irish Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I have just spent the last 45 minutes attempting to teach my children (one is Autistic and the other is severely communication handicap) how to write creatively. My heart bleeds for these kids and no matter how many different techniques I tried just now I barely got through at all. At times, teaching can be like trying to fix a car while blind-folded and using an ice cream scooper. In 45 minutes, I'll be attempting to teach them how to create and use line graphs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I feel for you. My best friend's little girl is Autistic. They face so many challenges as parents that most of us just can't comprehend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 You're doing the work that most teachers don't want to handle. Most teachers are proud when they see a good student getting their diploma. Nothing wrong with that, except the learning impaired kids deserve as much or more credit for what they do but never get it. Btw Irish, did you ever see the video in this link that my wife showed me? link She's a Sped teacher, too. Nobody said it was going to be easy and probably nobody has to remind you of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKnight Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Thats gotta be a tough job. My little brother was slightly handicapped (functional with social and communication barriers), so I understand the frustration. Hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 sure am glad there cutting funding on every level for kids with special needs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I'll give you props for taking on what no one else wants to do. You know as well as anyone how the successes far outweigh the failures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Irish , every moment you are teaching one of these children is a moment where you should make the best of it you are doing good work , God's work so dont get too frustrated hang in there and stay positive as the kids will benefit from that as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveby Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 sure am glad there cutting funding on every level for kids with special needs... Hardly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Irish , every moment you are teaching one of these children is a moment where you should make the best of it you are doing good work , God's work so dont get too frustrated hang in there and stay positive as the kids will benefit from that as well +1 i would think it would be easy to underestimate the perceived impact you are having. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Not according to the thread about "The Catch" by Tyree. Several Huddlers explained that kids basically learn to read on their own. Keep up the good work Irish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Hardly. ah sorry but they are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveby Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 ah sorry but they are Not here, at all. You would not believe the $$$$ wasted in the name of "special services". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Not here, at all. You would not believe the $$$$ wasted in the name of "special services". well yah iin big public schools.. thank you no child left behind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Not according to the thread about "The Catch" by Tyree. Several Huddlers explained that kids basically learn to read on their own. Keep up the good work Irish. u mean they dont Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 I feel for you. My best friend's little girl is Autistic. They face so many challenges as parents that most of us just can't comprehend. Isn't that the truth. Having a child with a severe disability like that changes the parents' lives forever. It becomes a full life-time job of raising, protecting and providing for such a child. I knew a parent that once told me that she had her family of 4 in the car driving home and the pressures of life were so great that she wanted to just drive of a cliff and end it all. She knew how difficult her life was but realized how terrible her child's life was going to be and in that moment it almost became more than she could handle. Sad stuff. You're doing the work that most teachers don't want to handle. Most teachers are proud when they see a good student getting their diploma. Nothing wrong with that, except the learning impaired kids deserve as much or more credit for what they do but never get it. Btw Irish, did you ever see the video in this link that my wife showed me? link She's a Sped teacher, too. Nobody said it was going to be easy and probably nobody has to remind you of that. I had never seen that video before so thanks for linking it here and sharing. What a moving piece. You knew that the kid (Chase) sharing all the background info wasn't going to be the "real" Tyler and yet you can't prepare yourself for when the "real" Tyler begins to talk. Heart breaking and inspirational at the same time. I'll give you props for taking on what no one else wants to do. You know as well as anyone how the successes far outweigh the failures. I'm glad that you put it that way as the instances of failure for these kids far outweigh the number of times thay experience success. However, the emotion involved when success is finally achieved far outweighs the negativity from the moments of failure. Seriously, it almost becomes like a New Year's celebration. Thanks guys for sharing your thoughts and providing a little confidence booster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Not according to the thread about "The Catch" by Tyree. Several Huddlers explained that kids basically learn to read on their own. Keep up the good work Irish. When one of Irishes kids makes a catch like Tyree come talk to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 (edited) sure am glad there cutting funding on every level for kids with special needs... My wife is a special ed teacher, and the head of her department. Each year her department is over funded by about $5,000 to $7,500 a year. She has to find ways to spend this money so it isn't taken away. She has plenty of things to gripe about, but funding isn't one of them. Her biggest problem is regular ed teachers not following their IAP's (at least I think that is what she calls them), and regular ed teachers sending trouble makers to the resource classes, when they don't have academic problems, but just behavioral problems. Edit to add: Like Driveby, we live in Texas. I assume that states have quite a bit of say on how much funding goes to each program. Edited February 14, 2008 by Perchoutofwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 My wife is a special ed teacher, and the head of her department. Each year her department is over funded by about $5,000 to $7,500 a year. She has to find ways to spend this money so it isn't taken away. She has plenty of things to gripe about, but funding isn't one of them. Her biggest problem is regular ed teachers not following their IAP's (at least I think that is what she calls them), and regular ed teachers sending trouble makers to the resource classes, when they don't have academic problems, but just behavioral problems. Edit to add: Like Driveby, we live in Texas. I assume that states have quite a bit of say on how much funding goes to each program. That's not the problem here in Michigan. It's far from the problem. Of course, I teach the other kind of special ed: the behavior disorders. I have a parapro in my room. Anything extra in my room is because I've gone out and done it. I need to beg, borrow, and steal to get many things done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 My wife is a special ed teacher, and the head of her department. Each year her department is over funded by about $5,000 to $7,500 a year. She has to find ways to spend this money so it isn't taken away. She has plenty of things to gripe about, but funding isn't one of them. Her biggest problem is regular ed teachers not following their IAP's (at least I think that is what she calls them), and regular ed teachers sending trouble makers to the resource classes, when they don't have academic problems, but just behavioral problems. Edit to add: Like Driveby, we live in Texas. I assume that states have quite a bit of say on how much funding goes to each program. I think you're talking about IEP's. Around here, the Special Ed departments have problems with the other teachers that don't follow them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveby Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I think you're talking about IEP's. Around here, the Special Ed departments have problems with the other teachers that don't follow them. IEP's are a joke. I should know, I used to write them. So are mod sheets and all the rest of the special services crap. You know why reg ed teachers don't follow them? Because they are a pain in the ass and they don't do anything except document that a IEP committee wasted their time so the reg ed teachers could waste theirs too. But guess what? If you fail a special services kid and you haven't crossed and dotted all the IEP t's and i's, your ass is grass. Kid didn't pay attention or do any homework even though they are more than capable? Did you give him preferencial seating? Extended time? Read the test to him? Removed an answer choice? Give him the notes? After school tutoring? High energy snack? Sharpen his pencil for him? No? You failed to document (not necessarily that you failed to do) modification #12? Sign this write-up bucko, it's your fault he failed - you're a bad teacher. And don't even get me started on inclusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 IEP's are a joke. I should know, I used to write them. So are mod sheets and all the rest of the special services crap. You know why reg ed teachers don't follow them? Because they are a pain in the ass and they don't do anything except document that a IEP committee wasted their time so the reg ed teachers could waste theirs too. But guess what? If you fail a special services kid and you haven't crossed and dotted all the IEP t's and i's, your ass is grass. Kid didn't pay attention or do any homework even though they are more than capable? Did you give him preferencial seating? Extended time? Read the test to him? Removed an answer choice? Give him the notes? After school tutoring? High energy snack? Sharpen his pencil for him? No? You failed to document (not necessarily that you failed to do) modification #12? Sign this write-up bucko, it's your fault he failed - you're a bad teacher. And don't even get me started on inclusion. People who think IEPs are a joke are a joke. I'm sorry that kids with disabilities are a pain in the ass. Imagine what it's like for them. Nobody likes paperwork, but it helps show what each student needs. And of course we can't have students with disabilities mixing in with "normal" students. That would be too much. Hopefully you mean that irresponsible mainstreaming is bad: the dump and pray method. Responsible inclusion has many benefits. The days of locking away kids who are different should remain in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 That's not the problem here in Michigan. It's far from the problem. Of course, I teach the other kind of special ed: the behavior disorders. I have a parapro in my room. Anything extra in my room is because I've gone out and done it. I need to beg, borrow, and steal to get many things done. yup me 2 , sounds like TEXAS, OUR TEXAS, OH HAIL THE MIGHTY STATE, TEXAS OUR TEXAS, SO WONDERFUL AND GREAT... dumasses to me .. good thing they want all of us to do NCLB and abstinence programs that don't work ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 (edited) That's not the problem here in Michigan. It's far from the problem. Of course, I teach the other kind of special ed: the behavior disorders. I have a parapro in my room. Anything extra in my room is because I've gone out and done it. I need to beg, borrow, and steal to get many things done. My wife does both, behavioral and mental, she just gets tired of regular ed teachers that can't handle a smart ass student sending the kid to her. I'm not talking about kids with real problems, just those that are somewhat of a handful for weaker teachers. Edited February 14, 2008 by Perchoutofwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 My wife is a special ed teacher, and the head of her department. Each year her department is over funded by about $5,000 to $7,500 a year. She has to find ways to spend this money so it isn't taken away. She has plenty of things to gripe about, but funding isn't one of them. Her biggest problem is regular ed teachers not following their IAP's (at least I think that is what she calls them), and regular ed teachers sending trouble makers to the resource classes, when they don't have academic problems, but just behavioral problems. Edit to add: Like Driveby, we live in Texas. I assume that states have quite a bit of say on how much funding goes to each program. I think you're talking about IEP's. Around here, the Special Ed departments have problems with the other teachers that don't follow them. Correct I.E.P's was probably what he meant. People who think IEPs are a joke are a joke. I'm sorry that kids with disabilities are a pain in the ass. Imagine what it's like for them. Nobody likes paperwork, but it helps show what each student needs. And of course we can't have students with disabilities mixing in with "normal" students. That would be too much. Hopefully you mean that irresponsible mainstreaming is bad: the dump and pray method. Responsible inclusion has many benefits. The days of locking away kids who are different should remain in the past. Agree with this 100%. If the teacher writing the I.E.P is a true professional then the document has extremely important value in regard to the specififc child's education for which it was written for. I.E.P.'s are meant to be tailor-made for what each individual child needs. They shouldn't be umbrella documents that are generic, pointless and make people feel as they they are just jumping through legal hoops in order to cya. Assessment pieces, along with classroom performance and subjective observation (common sense) need to be used to in order to identify all the areas of deficiency for each child. What some know as a P.L.E.P (present levels of educational performance) and we now call write-ups for the Areas of Academic Achievement should be completed using the results of all the items mentioned above and used as a blueprint towards what strengths and weaknesses each child has, what needs to be addressed, techniques that work best when educating the child, etc. Any special ed. teacher should be able to pick up and I.E.P of a student and from that document be able to organize a gameplan as to how they intend on addressing the individual child's needs so as to give them the greatest chance to learn the required material and exhibit their mastery of taught skills regardless of their short-comings/disability. I.E.P.'s are not a joke, they are instrumental in regard to delivery of appropriate services. However, what is a joke, are some of the teachers who call themselves professionals, who write them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveby Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 People who think IEPs are a joke are a joke. I'm sorry that kids with disabilities are a pain in the ass. Imagine what it's like for them. Nobody likes paperwork, but it helps show what each student needs. And of course we can't have students with disabilities mixing in with "normal" students. That would be too much. Hopefully you mean that irresponsible mainstreaming is bad: the dump and pray method. Responsible inclusion has many benefits. The days of locking away kids who are different should remain in the past. Good teachers know what kids need to learn and don't need IEP's to tell them. Bad teachers don't know and don't follow them anyways. It's paperwork for the sake of paperwork. Inclusion is a worthy goal but it has it's limitations. Severely ED kids or life skills kids have no place in a general ed classroom except for maybe art or pe. Bad inclusion helps no one and hurts everyone. I'm not saying go back to the day of locking the kids with disabilites away, I was there and it was sad. But just like about everything in education, once the pendelum starts swinging one way, it keeps going until it goes way to far and then we head back the other way. It's time we headed back in the other direction and put some common sense back into the decisions we make regarding placement and stop following guidelines made by people who have never taught a special needs student a day in their life. And let me say a word about emotionally disturbed students while I'm on a roll. In my nearly 8 years in a self-contained classroom with from 1 to 14 "ED" students, the number of students who I felt were truly "emotionally disturbed" I could count on one hand. The rest? They just didn't want to behave. They could, but they didn't want to. Or they were playing the part for momma so she could collect the crazy check. I didn't play the "poor baby" games the other teachers for the most part played with them. I treated them as "normal" students and expected (and got) nothing less than I would expect from any other student. Most were mainstreamed back into the reg ed classroom quickly and behaved better than the "normal" students. It's all about forming relationships, being fair and consistent, and setting and enforcing high standards. I didn't need to follow an IEP to know that. I know teaching special needs kids is a tiring and thankless job, and I take my hats off to you. I burned out in that environment and had to get out. Now I see how NCLB and every other well intentioned "program" is destroying the will of good teachers to keep going. But what do I know, I still associate with a bunch of special needs people all day now anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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