How do you like the label 'Special Ed's student?

rockdrummer said:
And the solution is....................................??????
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I don't know that there is a straight-forward "solution". I think the first thing that needs to change is the attitudes towards people who require additional support...whether those people are deaf, have physical disability, learning difficulties, or intellectual disability.... the attitude that they are "less than" has to change, and I honestly don't know how that happens except with those of us who know better always speaking up. *shrug*

I think it is a long, slow process... I know I am very lucky that the school I work in has some really exceptional staff who believe all kids deserve the best possible experience at school. Maybe it is because I work in a school that has a lot of struggling families, kids who need SO much support in so many ways, who have dealt with everything from familial drug/ alcohol abuse, parental suicides, abuse...I could go on... but the kids in our school are all treated with the same degree of caring and respect, whether they are "labelled" or not, whether they have a medical diagnosis or not...they are all just kids, and they need us.
 
*sits in my lawn chair in a fishermans cap, wife beaters, drinking a lemon drop martini* You go, chipmunk.
 
chipmunkis said:
I don't know that there is a straight-forward "solution". I think the first thing that needs to change is the attitudes towards people who require additional support...whether those people are deaf, have physical disability, learning difficulties, or intellectual disability.... the attitude that they are "less than" has to change, and I honestly don't know how that happens except with those of us who know better always speaking up. *shrug*

I think it is a long, slow process... I know I am very lucky that the school I work in has some really exceptional staff who believe all kids deserve the best possible experience at school. Maybe it is because I work in a school that has a lot of struggling families, kids who need SO much support in so many ways, who have dealt with everything from familial drug/ alcohol abuse, parental suicides, abuse...I could go on... but the kids in our school are all treated with the same degree of caring and respect, whether they are "labelled" or not, whether they have a medical diagnosis or not...they are all just kids, and they need us.
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I am sure the solution is anything but straight forward. I don't know that I agree that everyone has that attitude towards those with special needs. In fact I know many people IRL don't. The teachers that were mentioned earlier can actually be causing the attitudes and propagating the problem even further. I think those teachers are horrible for what they did. They are role models that other kids look up to.

My humble opinion is this can never be completly solved but through education and awareness (starting with the teaching staff) can go a long way towards reducing and in some cases eliminating the problem with how others percieve and treat those with special needs.

I also think Shel had a good suggestion and wondered how one would implement this in the school system. It is real easy for us to stand on soapboxes and complain about what is wrong. The hard thing is to step up and do what it takes to fix it.
 
I personally think changing the name or label doesn't change anything. Like others have said, other kids aren't stupid. If they know you're doing pullouts or that you're different from them in any way, it's enough.
 
AlleyCat said:
I personally think changing the name or label doesn't change anything. Like others have said, other kids aren't stupid. If they know you're doing pullouts or that you're different from them in any way, it's enough.
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That is pretty much the point I have been trying to make.
 
faire_jour said:
There was no such thing as special education until 1965 at the earliest and 1975 by law.

A TIMELINE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION HISTORY
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I was in class that was for kids that were not doing good in school, it may not had been called special ed then . We were not in the same class at the mainstream students. Like I said we stayed on room all day and one burned out teacher. We were called the 'reject class' then. The school had to by law teach us and kids with all kind of issues were in my class. There was one girl that that had an IQ of 4 years old and she was 16 years old. The class
did not have a grade level as every student was that a difference grade level! It was a freakin nightmare , one boy would get under the teacher desk and make an announcement of what color underpants the teacher was wearing everyday! The 16 years girls was always asking why her report was green and the other kids was tan color. The green report card was kids thast were very slow. This is what a reject class was like. And people wanted to know why I was doing so poor school!
 
"positive re-enforcement" isn't really the right prescription if the teachers don't understand what the student "needs".

Growing up, I was "shadowed" in my mainstream classes and also had to go the "special" room with all the other developing-challenged kids. No offense, but I didn't belong there. I was bored. I got along socially and maintained decent academics. I only got complete independence when I transitioned to high school.

How to solve the "problem"...I'd rather have done all that shadowing or proof of homework completion after school. Easy. Pretend it's detention.
 
AlleyCat said:
I personally think changing the name or label doesn't change anything. Like others have said, other kids aren't stupid. If they know you're doing pullouts or that you're different from them in any way, it's enough.
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so....no services?!?!
 
rockdrummer said:
That is pretty much the point I have been trying to make.
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And I get your point as well. I still think a label is what gets kids bullied. I'm saying it doesn't matter what specific label it is. Whether you're special ed, or fat (I don't say that to be mean, I say that as what elementary/school kids say, etc.)
 
chipmunkis said:
Believe me, I work at it every day! :)
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Good for you and keep it up. It's a never ending job. I am constantly educating others about what I understand of deafness and advocating for my son.

When he was 18 months old he lost his hearing and when some people heard that, the first thing out of there mouth was "can he read lips" I wanted to smack them but instead I told them to go home and turn on the news then turn down the volume and see if you can follow along. Now apply that to a prelingual profoundly deaf 18 month old and then you can answer your own question.
 
AlleyCat said:
You don't get to re-phrase my statement. I said nothing of the such.
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I'm sorry. You said that you thought it was the act of pulling them out that made kids see the differences, so I wanted to know if your solution would be to stop pull outs all together.
 
rockdrummer said:
Good for you and keep it up. It's a never ending job. I am constantly educating others about what I understand of deafness and advocating for my son. When he was 18 months old he lost his hearing and when some people heard that the first thing out of there mouth was "can he read lips" I wanted to smack them but instead I told them to go home and turn on the news then turn down the volume and see if you can follow along. Now apply that to a prelingual 18 month old and then you can answer your own question.
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Seriously??? People asked you THAT??? wow. :shock:
 
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