Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources
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| Education World | http://www.education-world.com |
| Educational Resource Information Center | http://www.aspensys.com/eric |
| Sites and Resources for Teachers | http://www.csun.edu/~vceed009/ |
| Teacher's Edition Online | http://www.teachnet.com/ |
| Teacher's Place | http://forum.swarthmore.edu/teachers/elem |
Special
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I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability-to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip-to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas of Venice. You learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?" you say. "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I have dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would have never met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around...and you begin to notice Holland has windmills...and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss.
But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you might never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things...about Holland.
Return to Top of Page| Council for Exceptional Children | http://www.cec.sped.org |
| Council for Learning Disabilities | http://www.winthrop.edu/cld/ |
| Internet Special Education Resources | http://www.iser.com |
| Learning Disabilities Association | http://www.ldnatl.org |
| Learning Disabilities Online | http://www.ldonline.org |
| National Academy for Child Development | http://www.nacd.org |
| Parents' Educational Resource Center | http://www.perc-schwabfdn.org |
| Special Education Resources on the Internet | http://www.hood.edu/seri/serihome.htm |
Return to Top of PageI have always been inspired to be a committed teacher. What most inspired me to continue my education in the field of Special Education was the vague understanding I had about it. It was in my first year of teaching, a brand new Early Childhood teacher in a class of nineteen, where I realized I had a child with a learning disability. I did not feel that I had the proper training to accommodate him, nor the empathy and patience I needed. It was essential for me to learn about how to help and encourage this young child and give him the "wings" he required to "fly". It was then, that I decided I had to learn more in order to assist and reach all children within my general education class. And perhaps I may only come across two or three students a year, but it is in my humble opinion, they are the children that need the most from me and I wanted to be able to give that to them. With my training in Special Education-Learning Disabilities, I feel that I have opened a new window to understanding special needs children. I no longer doubt myself, and know I can help all children in a positive way. I have come to trust that all children can learn. I can make that happen. I teach sensitivity and understanding to all my children and encourage them to be supportive and helpful to each other, with or without disabilities. In teaching that we are all different and we all have needs, the child who learns differently no longer feels alone. I am confident that I bring this feeling of equality into my classroom and can honestly say that my children are examples of what I have come to expect. It was out of my own apprehension and my deep dedication to being the best I can be in my profession, that I chose to enter the field of Learning Disabilities. Many people in this field choose to go onto being Learning Disability-Teacher Consultants. I feel that I can be that to the other teachers in the building without giving up my love of being in my classroom. As a member of the Pupil Assistance Committee within my District, I am confident in helping the teachers that I once was. Entering this field of study has given me the "wings" and support so that I may give the "wings" and support to the adults and children who need it most.
