Has anyone else been worried when you found out you had been given a special education class? I certainly was and I’d love to share with you my story of how I what I learned and how I overcame my feelings of self-doubt and worry in my first year as a special education teacher.
My Story:
Last year at Meet the Teacher, a little boy and his parents entered my room. I immediately noticed something about the little boy. He was making noises, touching and smelling everything. I began to wonder if he was a special needs child because he reminded me of my best friend’s child. I had seen these behaviors in him many times. The little boy’s mother proceeded to ask me if he would be receiving his therapy this year in his new school. “Yes,” I replied, “if he was receiving therapy at another school, he will also receive it here at our school”. Curious to find out if there was anything besides his speech, I asked if he had any other disabilities, and she replied with, “No, just autism.”
I guess she thought I had been told about this, but I hadn’t, and in my mind, I was scared and filled with thoughts of doubt and insecurities. Would I be able to do this child justice? I had never had a special needs child in my class, and I had been teaching for over 20 years. Someone else more qualified had always taught the special education classes but this year, they were already full. To make sure that this child with autism was cared for properly, he was assigned to me and another child with autism was added to my class.
What Now?
I was now a special education teacher. I was scared and felt completely unprepared. What if I messed up? What if I failed them?
On Friday afternoon, shortly after receiving the news that I would be one of the two special ed. clusters in first grade, I headed out for the weekend. In the ten-minute drive to my house, I was filled with worry and doubt about my new undertaking. But somewhere in that time on my drive home, a peaceful calm washed over me. A voice inside my head said, “He needs you… his parent’s need you.” I remember thinking about the difficult times my best friend had with her son with autism. Having a special needs child can be challenging. I vowed to make sure my new student would have a great year and his parents would not be stressed out. I began to take a totally different attitude about the whole experience.
During the 2015-2016 school year, I feel in love with a little boy and his family. Somehow, I knew exactly what he needed from me. I didn’t think too much about the IEP’s, I just thought about how to make sure they had a great year.
Here are a few things I learned from the experience:
- Don’t try to make a special needs child into a regular ed. student. Try to find their strengths and use those to drive your decisions.
- Try not to “set” your special needs child off. If you see them getting upset, back off and take another approach. When a child shuts down/acts out, everyone loses.
- Understand your goals as a special needs teacher and try to make sure the special needs children make the most of their day.
- Make connections with your special needs students just as you do your regular ed. students. The more you know about them, the better you will be able to communicate with them.
- Ask for help from your peers when needed.
This article beautifully highlights the importance of inclusion in special education. Creating a supportive and adaptive learning environment for children with autism fosters growth, confidence, and social development. Every child deserves a chance to thrive, and dedicated educators play a crucial role in making that happen.
Thank you so much. It was a blessing to me.