entry #2

There are many great teachers out there in our country, and there is scertaintly good teaching going on in the classroom. SOme may ask, Then why is there a need for special education services? The reason for that is because every student learns very differently. Some kids are exceptionally smart while others take a little longer to learn and understand the material. Although there are great teachers in the work force, there is no way that one teacher can handle teaching children from every range on the spectrum in one classroom at the same time. These children need special attention and no matter how well the teacher teaches, there is still almost twenty other kids in the classroom that need her attention as well. Sometimes the teaching styles just wont work for certain students and they need more one on one time that a teacher of a class of 30 some kids, just cannot give him or her. Just because special edducation services are needed, does not mean that the teacher is any less of a teacher or does her job to any less of her duties. It is simply because there is such a vast range of students out there that all need individual help.

The six principles of the public law 94-142 are as follows
~ZERO REJECT- this section of the law says that all children, especially those that have disabilities must be provided a free and public education. No child will be discriminated against or turned away because of the abilities or disabilities that they may or may not have.
~NONDISCRIMINATORY EVCALUATION-this section says that every student who may be considered for a special education program must be tested to see what their abilities and disabilities are. This also must be done in accordance to the childs cultural and linguistic background meaning you must adapt the test so the child has a fair and accurate way or showing their abilities and disabilities through the test. If you do not do this, you are not getting the full picture of what the child really needs.
~IEP- this stands for an individual education plan. Every student who enters a special education program must have an IEP telling about their abilities, disabilites, and what the plan is to help them succeed. This also includes the level that the child is on in the classes and what goals they have to accomplish by the end of teh school year.
~LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT- this says that the child deserves a right to be in the least restrictive environmnet possible. Nobody wants to be felt like they are being left out. Children with disabilites have enough to deal with, they do not need to be excluded from all the other children as well. THis is also helpful for the children who are not disabelled. If they have a student with disabilities in their classroom, it makes them more aware of them and that everyone is different and they learn to accept them the way they are.
~DUE PROCESS-this is a legal procedure to make sure that the enducator and the parents of the child are making all the right decisions and doing everything they can for this child to have a fair chance in learnign and making sure everyone is accountable for that childs learning.
~PARENTAL PARTICIPATION-this states that the parents are welcome in every discussion that there is about their child and the plans that the schools and educators have for him. THey have access to their childs record and are to be present in the discussion of the IEP and can have a say in evey process there is to deal with their child in the special education system.

entry #1

Parents who have a child who has a disability have many obstacles they need to face and cope with. Two of the major crisis that the book outlines is "symbolic death" and hte second is the chore of daily providing for the child. "Symbolic death" is basically described as a death of the child they were expecting or the child they were planning and hoping for. Many parents react in many different ways when they find out that their child has a disability. Most of the commmon emotions are sadness, anger, guilt, and even denial. THere are support groups out there to help many parents deal with the shock that comes from having such a life altering thing happen to them. THese groups are also out there to help witht the second obstacle the parents have to deal with. Providing for these children can be very difficult to do and requiers a lot of work. Some of these children have trouble dressing themselves, eating, or even simply communicating with their parents. Not being able to communicate is something that can be very frustrating as a parent to have to deal with. The fact that this will be in their day to day life is something that can often weigh parents down and sometimes even the whole household.

Children with a very cultural diverse background can also have a hard time when they are faced with a disability, either learning or physically. The text mentions a certain situation in which a family is from a culture that emphasizes a strong masculine role in the household. If this is the case, the family, and especially the father, will not respond well to a female therapist or any type of professional. He will not have that strong masculine role any more and that could cause some amjor problems. Also, it will weigh heavily on the father if his son will never be able to grow up to be able to fulfill that masculine role.
SOme other situations that children from diverse cltures is the ability to even charaterize them as exceptional. If we get a student that is an immigrant from another country, how are we to know if they are performing above, below or right on track to the kids from their home? Our standards could be higher or lower than ours and it is difficult to tell where exactly the kids are.