Torch, Fall 1991

----------------------------------------- Yet, the system changes very slowly. The continued emphasis on competency testing through standardized forms ensures that these students will continue to be handicapped in revealing what they really know and can do. 2. Help your student find out how he can adapt his learning to function in the culture. In junior high the reality ofmy difference in academic areas began to hit me. We had to take standardized tests and final exams. I always did well in class, but my teachers commented that my exam scores were never up to par with what I did in class. I figured out later that I read more into the questions than what was intended. (I had become masterful at reading between the lines, thanks to the Hardy Boys.) Math was difficult for me, mainly because we were beginning the "new math." Though some of the concepts were fun, it seemed there was no connection between what I had done in school during previous years and what we were doing now. However, one math teacher made it seem relevant when she taught me how to do art projects through graphing with algebraic equations. I even took the project to the science fair. In high school, I had two teachers who made me feel comfortable, Mrs. Ross in History andMrs. Fowler in Spanish. Both teachers took a personal interest in me and told me I was creative and had a neat personality. Those teachers inspired me and made me want to be a teacher, too. They nurtured my gifts so I could begin to see my potential. They didn't tell me what I was doing wrong; they told me what I was doing right. Sometimes we as teachers can do nothing about the cause of learning problems, but we can be resource people and refer parents to agencies for the proper assistance. We can also adjust the classroom curriculum to different learning styles and help students learn more efficiently. The Lord calls each teacher to be a nurturer of his or her students, helping them see the special gifts God has given them and what they might need to adapt to the present culture. I constantly have to fight the temptation ofbeing satisfiedwhen only acertainpercentage ofmy students succeed. Our role is to shepherd all the sheep. When a single lamb is not going the right direction, we are to go after him and help him find his way back. 3. Help your student build a support system of like-minded Christians who can encourage him. For several years, my grades were as low as my self-concept. I was shy and backward, and couldn't say what I felt. Although I had the ideas, I had difficulty putting them on paper. Maybe keeping a diary or journal would have been helpful, but no one suggested it. My first semester of college ended with failing marks in two out of three courses. I struggled through English courses and changed major three times. Then came a crucial point in my life. I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I also found a group of other Christian students whodiscipledmeandhelpedmewithmyself-concept. Theyhelpedme learn that! amaunique blessingfromGod, with specialgifts and talents that are necessary to the Body ofChrist. God chose me, therefore I am a valuable asset to Him in the eternal plan of this world. He makes no mistakes. SinceGod can overcome anything, I need only lean on Him andnot onmyself, andserveHim throughmy gifts. "Blessedis theman that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is" (Jeremiah 17:7). These truths motivatedme to finish my college education. I finished with a geography education degree with a history minor. My student teaching hadbeen highly successful. Iwas viewed as acreative teacher and a good disciplinarian. Still, most ofmy lesson plans were written on little scraps of paper or done off the top of my head. I needed the Lord's strengthmore than ever as Imoved into the professional world\ I have continued to surround myself with Christian friends who are able to buildme up, exhortme in abiblical fashion,and directme to rely on God's power and not on my own strength. 4. Nurture the special gifts and talents God has given your student. My first teaching job was teaching remedial reading through a federally-funded program at an inner-city elementary school. As my teaching continued in a variety of school settings, I always had trouble with detail and organization. Yet I was lauded for my creativity and my ability to relate to the young people in my classes. This praise was helpful, but comments about my writing ability or lack of detail reinforced my differences and causedme to think ofmyself as inferior. We can help nurture children's gifts when we see them as God does. They are an integral part of the Body of Christ and God has made them exactly as they are, blemishes and all, for a specific purpose in His plan. The proverbial admonition is to "Train up a child in the way he should go..." (Proverbs 22:6). The emphasis is not on how we think the child should go, but on finding the spiritual gifts, talents, temperaments, and unique differences God has placed in him and to assist him in developing them. In the Body ofChrist, one size does not fit all.We have individually-tailored lives created by the Master Designer. 5. Encourage your student to dowhat he does for God, not for others' approval. I had applied the proverbial method ofgaining wisdom in a "multitude of counselors" and had built my network offriends who would edify and challenge me. Yet as much as I tried to surround myself with helpful people, I always had contact with those who did not understand or ap– prove ofme. Sometimes their opinions motivatedme. In fact, I went back to school for a master's degree in educational administration to prove a point to one of my administrators. But trying to please people or prove something to people is not what pleases God. As David wrote, "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether....Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, 0 Lord, my strength, and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:9,14). God made us and understands us. He wants us to succeed in His service. He is the One we must please. 6. Inspire your student to be a life-long learner, a risk-taker. Jobs were not plentiful for geography teachers with a 2.6 grade point average, so right after college I worked at a florist shop. I learned about the growth and nurturing of plants and the creative arrangement of flowers for sale. It was here that I learned my math. Having to balance the cash register every evening was the best experience I ever had in learning math computation. Some of the most valuable and practical learning takes place outside the classroom. I am so thankful that God has taken me through the situations he has that I might help others become all God wants them to be. The Lord not only blessed me with these opportunities, but also gave me a son who is learning disabled and learns very differently. This has given me more insight into how students learn and what can be done to help them. Now I am approaching my dissertation for my Ph.D. which will center on how to adjust the curriculum for children who learn differently. I would have never thought back in junior high that one day I would be getting a doctorate. But I have learned that taking a risk to learn something new can be a constantly rewarding part of life, when you have a God in Whom you can trust. Tim Heaton, assistant professor of education at Cedarville College, has extensive teaching and administrativeexperience in Christian and public schools. He often gives seminars on learning disabilities.