Acceptance of the ‘special’

A few days ago, I observed that some of the students in my class were told off and embarrassed in front of the entire class for doing something wrong. In my perspective, I realise it is important for the teachers to reprimand the student, to ensure that the rest of the class understands it is wrong. Due to some idiosyncrasies these students possess, they are often shunned aside during discussions, so these particular students strive for attention and their actions are centred on receiving more attention from their classmates. This strive for attention then results in the students doing various actions and then getting scolded and getting shunned aside by their classmates. This will keep going on and on in a vicious circle the student is trapped in, causing insecurities and in extreme cases, mental health problems. I feel that this case that I have witnessed is only one in many tales of woe these students face. These students may be special and require special attention. Perhaps the teachers could talk to the students privately, without the special students and remind them to be more acceptive of their peers. This issue needs to be addressed in order for the special students to have confidence, and in time they will progress to be leaders, if given the right mentorship. Some change needs to happen in the way we view these pupils and in the way these pupils look at themselves, for our society to become truly accepting.