Home      Town & school      Class       Special Children      Lessons     Teacher interview

    A lot of learning takes place in the classroom. Mainstream children learn to treat special children as equal partners with their own strengths and weaknesses. This type of living and learning together in one classroom prepares the children for real-world experiences and enables them to approach people with disabilities with confidence.

    However, it has been observed for example that it was considered a privilege to push Patrik's wheelchair during the big break throughout the first two years. Now, in the fourth year, there are times when pupils have to be asked to look after Patrik during the break.

    Moreover, some children are more inclined to take care of a special child than others. There seem to be the same four children, who are very socially-minded and make offers. On the other hand, there are five children (incidentally those who show most intellectual talents and will go on to grammar school!) who offer very little on their own, but rather pursue their own interests. When asked, however, they do make their contribution.

    One problem is increasing with age: Whereas there was quite harmonious learning in the first two years, differences in ability and achievement have drastically increased and are now painfully visible. - This will make the next phase of education in secondary school particularly difficult. It remains to be seen whether there will also be a social rift (because then this costly and emotionally charged experiment would have failed).

    It is not only the behaviour and attitudes of the children in this particular class that have changed, but this positive effect has radiated to neighbouring classrooms and, in a way, to the whole school (festivities, projects, school yard).

    The support teacher changed every year, which makes high demands on the team spirit and flexibility of the class teacher.

    Support teachers have no special training. Most of them are just dedicated primary school teachers with a strong interest in the community, and with sympathy and understanding for the weak and the low-achievers in our society.

    Teacher Training Colleges make great efforts to offer new training programs for the SN sector. But it will be some time before these teachers (fully qualified, but inexperienced) will be available.

    Whereas the class teacher feels that she has achieved a lot with Patrik, she willingly admits that his intellectual abilities could have been better promoted in a SNC and with regard to his physical problems she is, now, at the end of her tether.

    The standard of achievement is a constant challenge because the time has to be divided between mainstream curricular work and social and supportive work. You need to have control groups (parallel classes with mainstream children only) as points of orientation.

    A strict division between the working areas (class teacher for class - support teacher for special children) seems unfavourable. There should be times when either teacher looks after and teaches the whole class or when the roles are reversed.

    This type of classroom involves an increased amount of preparation, high flexibility, spontaneous decision-making, and the ability to work in a team.

    Parents are very satisfied with the education of their children. Only one parent of a high-achiever was repeatedly worried about achievement levels.

    Support is very good within the school (headmaster and colleagues) and in the community. There is passive support from the SNC, but a more active role would be appreciated.

Two wishes emerged in the course of the conversation:

    A fully qualified support teacher for the whole period of four years

    Active support from the local SNC

Home      Town & school      Class       Special Children      Lessons     Teacher interview