Mrs. Phillips

No Child Left Behind

One thing I absolutely LOVE about my profession is that there is not a single dull day. Every day I am either learning something new or unlearning something old or relearning something important. And I feel that that is a critical part of evolving as a teacher. People who know me also know how strongly I feel about children with special educational needs. 

Being someone who struggled with her fair share of speech trouble, I had always doubted myself and felt inferior to my peers. It was something I could control, some said; while others found it easier to bully or mock the stumble in my sentences. I became reticent and socially awkward, and needless to say, hated speaking in public. I loved singing and performing on stage but talking made me go into a shell. My parents being awesome as they are never let me feel inadequate and did a massive thing by being curious about what was happening instead; read up on it and took me to a speech therapist. They never tried to 'fix it' but they tried to help me become more secure with it.  But school, largely for me, was not a safe and happy place. And maybe that's why the very few cherished memories I have of school is that of a handful of teachers who swarmed me with love every time they saw me and that of an equally handful of good, kind friends (and it makes me happy to know that they are still a part of my life and we still are there for each other).

I grew up with a poor self-image until the day we got this one-of-a-kind teacher, Mrs. Cecilia Phillips. She taught us English and doubled as our homeroom teacher. She wore her hair in a bob cut like Hillary Clinton used to have; waltzed in the most lovely kurta-salwars and had beautiful woollen cardigans she used to wear when the winter season set in. When the year began and she started teaching, she would often ask us to read a paragraph from a lesson. While other kids used to raise hands to get picked or being excited to read, I did neither. The only thought that used to run across my brain was what Harry Potter said to the Sorting Hat "Not Slytherin Not Slytherin" but more on the lines of "Let it not be me let it not be me". And the sneaky woman that she was, she would pick me. I remember the first time I read out aloud in the class: my knees were knocking against each other wildly, I was petrified of being laughed at, and there she was all calm looking at me as if she knew what I was feeling. I read. I fumbled. I stuttered. Some snickered. But I finished the paragraph and sat down. And she moved on to the next child. Next day again, she picked me. And then the following day as well. And all I could think was she KNOWS I don't read properly and still she is picking me! In hindsight, what she was doing was what she did best: not leaving anyone behind. She wanted everyone to equally succeed, even if it took more time for some than others but she NEVER GAVE UP. The years that followed was me praying that I get her as my homeroom teacher and I did. I saw myself build up my self-esteem in her classes. 

And then in Grade 5, she told me that she wanted me to participate in a declamation competition and that day I realised that the woman had lost her marbles. But after hours of convincing (me convincing her why she is wrong basically), all I went home was with the knowledge that I am signed up for that competition. I panicked, freaked out rather but Mrs. Phillips would sit with me going over and over the speech. She used her free blocks and help me out. She also had other students whom she was training but she would spend extra time with me nonetheless. I secured second place in that competition and that certificate now sits somewhere towards the bottom of a filled up binder of achievements in public speaking I got after that. 

It took the faith of just ONE teacher to make someone like me into someone I never thought of. I ran for school councils, I emceed events, I did theatre, I participated in every possible competition the school and external organisations hosted. But I never forgot what she did for me. Mrs. Phillips did what no other person in school did for me: she saw me. 

And that is the lesson I have taken with me every day that I have walked into a classroom. 

Our school system is so obsessed with the perfect score, the perfect child, the perfect profession, and the perfect life to a point that we leave out the not-so-perfect ones behind. There are students out there who deal with learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety, dysfunctional families, emotional issues, physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, the list is endless and yet, we are so far from achieving the motto of "every child...". But things are changing. 

Inclusivity in education is being discussed. National and international bodies recognise this as a critical point of discourse and it's amazing that people are actually speaking out about it. And then there is a small school in the outskirts of my birthplace in Trivandrum. A quaint little government school called Ayiroorppara Government Higher Secondary School. When I first saw this school, I could not believe it was a government school. A stunning pucca infrastructure with large smart classrooms, excellent hygiene facilities, midday meals prepared and provided by the schools, and one of the most invested group of teachers I have ever come across. 

The resource centre run by Mrs. Bindu is an enthusiastic learning space. The students with special needs love going to her for remedial time and she has an updated way of working with them. She spends her free time in school and at home preparing worksheets, support resources, activities, and games for all these students and spends a significant amount of time teaching them concepts. Her idea of teaching revolves around ensuring that if a regular child is learning, the special child also deserves to learn. Period. I have met her exactly 2 times now since my research began but her energy is infectious! And she passes on that positive energy to her fellow teachers in such a manner that they never find it an extra burden to help her out. She has trained the regular and special teachers in school on how to best support the students with special educational needs in their respective classes. She helps them to make the differentiated worksheets and assessments for each topic so as to ensure that every single child is learning something of value. That, to me, is an excellent example of inclusivity! 

The latest feather in their cap is a very ambitious project called 'Whiteboard' inaugurated by the Kerala Chief Minister and Education Minister. This initiative is for the special educators across the state to support students with special educational needs through the digital platforms. While the regular teachers upload their videos on the Vikters channel for different age groups, this army of special educators sit and break down EVERY topic into digestible pieces of activities and content for children with special needs. What is even more fascinating is that they have separate segments for EVERY TYPE of special needs. So a child with visual impairment has a time slot wherein his/her special educator will teach the morning concept in a way understandable for him/her. Similarly, a child with learning disability, hearing impairment, autism, and so on. With supportive parents taken into confidence, this project has managed to do some commendable work through WhatsApp and TV. And the students receive social recognition and positive reinforcement through WhatsApp from their teachers every time they manage to crack the activity given to them. When she shared all this with me yesterday, I was speechless for a really long time because for me, it is still a dream. A good one. 

It is heartwarming to see teachers like her and her relentlessly passionate colleagues wanting to do this and to hear them say that those kids deserve it. Yes, they do! 

If you are someone who has/has been/knows/teaches a child with special educational needs, please take out the time to know them and understand their learning needs because your faith in them could go a long way in making them believe that they can take on the whole world. 

I wish that all of you have a Mrs. Phillips in your life who sees you for what you're worth.

Thank you for reading.

L-R: Arjun (my one and only constant friend since Pre-KG), Ashwathi, Mrs. Phillips, Arun (my brother)

Arjun and I try meeting Mrs. Phillips every time I am in town and this was the last meeting we had on 16th July, 2016.

P.S. Mrs. Phillips is still the amazing teacher that she was. She still has that bob cut she had in '99 (as you can see above). She changed schools after I moved into middle school after she taught my brother the same way she taught me: with love. I keep telling her that she left because she couldn't bear to part with me but she continues to refuse. It has been close to 20 years since she last taught me but she still calls me every year on my birthday and hers is the call that I love the most.