A few education questions...

Gem

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Aug 11, 2004
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About this time every year I find myself asking a few of the same questions. I don't have the answers, maybe there aren't any REAL, definitive answers...but, if you have time, I'd love to hear your opinions about these issues that come up on a daily basis in my school and in my classrooms.

1) Should a middle-school aged student be expected to bring school materials (i.e. pencil, paper, book) with them to class everyday if that expectation has been communicated to the class by the teacher? If so, what should the punishment/consequence be for a student who repeatedly does not have these items. If not, why not, and what should the classroom teacher do with students who show up to class everyday without the necessary supplies?

2) Should students with learning and/or emotional disabilities be taught in a separate class where they are given instruction on their instructional level or should they be included in a regular education setting with the teacher adapting materials to meet their needs? Does that go for every student in every situation or is there a line? For instance...I am currently teaching several 6th grade classes with students who are on approximately a 2nd grade reading and/or math level. Should they be included in a 6th grade class? I have a student who requires almost constant 1 on 1 interaction with a teacher otherwise he bothers other students, calls out random things, gets out of his seat and roams around the room picking on students, complains loudly, crumples papers and pushes books on the floor. Should this student be included in classrooms with regular education students?

3) Should a student be promoted to 6th grade if they are reading and/or performing math on a 2nd grade level?

I have more questions...but I'll start with these three just because they were discussed briefly at my team meeting today. I'm interested to see what non-teachers have to say.
 
It really is not fair to the other kids to have social promotion at that level. 2nd grade skills at the 6th grade level is humiliating for the kid and an annoyance for the rest of the class.

At the sixth grade level kids should know what is expected and follow through. They are at an age where most kids in the world have to work for a living.
 
About this time every year I find myself asking a few of the same questions. I don't have the answers, maybe there aren't any REAL, definitive answers...but, if you have time, I'd love to hear your opinions about these issues that come up on a daily basis in my school and in my classrooms.

1) Should a middle-school aged student be expected to bring school materials (i.e. pencil, paper, book) with them to class everyday if that expectation has been communicated to the class by the teacher? If so, what should the punishment/consequence be for a student who repeatedly does not have these items. If not, why not, and what should the classroom teacher do with students who show up to class everyday without the necessary supplies?

Not only should it be expected they should do it without a million reminders. If the student continuously shows up empty handed -- and for me that means one week -- email the parents. If it still continues I'd boot the kid to the principals office, call the parents and have them come pick the kid and let them know that this is what will happen if the kid continues to show up empty handed and ill prepared.

2) Should students with learning and/or emotional disabilities be taught in a separate class where they are given instruction on their instructional level or should they be included in a regular education setting with the teacher adapting materials to meet their needs? Does that go for every student in every situation or is there a line? For instance...I am currently teaching several 6th grade classes with students who are on approximately a 2nd grade reading and/or math level. Should they be included in a 6th grade class? I have a student who requires almost constant 1 on 1 interaction with a teacher otherwise he bothers other students, calls out random things, gets out of his seat and roams around the room picking on students, complains loudly, crumples papers and pushes books on the floor. Should this student be included in classrooms with regular education students?

Having a special needs kid I can tell you that it depends on the kid. My son is now 18 and is in the autistic spectrum and has come a longggg, longggg way. When he was younger -- up until 7th grade -- the only classes that were inclusive were things like gym, art, music. He always had a 1-on-1 aid. Slowly, slowly as he changed/matured he was mainstreamed but again, always with an aid.

A few years back he was put into a 'mainstreamed' FCS class. He kept complaining about a lot of the other kids in the class being disruptive, shouting out, talking, cursing, etc. I didn't get that it was as serious as it was but the day he came home and asked me what 'cocksucker' meant I nearly exploded. I called the teacher and found out that almost every kid in there was an IEP kid with behavioral issues. I had him yanked out of that class and when his aid left a month or so later for maternity leave I told the school that she would not be my son's aid again when she came back. She failed in her job as his aid, imo, by not notifying my sons main teacher, who then should have notified me. He didn't belong in with those kids, even though he is an IEP kid.

If the kid is that disruptive then the shouldn't be mainstreamed. Mainstreaming is a wonderful goal but honestly, it just doesn't work with some kids and personally I think they do a disservice to the kid as well as all the others in the class. There are/were kids who are mentally retarded and to be honest I'm not sure why they were mainstreamed. Certain kids I know . . their behaviors are just too disruptive to the class . .

3) Should a student be promoted to 6th grade if they are reading and/or performing math on a 2nd grade level?

Again depends on the kid. My son is not mentally retarded but is only at a 4th/5th grade reading level (he also has vision problems). Any mainstreamed classes are modified for his level but the class doesn't 'slow down' for him.

If the work is modified for them and they can do that work, why not? Reading level doesn't necessarily translate into being mentally retarded or unable to do the work. My son was born with nystagmus, an involuntary 'movement' or 'jiggling' of the eyes. The physical act of reading is difficult for him and because of the nystagmus he reads slowly. That doesn't reflect on his ability to understand the material.

I have more questions...but I'll start with these three just because they were discussed briefly at my team meeting today. I'm interested to see what non-teachers have to say.
 

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