Personal Statement : My Field Work Experience

The special education teacher interviewed, talked about this goal to meet each child’s need is challenging to her especially in eleventh and twelfth grade. The teacher tries to strive towards their educational goals, their need areas, and work on their strengths.

As we grow in education, it always seems as in there is someone that is left behind. Educators need to be able to reach out as many students as possible, but some may argue that it does not feel this way. Often, students with special education needs are considered to be too difficult to teach, or simple just a “lost cause.” The way we interact and care for all students not only shows in each student, but it shows in the impact it has on the community as a whole.

When I was on a softball team a few years ago, me and my teammates would communicate through the essentials of communication which are process, meaning, and symbolic communication both on and off the baseball field. In example, when we are on the field, we communicate in procedural ways in order to reach a goal. We were engaging in action when we were practicing and using our knowledge when implementing a strategic plan on how we would play the different opponents we faced especially in crucial games. My teammates were all different races so we all had different cultural backgrounds. There were people on my team who were of American, African American, Asian, Lebanese, Puerto Rican, and Dominican descent. Therefore, my language was constantly changing when communicating between my Hispanic and American teammates. Our interpersonal competence and determination to win depicted the outcome of our games. However, most of us shared the same desire and effort in helping each other learn and grow with the team.

“All children with disabilities must have an individualized education program (IEP), a free and appropriate public education, and be served in the least restrictive environment” (Esteves and Rao, 2008, p.1). Children whom have a leaning disability are looked at differently in society unfortunately, so we need to be there to help them learn that the negativity is not them. We need to help and support families and their children to understand we can help them be successful, it may take longer to get there, but what’s the rush after all we all learn on different paths and, levels. So why judge them if they need more time to process information, we can find avenues to assist them, which are parents like myself that have children in special education, it is just a classroom setting not a label that prevent them from being productive citizens, we need to be there resource as their educators, we not only educate the students, but we help educate the families to help their

The idea of children with disabilities, whether they be mild or severe has been a very controversial and misunderstood topic. In the past inclusion has brought about huge changes for not only the students, but also the parents and families of these children, and staff at schools. Teachers and education professionals were the first to really feel the wrath and intimidation of this dramatic shift in education. There were several different factors that were coming about that made it very difficult for schools and teachers, the unorganized mandates were strict and didn’t allow much time for change. “President Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) into law in 1975. Since the original passage of the EAHCA, the law has been amended four times and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)” (Conroy, Yell, Katsiyannis, & Collins, 2010, para.1).

My friend took me by the arm, looked me in the eyes, and said “I have HIV…” This was one of those eye-opening moments I did not expect as a ninth grader. As a senior exit project, he and I collaborated to spread awareness to our peers and led open discussions on safe sex practices. The support of our peers and their genuine interest in becoming more knowledgeable about the HIV epidemic was inspiring. Being a confidant for him and understanding how the virus affected his daily life motivated me to become immersed in the field and serve as an advocate and resource to others also impacted by the epidemic. This is how I began my journey down the road of public health.

Currently, I am observing for the After School Action Program (ASAP) at Benold Middle School located in Georgetown, Texas. This program is designed to activate the critical and analytical thinking in students while developing leadership skills. In this program, there are approximately 12 students, which 4 students have learning disabilities. Research has been conducted by my observation of various techniques implemented for the inclusion of these students. During my observation, several approaches have been used with success in retaining students understanding of the material being presented. First, as a student whose major is ECL-6 Special Education, I want to study different approaches to which teachers implement on students with disabilities. Secondly, as I continue to observe, I have become more familiar with these students and their temperament. Because of this, I am understanding more of the teaching approaches being used to achieve the desired outcome. Ultimately, this observation will help me better prepare for my future endeavors as a special education teacher.

During the Fall Semester I was required to visit Easterling Primary School in Marion, South Carolina for an education course. I was filled with joy because I was once a student in Marion County and I was excited to view school from a different standpoint. I was scheduled to visit the school every Tuesday in the Month of October, but due to Hurricane Matthew we lost a few weeks and I had to go back for two weeks in November. I had the pleasure to be placed with Mrs. Johnson, a Special Education Teacher in a Self-Contained Classroom at Easterling. Mrs. Johnson has been teaching for a total of twenty nine years and has multiple certifications and degrees in the education field. Overall Easterling is a fairly large school and it

The first place I will look for potential jobs would be using job sites online. I believe that this is the quickest and most effective way to find job in your desired field.

Centennial Arts Academy’s website (2017) is full of the faculty and staff’s hope for the future of the elementary school and the children that come through the doors. The school’s vision includes the idea that their students will think critically, act compassionately, work meaningfully, choose wisely, and live joyfully. My observing teacher has received her certification to teach special education and therefore during my time at the school, I was able to view students in different stages of learning. Centennial’s belief is that the collaborative actions of students, parents, community, and the school system are determining factors in the success of our students (website, 2017).

Through the utilization of my advanced degree work in leadership and organizational development as well as my 20+ years' experience in Human Resources administration, I am eager to increase my level of contribution to the State of Georgia via a position to ensure the highest quality of HR programs and services offered Department of Health (DOH) employees to ensure productivity, engagement and success resulting in organizational development from within through the development of DOH employees.

The modern classroom has many challenges that face it. Shrinking budgets, less parental involvement, higher expectations, and growing class sizes, just to name a few. If this list was not daunting enough you also have the special needs students that have an array problems in your classroom that need specialized attention, lessons and seating. There are many forms of diverse learners from students who suffer from ADHD to physical disabilities to students with autism to ones that are bullied in school. There are so many things going on in our students lives we sometimes forget they have lives, pressures and disabilities that affect their performance and attitude in our class that have a profound impact on how they learn. For this paper I

For my interview, I interviewed a woman by the name of Mrs. Miskell. She is a close family friend and also teaches at the elementary school that I used to attend. Mrs. Miskell has been teaching for fifteen years. She has a class of 21 including 2 special education children who are mainstreamed into her class for a few areas of study. She team-teaches one day a week with the remedial math teacher, and one day a week with the remedial reading teacher. Her children switch classes with one other class for social studies and science. In this interview, I covered her views on special education and security in today's schools.

Mainstreaming, one of the most controversial topics in the education field, is a term that expresses the thought of regular classroom teachers being expected to work with children with disabilities such as dyslexia, physically challenged, hyperactive or emotionally troubled. Another definition of mainstreaming is placing special-needs children in the “least restrictive environment”. The idea of mainstreaming is to help the students with disabilities feel more connected to other students, but in reality it can challenge the teachers that does not have the training and support to help benefit the students needs (Sacks, 2001). This not only affects the teachers and students, but the parents believing their child should be included. Choosing mainstreaming at my topic benefits with my desire and passion to teach special needs children. The reason behind mainstreaming may be to benefit both the students with special needs and other students, but why is this thought to be an issue rather than a benefit?

There are many aspects of my philosophy of education, but one of my core beliefs is that all students should be treated in a respectful manner whether they are a full time member of our classroom or not. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of having many students from our school’s self-contained classes join our classroom for varying periods of time. Many Kindergarten students have not had exposure to students who have special needs. My goal is to teach my students that even though many students might act differently than themselves, they are a child just like them. They want to play and learn just like them. Once we have had these discussions, I am amazed about how open and caring my Kindergarten students are.