Working with Special Needs Students

It may come as a surprise to you but working with special needs students or teaching at a special needs school is not a rare occurrence on the JET Program. All three of my elementary schools provide assistant teachers for students with learning disabilities or a seperate classroom for students with special needs.

For students with learning disabilties, continue to teach class and play games like normal but keep in mind that they may have a hard time learning and remembering English. Therefore, competitions where they have to quickly say words may end with the student crying from embarassment. Instead, have group games or pair them with a friendly student who can assist.

For special needs students, English class is more like English playtime. Nevertheless, catering to different disabilities for varing ages can be a challenge. I recommend asking the teacher about the students disabilities and planning lessons around their needs. Pinterest is my go-to for lesson plans. Cooking and crafts are ideal with special needs students, but don't be afraid to get creative. One of my students' favorite lessons was Twister! They didn't sell the game until the new Rycom Aeon opened this spring, but I printed and laminated dots that I taped to the floor. They had the best time speaking in Japanglish while twisting themselves into a knot. 

Mind you, you may have students that are bound to a wheelchair, but that doesn't mean that they can't have fun - just research! There are also great ideas online for students with severe mental disabilities, such as Down's Syndrom. The goal is for the students to have fun with you and use a bit of English. Teach them fruits while you make a parfait together or colors while you paint - the ideas are endless! Most importantly, enjoy your time with them; it's precious!

This is Jua. 

She's a special needs student who evaded her handlers.

I found her in the English room and played with her for a bit.

Jus enjoys English but this day she was testing my Japanese.

She saying "sekai" which means "correct" in Japanese. 

#FaithInHumanityRestored

More often than not, I witness ridiculously heartwarming situations that restore my faith in humanity.

Here’s one example:

As I taught the 2-1 class at Ginoza Elementary words to describe the weather (i.e. sunny, rainy, cloudy, etc.), I noticed that Kota, a special needs student, was in attendance. This wasn’t a problem because I have taught him before, but I hoped the lesson would not be too difficult for him. After I reviewed the words, I asked the students to push back their desk and make a circle with their chairs in order to play Fruit Basket. 

Fruit Basket is a game where the students sit in a circle with one person standing in the middle as “It.” After handing out word (in this case, weather) cards, the person who’s “It” calls out a card; for example “sunny.” Those who have “sunny“cards have to stand up and switch sits with the other students who also carry a sunny cards, while the person who’s “It” tries to take an empty seat. Eventually, one person is left without the seat and that person becomes the new “It”. You can also yell out “Fruit Basket,” and watch all the students switch chairs. However, I always eliminate that option because the students would rather say “Fruit Basket” than practice the vocabulary. 

Before long, Kota was left standing the middle, visibly upset as the new “It.” I tried to reassure him, as I slowly reviewed the vocabulary words. However, another boy called out to Kota. I assumed that the boy was going to give up his seat so that Kota would no longer be “It.” Instead, the sitting boy, held Kota’s hands and asked, “何がいい？” or “What is ok? Sunny? Rainy? Cloudy…” The list continued as Kota fiercely shook his head but when the boy said “Snowy,” Kota nodded and the boy instructed him to loudly say the word and run. Kota said the word and was able to find a sit in order to avoid becoming ‘It’ once again.

The interaction between the two really pulled on my heartstrings. It was really touching to see a student helping his special needs friend that I couldn’t help but wonder if that sort of exchange would happen in the U.S. 

(By the way, it's not a secret to his classmates that Kota is a special needs student. They all know and understand that he is limited. Even then, he is not shunned or excluded by any means. What happened to "the nail that sticks out, gets hammered in" philosophy?)

The Only Disability is a Bad Attitude

One topic during the JET Skills Development Conference focused on teaching English to children with disabilities. Although I hoped to receive some insight about teaching to special needs children, the discussion quickly turned into a 10 minutes rant by one JET concerning the way Japan ostracizes children with disabilities. I cannot speak for Japan as a whole; however, I can state that this is not the case at any of my elementary schools. In one of my schools, a specific teacher is hired to give one-on-one lessons to a 1st grade girl with Down’s syndrome. Aside from morning greetings, lunch, and cleaning time, she spends most of the day with this teacher. My interactions with her are limited, but she surprisingly greets me in English even though I’ve never taught her to do so.

During graduation practice I silently observed how well she behaved. She sat without fidgeting, stood at the proper moments and, although her speech is slurred, spoke and sang along with the other students. I am unsure about the progress of her formal education, but it is comforting to see how a small town like mine provides a teacher to cater to her special needs. Another school of mine also has a special needs program for five students from various grades. These children are given an education in a safe and stress-free environment with teachers who are both caring and understanding. Moreover, my town has also hired a child psychologist to visit the schools and observe classes to identify and help children who may be in, what they refer to as, 'the gray zone.'

Therefore, does Japan ostracize children with disabilities? Not in my town.