Part One: Personal Philosophy Of Special Education

Disability is a definition of a physical or mental condition which impacts on a person’s movements, activities and senses. People with disabilities were informed of bias and disadvantages compared to an ordinary person. There are many biases and prejudices contributed to the discrimination of individuals with a disability. Partly because of social connotations the disabled people are useless, cannot work. In fact, these extraordinary people always bring and do incredible things. They not only overcome their grim fate, but also bring good things to life, especially those who are perfectly considering better than an ordinary person, they are not aware of the capacity of individuals disabilities with them characteristics such as loyalty, dedication, and hard work.

One of the most essential aspects of the educational process is to know how to motivate students for learning. A challenging part of being a teacher is to know and learn how to motivate students. First of all, a good definition for motivation is as Byrnes quote “Motivation is construct

Formerly, persons with disabilities were kept private and out of public view. In recent years, the number of people living with disabilities has increased due to longer life expectancy and advancement of medical treatments for life-threatening illness. With the transition of persons with a disabilities into more conventional lifestyles, they are now thriving in society. Disabled persons can be increasingly independent through an assisting device such a cane or wheelchair, though cultural barriers still exist between disabled and able-bodied persons.

While I was watching a television show, Shameless, I have encountered the theme “disability” in an undesirable way. In Shameless, one of the characters has an intellectual disability. His family makes fun of him in this show and they call him “retarded” repeatedly. They constantly push his needs to the side and scold him saying, “ He’s retarded, just leave him.” Also, the other main character, Ian, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He attains a job as an EMT and his

Philosophy is the most basic beliefs, concepts and attitudes of an individual or group (Williams, 2011). A philosophy seeks to answer questions such as; what do you live for? What is your purpose on earth? As well as many other questions that are based on personal beliefs and principles. I believe that education is one of the fundamental needs of every human being and every child or human being should be in a position to enjoy education with minimal restrictions regardless of their special needs.

Zoe is an 8-year-old who is currently attending Some Elementary School and is enrolled in a general education second grade classroom. Zoe had difficulty focusing and repeatedly disobeyed her teacher’s directions during Kindergarten. Zoe was retained in Kindergarten due to concerns of her academic skills and poor behavior. These concerns were not addressed and continued to affect her for the next 2 years. Zoe’s parents requested a 1:1 aide to address the struggles Zoe is facing but the District denied it. By the end of Zoe’s first grade, she was reading at a primer reading level and had 6 referrals to the office. During Zoe’s second grade year, parents stated concerns about reading skills and behavior and the Principle started the SST

A second grade English Language Arts and Reading educator in the Seminole Independent School District was asked to partake in an interview about the disproportionality of African Americans students in special education programs. In the interest of confidentiality, the interviewee’s name will not be disclosed throughout this paper. To discuss questions surrounding the aforementioned topic, it was important to gather the educator’s experiences about special education programs in general. In her third year of teaching she taught in a self-contained classroom, where students had severe and profound disabilities. She quoted seven years of teaching experience, where she have taught general education co-teach classes and one inclusive class. She

I have known about kids with special needs since a very young age. My cousin has Asperger’s so from the start I knew there were far more conditions than just one that would categorize someone to be a special needs person. But as the older I got the more I understood that their conditions didn’t define them and that just because they were specials needs doesn’t mean that they couldn’t do the same things that you and I do every day. My cousin and the people I have met over the past three years have motivated and helped me make the decision to pursue a teaching degree in special education.

Growing up I was always told by my parents and other adults’ in my church that I worked well with kids. Then during my sophomore year of college it became evident to me that I had a passion for working with children. But more specifically I felt as though I was being called to work with children who had special needs. I realized I had this passion while sitting in one of my education courses when I wanted to study to be a Special Education teacher. Then while taking the math portion of a test that I needed to take in order to get into the education program at Huntington University I began to realize that teaching was not the field of work God had planned for my life.

Many people with disabilities have long faced discrimination and it seems that they are not fully accepted without stigma. Those living with a disability have been given many labels by society such as, being less than others, unfortunate, deserving of compassion, even pity. However, I feel that those living with a disability can turn their weaknesses into a special strength making them unique and perfectly able. My whole life I heard the term “disabled” as if they are incapable of doing what others can do. Instead, we should stop and consider they are people first and their disability does not define who they are. There are many mental disabilities as well that society is very ignorant to for example, Depression.

Before we begin exploring the nuances and best practices in Special Education, I wanted to first welcome you and introduce myself. My name is Alyssa Mastrocco, and I am an administrator in the Polaris family of schools. I am proud to work at this school because we are not only focused on educating every student enrolled in our schools, but in guiding them beyond high school, into the college and career that is best for them.

The classroom appeared a fright, there were books on the floor, and desks out of place. I had five minutes to fix the problem before the entire class returned to the room. I am highly intuitive, even tempered, have a good sense of humor, and a calming nature; but I had no idea how to solve the problem; and on such a brief time frame. I knew my organization and adaptability to stressful situation would help, but I feel I need additional education. I want to further my education by pursuing a Master of Arts in special education at the University of Texas – Permian Basin and help in solving demanding situations.

I would like to express my strong interest in your special education teacher job opening. My extensive experience in special education and curriculum development would make me a strong special education teacher at Warrensville Heights City School.

The debate surrounding the term in which to identify a person with disabilities continues to be a subject for deliberation in the academic and political world. Some believe classifying a group of people as “handicap” carries a negative undertone which refers to the term “cap-in-hand” or more specifically refers to the term, “beggar” (Bryan, 2014, p. 102). Askjan.org recommends instead of referring to the individual as a “disabled person” rather state they are a “person with a disability” ("Disability Etiquette Tips," n.d.). Using the proper vernacular is important and shows the person dignity and respect. In either case, people with disabilities still encounter societies ills of being

All children have the right to an education, regardless of disability. However, children with disabilities have not always had that right provided to them. Research and knowledge-based evidence throughout the last century has greatly changed educators’ opinions and positions on special education. A key point that will be discussed in this essay is the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), as well as current and future challenges of special education.