DR RADICA MAHASE

Anytime I hear the saying – "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid" – I think about children with learning disabilities in our country. Mainly because the structure of our entire education system fails to consider their differing abilities. This week, I am sharing an interview done with Vicky (not her real name) who's awaiting placement as a special needs teacher.

“I am 30 years old and I have a degree in special needs education from the University of TT (UTT). I am currently doing my master's in education. I always wanted to work with children with exceptionalities. I had a neighbour whose child had Down syndrome and a friend with an autistic child, and I used to interact with them often when I was a teenager, so when I finished secondary school I was very excited to start the degree in education at UTT. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to specialise in special needs education. I enjoyed my four years at UTT. When my classmates were dreading practicum, I was looking forward to it. I was placed in Lady Hochoy Home and although it was challenging trying to engage with children with different exceptionalities in one classroom, I took on that challenge and found ways to teach my lesson so that everyone could understand. I was looking forward to finishing UTT so that I could go into a school and really help children.

I have this poster in my room with a quote that became my mantra – “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” I envisioned a life, post-student, post-UTT, where I would be in a classroom and I would develop all these fun and creative ways to teach, I would make my students interested in learning so they will come to school excited. I knew it would be tiring and challenging but I was ready for that challenge. I always wanted to be a special needs teacher and I was looking forward to making a difference in children’s lives. Here I am, five years later, still waiting for an opportunity to get into a school.

[caption id="attachment_1011270" align="alignnone" width="768"] “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”
Photo Courtesy - Rahul's Clubhouse - Photo Courtesy - Rahul's Clubhouse[/caption]

I have been very disappointed over the past years. First, graduating from UTT and realising that the Ministry of Education is not hiring teachers specialising in special needs education. I heard from a friend who works in the ministry that only a certain number of posts exists and they are all filled, so even though cohorts of students are graduating with their degrees every year, there are no posts for us. A couple of my classmates became teacher’s aides, working for the same salary as those aides with CSEC passes, even though they have a SPED degree. Many of us are willing to work as aides because we still get a chance to help children with learning disabilities and it