every child is special

Every child is special. Every child has its own personality. Every child tries to endeavor and focus best in its life. Primarily, every child has its own dreams. But the main factor to ponder is, for us to understand his/her dreams. And the truth is, we lack stability, patience and understanding as far as the child is concern.

The movie, Every Child Is Special, was about a certain child named Ishaan Awasthi. Ishaan was a talented child; he can think outside the box and paint with such passion and creativity. But he was not understood by his teachers, he was only thought of as a mischievous and a very naughty boy. He was often called an “idiot, duffer, lazy and crazy”, even his parents didn’t understand him. They only thought that the boy was misbehaving because he did not want to go to school. It is perhaps the structure and restrictions of the normal expectations of the school system that rub him the wrong way, because one day, after having been punished by being sent by the teacher to stand in the hallway, he goes AWOL and wanders the streets, savoring the exciting sights of tourist-film India. He appears to be somewhat hyperactive. If his parents attempted to have him tested, it may be that he never sat still long enough to get a diagnosis. After finding out that Ishaan will be kicked out of school after the school year, his parents decided to send him to a boarding school where Ishaan suffered more from his strict teachers. These incidents crushed Ishaan’s confidence in him and he became depressed, very depressed. He did not speak to anyone, not even to his mother or his brother. No one would even try to help him because they did not try to understand him.
Luckily he met Ram Shankar Nikumbh, the temporary art teacher, saw himself in Ishaan, he stayed persistent to help Ishaan in his studies and his life. Through his unconventional teaching methods and graceful presence, Ishaan’s attention was caught up. Ram did everything to understand Ishaan’s problem in reading and writing, he consulted Ishaan’s parents and told them that Ishaan has dyslexia, wherein he finds it hard to recognize letters and numbers. I love where he tells Ishaan’s father that in the Solomon Islands, villagers don’t chop down a tree when they want to clear land, but curse and hurl abuses at it, and the tree withers and dies soon after. Ram helped Ishaan in every way, first he gave Ishaan a confidence boost so that he will not be afraid to express himself, and then, he also gave Ishaan lessons in writing, reading and in math. Ram taught Ishaan using different methods, he made learning fun by applying games to his lessons. Gradually, Ishaan begun to improve in his studies, he has now little trouble in reading, he can right properly and can solve math problems. Teaching should not only be done in one way, we should use different ways to teach our students because each and every one of us has a unique and special talent. It is also good to understand the needs of our students, let them be free – free to imagine, free to learn in their own special way. Listen to your students opinions and learn from it.

Somehow the movie touched in an exceptional way and it broke my heart seeing that the dear people that child thought would understand him were the very ones who judged him and failed to understand his problem. But I cannot really judge the parents though, all they wanted was the best for their child that is why they tried so hard to push him and discipline him at the same time. It tug the heartstrings and at the same time gives hope that having dyslexia is not a desperate and in hopeless situation. To help the students, family support, teacher’s patience and love is needed, so with the interesting and enjoyable teaching and learning strategies should be employed. The theory of multiple intelligences in education plays an important role here and that can be a vessel in informing the teachers and most importantly the parents for them to assist their children. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself and the harsh father realized his child’s worth and needs.