When I traveled to Disney World with my family a few years ago, we received a personalized booklet in the mail, tailored to our specific trip plans. Ensuring that each visitor gets exactly what they need is something that Disney does very well. A variety of options allow each person to personalize and customize their vacation based on their wants and needs. Lee Cockerell argues that every customer is a VIP, a very individual person, and deserves to be treated accordingly based on their wants and needs.
This lesson also applies to your students. On the first day of school, you will encounter a number of students who enter your classroom needing a variety of supports, having very specific interests, and with individual hopes and dreams. It is your role as the lead learner to make sure that you are meeting the needs of all students, while also encouraging student voice and choice to make sure that student wants are addressed as well. Provide the student who has difficulty sitting still a desk and chair in the back of the classroom so that he or she may stand without impacting the learning of other students. Allow a student who has no support at home a chance to meet with a classmate to review homework at the beginning of the day. Make adjustments that allow each student to be successful based on his or her individual needs.
Rich (@RACzyz)