Articles – Teaching

Working With Special Needs Children

by Karen Allen

Karen is a teacher at the Hammond Baptist Special Needs School in Schererville, Indiana.

Working with special needs children is one of the most exciting and rewarding jobs anyone could have. Most readers will disagree with that statement unless they have taught special needs children or are the parent of one. In our Hammond Baptist Schools we have the opportunity to help train college students by allowing them to have on-the-job training in various parts of our schools. In the Junior High the prospective student teachers spend two weeks of their eight weeks of training in our special needs classroom. Usually the attitude on the first day is one of panic. They are afraid of working with our students because of a preconceived idea of what a special needs student is. They are conditioned, as many of us are, to see the “differences” in people rather than similarities. In general, it only takes a few minutes of time in our class to see an attitude change take place. Fear soon changes to acceptance and love as the college student begins to see each student as an individual. Our students laugh like all the children do, they hurt like children do, they cry just like others do. They rejoice like others, but they demonstrate love much more openly than most. The children in our classroom, like all children in the world, learn in a few seconds’ time just who will allow them to get by with what and whether directions really need to be followed. Almost to a person, before two weeks of training is finished, the college student will say that the weeks he or she dreaded the most have become the favorite.

Isn’t this example similar to all the opportunities of life that God gives us? We see what we perceive as a dreaded task facing us, and immediately we have our emotions ready to receive it in a negative way. Our attitudes are set. Fear takes over. We feel helpless. We are unable to recognize God’s love in the form of something we dread We know we must go on, and we are faced with a choice. We may choose anger and bitterness over the trial, or we may choose acceptance and God’s help. If we are wise, we will cry out to God for help. At this moment He begins to show us how this task can become a blessing if we will only look at it through His eyes.

“My God shall supply all your need,” you tell yourself. “This must be something I need.”

“All things work together for good,” you say. “This hurts, but it is for my good.”

“God loves me,” you say. “This task was sent in love.”

“In all things give thanks,” you say. You begin to thank God for sending the trial, and suddenly your attitude begins to change. As you tell God how thankful you are for the trial, you begin to see ways in which you can use the trial to strengthen your faith. You begin to see how God is molding you to become more like Him. You begin to see how you can help others face similar trials. You begin to see the trial as a blessing because of all the ways in which it has enriched your life. Now you can say to God, “Thank You for sending this trial my way. I did not choose it, but I understand some of the reason You sent it my way. I believe I am a better person because of it.