As an infant, my sister was quite vibrant and outgoing but her experience in kindergarten was challenging due to her teacher. The incident was challenging for our family as we were concerned about her and whether she would be able to cope in school. 

 

In Kindergarten, my sister struggled with concepts such as the alphabet and was highly stressed due to the pressure being put on her by her teacher. The teacher had constant complaints and concerns regarding her performance rather than focusing on the root cause. Further, the teacher had even used that was quite harsh. Eventually, my sister was diagnosed with Dyslexia. Her teacher’s harsh words had immense pressure on her ability to cope with new concepts and her confidence. 

 

It even greatly impacted her ability to participate in school events such as recitals and was usually excluded from class activities. Moreover, there was limited awareness on learning disabilities across Indian schools. But watching my sister struggle with her classes was difficult for our family and hence, my parents decided to intervene by speaking to the principal of the school and the class teacher. It was crucial for them to ensure that the issue was highlighted to the management. The result of this was that the school was able to provide regular counselling sessions to help my sister and all teachers needed to be trained in inclusion practices for children with special needs. 

 

Ultimately, she was able to thrive at school once again and felt included in the class.