During the psychology lecture for Foundations of Education on October 16th, one of the scenarios that was discussed was when a student starts to drag their heels and hates attending school due to learning disabilities and not learning at the same pace as other students. Their struggle to learn results in stubborn behaviour because learning is very difficult for them.

Upon hearing this relation between learning ability and dislike for school, I immediately thought of a student at the school at work at. I have never worked with her but I have heard her talking to the educational assistant that works with her. She says she wants her mom and to be at home because she hates school and the response from the educational assistant is that she is in grade 1 so she has to be at school like the other students. This student struggles with communication abilities and pronouncing words. When she has to struggle just to communicate her needs or how she is feeling, it makes complete sense why she does not want to be at school. This isn’t a connection I had previously made. School must be exhausting for her. I hope I can recognize this in the future and take steps to make school easier for students in this situation. Although a speech pathologist may work with her, having the patience to hear her needs is important as they need to met before learning can be done, as per Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Another connection to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be made to the First Peoples Principle of Learning that states that “learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.” With the focus being on the well-being of the student and all who support the student, it parallels Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which focuses on physiological needs, safety needs, love, and belonging before esteem or self-actualization.

This prioritization of needs before learning was also highlighted in the “How Does Human Memory Work?” video that was associated with the myth that knowledge kills creativity and prevents higher order thinking in October 23rd’s lecture. If a student is distracted, they won’t be able to process information that is being taught which prevents it from entering the working memory which, in turn, will not reach their long-term memory. Distractions can be text-messages but they can also be hunger, remaining tension from an argument with a family member before arriving at school, fatigue after not getting enough sleep for various reasons, or unhygienic clothing. If physiological needs are not met, the student will not being able to absorb what is being taught.

In observations, it was evident at some of the schools that efforts were being made to meet these physiological needs. At one school, there was a washer and drier in a room that also at clothes of varying sizes so dirty clothes could be washed and clean clothes could either be lent or given to the student depending on the situation. Hunger needs were also being met through breakfast club programs at multiple schools although with after school programs that provided a safe place for students to be while their parents were not home from work yet. Different supports for needs were in place at schools based on what the students of that particular school needed most often. In some areas, there were less physiological needs to be met at the school while others had scheduled that planned around these needs.