Each member of this course comes to the table with their own personal experiences and that is what makes these types of forums so powerful. While exploring and digging deeper into the topic of parental involvement in the process of educating special needs children I continued to feel a sense of sadness. In my 15 years of teaching I have never been faced with an over actively involved parent. In actuality, I have been a part of so many IEP meeting where a parent or guardian has failed to even attend. Our text provided the following quote on page 68 by Gabriel's mother that spoke volumes to me, "Family-professional partnerships are built on the idea that there are solid and coequal mutually beneficial stake in a positive outcome." The word "family-professional" means the combination of the family as well as the school and community related professionals and unfortunately I have yet to really be able to see that partnership come to light. I professionally, have not interacted with parents that felt that their special needs student was not afford the same types of activities as their non-disabled peers, I have found all parents to feel that the school provides little to no activities at all for any of the students. Many of the clubs and after school activities for all students have been cut under budget restraints. Lack of these types of programs does limit the interaction opportunities for students with special needs to be with non disabled peers. The youtube video of Jason McElwain the autistic basketball player was powerful to watch and something that showcases how important offering these programs and types of activities is to ALL students not just students with special needs.
The reasons for the break down between the family and school can be numerous and dependent upon each situation. My former school tried to address some of the issues by having informational meetings with parents to inform them of resources, services, and help them to understand many aspects of having a student with special needs. The building of a team does not happen quickly but the attempt to bridge these gaps are being set in motion. I feel for my students who have not had the same type of support that Gabriel from our text has had.
So true Kelley that the building of a "Team" doesn't happen quickly. I applaud your district for trying to address some of the issues and helping to service and educate the parents. It is often difficult to pinpoint the reasons parents and families aren't more proactive when it comes to being involved with a child that has a disability. Sometimes it is just survival day to day but by helping educate them and showing what services are available is definitely a start to the bridge. I have been in education 5 years and have been involved with both types of families. Educating and bringing awareness to the families that were less involved did start the process. Don't give up! Every little bit helps in starting the "Team"!
ReplyDeleteYour former district is taking steps in the right direction to promote knowledge and to educate families about the resources that are available. Many parents struggle with believing that their child may have a disability and are nervous to seek help. These informative meetings or mailers help to ease the minds of worried parents. In some cases they may meet another parent whose child is facing the same types of issues. Many times parents don't want to feel like they're the only ones asking for help. We tend to work better, together as a TEAM!!
ReplyDeleteThe interaction between the schools and family is important regardless of what must be addressed. It helps to build that communication and parents could be another resource for students and they might not even know it. Whether parents do not know what to do or might not a agree with some of the schools choices, having that line of communication open is beneficial.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, I have encountered parents who are still very much in denial about their child's disability and have different expectations about what their child's education should be like. I feel that if parents are not ready to accept the disability, then they would not be able to accept the services and support that the school has to offer. The sad part of this whole issue is that the child suffers from all of this. They have their teachers that are willing to advocate for them but, without their parents' cooperation, there is no true team effort. It is up to us as teachers to take advantage of the time we have with the children in our classrooms and to make that experience as beneficial as possible.
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with parents who's children were on an IEPs. They wouldn't come to school, I felt like I was bothering them if I had to call them. I remember one parent-teacher conference, I didn't have one parent show up. I sat in my classroom by myself the whole time. I don't understand how they could be that uninvolved in their children's school. It was a charter school, they decided to send their child there. As far as the videos of Jason show how a team as-well-as a school can support and encourage a student with a disability. When I watched the second longer video, maybe I misunderstood it but it said Jason was pursuing his GED. if the game was the last of his senior year, and basketball is a spring sport, why didn't he graduate? Just struck me as weird.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteThere might be an upper age limit at which the student may no longer attend high school. If that is the case, and if the student has not earned all of the credits necessary to graduate, they may have to continue their studies and take the GED.
Another example might be a student who has not passed all of the OGT tests, precluding them from graduation. They may matriculate out, but have to take the GED to earn the diploma.