Chapter 2

Chapter 2

History of Special Education

Jenna's Statements:

• “So we can see that teaching in ways that are culturally relevant is important; if we do not prepare you to teach every child, and work to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to become teachers, we are not serving all children well...[this] means teaching in ways that understand and respect the values and lives of all students.”
• Since my aspiration is to teach in a low-income or urban area school, I need to realize that the way I grew up will vary significantly from majority of my students. Therefore, I need to be aware of the difference, respect the deference, and try to learn how I can best meet my students where they are at.
•  “What many people know is that having an IEP often leads to a negative stigma…”
• I need to be aware of the negative stigma I may develop when a student has an IEP. I need to alter my perspective of IEP’s from extra paperwork and additional work for me to rather view it as helpful information about how to better teach my student.
•  “Inclusive attitudes support students, and inclusion is an attitude, not a place.” Thinking inclusively incorporates trying new things and risk new strategies.
• Although there is intense scrutiny over assessment and test scores as an educator, I still need to be willing to take risks that have the likelihood of greatly benefitting students.

Courtney's Statments: 

•  “So we can see that teaching in ways that are culturally relevant is important; if we do not prepare you to teach every child, and work to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to become teachers, we are not serving all children well.” 
• This statement is relevant because it shows that if children from diverse backgrounds are not encouraged then the teachers in school will not become racially diverse. We need teachers from different backgrounds in order to promote and inspire children to aim for higher goals.   

•  “More and more, emphasis in education has been focused on testing and determining what students should know and be able to perform on tests.” 
• There is so much pressure for students to perform well on tests. Teachers are put under pressure because their job security is determined by how well their students do on tests. This sometimes causes teachers to just put emphasis on subjects that students will be tested on. This causes students to not be as well rounded. Also, some students are not as adept at taking tests therefore their test scores will not be as high. I think that there should not be as much pressure put on students to score a certain number on a test. Tests do not always determine the smartness of a child but what that child does with their knowledge truly determines whether they have learned.

•  “The fact that children with disabilities are permitted and even required to attend school is relatively new development in the United States.” 
• This statement shows how knew special education is to the school system. As a special education teacher I hope to make an impact on how the system is run. It was a big step when Special needs students were included in schools.

Alex's Statements:

• “If we do not prepare you to teach every child, and work to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to become teachers, we are not serving all children well.”

• This statement really stood out to me because not only does it talk about teaching every child, but it also talks about encouraging students to become teachers. It is really important to have teachers who come from different backgrounds so they can meet different students needs. If the student can connect to their teacher in some way then the student is more likely to be successful in the classroom because there is more of a comfort level. If we aren’t setting a good example as a teacher then our students will not want to become teachers. We need to be the inspiration.

• “This is a problem because people with disabilities often don’t want praise—they want equal rights.”

• ​This quote was really convicting to me. When working with people with disabilities I often feel like I should be praising them more than others, however I learned that is not the case. When I go out of my way to give them more praise than other students I am not treating them equally. I am treating them as if they need more praise than others. This isn’t fair to them. This will be something that I have to remember in my future classroom because I want every student to feel that they are treated equal.

• “If students with disabilities are denied access to high-quality curriculum, to reading, to interacting with peers who do not have disabilities, we set up self-fulfilling prophecies of failure.”

• ​This statement goes along with the other two statements that I chose. This statement challenges me just as much as the other ones did. It is integral to a successful education to challenge every student no matter what his or her limitations might be. Challenging every student helps him or her overcome their limitation or help them to work around their limitation. Inclusion is very important for the students because they need to experience and be a part of challenging curriculum and they need to be around students who do not have disabilities.

Tyler's Statements:

• The No Child Left Behind Act is an example of federal legislation that focuses of educational accountability. All students, including those with disabilities, are expected to demonstrate proficiency in key academic subjects.
• If all students are different people with different benchmarks, how do we expect them to show proficiencies on the same playing field? While it is important to strive for this goal it is also important to realize that students are people and people don’t always work the same.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act Forbids discrimination against individuals with disabilities in both the public and private sectors of society.
• There may be a stereotype that people with disabilities cannot function in the work force. This however is not true. People with disabilities can live very productive lives if supported correctly.  
• When properly conducted, educational assessments lead to the development of a meaningful IEPs and IFSPs.
• It is very important to know where a student is academically in order to give them the best education possible. That is what makes the testing process before making an IEP so important.   

Tori's Statements:

• “We believe that education and special education should not be separate; given appropriate supports, good teachers can teach all students.”
• I completely agree with this statement as of now. I think that having both education and special education students is definitely possible, and with the appropriate conditions (teachers assistants, special tools and aids, etc) it is definitely easier than without. I hope to keep this standpoint when I am actually in the classroom and not move to the negative attitude towards sorts of inclusion with the level of difficulty that sometimes may come with it.
• “If we believe that some, not all, children can learn, then that is what will happen.”
• This goes back to the inclusion attitude. If you, as a teacher, go into the classroom believing that including special education students in your classroom, in your lesson plans, and other places is “too hard” or that they “cannot learn”, then they will not. It is the teachers responsibility to set the standard, and with high standards and high patience and care, all will learn.
• "There are benefits and drawbacks to having a whole branch of education called “special”...”
• This quote to me was one I had to read several times. At first, I was thinking, “what in the world are the benefits?” As I have encountered and had relationships with many “special education” children, I see the drawbacks that come socially with them knowing they are in the special education class. They have told me they do not like it and they just want to be with everyone else. It is hard for me to see benefits when I know these effects on them socially.