Teacher claims she was fired for standing up for student with special needs

[Sal]

That's not politically correct - gez don'tcha know that? It causes them great stress to be treated differently and they never learn to integrate and "normal" kids don't learn how to be more accepting etc., etc. Good grief, that's why they're in regular classrooms to begin with.


Whether it is better for special needs kids in the long term is debatable. It does have its rewards though when you see them intermingle with the regular students who show empathy and care to those who are less able to do things for themselves. That part of it I get. But educationally, I dunno.....


I think I'd rather have them in a regular school but in a classroom more appropriate for their needs, thus having the best of both - special ed with trained special ed teachers but in a regular school so that they can associate with other students as well. But maybe that's even a more expensive alternative. I honestly don't know what the answer is.


The issue is that while having them integrated is all fine and good, the teachers aren't being supported. Additional assistance (aides) in the classrooms are expensive and school boards are already dealing with limited budgets. When there are two or more special needs children in a classroom, and they all have extensive learning disabilities, how is the teacher able to cope with the situation without additional assistance? And, is 1 Aide enough or does there have to be more? It ain't easy nor is it cheap.


JMHO

I like that short that Cannuck posted in another thread:
http://forums.canadiancontent.net/science-environment/122120-another-myth-debunked-adhd.html...
check it out, it is brilliant.... kids need to be classed with other kids according to something other than age and social interaction...our education system is based on archaic ideas. That's why this type of play out happens. Plus I think she is a screw ball but that is irrelevant.

 

[JLM]

That's not politically correct - gez don'tcha know that? It causes them great stress to be treated differently and they never learn to integrate and "normal" kids don't learn how to be more accepting etc., etc. Good grief, that's why they're in regular classrooms to begin with.


Whether it is better for special needs kids in the long term is debatable. It does have its rewards though when you see them intermingle with the regular students who show empathy and care to those who are less able to do things for themselves. That part of it I get. But educationally, I dunno.....


I think I'd rather have them in a regular school but in a classroom more appropriate for their needs, thus having the best of both - special ed with trained special ed teachers but in a regular school so that they can associate with other students as well. But maybe that's even a more expensive alternative. I honestly don't know what the answer is.


The issue is that while having them integrated is all fine and good, the teachers aren't being supported. Additional assistance (aides) in the classrooms are expensive and school boards are already dealing with limited budgets. When there are two or more special needs children in a classroom, and they all have extensive learning disabilities, how is the teacher able to cope with the situation without additional assistance? And, is 1 Aide enough or does there have to be more? It ain't easy nor is it cheap.


JMHO

I think you and Liberal man are both right. Mixing the special needs with the "normal" kids is beneficial for both sides, but possibly not for the entire teaching process. The S.N. kids do have to be treated differently because they are different. Don't know how much it would cost (probably no more than it does now) but I think S.N. kids need to be taught separately for a few hours a week for things like reading, riting and rithmetic.

 

[taxslave]

That's not politically correct - gez don'tcha know that? It causes them great stress to be treated differently and they never learn to integrate and "normal" kids don't learn how to be more accepting etc., etc. Good grief, that's why they're in regular classrooms to begin with.


Whether it is better for special needs kids in the long term is debatable. It does have its rewards though when you see them intermingle with the regular students who show empathy and care to those who are less able to do things for themselves. That part of it I get. But educationally, I dunno.....


I think I'd rather have them in a regular school but in a classroom more appropriate for their needs, thus having the best of both - special ed with trained special ed teachers but in a regular school so that they can associate with other students as well. But maybe that's even a more expensive alternative. I honestly don't know what the answer is.


The issue is that while having them integrated is all fine and good, the teachers aren't being supported. Additional assistance (aides) in the classrooms are expensive and school boards are already dealing with limited budgets. When there are two or more special needs children in a classroom, and they all have extensive learning disabilities, how is the teacher able to cope with the situation without additional assistance? And, is 1 Aide enough or does there have to be more? It ain't easy nor is it cheap.


JMHO

That is a large part of the problem. It has become more important to be PC than face reality. When too many special needs kids are mixed into a regular class the rest of the students get lost in the shuffle. More importantly the brighter ones really loose out and these are the "special needs"students we should be most concerned about.
Having one aid for one kid in a class of 25 or so is a huge expense that taxpayers can not afford.

 

[Sal]

That is a large part of the problem. It has become more important to be PC than face reality. When too many special needs kids are mixed into a regular class the rest of the students get lost in the shuffle. More importantly the brighter ones really loose out and these are the "special needs"students we should be most concerned about.
Having one aid for one kid in a class of 25 or so is a huge expense that taxpayers can not afford.

We do it here in Ontario. It costs a fortune and I think there are betters ways for all involved. It works to a degree but not the degree needed. It's supposed to teach integration and acceptance. That is frequently not the result. What happens is that the classroom is disrupted frequently by various outbursts and noises and kids and parents begin to resent it. However because of the current atmosphere within such social institutions we are all supposed to pretend it's a wonderful idea. It is also a very costly one since you need a crap load of Educational Assistants and when kids are hard to handle and violent (and lots are) you then need to up their care to a Child and Youth Worker....they are very expensive.

Plus when they are violent everything in the whole fuking school stops due to safety issues while "whoever" goes on a rampage. Doors get locked, people can't come and go freely, classes carry on as best as possible while screaming and kicking and banging and throwing and running ensues.

It is a challenging situation that needs better solutions.