For my virtual observation, I watched Graduating Peter from YouTube and observed Peter Gwazdauskas through middle school and high school. This documentary made in Blacksburg, Virginia. Graduating Peter has a setting based on the 1980’s educational system. Peter has down syndrome. In addition, Peter was diagnosed with depression. Also, I observed his daily life task and challenges.
Students Observed
In 1992 “Educating Peter” was released. “Educating Peter” was recorded while Peter was in the third grade. Peter was the first student in his new elementary school with a severe mental disability to be included in regular classes. “Graduating Peter” is the sequel to “Educating Peter”. Both documentaries follow Peter through school in a typical classroom setting. While watching Graduating Peter, I was able to observe his challenges at school and work. In addition, I was able to observe Pete in his after-school activities. Peter struggled, but never gave up. Luckily, Peter had many supporters such as his mother, teachers, a teacher aid, and a special education teacher. During Peter’s sophomore year of high school, he had turned 18, but still needed twenty-four-hour supervision. Pete was also still lacking friends. Peter had a few mood swings during the documentary. During Peters mood swings he would shout, take things from others, and would throw objects. However, Peter eventually begins learning boundaries. The summer after his sophomore year Pete’s parents pay a teacher aid to
I am very glad I got to watch this film, it gave me insight on how much harder learning and school is for a child with a learning disability. I would recommend this film to all aspiring teachers. I plan to
James from the collaborative classroom is leaving and this is not very good news but James goes up to Peter and says it's not his fault and that it was a accident. This lightens up Peter and he feels a little better but still can’t things straight for what he did to his teacher. After Peter goes to the hospital with his class and there they do what they would do in their class. Peter is kinda talking but still very quiet. Mr. T is still in the hospital for a while until the last day of school where he surprised the whole class and this is what he did to Peter. “Mr. T got down on his knees and looked directly into my eyes. Then came the best hug I’ve ever felt”. (266) Peter has never felt so loved before and starts hugging him back right after. This is showing Mr. T has feelings for Peter and does not think he is a bad kid. Then and there everyone forgave Peter for what he had done. Mr. T could have been a bad teacher and done something mean but he did
Prior to his referral to SST, teachers were claiming that Peter was a very bright student who was initially friendly his classmates and capable of making friends when he first started at Stockbridge Elementary in September of 2012 for 2nd grade. Despite his friendliness with classmates, however, teachers were reporting that he seldom spoke to adults, and would instead just stare at them. Not long after starting 2nd grade, teachers began to report social growth, as well as engagement with various extra-curricular activities.
Which author or institution is associated with coining the phrase, “the apartheid of schooling in America.”
Pete makes it evident that he does not wish to attend this camp and tenaciously declares he does not need a high school diploma, as he will make a living through his YouTube channel, where he assures people he will make enough to survive until he decides what shall become of him. He spuriously
Only a glimpse into her day but from what I saw, it was all positive. The students are learning how to work well together without adult supervision. They are learning responsibilities and taking care of themselves. They are learning that what they learn in class is important and will be put to use in their own personal life. In having the students participate in the store, it is keeping the students’ interested in learning math daily.
Soldiers are trained to be altruist even when they don’t agree with it they are taught a sense of self service and duty and no matter how they feel about someone or what the person looks like they are going to help. Males and females soldiers the same.
In order to study human development and perform naturalistic observation I went to the mall. I selected a 9-year-old white girl as the subject for my observation. I observed the subject for 30 minutes. During my observation the subject was not interrupted and was not aware of my study.
This paper is going to describe the behavioral and cognitive traits that can be inferred from that behavior of a two year old child that I observed in the park as she was playing with her mother. The child that I observed is a girl, has blonde hair and is physically well-developed for her age. She is around two, weighs approximately twenty (20) pounds and is about two (2) feet tall.
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
One in five American students has a learning disability this is according to the documentary “Misunderstood Minds’’ produced by WGBH. Children with learning disabilities are more likely to become outcasts in school and in society. The documentary follows five families dealing with a differently abled child; Nathan V, Lauren, Sarah Lee, Adam, and Nathan S. The film focuses on difficulties the families go through, professionalism or lack of it by school officials and demystification.
“Special education labels don’t define children; Children define themselves” (Dalien, 2015). I am interested in becoming a special education teacher because I have always loved being around children, and I have a soft spot for kids with autism and other disabilities. The first time that I ever thought about working with special needs children was when I was in the fifth grade. My mom worked at my school as a teacher assistant in a first grade classroom, so in the morning I would go to her classroom and wait for the bell to ring. A little boy named Alex who had Cerebral palsy and a spinal problem, came into class early as well. I immediately connected with him, and began going to my mom’s room every morning to play with him before class. It soon became the highlight of my day. Alex could not talk very well and could not walk, so we rolled cars around the floor, traced shapes on to the whiteboard, or sometimes crawled on the floor chasing each other as monsters. I loved seeing how me playing with him made him smile so big and become more outgoing. My dream is to give kids like Alex a reason to smile and help them reach their full potential. In this speech you will learn all about special education teachers, including, but not limited to: What they do, where they typically work, their environment, how much they get paid, benefits the job entails, the education and skills required to become a special education teacher, and information on the job outlook.
The following data was gathered while fulfilling duties as a principal intern at Theresa Bunker Elementary School. The data was observed during five to seven minutes of classroom observation as part of a walk-through in the spring of the current school year. My cooperating supervisor for my internship was able to go on these walk-throughs with me in order to have a productive reflection meeting afterwards. This elementary school has two of each grade level from Kindergarten to sixth grade. Since it was more feasible in this small school setting, I actually was able to do a walkthrough in eight classes. Here I will report my observations from five of those walk-throughs. As I went in to each room I was looking for four
An individual with intellectual disabilities can face many barriers in not only their academic life, but also their social life. Peter, has faced barriers to his successful inclusion in the classroom. One of the barriers the video mentions is teachers displaying unwillingness to including Peter in their classroom simply because teachers do not accept him or his disability. I believe prejudice is a barrier many people with intellectual disabilities are forced to face at a given point in their lives. I think the prejudice stems from fear and misunderstanding of people who are physically or mentally different. In chapter nine of this week’s readings, it highlights on the importance of individual relationships are between the teacher and the student with a disability. Focusing on a student’s strengths rather than there IQ or weaknesses is essential to their success. “Some teachers focus on her IQ, but that’s not a useful fact. Everything depends on the relationship Rachel and I have with educators, on their skills, and on Rachel’s attitude, behavior, and self-determination.” (Turnbull. p. 187). Another barrier Peter faces is the desperate struggle of wanting his independence, yet still needing outside assistance for things. The loneliness and the inability to properly communicate his emotions are one of the biggest mental barriers Peter has faced. Peter overcame and managed these barriers through
Understanding how students learn and interact is better learned when they are observed. Courses such as Educational Psychology help to understand how students learn and which strategies are better in helping students to retain information. It is beneficial to observe a classroom because its gives you a perspective of how the classroom setting really is, and how students interact. Educational Psychology itself can be understood better when it is learned and is being observed. I observed a classroom at the World Language Academy, and it reinforced many of the things that I had learned. It not only strengthened everything that was already learned and being learned, but it also put things more in perspective.