Introduction
Every child deserves a right to receive adequate knowledge without any discrimination. Children with special needs are not an exception. These clusters of students are characterized with learning disabilities that hinder them from receiving normal education like other students. Special education not only helps the students to positively accept their disabilities but also serve to boost their self esteem (Yerman, 2001).
As the saying goes, ‘disability is not inability’, children with special needs should therefore receive adequate knowledge using the right tools and appropriate mode of teaching. As a special education teacher, I have always possessed an inward compassion for my students that drives me towards their motivation. This, I achieve by ensuring that the students with special needs do not lag behind in class. The philosophy of education therefore discusses my beliefs and values to ensure quality administration of knowledge to such students.
Personal Beliefs
As a special education teacher, I hold a strong belief that all children should be treated equally regardless of their background, race, economic background or disabilities. This mean that they are all entitled to education and should be actively involved in major decision-making. The curriculum needs to consider the nature or severity level of the student’s disability to ensure academic growth (Duffy and Forgan, 2005).
However, regardless of the disability level a student is classified in, they all have equal rights to read and should not be shunned away. One of my key roles therefore is to ensure that these students are not discriminated against. This can be achieved by giving them special personal care and creating an educational plan that entails my guiding principles towards achieving the set goals. It is also my belief that the parents, school administration and fellow students play a key role in helping to mould such students.
This they can only achieve by treating them as humans and involving them in any decision-making. In most instances, students with special needs have a strong urge to learn. This has been established by monitoring close progress in their participation in class. They possess and inner wisdom that the special education teacher help in exposing it. It is my belief that this children are able to learn through participation in class activities. This helps to create a learning balance to cater for special needs among the students in class.
Impacting Knowledge To Students With Special Needs
As earlier stated, education is very important to children with special needs as a mode of enhancing their acceptance in the society. They develop social and life skills that help shape their interaction by the end of the program. The main goal of these students is to be able to think like other ‘normal’ students hence gaining community acceptance and respect. A well trained special educator should apply various techniques to evenly impact knowledge to the students.
One of the tactics involves giving intensive instructions at an individual level. This, I believe, assess each different needs of the students which in turn enables the teacher to reach to all the students in the classroom. An individual or group-based problem-solving assignment is also important to make them become critical thinkers at any level.
These teaching methods help the students to not only achieve their learning goal but to also raise community awareness as to the progress of the learners. This social involvement helps the students establish a strong relationship with the society through their ability to solve community problems.
Conclusion
I have applied the above techniques in my previous classes and as a licensed practitioner, the experience is proof enough that my beliefs are workable if put in practice. Everybody in the society have a role to play to ensure that the goals of the students are met hence creating a harmonious community that is free of discrimination. That is the inner happiness of any special education teacher.
Reference List
Duffy, M. and Forgan, J. (2005). Mentoring new special education teachers: a guide for mentors and program developers. New York: Corwin Press.
Yerman, J. (2001). So You Want to be a Special Education Teacher. USA: Future Horizons Publishers.