Hi Lyn,
thanks for bringing up this topic.
Like yourself, when I was involved in teaching young children, I too,
integrated FC work into the day to day with children.
This worked really well for children who were excluded from the group.
Here are a couple of examples that I can remember. I had a few
dyslexic and autistic children who were shunned by the main group.
By accepting their 'special' condition and with the permission of
parents and the school, naming the condition and bringing it out in
the open with everyone in class and educating them about what
dyslexia or autism was all about, brought so much peace within the
classroom. The simple act of acknowledging the symptoms brought such
calm - that was all that was needed.
i felt that it was important in this case to get the support from the
school and the parents regarding this. However, getting the teachers
who were teaching these same classes involved was sometimes, not
possible as many here still see such conditions as shameful and there
is still a big stigma attached to people with special needs. They
would insist on sweeping it all under the carpet.
Another example I can think of that I did was for children's day, I
wrote a little note for each child and for those who felt excluded
(usually also very disruptive in class)either by their own family,
other teachers and/or their friends, I wrote about how glad I was that
they were in the class and so on. that also worked wonders. their
behaviours became calmer after and they also became more co-operative.
best wishes, Dipa
