It seems these days a child who doesn’t fit our understanding of how best to learn, communicate or behave is lifted up as a child or student with special needs. I can hear the infamous church lady of Saturday Night Live now, “Isn’t that special!” What makes a need special anyway? Who really owns the ‘special-ness’ of the need?

Lutheran schools and centers are very clear in their unanimous belief that every child is special to us and to our Lord. Yet only a few are considered to have special needs. Do the math and that just doesn’t seem to add up. If every child is special, then all their needs are special as well.

Consider the special nature of the need in question. Chances are the need is really owned by the teacher and the school.

Meeting people where they are and going from that point is a lesson of crystal clarity illustrated by Jesus. It was at those times when Jesus determined the teaching methods to use. Example, parable, practical exercise and application, even lecture were all part of our Lord’s teaching repertoire. He taught the disciples to use these when they came across the ‘difficult’ student who they considered to have special needs.

When a child presents new stimulus to the education environment somewhat outside our own personal experience and box of understanding, it is our need which becomes special. For example, a child in a wheelchair is special and may present special needs to a school. Appropriate physical adjustments and renovations may be required as well as a host of other changes on our part, not on the part of the child. Perhaps it becomes apparent when a child presents behavior determined to exhibit symptoms of ADD or ADHD or appears to be extremely gifted intellectually. It is the special need of the teacher to learn those strategies which will most benefit the child’s learning experience. “Isn’t that special!” Because children without wheelchairs, intellectual giftedness or ADD are generally in the minority in our classrooms does not make their needs any more special than the child who is able to succeed in the learning style and patterns with which we are most comfortable.

As teachers we are called to a lifetime of learning. Part of that learning is to expand our teaching expertise to meet the needs of children where they are. Without question there will be some needs which are difficult or nearly impossible to meet in a mainstream classroom. At those times consider the special-ness of the need to be yours, and thank God for the abilities you do have to meet the special needs of many children in your midst, all of whom are special to you and in Jesus’ arms. Isn’t that blessing special!

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