Big Testing starts in just a few days.
In the mean time, since spring break the special education kids have been in full inclusion mode. That means that I have them during all of my reading and language arts classes. It also means I am put in a terrible, unfair position and so are those kids. I think I've mentioned here before, I have students who are pretty much every grade level of work, from pre-K to 4th. In addition to that, I have students with all levels of English competency. The magic word that everyone throws around all the time is "modifications." It means that you take the regular 4th grade work and change it up some to make it do-able for the special education students. But the reality is that I have to service students on so many levels that it just isn't working. And just as bad as the academic side is that there are a lot of kids in special education with serious behavior problems. I have two students who I feel should not be in a regular classroom, ever. I spend a great deal of my instructional time having to re-direct them. There is a school-wide behavior plan we have to follow that, for these kids, essentially means that I spend all my time warning, relocating, isolating, calling parents, etc.
All of this while I am supposed to be preparing my students to take the reading standardized test, which, frankly, is hard as hell.
The model the district is moving towards is having nothing but full inclusion for special education, all the time. I just don't know what to do. I don't think that when they came up with that stuff they figured we'd have schools with 50% of a grade level in special ed.
I never do anything special with my gifted/talented students. I don't have time. It makes me feel sort of sick when I think about it.
In the mean time, since spring break the special education kids have been in full inclusion mode. That means that I have them during all of my reading and language arts classes. It also means I am put in a terrible, unfair position and so are those kids. I think I've mentioned here before, I have students who are pretty much every grade level of work, from pre-K to 4th. In addition to that, I have students with all levels of English competency. The magic word that everyone throws around all the time is "modifications." It means that you take the regular 4th grade work and change it up some to make it do-able for the special education students. But the reality is that I have to service students on so many levels that it just isn't working. And just as bad as the academic side is that there are a lot of kids in special education with serious behavior problems. I have two students who I feel should not be in a regular classroom, ever. I spend a great deal of my instructional time having to re-direct them. There is a school-wide behavior plan we have to follow that, for these kids, essentially means that I spend all my time warning, relocating, isolating, calling parents, etc.
All of this while I am supposed to be preparing my students to take the reading standardized test, which, frankly, is hard as hell.
The model the district is moving towards is having nothing but full inclusion for special education, all the time. I just don't know what to do. I don't think that when they came up with that stuff they figured we'd have schools with 50% of a grade level in special ed.
I never do anything special with my gifted/talented students. I don't have time. It makes me feel sort of sick when I think about it.
posted by lily of the valley at 4/02/2007 08:45:00 PM
3 Comments:
How'd the testing go? And how are you? It's been a long time, and your fans need to know! :)
I have approximately 2 minutes before I fall into bed, but things are not going well. Not at all. I haven't posted because it's a case of "I have nothing, nothing, nothing nice to say."
I am very angry right now and, though I'll be at the same school over the summer and the next school year, after that I may find a new campus.
Will post soon.
Bah. I hate this gmail posting crap. That was me, btw.
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