Mixed Feelings
So now that I'm in the work groove, I'm in the middle of doing something that I like best - getting to know my students. At one school, I have most of the same students I worked with last year, which is very nice. At my other school, I have a whole new group of students, most of them are somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Only one of those students is so severe as to require augmentative communication, which is a device to help them communicate. Technically, according to how things run in California, he should be in what's called a "county program". The county programs are reserved for the most severely disabled children, as general education classrooms are not always appropriate for them (mostly because of a lack of resources and/or staffing). This is what brings me to the point of my post - mixed feelings.
Most of my professional career, I have worked in Washington state in the public schools. There, county programs do not exist, so kids are in the public school system regardless of the severity of their disability(ies). The only exception is if a parent pushes for a private placement that specializes in working with children with particular difficulties, like schools for children with emotional disorders. This way of running programs is vastly different than here, where the most severe children are in county programs that are run independently of the public school systems. When I first got here a little over a year ago and started working in various classrooms, I kept wondering "where are the kids with severe disabilities - they have to be out there somewhere". All I knew is that they weren't on my caseload. This has been a mixed blessing. I was able to end last year without a single incidence of being bit, kicked, scratched, spit on, snotted on, etc. For once, I didn't have scars on my arms from restraining my students. For the first time in a long time, I felt productive because all of my students were able to benefit from the program that I offered them. There was not a single child on my caseload last year where I doubted that my efforts were in vain. Sadly, I cannot make this statement for a few students I've worked with during my years in Washington schools.
But I still feel wrong not having the "county" students in our schools. They can still learn, even if they need a more restrictive environment than most students. Also, I've noticed that general education teachers here are, for the most part, less accepting of students with disabilities than those teachers who are used to an "inclusion" model of education. If a student doesn't fit a "certain mold" some teachers do not want those children in their classes and make no effort to make those students feel welcome. Additionally, students who are exposed to other children with a variety of disabilities and severities are able to serve in a helping role and to learn to have empathy for their peers. If I was a parent of a child with a severe disability, it would be very hard to make the decision as to which educational placement would be best, but I would not want them in a place where they did not feel welcomed. Even though my students are not my children, I get upset when they are not made to feel like part of the community they belong to, not just by their peers, but by adults. I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think exclusion is the answer.
Most of my professional career, I have worked in Washington state in the public schools. There, county programs do not exist, so kids are in the public school system regardless of the severity of their disability(ies). The only exception is if a parent pushes for a private placement that specializes in working with children with particular difficulties, like schools for children with emotional disorders. This way of running programs is vastly different than here, where the most severe children are in county programs that are run independently of the public school systems. When I first got here a little over a year ago and started working in various classrooms, I kept wondering "where are the kids with severe disabilities - they have to be out there somewhere". All I knew is that they weren't on my caseload. This has been a mixed blessing. I was able to end last year without a single incidence of being bit, kicked, scratched, spit on, snotted on, etc. For once, I didn't have scars on my arms from restraining my students. For the first time in a long time, I felt productive because all of my students were able to benefit from the program that I offered them. There was not a single child on my caseload last year where I doubted that my efforts were in vain. Sadly, I cannot make this statement for a few students I've worked with during my years in Washington schools.
But I still feel wrong not having the "county" students in our schools. They can still learn, even if they need a more restrictive environment than most students. Also, I've noticed that general education teachers here are, for the most part, less accepting of students with disabilities than those teachers who are used to an "inclusion" model of education. If a student doesn't fit a "certain mold" some teachers do not want those children in their classes and make no effort to make those students feel welcome. Additionally, students who are exposed to other children with a variety of disabilities and severities are able to serve in a helping role and to learn to have empathy for their peers. If I was a parent of a child with a severe disability, it would be very hard to make the decision as to which educational placement would be best, but I would not want them in a place where they did not feel welcomed. Even though my students are not my children, I get upset when they are not made to feel like part of the community they belong to, not just by their peers, but by adults. I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think exclusion is the answer.
posted by Notta Wallflower at 5:55 PM
11 Comments:
This is a very complicated problem. On the one hand, by separating the kids, you're further stigmatizing them and saying that they cannot learn. You're also saying that we value independent learning more than group learning or community learning. Even if they were included in the public system, they would still be in their own track right? Probably never in classes with "normal" kids unlike the kids with mild disabilities? Is that better than a separate school? That's a tough situation.
That's exactly the issue, Laura. Even at schools where these students were in public schools, they still were in a mostly self-contained class. The most severe had 1:1 aides, which only makes kids stand out more, especially as they go into the upper grades. As far as that being better than a separate school, I'm not sure.
Yeah, I dunno. I have a couple of adopted cousins who are severely retarded. And my mom worked as a teacher's aid for years in a class full of moderately-to-severely retarded kids. A lot of these kids literally could not learn. My mom just had to laugh when she came home and talked about her kids, like the very sweet Downs Syndrome kids, going over the alphabet with her day after day. Every day it was like a new thing.
A lot of them enjoyed going to school, and they probably got social benefits from it, but many of them would not even be aware of the difference between being in a special school or in the special class in the public school.
But yeah, I can see advantages of them being in the public school. Those that are with it enough to realize they are being mocked or misunderstood are going to have to learn to deal with that in the real world after graduation, so why not learn to live side-by-side with the mainstream kids in a supportive environment. And sure, I guess it was good for us other kids to come across the special class in the hall, and those kids who volunteered in their classroom were certainly enriched by the experience.
Of course, for kids who are severely disabled but not retarded, it must be very different. I don't have any experience with those kids.
Yeah, you do have to draw the line. I remember my schools had both integrated and separate classes for disabled students (physical or mental). Some of the students who had mild disabilities were in regular classes, with a few supplemental classes that were segregated out. I think, when possible, that is an important thing to do. It teaches all kids that A) different does not necessarily mean deficient and B)cooperative learning has many, many beneifts.
Tessence - I think the difficult cases are the autistic kids. It's hard for me to always tell what they're taking in and understanding, even though they don't always express it. I can definitely relate to your mom's stories, but my "kid stories" are definitely less frustrating now. There are a couple of classrooms, though, with orthopedically impaired students and they are definitely separated. Problem is, most of them have normal or low-average IQ's and could probably handle the general curriculum if they had support for motor and toileting.
Laura - I think CA has actually drawn the line, and I'm just not used to having a line. As with anything new, it takes some getting used to. The issue for me is the idea of "giving up" on a child's learning, which is hard for me, even if a more restrictive environment is appropriate. I'm bullheaded enough to keep trying.
I love reading your posts, this one in particular, but I can only follow through the various fields of opinion and not provide a qualified answer, I must always read listen and wonder. Good luck.
Vest - I don't think this situation has an easy answer, unfortunately. :-/
Yet another reason I think you are wonderful.
Kari - You're so sweet. :-)
I'm going to be the oddball here, and agree with the system you're in now.
Our district started 'mainstreaming' special needs kids, when my daughter was in grade school. They allowed the kids to wander freely between their special ed class and a regular classroom.
After observing this method for several years, I came to the conclusion that nobody benefitted. The special needs kids didn't get the help they needed, they were exposed to more ridicule and bullying, and they created a huge distraction in their 'regular' classrooms.
The saddest result of this system was that they weren't in their special classrooms long enough to be able to bond with kids like them and form the lifelong friendships that used to result from spending the whole day with their peers.
TSHS - That happens in more places than one, especially when mainstreaming, in its truest form, is pushed heavily. I definitely don't agree with full mainstreaming for every student. The classrooms where the most severe students are placed currently are called "Special Day Class" and are basically self-contained. Some kids are in there all day, and others are mainstreamed out for portions of it. When everyone agrees on appropriate placement, it works great. However, some parents push for their child to be mainstreamed with a 1:1 aide, which is ridiculous. They are generally not able to handle the material, even with the help of the aide. There are a host of other problems that go along with that, but I won't get into it here. Suffice it to say that I don't think kids with special needs should be fully mainstreamed, but school districts are equipped to set up classrooms to suit their needs. That was more my point. But this is a complex issue. I appreciate your viewpoint. I've certainly seen the same things you have, which make me wince.
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