The F.A.T City video provides an eye-opening look into how students with learning disabilities feel in the general education setting. The narrator of the video effortlessly evokes the emotions and thoughts students with disabilities have when they are being quizzed by the typical authoritative teacher and watched by their always observant peers. The exercises in the video show that the everyday school experience can be a nightmare for these students. This is important for parents, educators, and future teachers to understand, making this video a highly valuable source.
I gained insight from the video on numerous levels. First, the video allowed me to have greater empathy for these students. By using educators, parents, counselors and other professionals as the "students", the video provides an excellent example of how a person would feel if he or she had a learning disability. This is an important perspective because it allows the average (or above average) professional to be in the shoes of an exceptional student. This kind of empathy is key for effective teaching as it allows the professional to cater to the needs of each student.
Secondly, the video reminded me that not all students have the kind of experience I have had with education. School has come naturally for me since before I can remember. In high school, I was always ahead of the game, working on the next assignment, and exceeding my teacher's expectations. As I have continued on to college, I have become more grateful for the committment I have had to my education and have vowed not to take it for granted. This kind of committment doesn't come naturally to everyone, especially students who have exceptionalities. The realization of this is key for teachers to truly understand these students and accomodate their needs.
My understanding for the diverse needs of each student always becomes more evident when I am exposed to discussions like those in F.A.T City. Sometimes it really takes an eye-opening source like this one for teachers to challenge they way they look at their past experiences so that they can better teach their own students and enable them as future leaders in the community.
I gained insight from the video on numerous levels. First, the video allowed me to have greater empathy for these students. By using educators, parents, counselors and other professionals as the "students", the video provides an excellent example of how a person would feel if he or she had a learning disability. This is an important perspective because it allows the average (or above average) professional to be in the shoes of an exceptional student. This kind of empathy is key for effective teaching as it allows the professional to cater to the needs of each student.
Secondly, the video reminded me that not all students have the kind of experience I have had with education. School has come naturally for me since before I can remember. In high school, I was always ahead of the game, working on the next assignment, and exceeding my teacher's expectations. As I have continued on to college, I have become more grateful for the committment I have had to my education and have vowed not to take it for granted. This kind of committment doesn't come naturally to everyone, especially students who have exceptionalities. The realization of this is key for teachers to truly understand these students and accomodate their needs.
My understanding for the diverse needs of each student always becomes more evident when I am exposed to discussions like those in F.A.T City. Sometimes it really takes an eye-opening source like this one for teachers to challenge they way they look at their past experiences so that they can better teach their own students and enable them as future leaders in the community.
This was wonderful writing! Thank you for sharing about your educational background experiences.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this truly is an eye opening video. It helps you to realize the stress and anxiety a teacher can create in a classroom. We all know that the teacher makes the classroom and we can recall teachers in our school careers that inspired us and those who made our year in their classroom very difficult.
ReplyDeleteI was the exact opposite of you in school. I hated reading. Homework took me hours after school. My grades rarely reached the “A” level. I finally blossomed in sixth grade but always had to work very hard for my grades. Because of those difficult years, I learned how to study and, like you, this served me well in college. I became a teacher because of those teachers in my life that both encouraged me and made my life more difficult. I wanted to make a difference.
Yet watching this video, I realized that I still do and say things in my classroom that could cause more anxiety to a student who is struggling. It will help me to be a better teacher by being more careful with my words and actions so that I can definitely be one of the teachers a student can look back on and say, “She was one of my favorite teachers. She encouraged me.”