The power of belonging | Vikneswaran Krishnan Murthi | TEDxUWCSEAEast
Kanchan, a student with cerebral palsy who required significant support, exemplifies how vulnerability can cultivate a profound sense of belonging that fuels academic achievement and inspires community support. The speaker argues that the secret to enhancing belonging lies in consistent, small acts of care within the immediate community. This is illustrated by Kanchan's journey from needing extensive support to independently advocating for himself by submitting his own access arrangement documents. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker: Storyteller sharing a personal narrative. - Context: Describing a student's journey demonstrating vulnerability and subsequent achievement. ## Theses & Positions - A vulnerability within a community setting can be inspiring, enabling, and enriching for all involved. - The power of a sense of belonging, specifically in an academic environment, leads to powerful outcomes and motivation for the individual. - The secret to enhancing belonging is not found in grand initiatives but in the *"small little things that you do for another."* - The experience of equity and inclusion allows a vulnerable individual to not only benefit but also to give back to the community. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Cerebral Palsy:** Condition experienced by Kanchan, resulting in paraplegia and weakness in the lower limbs. - **Body System:** Initial support structure involving two or three students taking turns supporting Kanchan's well-being in the classroom. - **Access Arrangement:** Specialized accommodations coordinated for students, which included specialized chess access, lift access, and special movement plans for Kanchan. - **Therapeutic Art:** Medium used for students to express themselves without judgment regarding the method of expression. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Support Implementation:** Required detailed planning factoring in potential risks, such as bullying or taunting, when Kanchan entered the school. - **Differentiation:** Curriculum and assessment measures were differentiated to allow Kanchan to demonstrate his strengths according to his abilities. - **Peer Tutoring:** Kanchan gave back by tutoring weaker students in mathematics and science during afternoons, experiencing inclusion. - **Academic Rigor Change:** Transitioning from lower secondary to upper secondary necessitated a new support program where teachers/counselors personally coached small groups of students. - **Surgical Intervention:** Kanchan chose a corrective surgery during a critical pre-GCSE period to gain mobility, motivated by the feeling that delaying it might mean never achieving it. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Pre-ACS Buckroad:** Kanchan performed very well in his PSLE primary school leaving examination. - **Initial Support:** Implementation of the *"body system"* involving multiple student supports. - **Upper Secondary Transition:** School planned a program where staff personally coached three or four students to ensure adjustment. - **Surgical Decision:** Kanchan informed his father about going for the corrective surgery in late October. - **Recovery:** Returned in February the following year in a wheelchair with casts, undergoing therapy. - **Documentation Phase:** Speaker was collating documents for access arrangements in late July of the following year. - **Milestone Moment:** Kanchan arrived at the speaker's room alone to submit his own access arrangement document. - **Graduation:** Kanchan graduated in 2020 with a degree in Economics. ## Named Entities - **Kanchan:** Student with cerebral palsy who was paraplegic. - **Anglo-Chinese School Buckaroot (ACS Buckroad):** Mission school where the speaker worked supporting students with special needs. - **ACS Buckroad:** School noted for giving equal opportunities to everyone, serving as an "school of excellence." - **Vignesh:** Person Kanchan encountered in the speaker's room who was present for the submission of the access arrangement document. ## Numbers & Data - PSLE performance: Indicated Kanchan performed "very well." - Body system initial size: Two or three students. - Body system final size: 42 students. - Age of Surgery Decision: Late October. - Academic Exam Level: GCQE (General Certificate of Education) level; following exams were national exams. - Year of Graduation: **2020**. ## Examples & Cases - **The Apple Tree Art:** Kanchan drew an apple tree for therapeutic art; the base of the tree was disproportionately huge for an individual with lower limb weakness. - **The Mobile Support:** Kanchan needed support holding onto table edges when moving within the classroom, even when accessing the toilet. - **The Self-Advocacy:** Kanchan approached the speaker alone in late July, presenting his own access arrangement document after previously depending heavily on peer support. - **The Mobility Milestone:** Kanchan was seen walking alone, holding on here and there, but on his own, after recovery from surgery. ## Tools, Tech & Products - None mentioned beyond physical classroom furniture (tables) and art medium. ## References Cited - **De Leon Gray:** Mentioned authority who stated that strong feelings or sense of belonging in an academic environment lead to powerful outcomes and motivation. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Full Dependency vs. Self-Advocacy:** Transitioning from needing constant support to independently submitting one's own required documentation. - **Delaying Surgery:** The alternative to early surgery was managing academic rigor later, which Kanchan felt he could not wait for. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - None presented. ## Methodology - Initial support relied on physical and structural accommodation (special lift access, movement plans). - Assessment and curriculum employed differentiation to map competencies to the student's ability level. - The speaker's role involved accumulating and coordinating support documents (access arrangement dockets) for the national exams. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - How to enhance the concept of belonging: Focus on the small, consistent acts of care shown to others. - Everyone can become a "pillar" in someone else's journey. - Find and enhance your sense of belonging. ## Implications & Consequences - The feeling of belonging acted as a powerful motivator for Kanchan to undertake the difficult and timely corrective surgery, leading to extraordinary outcomes. - The power demonstrated by Kanchan shifted focus from physical vulnerability to personal agency. ## Verbatim Moments - *"can be extremely daunting but at the same time it can be inspiring enabling and enriching for others as well"* - *"his name is kanchan"* - *"ACS Buckroad anglo chinese school buckle is a school of excellence in the sense that it gives equal opportunities to everyone enabling growth"* - *"this body system of two or three students eventually became 42 students"* - *"differentiation in the assessment criteria and pedagogies so that competencies met in in line with conscience abilities wherever possible"* - *"if you look at the base the base of the tree is huge for a student or for an individual who's paraplegic who has weakness in the lower limbs"* - *"if he's not going to do it now he feels that he might not even do it much later"* - *"this is the document for my access arrangement application"* - *"i can manage on my own now"* - *"The secret is never in the big picture the secret is in the small little things that you do for another that builds the sense of belonging"* - *"everyone here stands like a pillar in your journey"*