Interview with a Special Education Teacher PDF

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Interview with a Special Education Teacher Mrs. Adams Elementary School in Utah Discuss the similarities and differences among students with and without disabilities. Most of her students are considered mild/moderate. All students are classified under a classification and the most common is specific learning disabilities. All of her kids have some sort of disability. The few students with disabilities like ADHD, autism and her deaf student all need a little more attention and needs. They all learn in different ways. They all need individuality and personalized instruction. They don’t all learn at the same speed. Students with mild/moderate disabilities can still function in their general education classroom and most socialize with friends and like to learn. They like to be at school and want to do their best. Some have speech concerns which may impede learning and how they communicate. Describe the characteristics of various disabilities and their educational implications for students at your school. Some students aren’t diagnosed with a disability but have what’s called a specific learning disability (SLD) and they are behind in their academics such as math, reading or writing. Some students may be classified under other health impairment if a health issue impedes their learning. They may be classified under autism if they fit the classifications. However, schools never diagnose. Some students are diagnosed with a disability from doctors but are able to function in the main stream classrooms. ADHD students can’t focus or sit for long periods of time. Her deaf student with cochlear implants doesn’t hear the same as everyone else and can’t hear without them. He has certain modifications and microphones special for him. He needs lots of reassurance. Her autistic student had a really hard time with social cues, understanding when he needs to work and gets fixated on what he wants to do.

Explain the effects disabilities can have on students’ academic and social development, attitudes, interests, and values. Students with disabilities struggle a little more in the general education classroom, some are developmentally behind, they may not make friends as well and have some have very specific interests. Students may get frustrated easily, older kids know they are behind and struggle sometimes with peers and will act out. Describe how factors such as cultural diversity and human issues affect students with disabilities. Home life can affect how they perform at school. Their background and language can affect them and make it hard to adapt at school. It may take them longer to understand or comprehend things. They may struggle socially. Explain how you address the unique learning needs of students with disabilities in the classroom, including those students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She has recently taken an ESL endorsement class that had opened her eyes to English language learners. It can be very tricky to determine if it is a language barrier versus a disability, so you really have to dig deep and take everything into consideration and test in both languages. These students need lots of modifications and accommodations in the classroom, sometimes different testing if possible. They need content in their language to feel comfortable, visuals and hands on learning to help simplify their work. She gets to know their families and where they come from. What they like,

she thinks it’s important to let them share those things especially their language and not be embarrassed. To have ESL students families involved and a part of decisions. Explain strategies you use when collaborating and co-teaching with general education teachers. Include discussion of why it is important to avoid becoming a silo, behavior enforcer, or aid in the classroom rather than a co-teacher. She has never been a co teacher in the classroom. But she has experienced it once in college and practicums. She does think it’s important to collaborate with general education teachers to meet their needs and what to work on with them. To be consistent and to help the student succeed. She says, we are all one team trying to help the student succeed not our own little groups. We aren’t trying to see who the better teacher is or who had better ideas. We should be open to each other ideas and find what works. Describe how you use various types of technology to support students with disabilities in both the special education and regular education classroom. It depends on the students. Most of her students use apps on an iPad to read to them if they can’t quite read all words so they can follow along while it’s read to them. It also helps to read instructions for reading and math assessments or activities. Her deaf student with cochlear implants had a special microphone that teachers wear that go directly to his cochlear implants to hear. He also can plug that into an iPad or chrome book that goes directly to them rather than wearing headphones. We use technology for visuals for ELL students. Describe the legal responsibilities you have to protect the rights and privacy of students with disabilities. Include discussion of IDEA, procedural safeguards, FERPA, HIPAA, etc. Include examples of some dilemmas associated with upholding these standards. All students IEP’s and progress in special education is considered confidential. Only parents and others given permission are allowed their records. IDEA ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education that meets their individual needs. FERPA includes the Family Educational Rights and Privacy that protects the privacy of student educational records. HIPPA provides protection and security for protected health information. It can be hard when talking to other teachers or even parents to not break confidentiality when getting input or ideas on how to help a student. Discuss how you collaborate with general education teachers to communicate, create, and store student documentation. She makes sure to talk with them and meet with them during collaboration and email them. Some students need to be talked about more than others. Teachers come to her when needed so they can make sure they are working as a team. Students have summaries of IEPs that are kept confidential. They have hard files kept in a filing cabinet and is locked at all times. Describe one or two of your favorite co-teaching strategies. She pulls her kids out into her own classroom but works really closely with their general education teachers to make sure they are providing somewhat consistent accommodations and modifications. In her classroom she does support and personalized or targeted instruction and in the Gen Ed classroom they do grade level work that can be modified or changed.

Reflection I learned so much in my interview with Ashli. She was so knowledgeable about working with students with disabilities and it made me excited to hopefully get to do what she does, one day. It was very clear to me in my interview with her that different students have different disabilities which require different needs to be met. She mentioned having an autistic student, a deaf student, and students with ADHD all of whom learn very differently, and each have unique needs. ADHD students can’t focus or sit for long periods of time. Her deaf student with cochlear implants doesn’t hear the same as everyone else and can’t hear without them. He has certain modifications and microphones special for him. He needs lots of reassurance. Her autistic student had a really hard time with social cues, understanding when he needs to work and gets fixated on what he wants. For some of these students with disabilities it is not just academics that are a struggle at times, but they sometimes have a harder time fitting in with kids their own age because of their disabilities. If they come from a different culture and speak a different language at home, it can be hard for those ESL students to catch on as quickly as some of their peers too. As their teacher, Ashli makes sure to get to know where they come from and even gets to know their families so she can teach them the best possible way. It is so important for general education teachers and special education teachers to work together to meet the needs of their students together. Communication between them helps create a consistency in both classrooms to help these individuals with disabilities succeed. Together they are better able to come up with ideas on how to help their individual students learn and meet goals best. At Ashli’s school they have specific collaboration meetings between the two teachers, and they make sure to email often as well to discuss their students. Some students require more communication between the two teachers than others depending on their disabilities and needs. In her special education classroom, she does targeted instruction and in the Gen Ed classroom they do grade level work that can be modified or changed. Creating consistency for the students between the two classrooms is key. It is important to make sure that students’ information is protected and kept confidential because of the laws that need to be followed. Summaries of IEPs are kept confidential and hard copies of student’s files are kept in a filing cabinet that is locked at all times. It can be difficult at times when collaborating with a gen ed teacher to make sure that these confidentiality laws are followed but they must be done. I learned so much in my interview about students with different disabilities having different needs that need to be met, even more that I had fully comprehended before this interview. I look forward to becoming a teacher and making a difference in my students lives by reaching them and their individual needs the best that I can. I look forward to co-teaching as well, which is another thing I learned a lot about in this interview and hope to provide my students with the consistency they need in their classrooms to succeed....