Very recently I saw a video of this father whose special needs child was being harassed by his special education teachers. It completely disgusted me! This poor innocent child was unable to communicate and let anyone know what was going on because of his condition. If you are interested here is the video...
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/25/11389266-dad-wires-up-autistic-son-10-to-expose-bullying-by-teaching-staff?lite
Cases such as these push me that much further to become the best teacher I can be and not allow something like this to happen.
Other than the bad cases that are on the news every once in a while, overall, I believe that special education today in America is a fairly decent program. It could use some work, but overall, it is a fairly good program. Some students are being pulled into special education programs that do not necessarily need to be simply because they are not focusing in the classroom because they are distracted.
As educators, we meet the needs of differentiated learners by adapting and enabling every one of our students to be able to learn. If they are not learning by our methods, as educators, it is our duty to change our methods and allow the students to learn. I feel like many teachers do this, and are therefore meeting the needs of differentiated learners.
I agree with your comment that there has been some students that are being pulled into special education programs that don't necessarily need to be. There has been professionals that have been quick to judge the situation of the child and leaving out the environment that they are in inside of the classroom and outside of it. There needs to be more detailed evaluations of the situation for the child that includes all the pieces of the puzzle. I also like the idea of adapting your teaching strategies to best meet the needs of the student. Being flexible and open to how your students are receiving your information is key to teaching!
ReplyDeleteAlyssa,
ReplyDeleteWOW...what a powerful and passionate post. It saddens me that there are a few "bad apples" that take our attention away from all of the good teachers who make a difference in students lives. I am so excited to witness your passion--this is what will carry you from "good teacher" to "excellent."
Well done.
That's basically what I said about in my blog about differentiated learners awesome we think alike! lol. I also believe that sometimes schools are too quick to think a child needs to be in a special education program.
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