Everyone has talent, regardless of your origin, age or level. That is the view of Barbara van Roosmalen, teacher at a special education school in Rotterdam. After a collision with one of her students, Niray, she devises a way to calm her down in moments like this: painting. She turns out to be a talent and the teacher gives her up for a painting competition. Her participation turns out great and Barbara shares the story for thousands of people on Linkedin.
happy girl
“Niray is the happiest girl in school this week,” begins Barbara van Roosmalen, teacher at Schreuder College on Villeneuvestraat in Rotterdam. Niray Marcha (14) walks through the special education school with a big smile. And that is not without reason. Last week, to her own surprise, she won the Rotterdam painting and drawing competition. “I was so proud that I had to share this on LinkedIn,” says Barbara.
And it’s not exactly obvious that Niray is so happy. Difficult things sometimes happen at her home and Barbara notices that in class too: ,,One day she can be very calm, but if there is something at home, she is also a lot more restless here. She doesn’t trust people easily and I noticed that in the beginning. We had regular discussions.”
Collision
And those discussions came to a head during a violent clash, in which it also became physical to Barbara. “I thought: this can no longer be the case. How do I calm her down if she’s not feeling well? During a CKV lesson I saw that she is very calm and concentrated while painting. I then put all kinds of painting supplies from school on her table as a try, which she can use during class. This has helped tremendously.”
And Niray herself? He thought it was a great idea. She already loved drawing and was eager to try something new. Today, the two have grown a lot closer. ,,I always call Barbara ‘Barbie’ or ‘teacher’. And she always calls me ‘darling’, because I really like English. I think Barbie is a very nice and sweet teacher.”
Paint
Nowadays Niray finds her peace in painting. Sometimes it takes her a few weeks to complete a painting. “When I see a nice picture on Google, I often want to paint it,” says Niray. ,,Then I grab a painting board, I start drawing the lines and if I like it, I’ll make it complete.”
And the result may be there. Her second painting was an instant hit and Barbara liked it so much that she decided to submit it for the Rotterdam drawing and painting competition. Niray won, which means that her painting will hang in the new Maastunnel. “I couldn’t believe it because I really didn’t expect to win.”
Greater Meaning
Barbara’s LinkedIn post has now been viewed almost a hundred thousand times with hundreds of beautiful comments. Every hour Niray visits her to ask how many people have seen her painting. ,,Teacher, can you take a look?’, she asks. ,,Yesterday we watched much more often, because every time there were dozens of viewers. It’s doing Niray really well and that’s what matters,” Barbara said.
“What I love about teaching special education is that you can really make a difference,” Barbara continues. “We look at our students differently than at children in regular education. But Niray shows that at a school like this there are also children with enormous talents. You should work with these talents instead of things they can’t do. Focus on what they can do, instead of the other way around.”
This article was produced in collaboration with The Best Social Media.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/14-year-old-niray-paints-when-shes-not-feeling-well-and-unexpectedly-wins-drawing-contest-bizarre/
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