Are general education teachers properly equipped to teach students with disabilities?

                                                   

By law, students with disabilities have the right to be placed in general education classrooms. This only fair because they deserve to be treated equally and they deserve equal opportunities. In some situations the student will be in a general classroom for part of the day and then placed with a resource teacher for part of the day to focus on specific areas. But, in some situations the general education teacher is responsible for meeting all the needs of the student. This raises the question “Are general education teachers properly equipped to teach students with disabilities?” The license of a general education teacher is limited in the area of special education. It only makes sense that students with special needs need special and more attention. They deserve to work with the best person who specializes in what they need, which would be a special education specialist. Also, if the general education teacher has to constantly work with the student with disabilities are other students getting the proper attention, guidance, and help that they deserve? This issue has many different angles and exceptions because not every disability is the same and different disabilities require different attention. But, in my opinion, in severe cases, the student should be with a special education teacher because they will be working with a person that specializes in exactly what they need. Also, I feel that if the law is going to require general education teachers to teach students with disabilities, then they should also provide schools with training programs that teach general education teachers more about how to teach students with disabilities. Although being fair is extremely important, I feel it is more important to give students what they need to grow academically.

http://www.learningfirst.org/moving-beyond-it-s-not-my-job

Are foreign and bilingual families accepted in schools?

                                                 

It has always been known that a powerful tool used in order for a child to have academic success is students’ parent/s involvement their school. For example, attending school meetings, meeting with teachers, participating in school events, and reading letters that go home. There is only one problem….what if the parent only speaks Russian? Should the child suffer? The number of foreign/bilingual students is on the rise and schools need to be equipped to handle this problem. Schools need to learn which languages families speak in their school and then hire a translator for in case of emergencies and to translate school bulletins. Not only is it dangerous to not be able to communicate with a child’s parent, but it is also working against creating a community at the school. There are many arguments about how foreigners need to learn English because they are in The United States. But is this a justifiable reason for putting a child at risk? More importantly, the U.S does not even have a declared language. In my opinion, it is absolutely ridiculous that many schools don’t have hired translators on call, and that a lot of schools don’t reach out to families. Schools need to make a necessary change to promote unity in their schools.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr047.shtml

Overbooked schedules

School, boy scouts, soccer, baseball, violin lessons, homework...wait did we eat dinner? Children's schedules have become so jammed packed lately that the question, "Is this healthy for my child?" is raised. The question of whether busy schedules are acceptable or absurd is an on-going debate. Some people believe that kids need time to be kids, and some people believe that kids should be occupied at all hours of the day. Both sides make valid points.

          While researching this topic I came across a true-life scenario. A nine-year old boy named Kevin was anxious, having trouble sleeping at night, and was always complaining that he was tired. His mom took him to the doctors but they found nothing wrong with him. The doctor suggested his mother to bring him to a psychologist. When she talked to the psychologist he asked her about Kevin’s schedule. She informed him that he was involved in three sports teams, church activities, boy scouts, and took two piano classes a week (all on top of school). He suggested that this schedule was too stressful for a child. He also said (not to the mother) that Kevin may be on the brink of clinical depression. The mother denied his accusations but when he spoke in private with Kevin, Kevin confided that he missed being able to just play with the other kids and do normal activities like ride his bike. This scenario raises the questions of "Is this schedule too stressful?" "Is this the reason why Kevin was having problems?" "Can Kevin be developing stress at the age of 9?" Many people who argue that children's schedules are over-booked would answer YES to all these questions. These people believe that schedules similar to Kevin's schedule cause many mental disorders and health problems for children.

On the other-hand, there are people who argue that kids are not "over-booked." A family science professor wrote that, “We found that the very active children were thriving emotionally,” and“In contrast, children who had the fewest activities were the most withdrawn, socially immature and had the lowest self-esteem.” Many argue that children need busy schedules to keep them out of trouble and to learn discipline. Also people believe that busy schedules prepare their children for the future.

As for myself, I am split with this issue. I understand both sides and both sides are valid. I feel that children need to be on a schedule but the schedule should also consist of  a “down time" time slot. Children have their whole adult-life ahead of them to be stressed out and they don't need to be stressed out at the age of nine. But, at the same time children need to learn at a young age that there are always going to be tasks that they don't want to do but need to do. Extracurricular activities are very important but there needs to be a proper balance in order for success and proper health. Also children need time to do their homework; if their schedules are overbooked then they will not have time to study and do their homework. There is no simple answer to this question because children need to be looked at individually because some kids may be able to handle many tasks and some may cave underneath the pressure. A great solution would be constant communication between the child and parent and a healthy grasp on time management.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32573893/ns/health-childrens_health/t/overbooked-kids-nah-its-parents-who-stress/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200301/the-overbooked-child

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/child_too_busy.html

Why do people want to teach?

People choose to teach for a number of different reasons. Some teachers want to teach because it makes them happy to see others learn from them. Some teachers want to teach because they want to help children the way that previous teachers have helped them. Some teachers want to teach because they enjoy being with children and watching them grow. And some teachers want to teach because the science of different learning theories and psychcology intrigues them. But at the end of the day, every teacher has chosen to teach because of  their own personal experiences and/or realizations. Whatever their reason are, teachers have to have a passion for children and they need to have the want and  the desire to teach. If a person's main goal is to make money and have a high salary then this is not the correct field for them. Teachers have a strong desire to give back to their communities, and they want to help future generations by producing bright, healthy, successful leaders.

http://www.helium.com/items/633186-why-do-teachers-want-to-teach

http://www.thinqon.com/topic/why_do_people_like_to

http://www.highere.com/teachers-why-do-we-want-to-teach/

About me!

My name is Angela and I am senior at Salem State. My majors are Early Childhood Education and Spanish. I love learning (especially different languages) and I can not wait to teach children to love learning too! I am a very open-minded person and am always up for new ideas. I hope to be a principal one day and change the lives of as many children as I can.