JOSE RIZAL MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY

The Premier University in Zamboanga del Norte

REFLECTION PAPER

Submitted to

KATHRYN ROSE ARCHULETA

Submitted by

REYMOND C. PAHULAS
“Every child is Special”

Every child is special” is the most touching story I’ve ever seen. The story is
about Ishaan, a nine-year-old boy who doesn’t know how to read or write, who just
doesn’t get anything right in class, and when he gets in more trouble, he is sent to a
boarding school to be disciplined. He is very sad because he feels abandoned by his
family, but one day a new temporary Art teacher named Ram Shankar Nikumbh
arrived at their school. He instilled in his students the need to think, dream, and
imagine. He made his students feel liberated, and he soon discovered that Ishaan
had dyslexia, a neurological disorder that can affect anyone. This includes difficulties
in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but it has no effect
on general intelligence. His teacher assisted Ishaan in learning to read and write
correctly. The teacher approaches the school principal about holding a painting
event to demonstrate that Ishaan is not who they believe he is. When it came down
to who won the judges’ eyes and hearts, it was none other than Ishaan himself. It
simply means that Ishaan is a gifted young man with his own talent, which is Art.

I learned a lot from watching the film. Consider the situation of a child in which no
one, including his or her parents, understands what he or she is going through. He is
not even given the opportunity to defend himself; he is punished for the smallest
mistake, not knowing why the child is acting this way; and, above all, he was
accused of being lazy and naughty. I know that every parent wants the best for their
child, but what parents think or know is not always what is best for their children. His
parents don’t understand their child, and as a result, the child has become
depressed. It is sometimes necessary to consider a child’s opinion, feelings, and
abilities. The parent has the right to decide what is best for the child, but the child
also has the right to follow his or her wishes, even if they conflict with the parent’s.
Involve the child in making decisions, particularly about what he or she wants for the
future. It is not wrong to wish for a bright future for a child; what is wrong is when
people judge and underestimate a child’s abilities without knowing what else he is
capable of, what knowledge and talents he possesses. To encourage your children
to be open to you, always ask them about their day and take the time to get to know
your children better as parents. We must recognize that every child deserves to be
understood. Second, we see different types of teachers in the film, including their
teaching, such as this type of teacher placed a high value on students' academic
performance. They are focused solely on academic performance, not the child's
talent and interests, due to a lack of knowledge about the diversity of a learner, a
teacher who focuses on discipline, and a teacher who whacks his student’s hand five
times because the student could not answer the teacher’s question. A teacher who
threw a child out, causing the students who saw him to mock him rather than
assisting his student, a teacher disappoints him and believes the child is hopeless.
Then there was the teacher who traumatized his students. This type of teachers is
more likely to produce robot students than responsive citizens. On the other hand,
we will find a great, efficient, and effective teacher. Ram Shankar Nikumbh’s
character exemplifies the qualities of a great teacher, a teacher who not only teaches
but also inspires, ateacher who is not afraid to use unique and unconventional
methods of teaching his students. A teacher who uses positive approaches in
dealing with and addressing student concerns, as well as a teacher who offers extra
time to teach his student in a subject he has not yet mastered. What a great teacher,
and a true role model.
I realized that the development of a child in the film was slowed because his special
needs were not recognized by his own family or teachers. They accused him of
being a lazy, retarded, stubborn, and hopeless child, not realizing that it was their
fault for failing to recognize a child’s special needs. Ishaan’s mother’s role was
dictated by her husband, so she pressured Ishaan to be the child her husband
desired. Because of his disorder, Ishaan requires his father’s care, understanding,
and patience, but his father was blinded by his ambition for his children, and he
constantly compared Ishaan to his older brother (Yohan), who is the total opposite of
Ishaan. The special needs of a child with a disorder, such as Ishaan, were not
recognized by society. When we see a child like him, we immediately assume that
he/she has a mental problem, and we continue to judge him without realizing that a
child with a gifted talent like Ishaan exists. I also realized that as teachers, we must
not only demonstrate patience, love, care, and kindness to our students, but we must
also be aware of their intellectual, physical, and emotional development in order to
meet the needs of every child. Everyone is unique, and each child has unique needs.

If I am given the opportunity to apply what I have learned and realized, I will use it as
a daily reminder to myself to keep reminding me that as a teacher, it is my
responsibility to meet the needs of my every student for as long as I can, as I am
their role model, most trusted companion, and a second parent who always values
their existence, their needs, and their brightest future. If I am given the opportunity to
meet someone like Ishaan, I will do my best to use all of my knowledge and skills to
help them realize their dreams. I am willing to use any strategy that suits their
multiple intelligences and learning style, similar to what Mr. Ram is doing, to inspire
and motivate the child to further improve their learning and gain self-confidence. As a
teacher, you can use any approach you want as long as you keep the diversity of
your students in mind. Mr. Ram Shankar Nikumbh, for example, engages his class
by telling a very well-crafted story full of rhymes, humor, and surprise in which he
presented the difficulties some students had with reading and writing. Students were
surprised when he revealed that these struggling students included Albert Einstein,
Leonardo da Vinci, and Pablo Picasso, among others. Mr. Ram Nikumbh used a
multisensory approach to make reading and writing more active and concrete by
using writing sand, clay, chalk, touch, and movement.

In conclusion, Ishaan’s failure was caused by his parents, particularly his father, his
teachers, and society’s failure to recognize his special needs. His separation from
his family dashed his hopes of ever receiving assistance. We are frequently blinded
by the strict rules and high standards in meeting academic requirements that we fail
to see the value of the children. We may believe that an underperforming child,
someone who has difficulty reading and writing and demonstrating certain skills and
knowledge in a given situation, is not worth our time. Ishaan’s situation is difficult; no
one understands him, and even his family and teachers make him feel different from
the rest. They label him as a slacker and a retarded child. He feels isolated. A lack of
patience, love, kindness, and, most importantly, knowledge of the child’s intellectual,
physical, and emotional development can render the child unworthy and unwanted.