Teacher And The Services For Students With Disabilities

School teams need to explicitly clarify the role of the classroom teacher as the instructional leader in the classroom including their roles and responsibilities as the teacher for their students with disabilities.

Becoming a special education teacher has become a career path for me for the past 4 years. My first job was working at an after school program that gave me the experience of learning how to work with a diverse group of students. When I first began working for the Realizing Amazing Potential (RAP) Program as a Program Leader (PL). I began to fall in love with the school culture of working with diverse students. The responsibility of working for RAP Program was creating activities that implemented disguised learning with a variety of hands on activities. Students are constantly engaged in activities while learning something new as well. Within the program I have moved from being a supervisors assistance, which gave me responsibilities of working

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.

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 essential roles of special education teachers is coteaching and working with other professionals, as well as communicating with family members and between special education teachers and other school-related professionals(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”. With the importance of a least restrictive environment special education and general education teachers are working together in a classroom with varying levels and abilities of learners. It is vitally important to have an effective relationship between the two teachers while developing and implementing lesson plans for learners with special needs. The physical space and dynamics of the classroom should fit the needs of the students and the established procedures should ensure a highly functional environment. Importantly, educators need to communicate to families “encouragement about what they can do at home and about an effective plan for providing instructional supports for their child(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”.

Since the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was finalized, in October, 2006, there has been a push to transition special education students into general education classes. This places additional pressure on the general education teachers and their school districts, who are expected to prepare them. Before a district can initiate the change there are several issues that need to be addressed. Districts are supposed to provide specialized professional training that prepares a general teacher would need to be funded at the district level, unfortunately, many districts can’t afford it. As noted by Allison Gulamhussein, in many districts,

Today, over six million students receive Special Education services from public and private schools. The reason why there is a shortage of Special Education teachers is that they leave their position because they cannot handle the additional pressures they have to face.

Starratt’s work resonates with any educational change initiative, but this book has added dimension and depth to my work. Every day I attempt to orchestrate organizational change in dysfunctional special education departments that serve special needs individuals. First, Starratt (2004) makes it clear that an overarching goal of an effective and ethical educational leader is not only to identify the critical areas of concern, but to initiate the change needed to uphold and enhance the “common good.” In my current career, that applies to special education systems requiring reform where unwilling administrators do not reorganize priorities for that to happen. While the definition of the phrase, “the common good” may be unclear, when it comes to initiating change in special education practices, the indisputable outcome should be the ownership of all special needs students by every staff member.

Many factors have come forth to why there is a shortage within this field. One could assume that there are more teachers retiring faster than there are teachers coming to fill the positions. However, that is not the cases. Cancio et al., (2013) stated that the teacher shortage is not due to retirement but to first-year teachers leaving their profession within the first three years of teaching. Zhang et al. (2014) also suggested that the first-year teachers felt they were not prepared for the position and the duties that it calls for to be special education teacher. Dupriez et al. (2016) study found that it was not only the younger first-year teacher that felt that they could not fill their obligations as a special education teacher but older teachers felt the same. Both sets of special education teachers felt that they had not received the accurate training that they need for students with disciplinary problems and other disabilities. However, the special education teachers also

My morning interview with a resource room teacher provided me with a wealth of vital information that will assist me in my future career. As I sat at length and spoke with Mrs. Provost, asking her questions that revealed the inner workings of her job and the various facets that accompany it, the same thought kept entering my mind “someday this going to be me”, and I could not be happier. While Mrs. Provost willingly and patiently answered each question I realized the obligation of educating in the department of special education is challenging at times. The commitment is tremendous, but when a student with any form of social or academic disability thrives under the direction of a special education teacher’s leadership, the end result can be

After reading the article by Owen Phillips, I find that there are several things I can do as a special education director to support teacher retention. First, special education teachers under my leadership would have a voice. For instance, when the school board or higher officials decide that a new program or method of instruction is needed, our team will collaborate to create a course of action and timeline for these changes to be made. They would also have a voice in decision-making and discipline. Secondly, I would be available to my special education teachers as much as possible. I want them to feel supported and heard during their time under my leadership. I would send out anonymous surveys quarterly to my staff to find out how they

In this case, to ensure diffusion of responsibility is not present, school administrators must be held accountable for the training and conduct of their teachers. Training and accountability without prejudice, preconceived ideas and stigmatization will ensure no child is left behind, socially isolated and guaranteed a proper education. As predicted, the increase of knowledge received by general education teachers in managing special needs students will dramatically reduce the risk of stress, undesirable behavior, suspension, and seclusion from the classroom and obtaining formal education. In return, the risk of a special needs student being verbally or physically abused, suspended and withdrawn from public school will be reduced if not

In Academic journal articles from the 1980s to today, every study involving Special Education teacher attrition states a variation of “the situation is severe and will only get worse.” The available literature also states that “more research is needed” to understand the reasons so many special educators leave the profession.

Children with special needs are slightly different from non-disabled kids, but they’re should not be a barrier between non-disabled children and children with disabilities. Special needs covers a wide range. Some children with physical disabilities use wheelchair, or cane while other children with learning disabilities such as, autism, or emotional disorder. Children with special needs are like all children they want to make friends. Non-disability children want respect, love, good education and job of their dream. Children with special needs can do the same things non-disabled kid do, but it can take them longer. It requires additional explanation or attention. Parents of children with special needs usually feel isolated and uncertain about their child 's future. Schools can help them find support that children are not alone and help is available. Teachers should meet with parents in order to get to know the children better, the specific of their children. Special teachers may come into the class to work one-on-one with the student, for individualized attention. Change begins with an honest examination of understandings, knowledge and belief. Children with special needs should spend more time with non-disabled kids. Children with special needs should study more at public school to learn from

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