Who feels responsible for the progress of the child with s.e.n. the teacher or the adult supporting the child?

Question

The trend appears to be that the teacher leaves the social and educational wellbeing of the child with s.e.n in mainstream to the adult support worker. Some teachers do not even try to include the child into lessons or planning. They look at the child as if they are not their resposibility. I would be very interested to hear honest views from teachers and also support workers.

Answer 1

This is a very serious question and cuts to the heart of the issue of mainstreaming of special needs students.

For mainstreamed students, they may be deemed too advanced to be in a special day program, but not independent enough to be in a mainstream class without additional adult assistance.  

In my  school district, the adult assistants in the special day classes have an A.A. degree or equivalent experience and training. The additional adult assistants who are hired by outside agencies get no health benefits, are paid less and are able to be employed without a high school diploma or G.E.D.

The two public agency assistants I work with work for two different agencies. One conducts a week-long training and one has monthly meetings with supervisors.

The teacher who wrote the student's academic goals, accomodations and/or modifications to the curriculum is responsible for the student, but does not see her much or at all if he is fully mainstreamed.  The regular teacher attempts to differentiate the student's instruction and assignments while teaching his class at the same time. Ideally, the special eductation teacher, the regular education teacher and the adult assistant collaborate. (The adult assisant does not get paid for any of this planning time and usually only has to participate voluntarily.)

So, educationally, the mainstreamed student is sort of like an orphan.  The professors' saying is: "Special education is a service, not a place." But it can lead to some students feeling displaced.

Answer 2

Support personnel do not have the responsibility to plan teaching methods. Teachers must take that responsibility. Then we have to say, "Which teacher?" Will it be the regular ed teacher of the special ed teacher.

The mainstream teacher is responsible for materials presentation and learning, no matter what they think. The special ed teacher is responsible for consulting with the RE teacher and assisting him or her with any modifications to the classroom materials. In some case she is responsible for re-teaching.

The reason so many RE teachers do not adapt instruction is that they teach whole group only and do not want to differentiate instruction for anyone, much less special ed kids.

In their defense, some of them are already so overwhelmed and so burdened to teaching to the tests, that they prefer to let one kid fail so that the greater number will pass. It isn't right, but it is reality.

Answer 3

I am not a teacher yet, but I am studying to become one.  One of the things that was emphasized to us in regards to the inclusion on kids with special needs in regular classes is that ALL children in the class are the responsibility of the teacher.  The aide cannot make plans on her own for the educatation of any child, nor is she solely responsible for that child.  The teacher is responsible for planning for all her students, the aide is there to help in the carrying out of plans made by the teacher.

Answer 4

Teachers should always include the needs of the students into their planning and instruction. The educators are responsible for the educational well being and do their best with social well being, but the school psychologist comes into the picture when the social/emotional well-being interferes with academic functioning. Problems that interfere with learning cannot, by law, be diagnosed by the teacher. Even if the teacher suspects that a student has some sort of disability, they cannot,by law, tell the parent of their suspision, just of the specific problems the student has been having. Teachers have so many responsibilities and any teacher who does not accommodate special needs should be reprimanded. But, with no child left behind, teachers are required to teach all standards on grade level, which is a lot paired with all of the other responsibilites teachers are required to fulfill. I'm not sure if I'm completely answering your question, but that's what I know.