By: Christina Mcgarick
Special Education Day! Every year on December 2nd, National Special Education Day is celebrated. According to the Parent Teacher Association, this day celebrates the anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which was signed into law by President Ford on December 2, 1975. It was the first federal special education law in the United States. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act allowed children with disabilities to access public education and receive the special education services that they need. To commemorate this momentous day, I spoke with a few special education teachers about what special education means to them and why they enjoy doing what they do. Stacy Cook Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Geist Elementary What do you love about working with children with special needs? I prefer to use the term Exceptional Learners because our students are each exceptional in their own way. They may have deficits in academic, self-help, communication, and social-emotional areas, but they have the same desire to be accepted and respected by their peers and everyone they meet. They have strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else. They may need more intentional repetition and teaching of topics and skills as well as time to practice their generalization skills across settings. But just like everyone else, they are human! One of my favorite things about working with Exceptional Learners is the opportunity to build rapport with each student to better meet their individual needs. I must first love them as a person and respect them before I can teach them. I need to celebrate the things that make them unique and help them to find their strengths instead of focusing on their weaknesses. I enjoy celebrating the small things. Doing a major task can be broken down in so many ways, but what steps can you do and what can I do to help you reach the desired outcome. Is it a video model, a visual, extra time, repetition? Teaching Exceptional Learners is no different than teaching typical students. We must look at each student as an individual and meet them where they are and look at where we need them to go.
28 Special Needs Living • December 2021
Frances Rodgers Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp., Washington Middle School What does special education mean to you? Most people think of people with disabilities when they hear the term “special education.” Special education encompasses all learners from gifted to students who have severe disabilities. To me, special education means providing the support for students to be successful in all settings of their lives, not just the classroom. Special education is only as successful as the teachers who teach this area. They are the ones that help students to find their abilities they didn’t realize that they have. They are the ones that help build the self-confidence of their students. Kelsey Sachleben Hanover Community School Corp, Southwestern Elementary What does special education mean to you? I would say that special education allows students with disabilities to overcome their obstacles in school and allows others to be able to see their abilities because I think sometimes they can be overlooked with what they “can’t” do. They also get the chance to be a part of gen ed when they can and get that extra support to be able to be included with typical students. I celebrate the little things, and I am able to watch students go from nonverbal to verbal. It’s the moments of “aha” when they finally get something, and it’s about building a relationship with them. They need someone who won’t give up, and every student is different. You may be able to do one thing for one student then have to try something else for another student. I would say that special education has changed my life!
