Reflection on Every Child is Special

Posted on July 4, 2015 by myjournalbasket

Every Child is Special

Every teacher plays an important role in the development of his/her students. This one holds true
in the movie “Every Child is Special” which is about the boy, Ishaan Awasthi, who was suffering
from dyslexia and the teacher who changed his life. Ishaan had difficulty in recognizing letters
and numbers and could hardly read and write. The condition his parents and his teachers had no
idea of. Because no one understood him, he felt different from the rest. Parents and teachers
thought he’s dumb and lazy. These gave him a feeling of isolation.

The kind of relationship we build to the young ones greatly affects how they perceive themselves
and what they will become. The lack of patience, love and kindness and most especially
knowledge of one’s physical, intellectual and emotional condition can make one feels unworthy
and unwanted.

In the movie, Ishaan met Mr. Ram Shankar Nikumbh, a substitute art teacher. With his
persistence to help the young boy, he found out the boy’s condition and so offered extra time to
teach him in areas he had not mastered yet. For me, the character of Mr. Ram Shankar Nikumbh
shows us some qualities of a great teacher. A teacher who does not only teach, but inspires as
well. A teacher who is not afraid to use unique and unconventional ways in teaching his pupils.
Furthermore, a teacher who exhibits a broad knowledge of Psychology in teaching and using
positive approaches in dealing and addressing students’ concerns. The teacher’s persistence to
truly understand the boy changes everything. From a lazy, dumb boy as others thought he was,
turned a very smart and gifted boy in the end. An artist to remember.

Oftentimes we are blinded by the strict rules and high standards in meeting academic
requirements, that, we fail to see the person’s worth. We believe that an underperforming child,
someone who can hardly read and write and demonstrate certain skills and knowledge in the
given situation is not worth of our time. In my personal point of view, teachers should help a
child in every way they can. They should look into the child’s potentials as a learner and of what
motivates a child and what does not. Other than a having a broad knowledge on subject-matter,
curriculum and standards, teachers must have strong desire to make a difference in the lives of
young people.