The 10 th National Conference in Special Education presents

1. The 10th National Conferencein Special Educationpresents

2. QUOTABLE QUOTES ON SPECIAL EDUCATIONA Compilation of Memorable Quotes from Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon’s Books and Classes Prepared by Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon and Myra Trinidad Timtiman-Tantengco

3. NOTE: To facilitate citation of references, a code was used to identify those books. It is as follows: A : Dizon, E.I., & Sacris, C.N. (Eds.) (2003). Therapeutic teaching: Loving, healing and nurturing children with special needs. B: Dizon, E.I., & Sacris, C.N., & Mercado, M.S.A. (Eds.) (n.d.). From segregation to integration: Mainstreaming/Inclusion of children with special needs in the regular classroom. C: Dizon, E.I., & Sacris, C.N. (Eds.) (n.d.). Special education: Pro-Life, Pro-Humanity, Pro-God . The meaning of serving special children and their families. D: Dizon, E.I. (Ed.) (2000). Teaching Filipino children with autism.

4. E: Dizon, E.I., & Sacris, C.N. (Eds.) (2003). Individualization of educational content and strategies. F: Dizon, E.I. (Ed.) (2005). Practical guides and procedures in individualized educational planning for learners with special needs. G: Dizon, E.I. (2008). Shadow teaching special children in the regular school: Concepts, guidelines and strategies. The reference code and the page numbers are placed after the quote in bold letters.

5. Table of Contents

6. Table of Contents

7. Table of Contents

8. Art, Dance, Games, Music and Play in Therapeutic Teaching

9. Therapeutic teaching pertains to the use of arts and human kinetics: music, art, play, dance, drama, literature in books, and others in pedagogy to address specific therapeutic needs and concerns of learners with special needs. - A: 11

10. Therapeutic teaching springs from one’s commitment to loving the learner unconditionally, understanding him and relating with him sincerely and genuinely. It is a fact that therapeutic teaching can never be possible without the presence of these core conditions of helping. - A: 12

11. … Attitude change/behavior modification, values formation and self-improvement/personality development are main concerns of therapeutic teaching within a pedagogical context. Thus, the classroom, not the clinic, remains the “arena” for helping the learner with special needs. - A: 12

12. Life has been your art. You have set yourself to music. Your days are your sonnet. - Oscar Wilde quoted in A: 138

13. Children love to sing, move, dance, and have fun. As musical activities are inherently enjoyable and action-oriented, children can learn important lessons through such activities. - B: 62

14. Children find a lot of enjoyment in drawing, painting, and creative objects they themselves have made. Such activities allow them to express themselves openly and without judgments. - B: 62

15. Games are fun-filled activities that can be easily incorporated in teaching or reinforcing academic concepts learned. Make up questions about certain topics … Let the children answer the questions verbally, or by writing it on the board, or by flashing the right answer written on strips of paper. Games will bring life to an otherwise sleepy day. - B: 62

16. Dance movements promote healing in a number of ways. On the physical level, it provides the benefits of exercise, a cardiovascular workout as well as improvement of one’s coordination and muscle tone. It eases muscle rigidity and increases one’s energy. - A: 139

17. On the socio-emotional level, [dance] helps people feel more joyful and confident. It diminishes anxiety and allows them to confront issues such as anger, frustration and loss that may be difficult for them to express verbally. Also, moving as a group diminishes feelings of isolation and creates powerful social and emotional bonds. - A: 139

18. Mentally, dance movements seek to enhance the individual’s cognitive skills, motivation, and memory. It also encourages self-expression and opens up new ways of thinking and doing. - A: 139

19. Play is the highest development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in the child’s soul … Children’s play is not mere sport. It is full of meaning and import. - Froebel, quoted in A: 129

20. Play, in child therapy, is a ‘natural medium for self-expression, facilitates a child’s communication, is conducive to a cathartic release of feeling, can be renewing and constructive, and allows the adult a window through which to observe the child’s world. - Gil, 1994, cited in A: 129

21. Dr. Dizon’s Words of Wisdom With Insights from Andrea B. Martinez-Gacos

22. “Teachers can make or unmake children in the classroom.” It is beyond doubt that teachers are semi-gods and goddesses in the classroom. That is why I owe it very much to the teachers of my child her improvement in her behavior. However, others who were impatient with her were also culprits of her former misdemeanors.

23. “Children’s lives are all about play.” So why not take every opportunity to play with kids when they could still enjoy their childhood and are not yet bothered by life’s harsh realities. My child seems to grow so fast that every moment not spent with her is like missing out on an opportunity to witness her childhood years.

24. “Don’t be so rigid with children. Just be consistent.” Ouch! It was like a sharp knife directly pointed at me because I must admit I had been very rigid with my child – expecting and demanding her to conform to my standards of behavior, and punishing her for non-compliance.

25. “Be cautious with people you deal with.” Being so trusting is one limitation I have that has brought me into so many unfortunate circumstances because of betrayal and treachery.

26. “Do not pass on burdens to others.” I used to displace all my stress on my daughter, thinking she was the main source of my burden. Only to realize later that she is a blessing and not God’s curse.

27. “Get easy on people; let them be themselves.” Was I mean with my daughter as well as with my students? Was there a time I became a hindrance, instead of assistance, in her self-discovery?

28. “Let go of little things.” This, I must admit, is still a challenge to me. I think I need a mountain of patience before I can master the art of letting go of small things.

29. “If I tell you who I am, will you still accept me?” Had I fully accepted my child’s disabilities and shortcomings? I am beginning the “new journey” now…

30. “Don’t suffer in silence. Help is something sought for.” Indeed, being a single parent for a special child can cause so much distress, frustrations, and disappointments. But others are willing to help, if we only let them know we need them. I thought I was a “superwoman”, only to contradict myself with the realization that I equally need other’s help.

31. “I can’t be responsible for what others think about me.” Perhaps, people may judge me for the way I brought up my child – because I chose the comfort of being a single parent than the agony of living with the father of my child.

32. “All of us have hills and valleys in life.” My journey with my daughter has just started – and I intend to finish it by bringing her along with me. Even at times when I bump into the many hills in my life, I believe I can always find rest in the valleys of my family, friends and loved ones.

33. “Life is short – we only have the space between having been born and the certainty of death.” But though life is short, we could live it meaningfully if it is a life devoted to a cause. Thanks to this realization, I firmly devote my life to tread on the journey with my daughter.

34. The outstanding rule about love is to be helpful, not hurtful. At a time when the world seems not to care, I always have the love of my daughter to help me through.

35. Childhood

36. Every one of us is unique, Every one of us is special, And that we should never lose the child in us. - Bonifacio-Ramolete, quoted in A: 79

37. Hold childhood in reverence, and do not be in any hurry to judge it for good or ill. Give nature time to work before you take over her business, lest you interfere with her dealings. Childhood is the sleep of reason. - Rousseau ,in Landerth, 1991, quoted in A: 129

38. Tenets for Relating to ChildrenAdapted from “Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship” by Gary Landreth 1. Children are not miniature adults and the teacher does not respond to them as if they were. 2. Children are people. They are capable of experiencing deep emotional pain and joy.

39. Tenets for Relating to Children(cont.) 3. Children are unique and worthy of respect. The teacher prizes the uniqueness of each child and respects the person they are. 4. Children are resilient. Children possess a tremendous capacity to overcome.

40. Tenets for Relating to Children (cont.) 5. Children have inherent growth toward growth and maturity. They possess an inner intuitive of wisdom. 6. Children are capable of positive direction. They are capable of dealing with their world of creative ways.

41. Tenets for Relating to Children (cont.) 7. Children’s natural language is play and this is the medium of self-expression with which they are most comfortable. 8. Children have the right to remain silent. The teacher respects a child’s decision not to talk.

42. Tenets for Relating to Children (cont.) 9. Children will take the therapeutic experience to where they need to be. The teacher does not determine when or how the child should play. 10. Children’s growth cannot be speeded up. The teacher recognizes this and is patient with the child’s developmental progress.

43. Collaboration

44. Your Self-Worth Antonio Stravidari was a seventeenth century violinmaker whose name in its Latin form, Stravidarius, has become synonymous with excellence. He once said that to make a violin less than his best would be to rob God, Who could not make Antonio Stravidari’s violins without Antonio. He was right. God could not make Stravidarius violins without Antonio Stravidari. Certain gifts were given to that craftsman that no other violinmaker possessed. In the same vein, there are certain things you can do that no one else can. Perhaps it is parenting, or constructing houses, or encouraging the discouraged. There are things that only you can do, and you are alive to do them. In the great orchestra we call life, you have an instrument and a song, and you owe it to God to play them both sublimely. - Harold Sala, quoted in C: 112

45. Few joys are comparable to that of living a life that nourishes our soul as well as feeds others as we tread along life. In our roles as professionals, parents, caregivers and friends of children with special needs, we have to remember this: “God doesn’t care what particular task we do. God does not care whether we are up in the stands watching or down the field playing our heart out. The question that is most important is, ‘Are we doing what we are doing as unto the Lord?’” - Dr. Josefina S. Malibiran and Ms. Charina Joyce Kanoy in C:78

46. Compassion and Empathy

47. God Loves You “As Is” People come in all shapes, sizes – and personalities … One of the most comforting truths of the Bible is that God knows and loves us just as we are. With Him we do not have to play games, pretend to be confident and “on top of things” when we’re really down and fearful of what may happen… God made you just as you are and His love for you is unchanging and unqualified. -Harold Sala in C:124

48. You may be thinking, “There are a lot of hurting people out there, I cannot help them all!” If, however, one hurting person crossed your path and reached out to you in need, could you stop long enough to hear what he or she hears, to feel what he or she feels, and to be there in his or her time of need? This is where compassion begins. -Harold Sala, quoted in C:122

49. Empathic understanding is putting oneself in the place of the helpee. It covers such questions as: “What is the helpee feeling right now?” ; “How does he view his problems?”; and “What does he see in his world?” - A: 7

50. I see the world through the eyes of others; I understand others because I can get inside the skin of others; I listen well to all cues both verbal and nonverbal that the other emits, and I respond to these cues. - A: 7