regular classroom teachers (was a different point of view)

[Guest guest]

I decided to start a new thread for this because this topic keeps popping up.

Regular classroom teachers seem to be completely out of the loop for information

on the special education kids in their classrooms sometimes. Or maybe they've

reached a limit and aren't able to comprehend more information. Some schools do

a great job of supporting the kids AND the classroom teachers while others

don't. I think maybe it would be safe to say that if the regular classroom

teachers feel they're getting the right support to deal with their special

education kids then the special ed kids are more likely to be getting the

support THEY need than they would in a school where the regular classroom

teachers feel overwhelmed with their special education kids.

It's hard to feel empathy for classroom teachers when we see what isn't being

done right for our children. It really is, but when my son is well-supported I

have the luxury of thinking about things more and observing. One thing I've

noticed is that classroom teachers have a completely different view of the

special education kids than the special education teachers. Sometimes the

classroom teachers get freaked out about a behavior that the special ed teachers

will not be the least bit bothered by. It's difficult to talk to the classroom

teachers because they will point out all the negatives because that's what is

apparent and what worries them. If you want to know what's going wrong

sometimes you can talk to a classroom teacher and get important information. If

you want to hear more positives you talk to the special ed teachers if you're in

a school that knows what it is doing. They won't be bothered by as many

negatives, though, so you might not hear about something that needs addressing.

If you think the classroom teacher is making a big deal of something that isn't

all that important see what the special ed teacher says about it. My son is in

an excellent school and we see a lot of these differences in perspective. I

have the luxury of being able to empathize. I also find myself amused at what

some classroom teacher say because I know my son has the special ed department

buffering him from things. I can step back and watch things go wrong with

classroom teachers knowing that special ed will step in when needed.

Miriam