In the last week or so, I have learned two things that is beneficial to the topic I am researching. I was talking to the director of the center and found out that she was a Special Education Teacher Assistant in the Chicago Public Schools some years ago. This is the first piece of information that is good for my paper. She stated how she did face challenges as an assistant. One of them was not having the collaboration and cooperation of the administrative staff to help meet the needs of the students.
The second thing that I learned, was the lack of preparation as an assistant. She stated that she felt that she needed more training to help children with special needs. She talked about how she became stressed because she was helpless to the students. This was her guide to open her own center. This information was useful and knowledgeable to the topic I am researching, which is inclusion.
I feel that the teachers that are dealing with children with disabilities don't get the support they need from administration. I experienced it first hand as a parent and how the teacher was just fighting for supplies for her classroom and it took for the parents to rally together in order for the classroom to get supplies. So I understand how she had to face many challenges because they still are facing many challenges today especially with them closing over 100 schools.
ReplyDeleteI feel you on that I was an assistant at one point of time and it was sort of difficult for me. I didn't have the knowledge that I needed to be more help and supportive to these children who had specific disabilities. I to think that these type of teachers as well need to know a little more about specific disabilities in order to work as an assistant.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I feel that Administrators have not been in a classroom dealing with the needs of students for a while that they forget the teachers can struggle and can be at a loss and sometimes I feel they do not have enough resources to help teachers. Sometimes I think the teacher is at a loss on how to help a child and so they can’t share with the assistant. I also think that assistants should be included in IEPS and ISP meetings so they can hear the information about the child too. But more importantly this would give the assistant the opportunity to ask questions about best practices for the child.
ReplyDeleteTeachers play an important role in the lives of young children. It is essential to provide them with the right materials, toys, lesson plans and activities o enhance their learning and developments. As an educator it feels really good to see evidence of this growth within our children. I like working in an inclusion classroom. Whether it is some typical or special needs children, we as teacher must work hard to meet their needs. Teachers must be willing to make modify lessons and accommodation to the classroom in order to meet all children’s needs, strength and interest. Most important I believe teachers need help and support from administrative staff. It is hard to provide children with the things they need without support from others staff or professional within the schools. When everyone (teachers, parents and professional) collaborate together for the well-being of the child, things become easy and better.
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