It was about a certain child named Ishaan Awasthi.
Ishaan was a talented child; he can think
outside the box and paint with such passion and creativity. But he was not understood by his
teachers; he was only thought of as a mischievous and a very naughty boy. He was often called
an “idiot, duffer, lazy and crazy”, even his parents didn’t understand him. They only thought that
the boy was misbehaving because he did not want to go to school. It is perhaps the structure
and restrictions of the normal expectations of the school system that rub him the wrong way,
because one day, after having been punished by being sent by the teacher to stand in the
hallway, he goes AWOL and wanders the streets, savoring the exciting sights of tourist-film
India. He appears to be somewhat hyperactive. If his parents attempted to have him tested, it
may be that he never sat still long enough to get a diagnosis. After finding out that Ishaan will be
kicked out of school after the school year, his parents decided to send him to a boarding school
where Ishaan suffered more from his strict teachers. These incidents crushed Ishaan’s
confidence in him and he became depressed, very depressed. He did not speak to anyone, not
even to his mother or his brother. No one would even try to help him because they did not try to
understand him.
In the movie, Ishaan met Mr. Ram Shankar Nikumbh, a substitute art teacher. With his
persistence to help the young boy, he found out the boy’s condition and so offered extra time to
teach him in areas he had not mastered yet. For me, the character of Mr. Ram Shankar
Nikumbh shows us some qualities of a great teacher. A teacher who does not only teach, but
inspires as well. A teacher who is not afraid to use unique and unconventional ways in teaching
his pupils. Furthermore, a teacher who exhibits a broad knowledge of Psychology in teaching
and using positive approaches in dealing and addressing students’ concerns. The teacher’s
persistence to truly understand the boy changes everything. From a lazy, dumb boy as others
thought he was, turned a very smart and gifted boy in the end. An artist to remember.
The kind of relationship we build to the young ones greatly affects how they perceive
themselves and what they will become. The lack of patience, love and kindness and most
especially knowledge of one’s physical, intellectual and emotional condition can make one feels
unworthy and unwanted.
Oftentimes we are blinded by the strict rules and high standards in meeting academic
requirements, that, we fail to see the person’s worth. We believe that an underperforming child,
someone who can hardly read and write and demonstrate certain skills and knowledge in the
given situation is not worth of our time. In my personal point of view, teachers should help a
child in every way they can. They should look into the child’s potentials as a learner and of what
motivates a child and what does not. Other than a having a broad knowledge on subject-matter,
curriculum and standards, teachers must have strong desire to make a difference in the lives of
young people
Those are the three main lessons that I won’t easily forget about the movie Every Child Is
Special. I’m sure that it won’t be easily forgotten.The movie introduced me to the condition
called dyslexia.Another lesson that the movie made me realize was about parenting, about how
parents should love their children equally, how they should accept them whatever conditions
come with them when they were born and whoever they turn out to be. Lastly Another deep
lesson being carved in my mind was about how teachers greatly affect their students’ outlook in
life, and how they influence them.
