1 minute read
Mirror, Mirror
N e w s Y o u C a n U s e
Resilience.
It’s a key word for Special Education teacher Leeanna Cloutier (Megunticook TA) at Camden-Rockport Elementary School. In her resource room she’s working with students at a range of reading levels; some barely speak, so finding a way to encourage and motivate each child was crucial. That’s when Cloutier introduced “the mirror.”
“I got the idea from a friend who I was visiting. She is battling cancer and she became bitter. So, I thought—what can I do with my kids, who sometimes struggle to learn, to make them not bitter,” said Cloutier’s Mirror Phrases Cloutier.
Now, when each student walks in the room she asks them to sit down, look at themselves in “the mirror” and read a phrase taped to the top out loud. The phrases are all motivational, including ‘Today, I am fabulous’ and ‘Today, I am happy.’ Cloutier changes the phrases everyday, and sometimes more than once in a day to try to inspire and meet the needs of each individual.
“When we first started doing it the kids said ‘Wow, I'm fabulous?’ Nobody tells them. We have to tell them. School has become much more than an education system. We have become the lifeline. They won't be ready to learn if we don't have their emotional and physical needs met,” said Cloutier.
In the two months since “the mirror” has been in class Cloutier says she’s learned to redirect her students to it when they’re stuck on an assignment, adding the mirror has changed, in a positive way, the manner she teaches.
“This empowers kids to think more positively about themselves. We can tell them how great they are but if they don't feel it, it falls on deaf ears. We need to be more thoughtful and ask ourselves how can we make these kids feel good about themselves so they can go on and be more productive citizens. This simple mirror helps do all of that,” said Cloutier.
