When I was in school as a student myself, I never saw children with disabilities. I don't know where they were and I never thought to ask. When I went to college to study to be a teacher, no one ever discussed special education law and the fact that as a general education teacher, I might have students with special education services in my classes. When I student taught, my lead teachers/mentors, never identified any students in their classes as having disabilities or an IEP. Consequently, my personal experiences and professional training never led me to ask about special education or learn about it.
My first teaching job involved a "basic level" class with students who struggled in school. I had some methodology training to try to address these issues, but no staff member ever identified any of those students as receiving special education services. I suspect some did have IEP's, but since the majority of those students were in segregated classes and no special education teacher had indicated anything different, I just plowed ahead blindly. I'm sure I failed to meet those student's needs. I wasn't trying to be neglectful, or malicious; I was just young and unprepared.
My next teaching job included exceptional students. I knew I had some students with learning disabilities in my classes because the special education teacher across the hall gave me a list. What she failed to give me was an IEP, accommodations/modifications, etc. And again, I didn't ask. I was asked to report progress for those students every six weeks, but that was all I knew. One time I was asked to give one student less spelling words, but that was the extent of it.
I didn't know about IDEA. I didn't know about IEP's. I didn't know about case conferences and was never invited to one. Am I making excuses for my behavior? No. I am just trying to share what many general education teachers DON'T KNOW. I doubt it comes as a surprise to you. As a parent, I can clearly see that it's a huge part of the problem in trying to include my child in a general education classroom.
Ensuring that all students gain access to the general education curriculum not only requires teacher commitment, but necessitates that districts support individual schools' efforts to improve teacher skills. Each school has its own set of unique circumstances. When staff identify and address their own training needs, they become better able to tackle the challenges they face in the classroom.
* Responsibility for the learning outcomes of special education students is equally shared by the classroom teacher and the special education teacher.
* The classroom teacher is not only aware of the student's IEP goals, but plays a significant role in determining those goals and providing instruction to help the student reach them.
* The classroom teacher is concerned with each student's strengths and needs.
* Administrators understand that teachers need time within their contracts to prepare standards-based activities and materials designed to meet the diverse needs of their students.
* Collaboration is valued: Time is allocated for teachers to collaborate with other teachers and parents regarding students. Ideally, paid days at the end of each school year are provided so that teachers can discuss their students, improving the students' chances for smooth transitions to the next grade.
* Expectations are not set according to a student's classification; it is recognized that a classification does not determine how much or how well the student will learn or perform.
* It is understood that good instruction incorporates variation in delivery, activities, expectations, and assessment to accommodate diverse learning strengths and needs.
* Parents are considered to be part of the team.
As a parent, try to help the teacher help your child. If you're a teacher, recognize that you, too, might need an education.
No comments:
Post a Comment