Educators’ initial goal is to share knowledge with students in a comprehensive and useful way to make a change in the world and contribute to the general quality of education. Children with special needs require a more detailed and thoughtful approach to ensure that their issues would not affect their educational progress. Hence, educators’ role expands from solely providing useful information and guiding to ensuring that the learning environment is comfortable for all participating people.
Creating an inclusive environment is one of the main factors determining a child’s educational experience. Essentially, an inclusive environment represents the surrounding that encourages children to participate in learning activities without emphasizing possible pace and method differences related to their special needs. On the contrary, such an environment includes various tools that can be helpful throughout the educational process. Moreover, all devices should be available for any student in the classroom.
The main contribution to building an inclusive environment has to be an educator’s assistance and support, which must be provided to all learners equally in the needed amount. This requires patience, understanding, compassion, and a genuine will to help children enhance their learning experience (Odon and Diamond, 1998). Each of the listed qualities is related to conscious social interactions, which means that an educator has to be aware of their influence and widespread social impact on children.
Compassion is one of the main aspects required for creating an inclusive environment. The reason behind it is the educator’s responsibility to seek improvement in children’s educational journey. To maintain a healthy and comprehensive environment, an educator must understand how different social and learning aspects within the classroom affect students. The ability to relate to the social, emotional, and learning outcomes determines a teacher’s proficiency in modifying the environment to fit children’s special needs.
However, patience is equally important, especially in working with children. Such students do not have enough life experience to evaluate how to react and behave properly, which means that within children’s collective, there are higher chances of disobedience and pampering (Odon and Diamond, 1998). In this case, students’ immaturity represents one of their special needs within the learning environment, which an educator has to take care of. Teachers need to be patient and respectful with their students to handle the behavioral expenses effectively.
Finally, a genuine will to help children with special needs learn enables an educator to use their knowledge and social qualities more effectively to make a difference. It has to be a will to help and a conscious choice to help as well, as a teacher has to be deeply aware of the significant impact educational processes in the early stages of life have on people’s future. Thus, if an educator is willing to contribute their knowledge, patience, and compassion to the delicate process of children learning, the chances of building an inclusive environment increase.
Teachers have a significant role in their student’s learning process, which means they have to be aware of it and use it to the learners’ benefit. Creating an inclusive environment for children to learn does not only include the availability of various tools but also requires an educator’s assistance and active contribution to the students’ progress. Thus, the main goal of an educator’s journey is to spread knowledge inclusively and efficiently to help diverse people access proper education.
Reference
Odom, S. L., & Diamond, K. E. (1998). Inclusion of young children with special needs in early childhood education: The research base. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 13(1), 3-25.