Special Education in the United States has changed greatly over the past few decades. Years ago, it seemed like the students who received special education services were easy to pick out of a crowd. Maybe the student had Down Syndrome or some type of obvious behavioral indicators. These days, many times it is very difficult to tell if a student receives special education services.
There are many types of disabilities that are covered in special education. It can be autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, emotional disturbance, visual impairments, specific learning disabilities, mental retardation, speech impairments, physical impairments, cognitive disorders, dyslexia, hearing impairments, or many others.
In order to receive Special Education services, there is a rigorous testing to determine if the student has a disability and what that might be. This generally happens in the younger years, but every once in a while it happens in high school. There are many pieces to this rigorous testing, but I only see certain parts of it. The part that I am generally involved in is a long survey of questions about the student's performance, behavior, and abilities, and then a meeting with the student's other teachers, a nurse, a special education teacher, and the student's parents.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 states that all children with disabilities, up to the age of 21, have the right to a free and fair education. The biggest thing to remember is that a "fair" education means different things for each individual student, regardless of ability or disability. Some students might have a speech impediment and need minimal services, spending their whole days in mainstream classes, while other students might need to have a few separate classes with special education teachers. Some might need to be completely removed from mainstream classes altogether. It all depends on the student and his/her needs.
Similarly, "fair" does not mean spending the same amount of money on every student. While it can be fairly cheap to educate a student in mainstream classes, it can become quite expensive to educate a student with extensive disabilities. The Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul newspaper) recently ran a story on a student whose education costs ran up to $100,000 a year. This is extremely rare, but the fact of the matter is that a big chunk of education costs go to special education, a fact that many people are unaware of. While I know that some people might disagree with how money is spent in schools, as a teacher I see just how important it is to give these services, regardless of the cost. Every student has a right to an education, and we cannot deny a person's rights simply because it costs too much. Not educating students with disabilities would be detrimental to our entire society, not just the student. Plus, with the right support, a student can overcome their disability and go on to do great things. Some famous people who did just that include: Christopher Columbus, JFK, Edgar Alan Poe, Bill Gates, Will Smith, Michael Phelps, and Bill Clinton.
As a high school teacher, one thing I have noticed is that most of the time, by the time a student hits high school, they have accepted that they have a disability and they know what it is that they need in order to be successful. However, one of the most important things a high school student with disabilities can do is advocate for him/herself. While an elementary school teacher might have 3-4 students in special education, a high school teacher can have anywhere between 20-30 students. Each of those students has their own IEP (Individualized Education Plan) which calls for different modifications and accommodations for each student. This can be very confusing and overwhelming for a teacher, and if a student can give his/her teachers a reminder, it helps greatly.
Next week I will talk about IEPs and what it's like to be a student with special needs in a World Language classroom.
My hours for week 30:
| Date | Start | End | Total Hours |
| 3/17/2013 | 6:30 PM | 7:00 PM | 0.5 |
| 3/18/2013 | 7:45 AM | 4:30 PM | 8.75 |
| 3/19/2013 | 8:00 AM | 4:45 PM | 8.75 |
| 5:45 PM | 6:15 PM | 0.5 | |
| 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 0.5 | |
| 8:15 PM | 9:45 PM | 1.5 | |
| 3/20/2013 | 7:45 AM | 4:45 PM | 9 |
| 6:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 3 | |
| 3/21/2013 | 7:30 AM | 7:30 PM | 12 |
| 3/22/2013 | 7:45 AM | 3:45 PM | 8 |
| 3/23/2013 | 0 | ||
| Total | 52.5 |
