I'm mentoring a couple of new teachers at my facility. It's kind of interesting to watch them move in--I was struck how furniture got moved to fill some pre-conceived notion of what a classroom should look like. I was reminded of the first time I heard Hans Kung, the Swiss theologian, talk about "paradigm shift" or a change in the way we understand what our life looks like . . . where our meaning comes from.
At the same time I have been buying Our Mother's House by Patricia Polacco for lesbian friends, who to a one are moved to tears. It is a very cheerful, typical Polacco book. It tells the story of two women who build a family and a home that is loving, nurturing, and open to the diversity of numerous friends and neighbors. My boss just didn't get it. I did. I understand that we all have life narratives based on our lives, media and our reading. Lesbians don't have many experiences and not many positive stories.
Inclusion has become a real challenge to a lot of people's paradigms about what happens in a class. How many general ed teachers have you heard who say, "But I wasn't trained to deal with these students?" Ironically, new teachers are. IDEA is really pushing states to require some special education classes so that inclusion will happen. In the mean time, special ed teachers have to deal with these teachers. Concurrently, some special education teachers have a lot invested emotionally in the paradigm they have built over years of practice, and aren't ready to give up what they need to in order to collaborate in a co-teaching situation.
Another thing challenging our paradigms is the rise in really difficult behavior. There are still a lot of kids getting suspended without FBAs and BIPs, especially with the rise in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Add inclusion, and a lot of kids are getting sent into classrooms that are pretty hostile and not very understanding of their need for structure or their tantrums when it isn't there. I know. Their parents are writing me.
So, consider carefully your paradigm. How badly do you need to keep doing the thing you have done for years? Is it time to gain some new skills? Is it time to re-evaluate your commitment to teaching all children, not just the pleasant ones? It's not a great time to go into Real Estate, but I'm hearing nursing is still wide open.
Comments
Plans for students must include the future. Will someone always be there to “read” for the student, etc? Sometimes we set children up for failure, just because it looks either politically correct at the time, or sounds like it is more humanitarian. Inclusion, where the SPED student is in a regular classroom all of the time, may or may not be the best choice. When you are the one who is reading 4 levels below the rest of the class, would you want to be involved with reading where the other students could tell? I don’t know of any!!!
As a teacher, the mother of “former” SPED students (they are grown), and the sister of a CP child, back when there wasn’t much known, it irritates me to no end for those who do not look at life after school – they will not always be young – and try to assist in a more helpful way, which may also mean that you have to be realistic with families.
My brother, who is 65, just recently had a CT scan done which now shows us that he actually has part of his brain missing, has come up against major issues. Because it is hard as a CP to live on your own, we had thought that the problems were because of that disability. Sometimes, more tests are needed BEFORE things get worse. Had we had this information earlier, we could have projected many more situations and solutions to them in a more positive, but realistic way. Incidentally, don’t look too much to the government for help financially in most areas after they are out of school.
Your comments remind me of someone who doesn’t have to deal 24/7 for lifetimes with any major disabilities. It is hard on families who must continue for the rest of the life of that disabled one. In addition, very rarely does the school offer assistance to the other siblings, who must also bear the burdens (they are extensive). As a reminder of what can happen, and also it is fiction, I do suggest watching In Her Shoes for a slight glimpse at the reality of having to continue the course after 21.
I have a son 12yrs old he has (PDD) pervasive developmental disorder. He has some awful tantrums, and I hear what you are saying about paradigm. He was in a school in a small town in Washington that had no clue how to handle him as they put it, and I was informed I needed to move to a different town or state or my child would be put in a institution. This was there answer to dealing with a child with Autism. It seems to me that was a chicken crap way out. I am living in a much larger city and still have the same issues, but not as severe. I found Oregon was a good place to have an Autistic child at least there the SED is trained to teach Autistic children and they do this very well. May be I should move back, but the doctors have no clue what to do. Either you get the school which is able to handle your child or the doctor but never both.
Yes Educ, iep’s and student plans need to think about the trajectory that students’ lives will take. That’s why I am asking teachers to question their paradigms. A lot of the teachers at my school write spelling goals for their students. Why? Because they are easy to measure and because they seem to believe everyone needs to spell. But my students who spell don’t write for a purpose, and will probably never go to college. Why not use that energy to teach them how to use the TV Guide? Why not teach them how to send an email message to their moms? Those are functional skills they will need to share their lives with their co-workers and loved ones, and also to enjoy their lives whatever their limitations. Yeah, I would love to share the laughter of Captain Underpants with my Autistic guys, but it’s more important that hey can find the emergency exit at the sheltered workshop, or how to call for help if the caregiver at their group home collapses.
I hope you will keep coming back and provide reality checks. I always think about the tough life the siblings of my students must have, with so much attention poured on their disabled sibling. I’m glad you have not done what some frustrated families do, which is dump their loved one on the state. Your brother is a lucky guy.
Jerry
Stephenie: I seem to hear a lot from families who are struggling like yours has. If you had a witness to the district’s statement, you would be in an excellent position to take them to due process and have them pay for your move to live in another district. You might want to contact a special education lawyer in Oregon and see if that might still be a possible, considering a recent decision of the Supreme Court (your moving may constitute a decision to a voluntary change of placement.) Ironically, if you had agreed to their assertion and found a good residential program for your son, it would have cost them between $100,000 and $300,000 a year and yes, he would be away from you during the school year, but you would have got him back able to deal with the stresses that caused him to tantrum. Hang in there. Keep sharing your story with us.
Jerry
I have been teaching for 31 years now. I have seen so many changes in Sped. Education. I beleive some of these changes have been great. I currently teach in a co-teaching setting for Social Studies and Science. The students and I both love it. My biggest concern in Georgia is teaching to the standards for the current grade level in Resource Math. I teach life skills on a regular basis along with the standards. It breaks my heart when a student reaches the sixth grade and they can not count money but you want me to teach them perimeter, area, etc.
My daughter (18) started HS this fall in fully segregated class, whole class severe/profound, non verbal etc. The district/state of NC has destroyed any chance of viable learning or even enjoyment of being with 1400 student body. She will stay with same grp., same single teacher and pitifully trained support staff until ages out. System has really missed the mark or maybe totally forgotten about the low incidence population?! They have disgraced my beautiful child, my whole family for a lifetime!