Megan Pabst

Dr. Paul Leytham

Education 203

February 4, 2015

Introduction (0 points)

State the purpose of this paper. Add any additional material.

The purpose of this paper is to develop my own personal philosophy towards the

education of those with disabilities.

The Profession (5 points)

Why are you choosing this profession? Who or what experience has inspired you? What is your

personal knowledge or skill set that will serve you? What is your current understanding of the

local school districts?

I am choosing this profession because working with children with special needs is my

passion and I want to make a difference in their lives. I have been an SPTA with the Clark

County School District in a high school MCS classroom for two years now, and this is the

experience that inspired me. I absolutely love my job and all of my kids. I love that I am excited
to go to work each and every day. My personal knowledge is that every student is at a different

level, and almost every lesson should be adjusted at least a little to help that child specifically. I

have learned that children with special needs need a lot of positive reinforcement and rewards for

the little things they do, even if it seems like something simple or small to you and I. I know that

children with special needs are smarter and more amazing than people give them credit for. I

have learned to not get angry, upset, or lose my patience with the kids quickly because much of

what they do is because of their disability. My understanding of the local school districts is really

only of CCSD. I am not very familiar with any other local districts. What I know about CCSD is

that its a very large district with close to possibly 300 or more schools. I know there are

elementary, middle, and high schools across the valley but also in more rural areas like Laughlin

and Mesquite for example. I know that there is a strict budget with CCSD (sometimes a little too

strict.)

Teaching Philosophy (5 points)

What educational philosophy dictates your current beliefs about special education? Why do you

subscribe to that educational philosophy? How does your knowledge of historical events set the

stage for how you will think about children and schools?

I am a little confused about the philosophies of special education, but I think my

philosophy would be Progressivism. I noticed this was the only philosophy that said activity

based education student centered. I subscribe to progressivism because I believe that you learn so

much from trial and error. How do you know if a lesson is going to work well for your students if
you dont try it? How do you know what will help your students behave or what reward system

to use if you dont test out a couple to see whats best? I also really like that it pointed out

education is student centered, considering students are the reason we are there and teaching. My

knowledge of historical events such as school shootings, like the Columbine shooting set the

stage for how I think about schools by reminding me that school isnt the most fun or safest place

for some kids. The kids involved in the shooting were bullied, and bullying is becoming more

and more common. This helps me because it makes me want to be the teacher that the students

can come to for help or to talk, and I want my classroom to be the place where all of my students

feel safe and comfortable.

Instructional Techniques (5 points)

What strategies will you implement? What will be your approaches to learning, student diversity,

student variability, and assessment?

I will implement strategies such as hands on and group activities, and community based

instruction. My approaches to learning will be active and collaborative learning. My approach to

student diversity is to of course treat all of the students the same no matter what. My approach to

student variability will be to deal with it as it comes and to not let it negatively me or my

classroom. My approach on assessment will be to not grade too harshly on actual

handwritten/paper tests but to make sure to observe the students all the time on their progression

and to make assessments fun, like jeopardy or something where they can get involved.
Future (5 points)

What qualities do you need to possess to move forward in this career? What specific steps

(education, employment, volunteer experiences) do you plan to undertake in order to achieve

your goals?

To move forward in this career, I think I need to work on qualities such as patience,

understanding, and knowledge of all the disabilities that I will be working with or encountering

so I can better serve my students. The steps I need to take in order to achieve my goal of

becoming a special education teacher is to continue to work for my Associate of Arts degree in

Special Education at CSN, then transfer to UNLV to get my bachelors degree. I also plan to

continue working as an SPTA until I become a teacher to get more experience working with

children with special needs.