Learning Contract

I. Knowing the characteristics and appropriate interventions for children with special needs can help us become effective professionals.

Though there are plenty of notable benefits for a teacher that has the knowledge of characteristics and appropriate interventions for children with special needs, one that is easily overlooked is the way in which this particular knowledge can develop and improve our professionalism. For instance, the knowledge of the characteristics for a child with special needs allows the teacher to become more sensitive to each families situation and teaches us the appropriate ways to communicate with the family. This knowledge encourages respectful communication between the teacher and parent. The knowledge of the appropriate interventions for a child with special needs also promotes professionalism. This knowledge sets the stage for a teacher to be able to work collectively with both the child’s parents and the aides in the room.

I witnessed examples of these in my classroom this semester. I had a little boy named “Fred” who was diagnosed with a learning disability (LD) and emotional-behavioral disorder (EBD). One day while discussing Fred’s recent outbursts in the classroom, Fred’s mother informed us that his father was recently incarcerated and would not be returning to his life. She believed that Fred’s EBD was largely due to his father’s abuse and now absence and asked us to excuse Fred from any activity that involved the mention of his father. This is consistent with the demographic data that has been gathered about EBDs. Fred is an African-American male in a single family home that struggles financially, all of which fit the demographic. With this in mind the teacher worked collectively with her aid...

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...achers and school administrators must be handled professionally at all times, especially when it’s collaboration is required as with the IEP meetings. Teachers must once again set their personal feelings and biases aside in order to insure that the child receives the best possible assessment and accommodations. By accepting responsibility for a child’s education and learning, each party involved in the collaboration is held accountable and therefore is more likely to work through difficult working relationships to insure that the child’s best interest is at heart. If a child sees his or her teachers taking responsibility for their education, then they will be more likely to take responsibility for their own education once they reach secondary school age. Responsibility promotes accountability; I think that this is the greatest lesson of collaboration in a classroom.