Special Education & Student Teaching

Some of you may be wondering why I decided to student teach a second time.  So, I would like to share that story with you…

WARNING:  This may turn into a soap box.  J

My undergraduate degree was from Southeastern Bible College, so I graduated with a double major in Elementary Education and Biblical Studies.  After graduating, I taught first grade for six years at a Christian school, later leaving to stay home with my kids.  While teaching, I went back to school to earn my Master’s Degree (also in Elementary Education).

It was during those years of teaching in a Christian school and working on my Master’s degree that I began to have a great burden for students with special needs.  Because Christian schools do not receive government funding, they are not required to serve these students.  However, those with learning disabilities, attention disorders, and other “less severe” problems still make it into the classrooms.  Since I taught first grade, I could generally “get them through” to second grade.  I would help them during the school day or sometimes provide one-on-one help after school.  However, by the time these kids got to third grade or later, many of them just couldn’t keep up any more without extra services, and many would leave our school.  Some would even leave midway through first grade.  It broke my heart to see them go.  I loved them dearly.  The “unwritten rule” that I observed was:  “As long as you can keep up, feel free to stay, but don’t expect us to give you any special treatment.”  Now, you would never hear anyone say it like that, but that’s the way it was for the most part.  Yes, there was one special program that families could use – but doing so doubled their tuition, and it was only intended for students with learning disabilities.

This bothered me greatly.  For a while now, the public school system has realized their obligation to reach these students.  How can those who call themselves Christians refuse to help them?

Many of those who work in Christian education have been trained to object at this point.  They would say that the cost is too great.  I would argue that the cost is too great if we don’t help them.  And beyond this, if money is the ONLY reason, that is not a good enough reason.  If you look at Jesus’ life, who did He spend the majority of His time with?  It generally was not with those who “had it all together.”  The people He spent His life serving were the sick, the hopeless, those rejected or looked down upon by society – like the tax collectors and fishermen.  In addition, what are we teaching the kids in our Christian schools if they never come in contact with those who are different than they are?

For those schools that have realized the great need and begun to reach out to these students, the cost is often not as great as they feared.  I have seen various reports where schools discovered that while taking student with special needs into their schools, the other siblings in the family followed – thus filling the classrooms and offsetting the extra “cost.” 

Skip ahead a few months/years…  Criss and I take in (and eventually adopt) a foster child with delays and medical issues.  We work through years of Early Intervention, physical therapy, speech, occupational therapy, etc.  It comes time for her to attend school, and I have a great choice to make.  I graduated from a Christian school (and went back to teach at that same school for six years).  I can send her to this school or one like it – where she will be surrounded by the Christian influences I believe in - but not receive any help with her individual needs.  Or, I can send her to the public school system who is required to meet her needs but looses much of the Christian influence.  No parent should have to make this choice.  And it’s not about arguing over what’s best – public school, private school, or homeschooling.  It’s about allowing parents to have the choice about what best meets their families needs.  Families of children with special needs often have no choice.

I also I have a son with chronic digestive/allergic problems.  He is currently on an NG tube.  If we move to a permanent feeding tube, would I be able to find a Christian school to meet his needs?  Highly doubtful.  You see, it’s not just about kids with “severe” disabilities.  It’s the kids who may just need speech, PT, or OT services.  It’s about the kids with feeding tubes, diabetes, etc. that just need a nurse on the campus.  It’s about the kids who just need some help in a small group setting 30 minutes to an hour (or less) each day.

So, this is the reason that I decided to add the Endorsement in Special Education to my current teaching certificate.  In order to do that, I had to student teach again since none of my experience was in an “official” special education setting.

My ultimate vision would be to open my own Christian school where NO ONE was turned away for any reason.  I don’t know how or when this will come about – and I may never see it fully come to pass in my lifetime.  But for now, I can share my passion on this subject with you and others I come in contact with.

I could go on forever about this subject, but I will stop here for now. 

I had been home long enough that it was time for my teaching certificate to expire.  Since I had not been teaching and had no CEU’s, I needed to take 2 classes to renew.  I only needed 4 classes to add the Special Education Endorsement, so it was a good time to do it.

I appreciate anyone who’s stayed with this post ‘til the end.  We’ll move on to lighter topics in the coming days.  J

"As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,

you did it to me."

Matthew 25:40

Janel

Catching Up & Mito Awareness Week

My hopes of catching up the blog once the kids started back to school have been pushed aside by daily tasks and activities.  I have a master’s degree in Elementary Education, and I’m in the process of adding an endorsement in Special Education.  I have one more class to take, and then I will student teach in the Spring.  The online course I’m taking is squeezed into 8 weeks, so I’ve been working on that constantly.

I’ve mentioned before that I sometimes work as adjunct faculty at SEBC.  I have taught a class on Children’s literature every other spring for several years now.  A few weeks before school started, they contacted me to see if I’d be willing to teach Curriculum Development this fall.  I was glad to do it.  However, the first time you teach a course, it takes a lot of time to pull it all together.  So, between taking a course through Liberty and teaching a new course at SEBC, I haven’t had time for much else.

It also didn’t help that Autumn ended up sick at home for three days of her first full week at school.  I have mentioned the new (or increased) medications they are trying with her.  It is going well so far.  I am seeing some small improvements in language and gross motor activities.  That is encouraging.  We see her neurologist again next week, and we’ll see what she has to say.  The immunologist redid the ANA Test, and it came back positive a second time.  The NK function test also showed low resistance to candida (yeast).  We’ll have to see what he says about everything at our next visit. 

Silas seems to be adjusting pretty well to Kindergarten.  We have his week long appointment on South Carolina scheduled for the end of the year.  We’re just trying to keep him steady until then.  We saw his GI doctor here in town a few weeks before school started to get some forms, etc. signed for school.  He basically said to just come back when we need him.  He doesn’t know what else to do.

Not too much longer until our Magic Moments trip to Disney World.  I’ll definitely have to write about that one.  J

September 18-24 is Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.  It can be very difficult to find helpful information about Mito.  I ran across the blog of a mom that has three kids with Mito.  The information she shares has been so helpful.  I am putting links to some of her posts below if you’d like to learn a little bit more about the disease.

Mito What?

Mito Fact a Day – Days 1-7

Mito Fact a Day – Days 8-14

30 Things About Living With Mito You May Not Know

Over the weekend, we were sitting together and talking with the kids.  I asked Silas if he thought he might want to play some kind of sport one day.  He said “Yes,” so I asked what he might like to play.  He said, “Golf.”  It was very humorous because no one in our family plays golf, we don’t watch it on TV, and the only golf experience he’s ever had is one night at a putt-putt type of place – and he didn’t even like it.  I just had to laugh.

As always, thanks for reading!

Janel

My Article

I’ve scanned the article I wrote, and I’m going to try to post it.  (If you missed the explanation, look a couple posts back to “I’m Published!”)  ABCH generally does not mention their foster children by name in their publications, so none of our names are used.

I believe you can click on each picture, and it will bring it full screen so it’s easier to read.  If not, grab a magnifying glass, and we’ll hope for the best.

Janel

Taken from LifePrints, July & August 2011.

I'm Published!

After Autumn finished her time in TheraPlay, her counselor asked if I would write about our experience.  ABCH produces Life Prints, a small bimonthly magazine.  There was a possibility that they might use my article in a future issue.

I received the newest Life Prints in the mail a couple days ago, and I was thrilled to see that they had used the piece I’d written.  Yeah!!!  (Of course, there was a little editing.)  They have posted some of the older issues to their website, but last two are not there yet.  I’m hoping they will get caught up soon, and I can give you a direct link to the article.  You can click here to see past issues.

I was so excited!  Also, Autumn’s counselor sent me an email yesterday.  Here’s some of what she said:

Your article has been a HUGE success!  I have gotten several comments from several foster parents about how your story helps them to have hope.  I am even using it with NON ABCH parents in theraplay when they are losing hope. 

They titled the article “Our Daughter, His Love,” and it’s in the July & August 2011 publication.

Janel

More About Me

I grew up the only child in a small house in a city just outside of Birmingham, AL.  I was so fortunate to have many Christian influences in my growing up years, and I accepted Christ as my Savior at a young age.  I will forever be grateful for the wealth of Scriptures I memorized during these years.  With them hidden in my heart, God can bring them to my remembrance just when I need them most.

I attended a local Christian college and earned my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Biblical Studies.  The June after I graduated, I married Criss.  We started dating when I was still in high school, so we had dated nearly six years before tying the knot.  I taught first grade at a Christian school (the same one I attended as a child) for six years.  Just before leaving work to stay home with my kids, I earned my Master’s in El. Ed.  I’m currently working to add an endorsement in Special Education.

I am very involved at my church, and I enjoy singing in the choir, leading worship with the Praise Team, and coordinating the children’s choir.  I play the piano, though usually just for myself.  I like to take out some of the easier songs I learned years ago and play them to relax.  Another thing I do just for me is scrapbooking.  I love to eat macaroni & cheese, and my comfort foods are Pepsi & chocolate.  My ultimate goal in life is to help Christian schools develop special education services.

God’s greatest gift to me is my husband.  He evens out my overly-structured tendencies and has taught me how to have more fun in life.  We are a great team, and he’s always there to help around the house and with the kids.  He takes up the slack when I’m tired and listens when I'm frustrated, and I hope I always do the same for him.  Criss, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you” (Philippians 1:3).

It’s currently December of 2010.  Autumn turned 6 earlier this month, and Silas turned 5 last week.  They are wonderful, funny, frustrating, and exhausting all at the same time.  God has used them to sand a lot of my rough edges and to teach me to wait patiently on Him.  Their lives will take several posts of their own.

Janel