A Perspective of Special Education from the Community

We have learned from our first week in the schools that Special Education is not prevalent in Belize. Last night, I met a man who had a more personal take on the lack on Special Education in San Pedro. His name was David, and he moved to San Pedro when he was eleven. We were eating dinner, and he started talking to us… asking the usual why are you here and for how long. Once we told him, we were teaching here for a month, he immediately asked if we take Special Education. It was definitely really interesting that this was his first question, since it is not something offered here in Belize. This naturally struck up a conversation.

David began telling us how he struggled learning when he was younger in school. He said he reached a point when school became too difficult, and he ended up dropping out. He then began to explain how he sees his daughter struggling in school, and how he thinks she needs additional help and different strategies for learning. He said that he tries to help her at home with her schoolwork, but sometimes he is not able to be helpful. He wishes that there was a way for his daughter to receive more support in school, so that she is able to be successful and confident in her learning. 

This conversation solidified for me how so many students and families could benefit from Special Education in schools here in Belize. There are so many struggling learners, who need strategies, accommodations, and modifications to help them learn better. I am anxious to see as the number of struggling learners increases, if that puts an urgency on the need for Special Education. I am hoping in our short time here, we can provide strategies and techniques for the teachers to help their students learn more effectively.