The modern education system in the United States of America dates back over 100 years before the country was founded. The Puritans formed the first school in 1635 which was free and offered to all children in the colony (Enz, Bergeron, & Wolfe, 2007, p. 14). The first schools were meant to teach the word of the bible and understanding of sermons in order to spread Christianity throughout the colonies. (Enz, Bergeron, & Wolfe, 2007, p. 14)
During the 1800’s the United States was rapidly expanding. This expansion led to an increasing demand for teachers and schools throughout the country (Enz, Bergeron, & Wolfe, 2007, p. 21). Teacher Education started to become important at this time in part because of people such as Horace Mann, Johann Pestalozzi, and Friedrich Froebel spoke. These three spoke and wrote about their findings to better help the development of children and tools to make schools and teachers more effective. During this same time legislation was forming in certain states to require school aged children to attend school on a regular basis or face fines. During this same period grants were set up for states to fund colleges that would educate both white men and woman in professions that were in demand at the time (Enz, Bergeron, & Wolfe, 2007, p. 24). Schools were rapidly growing and becoming available to millions more American students at this time, but it is important to note that millions more were left out of the education opportunities during this time for things such as their race and or disabilities.
The Progressive and Modern Periods in Education have changed the system to better include all citizens of the United States to receive equal education opportunities. These new rules have allowed citizens easier access to education, but there are still students and parents who struggle everyday for their education rights.
One of the more recent drastic changes to the American Education system was the 1975 Education of All Handicapped Children Act. This law improved the opportunities for students ages 3-21 to be educated in the “least restrictive environment” (Enz, Bergeron, & Wolfe, 2007, p. 33). Students must be evaluated before being placed in a special education program and have several meetings between school administrators and his or her parents before these tests can be implemented. I believe that this is one of the most important changes to the United States Education System in its history.
While full inclusion creates a challenge for the teacher, I believe it is the right thing to do in order to provide the best opportunity for the majority of children with disabilities. I want to use my education and personal experiences to make the classroom experience positive and productive for all students with disabilities and learning abilities. From day one I will do my best to create a classroom community that creates a comfortable learning atmosphere and encourages interaction between all students. All students must respect one another and encourage one another in their journey.
I have been in classrooms that simply group all students with disabilities together at one table and I want to do my best to prevent that from happening. I understand it may be more challenging for me, but I think it is degrading to the disabled and lower ability individuals to be grouped at one table. Students also pick up on it; I have heard students use the phrase “dumb table” to refer to another table in the classroom and sometimes to refer to their own table. I believe that a successful classroom community helps one another out and if students with disabilities are mixed throughout the room it provides opportunity for students learn and grow. There is something that each individual has to offer and mixing helps all students create new relationships in the classroom. Students will be encouraged to help one another out with their work and that would give opportunity to some of the higher ability learners to assist the lower ability learners with their work. This partnership will encourage community and provide another way to create lasting friendships. I understand that this will not be possible for all individuals, but I want to do my best to make it happen when it is possible.
Lesson planning is so important for all teachers. A classroom can have several different levels of learners. It is my job as the teacher to find creative ways to include all levels of learners in classroom lessons. Whether the disability is mild or severe I will do my best to involve that student with what the class is talking about. I think sometimes students are put into a classroom just because the law says they must be included, but a lot of times they really are not included in the same activities as the rest of the class. This will take brainstorming and hard work on my part, but I feel it is important because it will make that student feel that they are actually part of the classroom community. I will work with individual students to develop material that best suits their needs and that fully engages their thinking. With the different material I will need to be flexible on how I asses what they have learned. This will take time to develop with each individual student, but hopefully ideas from previous teachers will make this process easier if that information is available.
These ideas all fall into the “Classroom Community” category. Including students with disabilities in the classroom and its activities will be challenging at times, but I feel it is something every teacher should strive for. Creating a community through mixing students together and finding ways to engage all students in activities will not only benefit disabled students in the classroom, it will benefit all learners and give them the tools to accept and appreciate all their peers. This is something that will impact them in their everyday life through adulthood. If teachers do not want their students to judge one another, we must not set limitations on anyone in our classroom or make anyone an outsider. It is our duty to create a learning community that caters to ALL learners regardless of their abilities.
Reference
Billie J. Enz, Bette S. Bergeron, and Michael Wolfe (2007). Learning to Teach. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
No comments:
Post a Comment