Critical Reflection on Special Education

Why is Special Education Special?

Some people “define a “good” education as one that helps students maximize their capacity as learners. Because the latter definition encourages continual lifting of ceilings and testing of personal limits, it would seem to make the best sense for all learners.” (Tomlinson, pg. 8) Special education in its true form is the practice of delivering an individualized educational program of instruction to students with varying degrees of behavioral, emotional, physical, and sensory disabilities. (Salend, pg. 5) The intensity and form of instruction varies and is dependent on the individual who needs to be educated. Different methods and forms of instruction can vary from student to student often times using many methods simultaneously. Special education aims to provide students with a fair and complete education in line with their general education counterparts.

Special Education’s Past

In the past, the idea of special education was one that was unheard of. Students with special needs were denied education in a public school setting, and parents were forced to find alternative environments for their children, often settling for institutions and establishments that were ill-managed, and created more for the hording of children with disabilities rather than the education. Special education as we now know it has sprouted from legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), formerly known as Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which was the first set in a series of laws that demanded a free and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities. These laws forced a change in the education of children with disabilities, but did not erase the stigma of special education.

Special Education Present

The prejudice that surrounded special education in the past, before IDEA, is still present in current school settings and can often inhibit the progress of children in special education. The effects of having parents and administration that are uncooperative or not understanding can make a difficult task of educating children with special needs an almost impossible task. Often times administrators, general education teachers, and parents are reluctant to get involved with the special education system unsure of the correct approach or the value of a well run special education department. People who are uneducated about the value of special education will more often have a negative connotation with the idea special education. I feel this directly affects the education of many students who are in need of special education.

Over the decades since the first laws regulating special education were passed, our nation has definitely taken the rights steps toward making our special education system something to smile at. However, our battle is not over. Although the United States has attempted to level the playing field with legislation, students in special education and students in general education are not quite on an even turf yet. Special education in many city school are still lacking in formation and effectiveness. Through our discussion board this is apparent. Many schools do not have adequate personnel, facilities, or resources to properly educate a student with special needs. Without the proper manipulative students are simply held in classes without the opportunity of education.

At present I consider myself lucky to have not gone through some of the turmoil my colleagues have. My diagnosed students were all in receipt of the help they needed. Each child who needed resource room had it, my student with a hearing impairment had his voice projector, my legally blind student had her assigned paraprofessional, and my emotionally disturbed students had their counselors and so and so forth. But this is not the way things are in many schools. Many students who are in need of special education are still done a disservice. Often children with special needs are simply placed into a general education setting without heed to their IEP, with the expectation that the child will learn through the teacher’s differentiated instruction. This is unfair and something that has gnawed at my soul. Most of my students this year were forced into a collaborative team teaching model for the purpose of fudging the schools numbers to make it seem as though these students made progress. Next year collaborative team teaching is being phased out so these students, many of whom I feel were not capable of handling a CTT setting, will be forced into a lesser restrictive environment. This will set them up for failure and is an all too common situation. It is unfair to prematurely push students who are not ready into these settings, and it is unlawful. Students are simply seen as playing pieces which need to be moved from one space to another, and until they are looked at as individuals with individual needs, special education will not be what it should be.

Reference:

Grenne, J. (2007). Fixing special education. Peabody Journal of Education.

pg. 703–723

Johnson, J. A., Musial, D, Hall, G.E., Gollnick, D. M., & Dupuis, V. L. (2005).

Introduction to the foundations of American education. 14^th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

Salend, J. (2007). Creating inclusive classrooms: Effective and Reflective Practices (6^th

ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.