Mrs. M

I learned a great deal from this teacher. She is a teacher in the special education department at her school. She came to talk to us about how we can create an environment that is beneficial to the students who have special needs.

One of the first things that she shared with us was to refer to them as people. Do not refer to the student by their disability. It is not something that defines them it is just something that they happen to have. Even though I have learned that in previous classes I do think that it is an important point to stress because people do it with out realizing it often.

I also became more familiar with the IEP’s through her. It made me realize just how important it is to be a part of them. These are meetings that have legal bindings that help you understand what you are required to do in order to be most beneficial to a student. They tell you how you can meet their needs and goals. It is also nice to be a part of the meetings as an art teacher she says because sometimes that is an area where students in her classes strive. But either way as a teacher, find the strengths of the student and bring that to light in the IEP meeting. Just like anyone else it is nice to hear the good things when there might be a negatives at some of these meetings.

She also gave us some pointers about our classroom. Allow students to know what is going on in the classroom. Write the assignments on the boards so they can see it. Also let them know when there is going to be a change or if you know you are going to be gone. Some students don’t take well to change and need that extra knowing. Even the supplies you get can make a difference for instance big handled brushes are easier for some students to work with. Lastly get to know your students and have high expectations for them. If you have high expectations you will receive higher results from them.