Senior Seminar
The importance of this topic to me is that this is what I want to do when I get older. I enjoy working with these children and helping them to learn while learning myself. I want to do this project because I want to learn more about children with disabilities and "ordinary" children that then of what I already know. I got involved in this subject last year while I was in Government Class with Mrs. Leach. I was looking to do something for my community service hours but I didn't want something boring to do. Mrs. Leach came up to me and asked me if I would be interested in working at William Grace Elementary in the special needs classroom. I said ok, boy am I happy I said yes. That was a great learning experience for me. My interest in working with children has always been there ever since I was little. My mom always tells me that since I was little I had a way with children. No matter if they were older, younger, or even my same age. My topic fits my personality because I love people. I love talking with, listening to, and helping all different types of people with all different types of situations. I work well with all types of different people too so I am usually found to be very friendly. It connects to my life in many different ways. In one way I work at a daycare where I am running into different types of children with all different types of needs almost everyday. Another situation it runs in with is the fact that I want to be a special needs k-8 teacher when I get older and I also be able to work with "ordinary" second grade kids.
Before I began the whole process of my research I talked to many different people. I talked to counselors, teachers of "special" and "ordinary" children, parents with special needs children, and read books. I read books about working with a child who has special needs in the classroom environment. I got some ideas of different ways to present my topic to my judges. One of the ways I chose which I am going to actually do is; I am going to take note cards with different types of disabilities and give one to each of the judges and ask them to perform what their note card says.
School leaders and faculty are responsible to ensure engaging, rigorous, and coherent curricula in all subjects, accessible for a variety of learners and aligned to Common Core Learning Standards and/or content standards. As a special education program for severely disabled students including all these requirements in curriculum that is differentiated for the array of needs in the school isn’t easy. In response to the suggestions made by Ms. Joseph the principal decided that the best way to address it while still attending to the needs of the school would be to created an inquiry team that will research the findings in order to help with the decision making.
As children growing up, we tend to imitate and aspire to be like the people we look up to. Looking back at my childhood, my passion for teaching and working with children comes as no surprise. When I was in 5th grade a young boy my age was as others stated to be "different." Teaching him, reading to him on the bus, and just always wanting to get to know him made me realize how much I would like to do this professionally. Seeing how the grown ups interacted, and was so effective with children really amused me. I had been surrounded by children my whole life, and as I got older, I would try my best to lend a hand and help all the other children that has disablities. After my first experience in a school, I grew fond of working with students in a classroom setting. I began looking up teacher development workshops, and graduate courses to expand my knowledge about what possibly would happen if I went into the special education feild, in order to support and apply while teaching at the time. After becoming familiar with the different realms of education I became aware of a few things. I ...
Lavoie’s workshop provokes an emotional response. After viewing life through the eyes of a child with special needs, I cannot help but have a more significant understanding of what people, especially children with disabilities, must deal with every day, everywhere. During the many years that I have worked with children with various disabilities, I have encountered each of the topics discussed in Lavoie’s workshop and agree with the points he makes regarding children with disabilities. Particularly impacting the way I interact with my students are the topics concerning: anxiety, reading comprehension, and fairness.
Unfortunately, a lot of parents may have a difficult time accepting their child, and coping with their needs and the responsibilities. From the book “The Elephant in the Playroom,” some families dealt with depression and physical and mental deterioration of their health. These struggles were shown in the story by Laura Cichoracki. Laura’s son’s name was Patrick. Patrick was a 6-years-old boy with autism. “I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t showering regularly, I wasn’t sleeping well” (Brodey, p. 64). I also read the story told by Susan Marrash-Minnerly, which highlighted emotions that parents face. Susan also shed light on how wonderful children with special needs can be to a family, such as her ten-year-old third grader who had autism. Susan talked about how it was normal to feel angry at times, especially with the ups and downs a child’s disability may come with. “When I look back, I want to tell other parents that a child’s future is worth grieving over – but it’s not the end of the world” (Brodey, p. 75). After reading these stories, it became apparent to me that families who are raising kids with special needs, need support, kindness, and available resources. “I was fortunate to be surrounded by other moms who understood my pain…who could be supportive and emphatic.” (Brodey, p. 67). Overall, educators can use this kind of information that was shared in “The Elephant in the Playroom” about family systems and risk/resiliency by creating lines of open communication between families. This is to connect parents together that share similar struggles. By creating open communication is can allows for the teacher and parents to be on the same page when it comes to the issues affecting special needs students and
Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in
Students with disabilities are not the only students who can benefit from creative tasks, projects, and assessments. A positive and caring approach to dealing with all student regardless of culture, disability or any other thing that make then different from the norm is key to the success of all concerned.
Senior Project Senior Project Outline Introduction: Let the reader know what this Essay is about. I. What I already know A.
My personal philosophy on special education begins with this firm conviction, I believe all children are “uniquely and wonderfully” made, and regardless of their disability, posse unique gifts and talents. My philosophy of special education has developed, not from just being a general education teacher for many years, and a graduate student in special education, but also from being blessed to be a parent of a special needs child. I believe that every child deserves to have the best possible education, regardless of their disabilities or challenges. It is our responsibility, as special education teachers, to not focus on a student’s disabilities and challenges, but rather focus and develop their personal gifts and talents, in an environment
A lot of people ask what inspired me to become a special education teacher, and why I am continuing to pursue a career in a field where many unfortunately decide to leave. I wish my answer were as simple as saying “I love children and I want to make a difference.” Although there is obvious truth to that statement, what I love more is celebrating the achievements, both big and small, of a child who faces adversity every single day. Nothing brings me more joy than watching students succeed beyond the expectat...
I have worked with many teachers in this line of work and have watched how they interact with the kids. I have worked with all kinds of kids with special needs, ranging from reading disabilities to severe mental retardation. Some of the teachers that I have worked with, I have not approved of their tactics on how they handled the kids, but you learn and you adapt. Eventually you will know what is right and what is wrong.
Glazzard J, Hughes A, Netherwood A, Neve A, Stoke J. (2010). Teaching Primary Special Educational Needs. British library: Learning Matters. p7.
Children with disabilities are more in the public eye than years ago, although they are still treated differently. Our society treats them differently from lack of education on special needs. The society labels them and make their lives more difficult than it has to be becau...
As I ponder over my personal professional development experiences as an educator the realization of how one has developed over time is personally satisfying. Educating children especially children with special needs is a challenge within its self. As a teacher it is important that this writer makes a positive influence with students. There are going to be certain ideas that one tries to uphold and other discriminations that one will not allow. Everyone has their own beliefs teachers should do what is necessary not to infringe on others, but show children different way to think so that they have all the information needed to make educated choices. Children are open-minded they have not yet had to deal with or understand the injustices that they will encounter. If children are taught from an early age they will have the ability to succeed especially children with special needs as an educator my main goal is teaching the purpose of public schools, and education reform. It is my purpose to influence children and be positive influence.
Someone working with special needs children should be aware of the many factors that contribute to a child’s improvement. Although there are many factors, some of the main ones include the child’s social interaction, environment, and also overall health.