Watching the videos in Serbia made me think about a little girl I used to work with that needed to have a medical procedure done for her health. Because of her disability, the issue was taken up in court so that the law could examine her individual rights. It was a pain for her family, to get through all of the meetings in court, but they were set up for her safety and to avoid things happening in the United States that aren't humane.
In class, members of my heterogeneous group shared insights about how the videos made them feel and we concluded that it was because of the law that people with special needs are protected, under the fourteenth amendment.
The Brown v. BOE case moved me to want to advocate more for what I know to be true. Thurgood spent YEARS working on the case that ultimately stated "Separate is inherently unequal." I thought about this statement over the week and about the implications for my future students. I want to include students with special needs in general education classrooms. It is a disservice to everyone involved to exclude people that are different from the general population. In a sense, everyone struggles with learning difficulties or differences in sociability. Because of this, I believe in educating people of all strengths. Research has also shown that this type of learning, in environments that include those that are different, prepares people for real life better than excluding all distractions from the learning environment.
This week also motivated me to take the Law class that is required for k-12 majors but not for ECSE. If I am going to be an advocate for people with disabilities, than I need to understand how the law works and what is currently in place in the United States.
My philosophy of teaching will continue to change as I learn more about the differences between special education in the United States verses throughout various parts of the world. I learned a lot from my peers about accountability and the need for government officials to be aware of what is going on throughout the country. I need to be aware of elections going on within my own community so that when the time comes to vote someone onto the school board, I know who is running and can make a choice based on who can help ALL the children in the public schools, not just the general population of students.
I think that is really cool that you have decided to take the Law class. I still am not sure what I am going to do, but you may end up motivating me to take it too :) My philosophy will also continue to change as I learn about the differences in special education in America versus other countries. I completely forgot to even consider that in my first philosophy paper. I too am grateful for the fourteenth amendment in the United States so that individuals with disabilities will not be treated like they are in Serbia. Thank you for your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWhen going over the philosophies, I completely agree that we will end up changing it as we learn more and gain a better understanding of it. I also am so glad that we have the fourteenth amendment so that each and every person has the same opportunities to learn and grow instead of being held back like they are in many countries. I liked what you said about the Brown vs. BOE case and the disservice it is to keep those with special needs separated from others in a school setting. I completely agree with that! Way to go, your blog was great!
ReplyDeleteI love how dedicated you are to learning everything you can to help your future special needs students. Not very many people are willing to go above and beyond what is expected of them. I think it is interesting how much our philosophies change over time. We are constantly learning from others and ourselves so it just makes sense that what we believe works changes too. Thanks for sharing what you thought about the chapter!
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