It is believed that all students have specific, varying needs and learning styles. As an educator, it is my duty to meet the needs of every individual and make accommodations; especially in regards to a student with an exceptionality. Special education should not be a separate division of a school but rather an integral piece to complete the entire structure. Students with exceptionalities should be given the exact opportunities that an able-bodied student would have in areas such as, but not limited to, education and extracurriculars. They should be encouraged to participate with their fellow peers and build relationships with students of all personalities and characteristics. Maintaining a level playing field in all aspects of a student’s
Students with special needs should be placed into specialized schools so they are able to receive individualized learning. If they are in a classroom specific to their needs, they are able to receive much needed attention. In order to receive the optimal level of attention that is needed, schools would have to consider reducing class sizes or hiring multiple teachers for one classroom so more help would be readily available for these disabled students. Corwin argues that today’s schools offer a general curriculum and that they should convert to a specialized system. He states that students of various backgrounds, ethnicities, IQ scores, and physical, emotional, and mental disabilities should not all be placed in the same classroom because students learn in diverse ways and at different paces. Further, it is necessary for teachers to become specialized in certain areas in order to effectively teach students with special needs (Corwin).
The purpose of schooling is to help our special education students to be functional and independent in the real world. I want them to learn how to deal with real life situations and to be able to understand and adapt to the changes it may bring. For example, being an autism teacher of high school students, my philosophy is different than of an autism teacher of elementary students. The most important thing of concern for the older students is to make sure they are as independent as possible and teach them some type of job skill to help them acquire a pay check to help with their care. I also help them have an
When Public Law 94-142 was passed in 1975 it had a positive impact on the education for children with disabilities. Millions of children in the United States were supported by the law. These children had previously been excluded entirely from the education system.
Before we begin exploring the nuances and best practices in Special Education, I wanted to first welcome you and introduce myself. My name is Alyssa Mastrocco, and I am an administrator in the Polaris family of schools. I am proud to work at this school because we are not only focused on educating every student enrolled in our schools, but in guiding them beyond high school, into the college and career that is best for them.
The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.
My personal philosophy of special education drives not from teaching in the field, but from, observations, and personal experience, and the workshops I attended. I have had the opportunity to work with individuals with special needs in many different settings, all this help cultivate my knowledge in handling the needs of the special needed student. Special needs students have the ability to learn, to function, to grow, and most importantly to succeed. The difference comes into how they learn or how they need to be taught. There are as many beliefs about the "hows" as there are teachers and each of us forms our own philosophy through our experiences and research. As a student in a special education teachers’ program, learners with
2)The most critical challenge currently facing the education of exceptional students is other students wouldn't talk to them because they're different from everyone else. Most of them are socially awkward and it is hard for them to communicate with other, especially the teacher.
The notion of inclusion is progressively being accepted as a vital method of learning in our growing school systems. I believe that every student, those with and without exceptionalities, have the right to be included in a general education classroom. Students with learning, social and behavioral exceptionalities or varied abilities deserve the right to be provided with the same opportunities as any other students in the regular general education classroom. The information that I have acquired through my own experiences (in my observations and my classes) have molded my goals as a future teacher. I believe that teaching and education are fundamental in getting students to grow, learn, and flourish;
I want to be a special education teacher because I love people first and foremost. I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but I wanted to specialize in special education when I was in high school. It was the children in the special education program that would help me through my darkest days. I can especially remember JJ. He was my favorite because he and I made our own handshakes and would always laugh together.
When I was asked to reflect on my experiences in EDSE 316 and the fieldwork, I had to think long and hard on how I would sum up four months of classes and fieldwork into four pages. I have learned so much about the various disabilities and how it has change the world of special education. I think a better term would be the “endless possibilities of education”. It wasn’t too long ago when children with disabilities would be stuck in a room in the back of school only to be seen in the beginning and end of the school day. They were the ones who rode the other buses and no one really talked about. This class has allowed me to speak of my own family and how special education impacted my life. I have a brother whose whole life was spent in the special education class, and my own sons with speech and learning disabilities who are now receiving special education services. It also allowed me to reflect on my own participation in the special education program in my early elementary years when I was struggling with my own speech disability. This class gave me the chance to see the timeline of special education, from its earliest beginnings to what it is now.
All the ethical principles stated on “Council for Exceptional Children,” play a vital role in the special education field. I chose the three ethical principles that are most important to me, i.e. the essential ethical principle that any educator must have in order to serve a special needs student and their families. Principle number five states that, “developing relationships with families based on mutual respect and actively involving families and individuals with exceptionalities in educational decision making;” I truly believe that, effective communication between educators and families of special needs students is the key for success; not only for the educator, but also, for the student. My daughter has an IEP and, it took me and my family a few years to fully understand the system and also, understand what kind of learning disability she has. There was no support and effective communication between the school and our family, hence, the process was extremely hard for me and especially, for my daughter. When I left my job about 3 years ago and decided to return to school, my biggest motto was to receive my degree and eventually, be an asset to families and their special needs child.
Plus: I had the opportunity to make a preparation for the entire class on a topic in which my diagnostic child needs improvement. This enables teaching the student along with her peers, so that she can engage in groups for a better understanding, and also through the interactions that takes place between the teacher and students, and the review would enhance the students’ knowledge.
Tell me about your educational background and the professional experiences you've had up to this point. What do you hope to learn in this class? Are there specific topics you're hoping to discuss?
Special education creates opportunities for students, parents, teachers and related staff and administrators to work together to improve educational results students with disabilities. IEPs and 504s are the plans that help educators to develop education for each student with disabilities. The IEP is an important legal document that handles issues in special education properly. There are so many rules that school personnel must follow. In this assignment, I will identify effective procedures for documentation and remediation of the teacher, her behaviors and the allegations about her regarding a special education student.
Compared to majority of the United States, Montana has a very low educational budget. Over 50% of the state is poor, only being able to work minimum wage jobs. The remaining population of Montana have careers in agriculture and mining. The economy is heavily dependent upon personal tax revenues, tourism, and natural resource extraction. (Greene & DeSoto, 2015) Even with these avenues, it was stated in a recent article, “Not surprisingly, Montana ranks at or near the bottom of most economic measures such as wages, earnings, and personal income,” (Greene & DeSoto, 2015). It is always important to take note of overall state funding as it does branch out in its effect on various areas within the economy. In this case, lack of special education funding stems directly from the lack of funding over the entire state of Montana. The bleak intentions of the U.S. government in support of special education directly impact school/district funding and its programs to counteract this lack.