A teacher's success was once marked by a "quiet" classroom full of passive learners who absorbed information. Very little thought was given to those children whose special physical and emotional needs made such classrooms barriers to success.
Today, teachers are evaluated more on their ability to inspire all students to become enthusiastic, self-motivated learners. Now the classroom with the most giggles and excited interaction may be judged to be the most effective.
While some kids do learn best in classrooms with chairs and desks lined up in neat rows, now we recognize that some of the best teaching can happen in classrooms that have no desks at all.
"Cody is one of our best teachers," boasts director Susan Burk as she gives a school tour. "He is accepting and patient with our special needs kids and they know that even if they are having a bad day, they can always count on Cody to be a steady, calming influence in the class.
"All of the kids love him and he is such a good listener. Students know they can trust him with their secrets. They like to bring him treats and he always loves to get them because, even though he weighs over 900 pounds, he is never on a diet!"
Cody's size would usually make an employee a major health risk, but in his case, 900 pounds is just average. That is because Cody is a horse who is specially trained to help young students gently master the basics of riding and horse care. His job is to be a patient friend to some of the 200 or more special needs children who come to the Equest Center in Rockford, Michigan.
A Horse, of Course
The Center is one of over 400 "hypotherapy" stables nationwide that are members of NARHA, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.
Students who need physical, emotional and/or social therapy, such as those with Autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, emotional impairments, attention deficit disorder and dyslexia, do exercises on horseback tailored to their particular abilities. Physical therapists, riding instructors, and parents aim to give these children positive growth experiences in their target areas through this unconventional approach.
Horseback riding has been proven to enhance fine and gross motor coordination. It also strengthens group ties and self esteem. Volunteers help the students "tack up," that is put on saddles, bridles and brush the horses, but students are expected to take on these tasks as much as possible.
Equest envisions its riding community as a supportive group. Able-bodied riding students, who attend lessons and work alongside students with disabilities, benefit from the main-streaming philosophy that hypotherapy embraces as much as the special needs students do.
Benefits for Students
Rockford special education teacher Dale Goossen agrees that physically and mentally challenged students benefit from programs that widen their social horizons. His classes of ninth-and 10th-graders function at about a third-grade reading level and would usually find few opportunities to interact with the rest of the school's population.
To give them an open door into the general school community, he started an in-school store for his students to run. The school sells stationary supplies and candy.
Running the store helps students with practical skills such as language and math while giving them a place to relate to other students they wouldn't meet in class. He expanded this program to include ping pong and foosball tables near the store area that all students can use during lunch hours.
His classes also take charge of greenhouse projects, hold plant sales, and participate in internships with diverse community businesses. While they intern and explore careers in food service, automotive repair, retail sales, and industrial assembly, his students gain self esteem and learn what kinds of work they might enjoy after graduation. They contribute valuable skills and become an active part of their school and local community.
Every day, special needs students are confronted with situations that emphasize the things they cannot do. Organizations like Canine Companions and Michigan-based Paws with a Cause seek to focus attention on what these students can do.
They train "assistance dogs" to help individuals with hearing loss or physical limitations become more independent. These dogs open doors, bring items their owners can't reach on their own, and alert them to sounds they otherwise wouldn't hear. Students enjoy the companionship of a beautiful, friendly animal who frees them to do many more tasks on their own.
Guide dogs and assistance dogs can also serve as ice breakers to help reverse social isolation. Other children are drawn to the students' lovable partners and this gives them something to talk about right away with potential new playmates.
Caring for these animals, or working in a school store or community internship helps teach reading, writing and math skills through whole language activities.
How Does It Work?
When students measure grain for their riding therapy horse's meal, schedule their assistance dogs' meals, or stock shelves and make change for purchases in school stores, they work with basic math.
Their language and social skills are enhanced by friendships that develop with volunteers in the riding programs, customers in their school store, or partners in organizational fund-raisers. These activities make academic subjects meaningful in a way that conventional classroom lectures cannot do.
Teachers applaud these kinds of immersion experiences; they believe participation in them helps students become learners who value what they are being taught and are self-motivated to learn more.
Effective programs for special needs students reach beyond academics, however. Because other children may feel awkward about how to befriend a special needs child when they first meet, sensitive schools try to prepare the way with training. Grand Rapids' Ken-O-Sha Elementary School is a district center for special education classes and inclusion is a vital part of their structure.
Classes at Ken-O-Sha, taught by a team of professionals, may consist of up to 25 percent special needs students. The school regularly holds awareness classes to help other students understand what it is like to live and learn with disabilities.
Special Ed Supervisor Steve Kadau said most students happily accept the inclusion philosophy; parents feel it helps their children grow in ways they wouldn't if special needs students were separated into an isolated program.
Teachers and school counselors should be willing and knowledgeable resources about activities and advocacy groups for various disabilities. These groups can provide networks of support for parents and siblings of special needs children. They also provide opportunities for members to attend special events, raise funds for research, and promote community awareness.
Through such associations and by creating innovative learning opportunities, schools can encourage special needs students to feel that they are doing something to take charge of their disability instead of allowing their limitation to take charge of them.
Pat Matuszak is a freelance writer and former teacher from Rockford, Michigan.