《声音》启明星专刊 VOICES for Daystar Academy VOICES Fall/Winter Edition 2018 | Page 15

DS BEIGAO ELC
meaningful way with my students. You see at that
time, there was also a Grade 1 student who had broken
his leg so badly that he had to be escorted around in
a wheel chair. Every time my students went to the
cafeteria to have lunch, they would walk past this boy.
In the beginning my students were very curious about
what had happened, and were shy to approach him.
But after a few weeks they got used to seeing the boy
and treated him like any other student in our school.
I think it is safe to say, that when I read the above-
mentioned story to my class and told them that it is
ok to have wheels, my students immediately thought
about the boy they were seeing every day. Some of my
students immediately wanted to know how can it be ok
to have wheels when the boy in the wheel chair could
not go to and from class or bathrooms as easily as the
other students. This led to discussions about our school
having limited access for people in wheelchairs and a
renewed sense of empathy towards the boy we saw
every day.
The second memorable thing happened when my
students wanted to learn how to draw like Todd Parr.
The thing is, I am not an art teacher and therefore did
not know what the best way would be to teach them
how to draw like Todd Parr. So I put on my “thinking
cap” and after a while had a great idea. I am a firm
believer in 21st century learning and a passionate
advocate for the use of technology in the classroom.
So I decided to use our iPads and an app to teach my
students how to draw like Todd Parr. The end result was
amazing. My students had a really great time using the
iPads and enjoyed experimenting with various colors to
create their pictures. My students were very proud of
their art work and could not wait to show Todd Parr
their pictures. So I took their pictures and decorated
the wall behind where Todd Parr was going to sit. Those
smiling faces, when Todd Parr told my students that
their pictures were even better than his own, was sight
I will always cherish and remember.
Reading Todd’s books, doing activities related to his
books and eventually meeting Todd Parr in person were
all great and amazing experiences. This whole event
was a very memorable experience to my students and
to myself.
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