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I am always getting conflicting information involving teachers and kids with special needs in their classrooms. I am wanting an honest discussion about this. It can't be easy, what are your coping skills for the variety of special needs children and how do you incorporate them into your day. Thanks
Each kid is different. Each teacher is different, each school is different,
Each district is different. If I have to have a special needs child in my room, how much support will we get? Does that child have a one on one aid? Pull out instruction? Behavioral challenges?
I think the bottom line is...if the district has a good special ed dept, the teacher will be supported appropriately and children with special needs won't seem like a burden.
I'm a specialist (Librarian) so in our case...we are rarely notified about the special needs kids who come to visit us weekly. No one bothers to tell us that info. If we are smart, we notice things and ask the teacher how to adapt. Once you get to know your school it is not usually a problem, but some special needs are not as obvious as others. That can be frustrating.
Extremely challenging in my subject (ESL) as many "special needs" is not recognized the same in all cultures. A kid with "obvious behavioural or mental challenges" in our culture may not be perceived as such by parents and certain assistance is not utilized.
I am a parent of a child with special needs as well though, so I personally feel sympathetic towards both sides of it. I know how hard it is for the parent too.
OP, I can promise you there is no ONE pat answer for what you want. Every teacher is different. Perhaps that's why you get conflicting information.
That's ok, I was really looking for individual experience. That I guess would depend if the special needs you've worked with were ADHD, TS, OCD, Anxiety Disorder.
I'd like to hear the different experiences, good and bad from different situations. Not one pat answer. I realize that wouldn't be possible.
Extremely challenging in my subject (ESL) as many "special needs" is not recognized the same in all cultures. A kid with "obvious behavioural or mental challenges" in our culture may not be perceived as such by parents and certain assistance is not utilized.
I am a parent of a child with special needs as well though, so I personally feel sympathetic towards both sides of it. I know how hard it is for the parent too.
Is it better for the parent to go through the process with paper work and inform everyone or if they just see if their kid sinks or swims first? I hear some teachers feel burdened and frustrated with special accommodations they have to give a child with special learning needs. I also hear from some as posted above the added help from the special needs programs is helpful.
Last edited by PoppySead; 08-20-2013 at 01:45 PM..
I am a gen. ed. math teacher at the secondary level with the inclusive sections. I really find that the classified kids come in many shapes and forms, just like the gen. ed. You have some that are really strong (stronger even than some of the gen ed kids) and need few accommodations, and some that really struggle and/or who are not willing to do their work no matter how much you break it down for them.
I'll explain the reason I ask and this might or might not be helpful. My son has Tourettes, I HM school this year because it's become worse. But, I realize he needs to go back and deal with it. I'm a teacher myself and have heard years worth of stories about kids like my son that weren't positive from my colleagues. I understand both sides like aliss2. I myself teach adults though, it's a different ball game, and would like perspective from elementary through high school teachers on the process that would both benefit them and my son.
In my classes, differences are understood by the students. I rarely have an issue. By the time they hit my class they've adapted copping skills.
So, it's a pretty open topic but feel free to narrow it down to what you have found worked best for your situation. My son will be entering 6th grade next year. Thanks again.
I am a gen. ed. math teacher at the secondary level with the inclusive sections. I really find that the classified kids come in many shapes and forms, just like the gen. ed. You have some that are really strong (stronger even than some of the gen ed kids) and need few accommodations, and some that really struggle and/or who are not willing to do their work no matter how much you break it down for them.
Yes, I guess it's difficult because I see that as an instructor but as a parent I know my son's behavior will depend greatly on the environment in his classrooms. It's something I find challenging to say the least. My son is above grade level but this will only be produces from traditional learning environments. Because of the TS, he cannot handle visual learning. Movies, video, etc. Give him a book, and a pencil you'll get gifted level results. But I realize every teacher has their own style and the school can't accommodate every ones needs. So, I'm unsure if I should just put off my career and homeschool or try to get him back in school. I would love to get him back to school for social and educational reasons but I'm not sure how to go about it so that it's beneficial for the majority of the year. I realize there will be some issues but I was hoping some research on the subject could give me a better shot at this.
I do realize it's varied by a wide margin. I apologize. If it's just a wait and see answer every year I'd like to find that out as well.
Last edited by PoppySead; 08-20-2013 at 01:52 PM..
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