Special Education Is Not The Sunken Place

THERE IS BRILLIANCE FOUND IN SPECIAL EDUCATION! 

It is NOT the place to send youth and forget about them.

When I was in the classroom my goal was to support my scholars to push them out as much as possible.

A few years ago I had a school leader dwell on what scholars with exceptionalities couldn’t do:

They can’t behave in specials (p.e., art, music)!

They can’t use this curriculum!

The list goes on when it comes to the relationship with the special education and deficit mindset.

There were a lot of misconceptions about leading scholars with low and high incidences that didn’t sit right with me and continue to not sit right within my spirit.

Misconceptions also included:

Interventions cannot be utilized in the core.

Individualized Education Programs are a suggestion.

Little progress means no progress.

I consistently advocate that school climate and culture must include an understanding of special education and the diverse needs of the scholars that are being served.

That means considering the following questions:

How does the actions of school leaders and educators impact the scholars and their educational needs?

How can we provide both support for educators and scholars?

What systems, structures, strategies, practices and interventions need to be revisited, unlearned, and learned?

How does our climate and culture impact teachers who consistently advocate for our scholars with diverse needs?

What mindsets might we need to interrogate individually and as a school?

All of our scholars have diverse needs and areas of brilliance that should be leveraged to support them in achieving their academic and behavioral outcomes. We have to first create the culture and climate that is inclusive of their needs by pondering these questions and our practices with a critical lens.