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RUNNING HEAD: My Philosophy of Educating Exceptional Learners

My Philosophy of Educating Exceptional Learners


Courtney Goodrich
Gods Bible School and College

Educating Exceptional Learners

Disabled Children and Society


For the most part I think that severely disabled children are still looked at by society
as outsiders. By severely disabled I mean those that are severely mentally retarded which
may be accompanied by abnormal bodily features and actions. On the other hand with the
continued advance in our medical field more minor disabilities such as deafness,
autism, behavior disorders, etc...are becoming commonplace. Children with these sort of
disabilities are largely accepted into society, and reasonable accommodations are made
for them in the school and work place. Another contribution to this is the laws that
provide for accommodation and warn against discrimination.
Disabled Children in the Classroom and the Role of the General Education Teacher
I do believe that as much as possible disabled children should be included in the
classroom. Now if they are posing serious distractions and difficulty for the teacher to
handle then they may need to be put in a different class for children with disabilities. I
think it is also helpful for the disabled child to receive one-on-one instruction in a
problem area whenever possible. They can be pulled out of the general education
classroom several times a week for tutoring which may be what helps them stay up with
their peers academically. The general education teacher has a heavy load to bear just with
the job of teaching. However, when you add disabled children to the classroom life
becomes even more complicated. This doesnt mean they are a problem, but it just adds
responsibility on the teacher. They will need to do research on the specific disabilities in
their classroom, and have a general knowledge of disabilities in order to quickly spot and
get their students appropriate intervention. I believe the most important thing that a

RUNNING HEAD: My Philosophy of Educating Exceptional Learners

general education teacher can do for a disabled student is to treat them like the rest of the
students, and show confidence in their ability to succeed!
Working with Parents or Guardians of Disabled Children
In my mind our public school system is all messed up. I believe that the one-room
schools of long ago were much better than the thousands of dollar facilities America
sends her students to every day. The school has basically become a free babysitter and has
taken responsibility from the parents that rightly belong to them. In our early days the
families sacrificed comfort, money, and goods so their children could get an education.
They would get together to build the school house, donating the materials, someone
would host the teacher, etc...Now America thinks that the government should provide
education for their children. They also believe that children with disabilities are owed a
free education just like the rest of the students. Unfortunately, my views on this topic will
probably never be realized again in America, but I believe that parents should be
responsible for the cost of their childs education, disabled or non-disabled. Thus the
teacher should work directly with the parents or guardians of the children regarding the
childs education. The parents should stay informed about their childs progress,
difficulties, and so on with regularity. This will make things much easier for both the
teacher and the parents. In this manner the teacher can enlist the parents help on the
home front if extra practice or study is required in a certain area. Maintaining a positive
relationship with the parents is crucial for the teacher!
Interventions and Teamwork
I have never experienced teamwork for the purpose of special education, but it
sounds like it could be used very profitably. I am sure the general education teacher

RUNNING HEAD: My Philosophy of Educating Exceptional Learners

would be very relieved to have an expert in the classroom even if it was only part-time. It
will also be a learning experience for the general education teacher to be under the
expertise of the special education teacher. I think that whenever possible the teacher
should use intervention methods for disabled students when appropriate. Sometimes it
may just be a different way of going about a task, or for others it may be technology of
some sort that helps them communicate, see better, etc... Whatever the method may be
interventions are worth the time spent in learning about them, and finding ways to
implement them!
Inclusion
Things have changed a lot in regards to special education in recent years. It used to be
that special needs individuals were shut away in institutions or kept at home. Now there
has been a push to help them live as close as possible to a normal life as they can. I think
that for the most part this is great. God views everyone as equal, and loves us all the
same. I think it pleases him when we treat these special people as one of us. I believe that
it also can help the other students to be more caring and understanding of those with
disabilities. I think it will also help them overcome a fear of associating with people who
are weird or different from the norm. The only drawback that I see with inclusion is if it
is done with a student that is too much for the teacher to handle and thus it adversely
affects the whole classroom. In that case I think it would be better for the student to
remain in special education.
Management
As far as classroom management goes I think that the special needs student benefits
as much or more from clear cut classroom rules. It may take longer for the teacher to get

RUNNING HEAD: My Philosophy of Educating Exceptional Learners

them firmly implanted in the disabled learners mind, but it will help them to know what
is acceptable behavior once they are learned. They will also pick up a lot from observing
their fellow students, although some special needs have a harder time with observing and
mirroring behaviors. I think that it is especially beneficial for the teacher to have clear-cut
transition signals if they have special education learners in their classroom. Giving a
verbal warning a couple of minutes before transition time, and then using a transition
signal may help the student as they move from one task to another. Each individual is
different and when the situation arises the teacher may have to figure out slightly
different standards of behavior for the student with the disability. This may seem unfair to
the other students, but it may simply be that the special education learner is not capable of
certain behaviors yet. However, the end goal would be to get all students operating on the
same classroom rules and consequences.

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