We as educators have to be cautious about excluding any particular category of students. I like to think that my educational philosophy treats students equally across the board, from wealthy to economically challenged, students from a multitude of ethnic backgrounds, and children with disabilities. Although people may disagree with my beliefs when it comes to severely disabled (ISP) students, my attitude on this comes from personal experience within my own family. Having a cousin that was severely disabled, I saw his need for constant medical attention that I do not feel an educator is equipped to handle. He like many other individuals in the same situation require a higher level of personal care in a medical setting. I feel we do a disservice to individuals who are in this type of situation by integrating them into the school system simply so we can, in some instances, “feel better” about ourselves for saying we practice “equal treatment.” When it comes to racial makeup, economic status, sex, or learning disabled students, I feel all students are due the opportunity to receive the same quality of education. Coming from a multicultural family, I see it as an advantage for me as I am to able to relate to a broader range of students than a counterpart from a background of a single culture. I try to teach my students to embrace their differences and not take them or themselves too seriously in that context, when we learn to laugh at ourselves and our differences, we make everyone around us feel more comfortable and more willing to accept one another. In my personal educational background, I attended schools along a wide spectrum, from “poor” so called minority schools to “rich” white schools, and I personally feel this is why I am drawn to teaching in schools where the majority of students’ families are economically challenged, as it seems in these schools many times the students form a stronger bond as they find themselves relying on one another more, somewhat like an adopted family. My core values are honesty, discipline, and fairness. With this in mind, I strive to go out of my way to make my students feel welcome in my classroom and let them know they always have someone they can turn to when in need. My students know that I am very strict yet I do my best to always be fair.
You beat me to the post!!!! Iam sorry that you do feel they don't belong in public school. There are so many possibilities for them.There are some levels that I have seen that are in special treatment centers. With that aside I would like to know more of how you handle diversity and collaboration in your core values. There are so many perspectives to what we are doing . What is your goal and why do you want to teach?
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree that a typical "regular educator" is not equipped to handle the needs of the medically fragile student, if a facility or school IS equipped and trained to handle those needs then do you feel that the student and family will benefit from public education? Where do we draw the line of who does and does not benefit from education? Is that a slippery slope back into disallowing certain groups of people into our schools?
ReplyDeleteHow do you plan to promote honesty and fairness in your classroom? I think those are key traits to instill in children today and I would love to hear more about how that plays out in your classroom!
I do see your point about severely disabled students as well. But I think Julie brings up a very good point, of how do we determine who gets to participate in public school inclusion classrooms? I know that I as a teacher would have a difficult time with disabled students that need medical attention in my classroom without help. In a science class I would worry that severely disabled students could have a hard time participating without additional adult help.
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