Search Results for: blog mainstreaming the special needs child goes to school

Self-Esteem

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There have been many studies and quotes from people that warn against damaging a child’s self-esteem. While we must not go to the extreme of hiding our children from failure, we must also be careful about destroying self-esteem. Self-esteem is a very important aspect to learning. In order to learn, a child must be willing to take risks and experience failure. The learning process deals much with trial and error. It is thought that persons who are considered to be creative have taken risks on a larger scale and often in front of others. To help build your child’s self-esteem, … Continue reading →

Teaching Children in the Changing World

I have been teaching for eight years. Although compared to some teachers, I have probably seen very little in my eight years of teaching. Yet I can definitely see a change in the children each year. I can also see a major change in the family lifestyle and home. It appears that children are becoming much more demanding and controlling. They are more rebellious and defiant. The lifestyle is more hectic and busy and the home lives are more confusing and unusual. There are children with several different members living in their home. There are children who live with aunts, … Continue reading →

School for Special Needs Adults Opens Business

In most cases special needs students are taken well care of as children. Their needs are met and they are educated to the best of the school’s ability. I have seen many special needs children at various schools. They are usually very happy and content in their surroundings. They are very excited to have the opportunity to visit with other children and take part in normal daily activities. Unfortunately many of us forget that these precious children grow up to be special needs adults. What happens to them then? We are all about taking care of the special needs children. … Continue reading →

Intrapersonal Students

We know that it takes all types of people to make the world go around. Any person who works in education or with the public can likely state that indeed the world is full of all types of people. Understanding how people function can help us better education students. Each student must be dealt with on an individual basis. Not all students will learn in the same manner and at the same time. In one of my previous articles, I discussed the typical characteristics of an interpersonal student in the classroom. Today I will examine the intrapersonal student in the … Continue reading →

Interpersonal Students

Our personalities and character define who we are. Although some of us have tried, it is very difficult to change the way that we perceive and react to the world. Students behave in the classroom due to their nature. Teachers also behave in the classroom due to their nature. How a teacher or student reacts in certain situations can tell us a lot about how he/she learns. One classroom cannot possibly be created of students with all one same personality. Therefore, teachers must learn to teach to all characters and personalities. While the task may be difficult, parents and teachers … Continue reading →

The Appearance of Your Classroom

Although in many cases, it probably should not, appearance means a lot. As the saying goes, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” However, the cover does make the first impression. For this reason, I think that the appearance of a classroom is very important. This is not to say that my classroom always has a wonderful appearance. Things can become scattered throughout the day and books and such are out of place. However, I do try to give it an upbeat and positive mood. When a parent or student walks into your classroom for the first time, the … Continue reading →

The Movement to Inclusion

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When I was in elementary school we all knew that the students taken out of the class each day were special education students. We knew that the students were going to receive extra help from the special teachers. We knew that those students were falling behind in class and did not do the “normal” work that we did. This was the assumption among the majority of the class. The children taken from my class were not necessarily physically or mentally handicapped. Some did not even have a learning disability. Some of the children simply struggled academically. However, all children “labeled” … Continue reading →

Yes, You’re a Star, President Larkin

Today my sixteen-year-old son came home and said that something “really cool” had happened at school. One of his fellow classmates, who happens to have Down Syndrome, got to watch himself sing the national anthem at an assembly in front of the entire student body. Brigham Larkin, a seventeen-year-old, had been dreaming about that moment for quite some time. A very patriotic young man, he had spent two years learning the lyrics and melody and then worked hard at putting them together in order to perform the song. Last Friday he finally got his moment in the spotlight. All spiffed … Continue reading →

Mental Retardation – Criteria and Lingering Questions

I must admit, I hesitated to write this blog. Experience has shown that some parents are extremely sensitive to the use of the term “mental retardation” when describing their children. I absolutely understand this. There can be very negative connotations with those two words, especially when neuro-typical kids use “retard” as a playground slur. I considered calling the blog “Cognitive Disabilities” or “Cognitive Delays,” but all the current literature I ran across (as recent as 2006) still use “mental retardation” (MR) as the diagnostic term to describe intellectual ability that is significantly below average. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of … Continue reading →

Dear Parent: Your Student Received a Failing Grade

I was naturally curious when a letter arrived in the mail from Kyle’s middle school. (He’s in ninth grade.) Tearing the envelope open, I noticed it was a copied form letter. ____________________________________________ To the parent/guardian of (my son’s name penciled in here): It has come to our attention that your student received a failing grade in one or more core classes for first semester. Since a failing grade greatly decreases a student’s opportunity for successfully passing future core classes, we strongly suggest that a remediation course be taken. (blah blah blah blah) Sincerely, Assistant Principal Smith ______________________________________________________ At first I … Continue reading →