Learning is difficult as it isn’t always as easy to pick up new materials. Some kids pick it up in a snap while others need more time and more help. My mom, Mona Soherwardy, works with these kids at Memorial Elementary school. Her goal with her team of five other teachers is to assist these Special Education students in order to make learning as easy as possible for them. Let’s see what she has to say about special education at Memorial.

Q: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEACHING SPECIAL EDUCATION CHILDREN AND OTHER CHILDREN?

A: The biggest difference between the two types of teaching is how much attention needs to be put on the student. I used to substitute around all the elementary schools when you were at Frost, where I would sub for art teachers, homeroom teachers, and aides. With the homeroom teachers, I just needed to teach them as the teacher normally would, where my focus was on all the students. But when I substituted for an aide, it was a lot of attention to a handful of students. One was not more difficult than the other but you start to develop a close bond with the student you are aiding. You need to use modifications and different teaching modalities. This is like using different senses, sensory diet, and fine motor senses.

Q: HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR STUDENTS FOR THE NEXT YEARS OF SCHOOLING AND THE FUTURE?

A: I am currently an assistant teacher at Memorial for the special education children there. I have around 10 kids in my class and sometimes they stay for more than a year because it is harder for them to learn as fast as the other children. With this special attention on the student, it is easier to help them out in places they need help with. We work on their education, social, and everyday aspects. For example, we work on the days of the week, spelling, greetings, and even weather. We cover a lot of topics so the student is prepared for their future. We also need to use assessments to target weaknesses, while also making sure to develop different strengths using different strategies.

Q: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM TEACHING?

A: Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. We need to learn from them ways to help them and their parents learn from us how else to complement their child’s learning.
What differences were made because of COVID and how has your team adapted?
Me and the team had to learn a lot more technology. I had you and your brother help me join my Zoom meetings until the end of last year. It was also hard to keep the students’ attention with physical barriers. We would ask ourselves, “How do we teach different modalities through a computer? But we all adapted beautifully.

The students’ futures are put on top of the teachers’ shoulders, and they hold all that stress with ease. The elementary school sets up all students’ lives perfectly for the future ahead of them. There may be some bumps along the way and it may take some time and learning, but in the end, those teachers are the reason why we are here today. They taught us how to function in the real world and we can’t thank them enough.