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Special education programs should have their funding cut for several reasons.
1) Most programs do not help grade school students become productive adults.
2) They encourage the parents of students to have the students placed on SSI. This only teaches the student that is okay to leach off of the system instead of working hard and pursuing goals that will make him or her financially independent.
3) The programs prevent students from going to the military, and we all know that the military is one of the best options for students finance their education and obtain life experience.
4) There is a lot of red tape that prevents a student from being able to leave an IEP program even if he or she is over the age of 18.
5) Medication is always encouraged by doctors who run the program although it isn't advised for anyone under the age of 18 to take psychotropic drugs, anti depressants, Ritalin, or etc.
The best option for students who are having difficulties in school are tutoring, community college classes during the summer, discipline, and explaining to the student that if he or she doesn't take school seriously he or she will hate life, end up sleeping on the street and be a laughing stock of society. People will not want him or her in their presence. He or she won't be able to get a decent job.
IEP programs are meant for students who suffer from mental retardation our in some cases autism. It isn't meant for students who are capable of learning.
IEP programs are a waste of American tax dollars. The money we spend on IEP programs could towards job training, expanding community colleges, and mentoring programs for teen and adult students in high school and in college.
Germany built concentration camps for those who did not "fit in."
The USA gathered Asians during World War II to "save" the country.
We euthanize animals we no longer want or are deemed suitable to live in our communities.
In the early days of the 20th century we locked folks away in instutions who deviated from social norms and societal expectations.
Today we have geratric reservations to hide our elderly.
Why not adolescent reservations?
Force those who "can" learn to accept their responsibilities and until they do, let them experience the wrath of those who say they must?!
And the money saved from NOT having IEP, we can build MORE SuperMax prisons to house the miscontent who refused to learn...
Instead of providing the opportunity to learn, society has to ignore them and incarcerate them?
This will provide more jobs for those folks who did not need an IEP...
This will in itself be great incentive to learn---Learn without that IEP or face incarceration!
1) Most programs do not help grade school students become productive adults.
I have seen and personally had, IEP students graduate and go to college. Something NONE would have done if they were left to theie own demise.
2) They encourage the parents of students to have the students placed on SSI. This only teaches the student that is okay to leach off of the system instead of working hard and pursuing goals that will make him or her financially independent.
Most of the IEP students I have known WANT to work and go to college.
3) The programs prevent students from going to the military, and we all know that the military is one of the best options for students finance their education and obtain life experience.
NOTHING prevents an IEP student from joining the military. I have had recruiters visit my classes many times. (NOT that I encourage joining the military)
4) There is a lot of red tape that prevents a student from being able to leave an IEP program even if he or she is over the age of 18.
At the age of 18 any student can SIGN themselves out of service--MOST schools would quietly encourage the 18 year old to sign out...
5) Medication is always encouraged by doctors who run the program although it isn't advised for anyone under the age of 18 to take psychotropic drugs, anti depressants, Ritalin, or etc.
Medication is the PARENTS choice... NO ONE CAN FORCE A PARENT to get their child medicated...
SOmetimes it is a dis-service to the child NOT to consider medication. We take an asprin or tylenol when we are not feeling well. What about the child who is in constant motion and unable to do anything because they have an attentention span of 2 minutes?
Until thet person is able to control their impulses, is it fair to let them miss out on experiences?
Last edited by zthatzmanz28; 01-23-2010 at 01:28 PM..
You're right, disabled people should not have the option of receiving disability benefits.
Troll.
I would love for somebody to come up to my students with Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy and autism and tell that they are leeches and know nothing about working hard. The most basic functions in life represent harder work for these students than most people do in years of punching in and out on timeclocks, trust me.
You need to remember students being served in special education are learning the life skills they need to function. It is harder to get an IEP than you think. There has to be a serious discrepancy in the test scores. I hope you never have a child who needs these services.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thetruthcomesout
Special education programs should have their funding cut for several reasons.
1) Most programs do not help grade school students become productive adults.
As a special education teacher I disagree. My teaching students to button their clothing teaches them to be more productive than they would be if they couldn't. You fail to realize even small steps are big, and not everyone can live independently as an adult.
2) They encourage the parents of students to have the students placed on SSI. This only teaches the student that is okay to leach off of the system instead of working hard and pursuing goals that will make him or her financially independent.
SO not true. Actually the IEP team can't make this recommendation. They can however give parents the information about waivers to help with future care.
3) The programs prevent students from going to the military, and we all know that the military is one of the best options for students finance their education and obtain life experience.
Maybe but the IEP doesn't prevent entrance to the military, not does being in SPED. The diagnosis is what prevents entrance into the military.
4) There is a lot of red tape that prevents a student from being able to leave an IEP program even if he or she is over the age of 18.
Not true when the student reaches the age of majority they can leave school and SPED with or with out their parents consent just like anyother child.
5) Medication is always encouraged by doctors who run the program although it isn't advised for anyone under the age of 18 to take psychotropic drugs, anti depressants, Ritalin, or etc.
IEP programs are not run by doctors. They are run by the childs parents, teachers, principals, SLPs, OTs, PTs. It is against the law for us to recommend medication.
The best option for students who are having difficulties in school are tutoring, community college classes during the summer, discipline, and explaining to the student that if he or she doesn't take school seriously he or she will hate life, end up sleeping on the street and be a laughing stock of society. People will not want him or her in their presence. He or she won't be able to get a decent job.
So the child with high functioning autism or LD should not be taught the skills they need to be successful because to you they look lazy or disinterested in school. Are you saying that special education students are all going to end up sleeping on the street? I don't think people sleeping on the street is funny, and the homeless are not the laughing stock of society. They are veterans, people who have fell on hard times and the mentally ill. BTW you'll spend more money taking care of the homeless than on the IEP programs. Most IEP programs cost very little. They expensive ones seem to be the ones you approve of for children who are MR or ASD. The speech, OT and PT is where a lot of money comes into play.
IEP programs are meant for students who suffer from mental retardation our in some cases autism. It isn't meant for students who are capable of learning.
All children are capable of learning!!!!!! It may be how to pull up their own pants, or it may be calculus, but it is all learning.
IEP programs are a waste of American tax dollars. The money we spend on IEP programs could towards job training, expanding community colleges, and mentoring programs for teen and adult students in high school and in college.
Without IEP programs more money will have to be spent on taking care of adults who haven't learned how to learn and/or take care of themselves.
I think this is a troll, so I'll keep it brief. Doctors have nothing to do w/ SpEd in schools. They cannot even determine if a child is qualified to receive services, do not attend IEP meetings, and are not 'in charge'.
I'm of the opinion that the OP is simply a person who had a bad experience with Special Education and assumes that it's, therefore, bad for everyone else as well. As a Special Ed teacher I, of course, disagree with that assessment.
You're right, disabled people should not have the option of receiving disability benefits.
Troll.
I would love for somebody to come up to my students with Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy and autism and tell that they are leeches and know nothing about working hard. The most basic functions in life represent harder work for these students than most people do in years of punching in and out on timeclocks, trust me.
I am not talking about Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, or autism. I am talking about students who get labeled as depressed, bipolar, ADHD, schizoaffective, schizoid personality disorder, and etc. None of those disorders prevents a student from going to a mainstream school.
I think this is a troll, so I'll keep it brief. Doctors have nothing to do w/ SpEd in schools. They cannot even determine if a child is qualified to receive services, do not attend IEP meetings, and are not 'in charge'.
Doctors prescribe medication.
The school I went to was ran by a psychiatrist. I wasn't one of his patients, but I heard that he did attend IEP meetings and he was in charge.
Just because I am not fond of IEP programs or SED schools doesn't mean I am a troll.
I had a traumatic experience when I attended an SED school. I had to damn near threaten the administrator in order to leave that school. BTW, I was 18 years old, and they still wouldn't let me leave. I had to damn near use physical force in order to get my transcripts so I could submit it to the adult school I was going to attend.
Special education is suppose to help students with special needs succeed in life. It isn't meant to keep students with special needs from succeeding.
I'm of the opinion that the OP is simply a person who had a bad experience with Special Education and assumes that it's, therefore, bad for everyone else as well. As a Special Ed teacher I, of course, disagree with that assessment.
I did have a bad experience. I have also heard of wonderful outcomes from special education.
As a special education teacher, would you threaten an 18 year old student with police action if he or she didn't want to attend any more classes at your site?
As a special education teacher, would you refuse to submit the transcripts of an adult student if he or she wanted to attend an adult school or a community college?
As a special education teacher, would you allow another student to degrade another student's mom who is dying from breast cancer? Would you also severely punish the student of the mom slapping the person who degraded his or her mom?
As a special education teacher, would you make sure your students are receiving the correct curriculum in order to graduate high school?
As a special education teacher, would you lie during an IEP meeting and say that a student was expelled from a mainstream school although he or she wasn't expelled?
Everything I am asking you happened to me. What was really screwed up was when my mother was dying from breast cancer, a student made said that "I hope that b**ch dies". I did put hands on her for that comment, and I was severely punished by having to attend Saturday detention. I never showed up for Saturday detention, because I felt the punishment wasn't justified. The girl who was cruel to me didn't even get punished for what she said. A year before that, she laughed when I was told the class my Grandmother passed away. She wasn't punished for that either. There was nothing wrong with besides the fact she has a cocaine problem and was an ex gang member in Santa Monica.
Since you're a special education teacher, I would love for you to respond.
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