensuring it will never happen again. That they should enjoy the company of each other being
neighbors and being childhood friends. We should also avoid comparing our kids and
emphasizing their differences. Yohaan, Ishaan’s brother, being a scholarly, studious, diligent son,
might let Ishaan feel intimidated and frightened for he might think that he is nothing compared
to his brother. We should always take in consideration that our children have different strengths
and weaknesses. That they are both special, and like stars on earth, they both shine when the
time is right. When Yohaan loses his tennis tournament on championship, Mr. Awasthi just let
his child feel that all his effort in making it to finals are useless. This might bring negative intake
to the child and might stop joining the tennis tournament again. What struck me most with Mr.
Awasthi is his denial gesture after knowing that Ishaan has dyslexia. He never appreciates the
effort of Teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh after identifying the special case of Ishaan, rather, he
told the teacher that his son is not an abnormal (as how he thinks Dyslexia is) and that he can’t
accept the fact that he needs to look over and support Ishaan forever with his special condition.
I was struck by a stone for his behavior. I never imagine a parent to easily give up on his child.
Blessed to have people like Teacher Nikumbh who has an enthusiasm and initiative to help Ishaan
recover and adjust on his reading and writing and improves on his studying. The great aspiration
of the new art teacher brings life to a young boy who is in trouble.
SCHOOL on the other hand, should serve as the second home of children. It is the basic
foundation of knowledge being imported to a child. It provides learning spaces and a learning
environment for both teacher and students. Ishaan never felt he was appreciated in his school.
Like his father, he also experienced teachers comparing him with his brother Yohaan. Teachers
do not value the uniqueness and individualism of each of their students. Ishaan feels like he is
always being punished and bullied for his slowness in coping with his lessons which his classmates
seem to take effortless. He felt stubborn, obstinate and slow learner as how people around him
let him feel. Teachers supposedly are the ones who should mold their students to be successful
and inspire them to do well in life. But as what was shown in the film, their teaching method just
lies in a traditional way and never assess if their process is adoptive to hundreds of their students
and if they are building rapport to their young learners, especially those with special needs. As
what Teacher Nikumbh mentioned, every student deserves an equal and fair education be it in
regular school or special school. Teachers' behavior on how they treat Ishaan’s shortcomings just
add fright to the child that he really can’t cope up with his lesson. Not to mention how he was
being punished to go out of the room or kneel down outside the door, or even thrown with a
chalk and being laughed at by his classmates. This just gives trauma to the child of what the
meaning of the school is based on his experiences. No one among these educators initiated to at
least point out what’s the real problem with Ishaan Awasthi not until the new art teacher arrived.
Mr. Ram Shankar Nikumbh, having the same experience in his early childhood days, had related
so much to the scenario of Ishaan. With his strong aspiration to save the child from a possible
danger, he initiates to made ways to help the child and prove to his teachers, principal and even
his parents that Ishaan is not a lazy, stubborn, mischievous, naughty young boy, but a young boy
with special case called dyslexia and need help and special attention thru unique way of learning
to cope up with his lessons and activities. I appreciate how creative the art teacher is and applying
it to his day-to-day lesson with the kids. Aside from painting, he let the students explore their
wild imagination with nature looking for a possible invention or any work of art that comes from
their mind. He even used music, magic and dance to build the mood of the students before the
lesson start. He also used actualization in his learning modality like naming personalities to relate
his topic. Through Ishaan’s love in painting, Mr. Nikumbh easily made ways to get the interest of
young boy and resiliently develop the hidden intelligence of Ishaan and at least resolve his
difficulties in reading and writing as he had a hard time identifying letters and words which for
him interchange and dance. With Ishaan wild’s imagination on things around him, teacher
Nikumbh got the kid’s cooperation for the fast recovery of Ishaan from his fear and trauma. What
a novel and priceless act from a humble teacher. I wish every teacher would be like Teacher
Nikumbh who has strong concern and care for his students. That they value those who are being
left behind. That pleasure in learning is considered but should always be taken into consideration
if everyone is adopting the lesson.
A happy COMMUNITY reflects joy and laughter to those who lives on it. It is also essential
that we live with neighbors having the same goal and points of view in life. With this peace and
safety will be felt. But if we will not resolve any gap that exists between neighbors, it will possibly
grow and affect everyone within the community. That is why it is also necessary to build a healthy
community and friendly environment that are children may enjoy as they grow old. In the movie,
this is one of the issues that needs to be resolved. Neighbors are supposed to help each other
and treat each other as family.
WORK space, specially among educators should be a healthy environment to practice
their profession meaningfully. The time Teacher Nikumbh was being bullied by the teachers of
New Era School, he remains civil and observed teachers’ attitude and perspective on case of
Ishaan. He then realized that even teachers greatly affect the self-esteem of the child and his
coping attitude in the class. Educators like them should be given more trainings and seminars to
further understand the diversity among their learners. Otherwise, if this is not corrected, there
will be more and more Ishaan that will be created in this world. Thanks to the art contest where
they found out that Ishaan won the contest and was convinced that the kid has different talent
that needs to be nurtured. And it will greatly help if they’re treatment with the child will be more
realistic and distinct.
I then recall my very first reaction after watching the film last year. I don’t know what
goes on my mind but I immediately buy painting materials and distribute it to my nephews and
nieces. I even called them all one Sunday morning including my son to be gathered and paint
anything inside their heart. I don’t know, maybe I just want to see and observe if I can relate the
film to them because honestly, every child has unique and distinct characteristics from one
another. Some might be little and some might be worse. But admittedly, I sometimes experience
some similarity of the story to our young members of the family. Each and every one of them has
unique and distinct strengths and weaknesses. Just like Ishaan, his passion for painting and great
imagination and creativity to his artwork brings his art teacher a hope that Ishaan has different
strength and that he can still improve with his genius act.
The film then leaves thoughts in my mind of how I can contribute to lessen the burden of
these young ones (like Ishaan) being a future educator. Honestly, I would like to go back to my
objective in the beginning of the class which is to be proactive on how to handle situations on
strengthening the child and adolescent learners and learning principles to be more realistic in
approach. In this current generation, let us always be realistic with our execution. This will help
a lot and save time to truly resolve the problem. Being a future educator, let us always make our
learner feel that they are special, they are amazing, they are important, they are unique, they are
kind, they are precious and they are loved. Judging a child who has special needs does not define
who they are, it defines who you are. If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they
learn. Let us adjust a little for I surely know it will not harm anyone but will help someone who is
finding difficulty with our lesson. This will not limit us to teach our students to perform well and
be competitive but this will leave them a social obligation of helping people who are in need.
If only I will be given a chance to speak with Ishaan’s parents, I will let them know that
they are lucky. lucky because the case of their child is just simple compared to others who merely
have complex cases that strongly affect to avail a normal life just like what the Tulip School has.
Ishaan can still walk, jump, run and roll freely in the outside world. while students at Tulip School
have limited space and opportunities. Being a mother of a 15-year-old special child, I definitely
understand our limitations compared to those who normally can enjoy the beauty of life. But
God always has its purpose for giving us challenges in life. And admittedly, it's hard but I am
happy and satisfied that my son is alive and we spend a lot of time being together. He is the apple
of the eye of our family and our forever baby. He is our star here on earth. We will continuously
embrace the unique way our child is blooming - even if it is not in the garden that we imagined.
Taking care of him adds more meaning to my life.
As the saying goes “Children learn from what you are, rather than what you teach” let
us always remember to be good to everyone and treat everyone good. Because young learners
always see everything their teacher did. Children are blessings from up above. So let us consider
the uniqueness of our students and nurture the special gifts and talents they possess.