Banny Joyce Trinidad, a special-education teacher at Kabunayan Elementary School in San Juan City, initially did not plan to teach special children. But her stint in the Philippine National University (PNU) changed her perspective because she was looking for a new challenge and employment overseas.
“I challenged myself to develop a goal. Further, my mother suggested I should to get a course that could boost my chances of getting work overseas. That is the reason I took units in special education [SPED] at PNU,” Trinidad said.
When she embarked on teaching the special group of children in Kabunayan Elementary School, Trinidad found out it was not a walk in the park. She handled children from 7 to 13 years old.
It was hard because the students did not speak to her. Making it doubly hard for her was the fact that the motor skills of the students were below the standards for their age. “I had a student whose skills were equivalent to that of a baby.”
“I have to be innovative in my approach to teaching these special children. I have to get their attention so they will listen to me,” Trinidad said.
She bought several items, which she developed as teaching kits to aid her students in their learning. During paydays, she goes to Divisoria, a well-known shopping haven for bargain hunters in Manila, to buy manipulative boards for their mental exercise. The manipulative boards allow her students to perform some tasks such, as identifying colors. “I have to craft different sets of lesson plans because every level has different learning abilities.
Trinidad said adjusting a lesson plan is not new to her because a student will have a different mood on that day. “There was a student of mine who won’t take his seat because there was no nursery rhyme playing in the classroom.”
She handles six students in the morning and another six in the afternoon. She handles students who have Down’s syndrome, speech defects, epilepsy and other mental disabilities.
Although teaching SPED requires immense focus, patience and determination, Trinidad says she and her group find joy and satisfaction in seeing their students develop some skills, like grooming and helping in the family chores.
To familiarize the community with the SPED school, Trinidad and her fellow SPED teachers regularly organize tours to enable the people so they can develop more awareness and support to this special group of children who deserve all the support and love from the people.
For Trinidad, teaching SPED is now her primary role as an educator. “I am focused on SPED. I’ve learned to love these children because they are special people.”