Graduation Speech : Special Education

Currently, I am a Personal Care Instructional Aide for a nonverbal Down Syndrome student at West Hempfield Elementary. I work hand and hand with the special education teacher to devise lesson plans to suit the needs of my student. I am responsible for implementing the lesson plans one-on-one with my student in Language Arts, Mathematics, and social skills interactions daily. On a daily basis, I am also responsible for molding and shaping my student's behaviors and prompt when necessary. Working in the learning support room has taught me a variety of ways to incorporate differentiated instruction to suit the needs of all students. It has also shown me the type of teacher I should be, a teacher who adapts content to meet the needs of all learners and the importance of inclusion.

I am committed to working with all persons of diverse backgrounds, disabilities and other special needs. Every student should have the experience and ability of working with quality and caring teachers who care enough to take the time to make sure that they are given the tools they need to succeed. My life experiences have shown me how to be a better person and teacher for my students.

Time is passing and opportunities are opening for more students with special needs. Many students in college are getting more interested in Special Education as career that will allow more organization to have more workers with a big potential that will have an important impact on these kids with disabilities. However, this will require more training for the students that organizations around the country can give them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,“the career outlook for special education teachers should remain steady through 2024, with an increase of 6%, the national average for job growth in the United States. The median salary for this position is just over $55,000 annually,” (“Master in Special Education”) The approach the

Throughout my life, I feel as though I have had many encounters with special education. Growing up, my grandmothers close friend had a daughter that had down syndrome. She was extremely sweet and loved company. Her parents had six other children who were grown and lived on their own. However, she lived at home with her parents her whole life. In elementary school, I do not remember many encounters with special education students. I do remember some kids being taken out of my class for part of the day, but that was my only experience during that time.

I have distinctly applied for Special Needs Education because special education has always been what’s near and dear to me in the field of education. Being a special education teacher would be an inevitably rewarding job, in which I get to watch my students grow, as I celebrate their small breakthroughs and victories with them. These small breakthroughs and victories will improve over time and turn into giant leaps, which will leave a lasting impact and ultimately change the child’s life. Beyond just educating children with special needs, I aspire to educate the public about children with special needs and special education. By doing so, I hope to remove any uncertainty and fear the public has on this group of children. Not only do I want to impart knowledge on these special children, I also want to advocate for them, which is something that goes

Special Educators are greatly needed in our school systems all over the United States. It takes a special person to be a Special Educator. In most jobs you are in need of patience, but with this career a requirement is patience. Some people are cut out for this career and some are not. Emotionally and physically this job can take a toll on someone.

One of the reason people chose a career in special education is job satisfaction. Special education teacher perceived their job to be rewarding. They get personal fulfillment and gratification in teaching special need students. “It truly must be passion to continue working in special education because we all know it is a tough job.”(Participate 2010,”Motivational factor towards pursuing a career in special education”)They have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the students’ lives. When the student who is struggling in school graduate it brings great satisfaction to the educator. The most important part of this field is to help a child develop to their highest potential.

I will face many different challenges as a special education teacher including: data collection, making accommodations, and parental support. Data collection is huge in special education. I will need to be able to validate everything I do and make sure it coincides with everything in the student’s IEP (individualized education plan).

The special education coordinator noted that “[the principal] really understands what it means to have a well-designed learning environment for our special education students.” She facilitates the development of appropriate student placements and specialist assignments that represent classroom support needs. She is also involved in the IEP process, coordinates with the special education department chair and coordinator, promotes instructional practices responsive to student needs, and implements professional development requirements. Her most important functions in an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting are to commit resources and ensure the services set out in the ARD meeting will actually be provided. These efforts are documented and placed in the student record (J. Harrison, D. Gibson, personal communication, February 27,

The special education teacher interviewed, showed me that she uses the teaching/individual goals related to each student’s IEP. The teacher always tries to excel and reach the needs to relate

Usually high school students meet with the counselor and follow a determined set of coursework in order to graduate high school. However, if a student has been identified as a special needs student, the process of signing up for classes is not as simple as for other students. When trying to earn a high school diploma, special education students encounter difficulties not faced by their peers. The first step is for parents, school staff, and the student to meet and determine the best option for the student in order to receive a diploma. Determining the student’s path is called an IEP, individualized education plan. All special education students have an IEP that identifies the courses they will take in high school and the plans they will pursue after graduation. Students may choose from four paths: the traditional pathway, the career pathway, the occupational pathway, or the certificate of completion. The traditional pathway, which most advisors put the student on at first, allows the student the option of going to college. The next is the career pathway, which does not require a student to have an eligibility ruling for special education but still is another option if the student cannot obtain a high school diploma through the traditional path. Third, occupational pathway is a way to receive a diploma and not have to achieve as many credits or pass state test, but is still a difficult process. The last option for special education students is certificate of completion.

Special educators face many ethical and moral challenges everyday. There are three areas challenge a special educators morals and ethics: inclusion, serving students with disabilities and culturally diverse needs, and access to grade appropriate general education curriculum for students with severe intellectual disabilities. Before discussing the present, let us look at the past to understand the future.

Summer break is almost over! Are you ready for the new semester? Next week, we have an orientation for IEP Fall I session 2016! To new students, welcome to IEP:) Are you excited? Or a little bit nervous? No need to worry because Hilo has a good energy for people who start something new :) We are looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Amid the rush of the last week of school, I was able to sit down with my principal, who is retiring after 32 years in education. He has spent the majority of it as a building administrator, but the 22 years have been spread over elementary, middle, and high school populations. Originally, he taught high school Spanish and is fluent in several languages. He talks to all our students in Spanish at some point during their high school experience, which gives those studying the language the opportunity to practice what they learn. We also have a large Hispanic population, so he is able to converse easily with these students and their parents.

In discussions with Ben Robertson and Matthew Rose on what our topic for the Instructional Leadership Action Plan (ILAP), we all believed that providing teachers with more information on the Special Education Process would well serve the needs of all teachers. Ben and I both talked to our principals about having the ILAP at our respective schools and both principals agreed that the need for it was great in both buildings. However, when discussing travel for Matthew it was decided that we would have the ILAP at Nickelsville Elementary and would later hold the same ILAP, based on our feedback from teachers at Nickelsville Elementary and our cohort, at Gate City Middle School.