From reel to real
As an after effect of the movie – Taare Zameen Par, city schools are now hiring special educators while people have become more sensitive towards children with Learning Disabilities, …….discovers Ashwini Gangal
We know that Bollywood influences Mumbaikars as far as fashion trends and lifestyles go, but Aamir Khans Taare Zameen Par has gone a step beyond and has influenced a wide range of people in the city.
Impact on Parents…
Snehalata Desai, vice principal, School for Remedial Education, says, Movies influence people and the stigma of Learning Disabilities (LD) has been erased by the movie Taare Zameen Par (TZP). Awareness and acceptance about dyslexia has increased and parents are now more open to the possibility of their child having LD.
Special Educator Meenakshi Kalyanpur concurs, TZP has surely had a positive impact on parents of children with dyslexia. During my practice at Arya Vidya Mandir School, informing the parent that the child has LD was an enormous task.
But now they relate to the film and see their child in the protagonist, Darsheel. They realise that their dyslexic child can have other talents (like Darsheels painting skills) and even allow the child to drop math/science. The film has encouraged creative lines like art and people have realised that the IQ of a child doesnt have to reflect only in academics.
Now parents have also realised that stashing their child away at some boarding school is not the solution for poor academic performance and that LD could be one of the causes.
Increased Scope for Special Educators….
So, has the demand for special educators risen due to TZP? Tanya Alvares, Special Educator and a fresh recruit at Jamnabai Narsee School, says, Yes, certainly. The future of special education is bright.
The movie has created more avenues for us, has raised the status and market value of special educators in the professional field as greater need for remediation is being felt in regular schools. Graduates see it as a viable job opportunity and many schools now have a resource room, i.e. a remedial room staffed by professionals trained in LD where an individualised education plan is prepared for the children who need it.
Maharashtra Education Minister Vasant Purke says, Films are a form of literature and are an easy way to spread knowledge about issues like LD. My education officers have told me that now special education is being taken up seriously in schools. Thanks to TZP, the impact has been positive for the students.
Sensitisation of Peers…
Along with spreading awareness amongst parents and boosting competition amongst special educators, the movie has also sensitised peers of children with LD. Kate Currawala, president, Maharashtra Dyslexia Association, says, TZP is a well-researched film that has helped sensitise people who matter – like parents, teachers and mainly peers of students with LD. Now, friends of dyslexic children understand the problem; there is less labelling and teasing.
The Flipside…
The impact of TZP is not all sweetness and light. Desai elucidates, Unfortunately, TZP has romanticised and sensationalised dyslexia. Not all kids with LD are as talented as Darsheel was shown to be. The movie has painted an overly optimistic picture of LD. Kalyanpur adds, I have come across parents who are too busy to devote time to their kids.
After watching TZP, they attribute the poor grades of the child to LD whereas actually the child needs time and attention from his parents!
Alvares explains, While earlier, children would hate being labelled as dyslexic, now one finds children hiding behind the disability only because they want to be like Darsheel.
Award-winning writer and creative director of Taare Zameen Par, Amole Gupte, says, I do not consider dyslexia a disorder and dont want to turn kids into patients but inadvertently TZP has increased the trend of calling dyslexia a disability and words like defect have become more popular. The movie is about childcare but sadly people have become more judgmental about kids who have language problems.
We know that Bollywood influences Mumbaikars as far as fashion trends and lifestyles go, but Aamir Khans Taare Zameen Par has gone a step beyond and has influenced a wide range of people in the city.
Impact on Parents…
Snehalata Desai, vice principal, School for Remedial Education, says, Movies influence people and the stigma of Learning Disabilities (LD) has been erased by the movie Taare Zameen Par (TZP). Awareness and acceptance about dyslexia has increased and parents are now more open to the possibility of their child having LD.
Special Educator Meenakshi Kalyanpur concurs, TZP has surely had a positive impact on parents of children with dyslexia. During my practice at Arya Vidya Mandir School, informing the parent that the child has LD was an enormous task.
But now they relate to the film and see their child in the protagonist, Darsheel. They realise that their dyslexic child can have other talents (like Darsheels painting skills) and even allow the child to drop math/science. The film has encouraged creative lines like art and people have realised that the IQ of a child doesnt have to reflect only in academics.
Now parents have also realised that stashing their child away at some boarding school is not the solution for poor academic performance and that LD could be one of the causes.
Increased Scope for Special Educators….
So, has the demand for special educators risen due to TZP? Tanya Alvares, Special Educator and a fresh recruit at Jamnabai Narsee School, says, Yes, certainly. The future of special education is bright.
The movie has created more avenues for us, has raised the status and market value of special educators in the professional field as greater need for remediation is being felt in regular schools. Graduates see it as a viable job opportunity and many schools now have a resource room, i.e. a remedial room staffed by professionals trained in LD where an individualised education plan is prepared for the children who need it.
Maharashtra Education Minister Vasant Purke says, Films are a form of literature and are an easy way to spread knowledge about issues like LD. My education officers have told me that now special education is being taken up seriously in schools. Thanks to TZP, the impact has been positive for the students.
Sensitisation of Peers…
Along with spreading awareness amongst parents and boosting competition amongst special educators, the movie has also sensitised peers of children with LD. Kate Currawala, president, Maharashtra Dyslexia Association, says, TZP is a well-researched film that has helped sensitise people who matter – like parents, teachers and mainly peers of students with LD. Now, friends of dyslexic children understand the problem; there is less labelling and teasing.
The Flipside…
The impact of TZP is not all sweetness and light. Desai elucidates, Unfortunately, TZP has romanticised and sensationalised dyslexia. Not all kids with LD are as talented as Darsheel was shown to be. The movie has painted an overly optimistic picture of LD. Kalyanpur adds, I have come across parents who are too busy to devote time to their kids.
After watching TZP, they attribute the poor grades of the child to LD whereas actually the child needs time and attention from his parents!
Alvares explains, While earlier, children would hate being labelled as dyslexic, now one finds children hiding behind the disability only because they want to be like Darsheel.
Award-winning writer and creative director of Taare Zameen Par, Amole Gupte, says, I do not consider dyslexia a disorder and dont want to turn kids into patients but inadvertently TZP has increased the trend of calling dyslexia a disability and words like defect have become more popular. The movie is about childcare but sadly people have become more judgmental about kids who have language problems.