My cooperating teacher co-teaches for two periods a day with an intervention specialist
for the inclusion classes. For this interview, I talked to that intervention specialist, Mr. Owens.
He is in his 14th year of teaching students with special needs and is certified in mild to moderate
and earned his Master’s degree as a reading specialist. In the school setting, the intervention
specialist helps accommodate those students with special needs to motivate them to do well in
the classroom.
At Streetsboro Middle School, there is a broad range of students with special needs.
These include autism, specific learning disabilities, cognitive disorders, behavioral disorders, and
other health impaired. Out of these disorders, Mr. Owens mentioned that those students with a
behavioral disorder are the most difficult to manage in the classroom. This is because in order to
proceed with the academics, the teacher must first control the behavior. Until this happens, the
student could distract his/her peers and discourage the teacher. Mr. Owens emphasized the right
form of instruction is key when handling students with behavioral disorders. If one has a form of
instruction that interests and motivates them to learn, then the behavior issues will gradually
disappear.
The process of referral to identity students with special needs is a long process. If a
teacher suspects a student has a disability, he/she will differentiate their instruction in order to
accommodate their suspected disability. If this doesn’t succeed, the teacher consults the
intervention assistance team. They help create interventions for the student to help them succeed
in the classroom. If these procedures do not work, the student is recommended for testing to help
identify a specific disability, with the parent’s permission. Following testing, the student and
their parent attend an IEP meeting with the school principal, psychologist, classroom teacher,
intervention specialist, the school social worker, and anyone else the school deems appropriate.
All of this is recommended to be completed within thirty days. Communication is vital when it
comes to students with disabilities. Mr. Owens runs his own website informing parents of all the
homework assignments and regularly communicates with interested parents. Despite all this, Mr.
Owens says that he feels parent support is limited. Only a small percentage of his students’
parents are involved and ask questions.
When asked about adopting curricula for students with special needs, Mr. Owens says
that the most common method is co-teaching and co-planning. At the beginning of the year, they
share the IEP with the teacher’s the student will have so they can plan accordingly to meet the
goals of the student. Each teacher also keeps a daily log of behavior for those students so he can
keep up on any misbehavior the student may be conducting outside of his classroom. Most of the
time, teachers give extra time and make adjustments as needed for students on IEPs. Working
well with other teachers and communicating with parents to meet the goals of the student is
important to ensure the child is doing the best they can and succeeding in the classroom.
As for my own teaching, Mr. Owens suggested that I take collaboration classes and
observe as many inclusion classes as possible. This will help me to be comfortable in a
classroom where a majority of students are on IEPs. He also suggested that I should select 2-3
students a week to learn their goals/objectives on the IEP and focus on them in class. This will
help me to get to know the students and help me to develop the best way to teach them in the
classroom. This prepares me for student teaching in the spring semester. I need to know and
understand a child’s IEP and provide accommodations to them in the classroom. When teaching,
I should always anticipate a lesson taking longer than I planned or expect something to happen.
This allows me to plan accordingly and to prevent falling behind. Mr. Owens also suggested I
have numerous “tricks up my sleeve” in case something goes wrong or in case a student doesn’t
understand something the way I’m explaining it. In his words, I should always be prepared for
the worst. Overall, this interview was very enlightening and helped me to better understand my
role as a teacher to those with special needs. I’m excited to learn more and can’t wait for my turn
to teach!