Dunn adds ‘special’ to special needs education
With a deep passion for teaching Plettenberg Bay resident Leigh Dunn is slowly changing the face of special needs education, not only locally but also around the world.
This third generation teacher’s latest venture, among a series of initiatives he is involved in, was establishing the ELSEN unit and resource centre at the Formosa Primary School where he also serves as special needs teacher for several children with learning and physical disabilities. He is also involved in assisting schools across the country to set up such units and training teachers.
His class motto is: Creating an atmosphere in which every learner, regardless of background or disability, feels loved, accepted, and an achiever. And this is exactly what Dunn has been aiming for since finishing his educational psychology studies at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth where he specialised in the teaching of children with learning and developmental barriers.
And although his hard work has not gone unnoticed and he has received a string of education awards over the course of his career, for him his biggest accomplishments are the small victories in the classroom.
“My greatest achievement is when I help a child to achieve. Last year, an autistic boy in my class started speaking for the first time at eight years old, after the necessary stimulation activities. And I cannot forget the response of that boy’s mother. I feel so humbled to be able to make a difference in these children’s lives. And that is much more valuable than any achievement in the world,” Dunn said.
He added that whenever one did something with passion and joy, people would take notice. “I have been nominated for numerous educational awards in my career and I dedicate each one of these to my beautiful learners and I give God all the glory for every success.”
Among his achievements was being a finalist in The Herald GM Citizen of the Year in 2012. He also received the Education Department’s National Teaching Award in Sandton that year.
Thereafter he was flown to Europe to visit more than 20 special needs schools, and in 2013 a documentary on the work he does, was released, broadcast in Europe and used as a training resource.
In 2013, he received the country’s first Teachers for Change Award, an initiative of Huisgenoot, YOU Magazine and DRUM. One of the prizes included in this award was a tablet device laboratory and Oxford books for his school.
While teaching in South Korea in the early 2000s, Dunn also made an impact there and was selected by the president of the country’s Private Schools Association to train student teachers. “I also did presentations to train teachers from the USA, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.”
His road to success, however, started at home weher his love for education was nurtured by his family. “My parents and grandparents were all educators in Plett, in fact my granddad, Michael William Dunn, was the principal of the first local multi-racial school – St Peter’s Mission School. I also started my school career at Formosa Primary where both my parents were teachers. My mom was the deputy principal and my dad was the woodwork teacher.
“I remember my dad paying a lot of money to hire a driver to take me and my sister to Knysna High School. I really had parents who walked the extra mile to invest in the education of their children.”
And he does the same for his learners. “My classroom serves as a special needs class within a mainstream school. We do collaborative teaching by involving the mentally challenged learners with the class activities of mainstream learners and vice versa. My learners work on tablets, they do art, they sing, dance, learn to read and write and do mathematics but all on a fun basis, taking their individual mental capacities in mind.”
Because Dunn has such deep roots in Plettenberg Bay, he is also involved with many other community initiatives. He is also a board member of the Sabrina Love Foundation, Die Sterreweg Daycare Centre and Born in Africa. “I am also involved in the Lunchbox Theatre – a project that uses drama and acting to educate and stimulate the minds of children. Then I am the school coordinator of the Bitou 10 after-school programme at Formosa, providing drama, dance and music to children in order to keep them busy and off the streets after school. I am also part of the Music Academy, where I offer professional music therapy to children, especially children who are stressed, hyperactive or disabled.”
Dunn is also a member of the Southern African Association for Learning and Educational Differences (SAALED).
“I am currently also researching the effects of bullying on learning, and wish to get much more involved by sharing my expertise through workshops and presentations.”
What drives Dunn is his deep spirituality and ability to keep “shining” despite the onslaughts of life.
“Shine your light. Remember that whenever a light is switched on, the darkness must flee. It never stays dark, even if only one little light is switched on.
“I also believe that one should search your motives. Because when you do something for yourself it gets competitive, but if you do something with the motive of making a difference in the lives of others, it becomes so enjoyable and satisfying.
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Source: Knysna-Plett Herald