Reflection 7

Shaelie Wood

Brother Kennedy

Sped Reflection Week 7

            This week our group researched hearing impairments and ways teachers can get involved in helping these students. Students are falling behind in schools on no part of their own, but that they cant hear or pay attention in class. Audio Enhancement can be speakers, and microphones. Microphones can be worn born teachers that they are still able to teach hands free. Not only does it apply to teachers, but students are also able to participate and share with their peers their ideas and insights. I remember I was in a class in third grade with a little boy who had to wear hearing aides, they starting implementing the microphones. Not only did it help this boy learn, but the whole class excelled because the teachers instruction was heard better and more students paid attention. By the time I was in 6th grade, every teacher had a microphone with audio speakers in their classrooms for the students- regardless of hearing difficulties within the class. We must not discriminate against children with hearing difficulties. As we implement audio enhancements, students excel.
​            The case study on Esther changed my perspective on how schools do assessments. In short, the case study was about a little girl who was adopted from Mexico, she was brought to the United States and put in public education. Because of her lack of education, she was unable to read at age 7 and a half. After the district and teachers assessing her, they labeled her as mentally impaired because she was not able to read or speak in either Spanish or English. Her life skills were right on par but her language skills fell far behind peers her age.

            I can’t imagine having my child being labeled as mentally impaired when they have not yet had the opportunity to learn, Esther showed her ability and capability to learn and be taught, yet this decision made by the MDT showed their inability to recognize her abilities and strengths in other areas of her life. This decision almost appeared to me as a cope out for the general education teachers to “get rid” of the burden of having a student far behind the normal.

            As teachers it is a necessity to compare students to peers to find the norm of development and learning, but in this case we need to go beyond and recognize the causes of Esther’s difficulties. She needed other accommodations rather than being sent straight to the special needs program. I thought of other ways the teachers and district could help her. They could hold Esther back to a lower grade, as well as intervention sessions one on one at home to get Esther back on track. Esther will be behind the other children, but as teachers we need to look at the big picture rather than looking for quick fixes and escapes. If Esther were to be labeled as mentally impaired along with other students who are impaired  she may develop and adapt to other behavioral or social difficulties even though she is high in both those areas.