Every student is unique and learns differently from everyone else. An important part of a teacher’s job, especially in elementary school, is to identify how each child learns best and help them to achieve success. As the years progress more and more students are being diagnosed with some sort of learning disability. A learning disability is a neurological disorder that affects the way a person processes information. I believe that it is vital that all teachers learn how to accommodate learning disabled students accordingly because every child deserves the right to thrive. To learn about a teacher’s view and experience with children with learning disabilities, I interviewed my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Zuber. Mr. Zuber is one of the first people who inspired me to be a teacher and he has always been one of my role models. He currently teaches fifth grade at Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School in Haverhill, Ma. He has been a teacher for twenty-seven years and has also taught in Winthrop and Lowell. From his experience, he has come to the conclusion that there is never enough support for this particular group of students. According to Mr. Zuber, “Some of these kids are very bright and do extremely well but they need the proper supports and sometimes they are not always getting what they need and when it does occur it can be really positive.” This means that with the proper support and help from others these learning disabled students can thrive and meet their goals. In his
Special education teachers make a conscious decision to work on a daily basis with students who display various disabilities. Some of the disabilities include autism, negative social and emotional behaviors, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, mobility disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, as well as students who suffer from being blind and deaf. When these disabilities interfere with the daily educational activities of a child, the child is in need of the valuable opportunities provided in a self-contained classroom.
Learning disabilities are a life long struggle but if caught at a young age and early intervention takes place. The stress on the child and family is greatly reduced. Learning disabilities spread to every part of a child’s life affecting them socially. Teachers must remain professional and refrain from calling students lazy as in Adams case. A good teacher or specialist can demystify a learning disability and help a child’s
In today’s world there are more and more children coming into the general education classes having a disability. More general education teachers have to take on a bigger responsibility than what they signed up for, but that is part of being a teacher. I feel as long as the teachers collaborate with each other they will be putting the student’s needs first.
Teaching students with learning disabilities: perceptions of a first year teacher were an article written by Todd. W Busch.
When a child doesn’t seem to be learning, some teachers and parents in his/her life might criticize the child and think of them as stupid, or maybe just too lazy to want to learn. What they don’t realize is that the child might have a learning disability. But how are these children being helped? There are many programs, special schools and facilities, home teaching methods and many other ways in which children with Learning Disabilities are being helped.
Learning disabilities are defined as the inability to process information and the inability to communicate effectively. This can cause problems during the child’s years in school. It is often characterized by as having a below average intellectual functioning level as well as below average adaptational skills.
Students with learning disabilities struggling with so many things and in so many ways. Problems with listening, reasoning, memory, attention, selecting and focusing on relevant stimuli, and the perception and processing of visual and/or auditory information are experienced by students with learning disabilities (Heward, 2010). These difficulties and struggles with learning may grow more apparent by middle school and will often continue for a life time. Not learning to read,
Therefore, one might have students with the above disabilities however, discouragement does not have to be their ‘word of the day’. Education is key, for when one learns teaching strategies based on research to add to what they already know then they are encouraged. Become a teacher who never stops learning because student’s need educators who are a step ahead of the
Teachers will undeniably continue to face the challenge of being able to teach all students who have learning disabilities. They will continue on the journey in researching the availability of treatments, services, and new theories. There are numerous tools available in teaching; however, discovering exactly which tools will work for all with some type of learning disability, will continue to be a work in progress. Teachers will persist in expanding their education on how to effectively teach special needs children, because of the desire and passion they have for their
The teacher who was incharge of the class was Mr. Matt. He was in charge of the preschool children and in his class there were four students who were in ages between five to ten. All, four of the students had intellectual disabilities. And in that class there were two assistant teachers to help Mr. Matt in class work with the students. The four students were very different from one another compared to behaviors and education levels. Mostly they were learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, and few other little things that they need to know in their daily lives.
Growing, developing and learning are the facts of life for all children. Each day children are faced with many new concepts and various challenges. Can you imagine how it feels for a child to face not only new challenges life has, but to face these challenges while living with a learning disability? These challenges are met not just when they begin school either. Students suffer from learning disabilities from the moment they begin learning, not when they start school. Learning disabilities are real and they affect millions of people. “One such disability that affects over approximately 15 percent of the total American population is dyslexia” ( Nosek 5).
In today’s educational environment, all students expect to receive the same level of instruction from schools and all students must meet the same set of standards. Expectations for students with learning disabilities are the same as students without any learning difficulties. It is now unacceptable for schools or teachers to expect less from one segment of students because they have physical disabilities, learning disabilities, discipline problems, or come from poor backgrounds. Standardize testing has resulted in making every student count as much as their peers and the most positive impact has been seen with the lowest ability students. Schools have developed new approaches to reach these previously underserved students while
The key to any successful school district is the administration. Teachers essentially provide structure, organization, and the background of a child’s future. To educate students with learning disabilities, it is essential that the staff has the training and resources needed for the appropriate people, place, and time (Lazarus) (What is Inclusion, 2001, n.p). It is unrealistic to expect that regular education teachers will always be aware of the latest research or be able to readily adapt the school's
If the teacher knew much about the development of the students they would know the differences between a child with learning disabilities and a child that has not been in the environment in which they could properly develop.
Every person deserves an education. It is what shapes us, allows us to grow. As future and current educators or parents, understanding the perspective of persons with disabilities in the classroom is important. Being confident in your own abilities and not being afraid to use the resources available to you.