Sp.Ed. tchr frustrated w/ inclusion

I’d feel incompetent, too. (think — in - compete — nt… you can’t compete).

It’s not that you have no clue — the kids are not in an appropriate setting. The setting *might* be appropriate if you & the teacher had time to plan — and it still might not, if their needs are really different from the other kids!

Inclusion is this great ideal… that is often used as a great bucksaver and who gives a hoot who gets hurt (hey, these sped kids aren’t going to learn anything anyway, right?). And the kids *do* get hurt. The only thing they learn in middle school is that school is this strange and frustrating place where you play this game and pretend to be participating. Okay, some of them don’t even have an idea what it is like to actually *learn* in a classroom. (Can you tell I work with rememdial-level college kids that have been “included” in middle and high school? And these are the kids brave enough to try college! Most of the ones you’re looking at wont’ even have that chance.)

CHeck out “inclusion - issues and asnwers” on this site for some realistic and constructive ideas about inclusion. I think it’s in “LD IN Depth.”

get a copy of their weekly plans and have them hi lite the 3 most important “enduring learings ofr that week. good luck. also have humor, copy your correspondence to them to admin as well for extra support.

I’m frustrated too! I started 6 weeks into the school year (7th and 8th grade RSP) with no tools. I was told to define my own program. Now, 6 weeks later, the regular ed teachers are angry with me. They think I’m a support teacher. They want me to teach exactly what they are teaching in exactly the same way. I should have the responsibility of going to their rooms and finding out what htey are teaching. I’m the one who needs to fully support their program.

I’m extremely frustrated and angry too. My kids IEPs are not being served and the classroom teachers don’t really care. They don’t want to hear the words remediate skills from my mouth.

Do you think any of them would ask my advice about methods and strategies for my students? Have any of them ever come to visit my classroom? Have any of these teachers commented on the great strides that have been made in 6 weeks? But, are all of my kids failing 7th grade pre-algebra? Of course! I have an aid in the class, but this isn’t enough! Have any of these teachers thought about how they are failing our students? I think not! But, what do I do to keep my jpob and keep helping my students?

Finally someone who sounds like me.As a first year teacher, I am feeling in the same boat as you are. The frustration that I have is that some of my teachers do not want to modify for certain things… like Spelling they tell me “It is something that they need to know how to do … will you be there holding their hand in college?” They do give me weekly lesson plans with no time to prepare and get frustrated with me because of my discpline style. They tolerate so much and being a special educator. The distractions are not worth the pain. Also the counselor gladly put my entire caseload in English class which is where most of my kids have their disabilities. I don’t think that is what we call inclusion.

This is my second year of teaching, and I am tired of having to do all the work in the reg ed. room. Last year it was decided to do full inclusion. I am like Joanna, with my caseload who have disabilities in English are included. The only classes I teach are math. I do all of the modifying for my students in the regular ed classes. I spend so much time modifying and accommodating my students in the reg. ed. classes, I can’t even spend time on math. I feel cheated out of being able to teach, I feel my students are cheated because their needs are not always met. (I am also a middle school teacher) Before I was here, the teacher before me would take the kids out for tests and homework assignments and give them the answers because the work was not modified. Well, now I do it all!!!! I read the History textbook onto a tape almost every day for my students to listen to. The teachers are used to having the spec. ed. teacher in their room to help out and this year I have so many students it is impossible for me to help out as often. The teachers (not all, but most) give out the homework, don’t reduce it, and don’t help the students. That was my job before. I was thought as the teacher’s assistant by the students. I believe in inclusion, but I am not sure for what classes. My kids are capable of a lot, but have trouble with the homework, understanding how to do it, or the length of it. This may sound terrible, but I feel so stressed out that I don’t want to do this anymore. What do I do? It is good that others are going through the same thing. Thanks for listening and I hope to get some responses, or we can hopefully help each other out. Thanks, Rebecca

Dear Special Needs Teachers,

It sounds like no matter where we are we experience the same difficulties. The reason I first went into special ed teaching was because I would be able to provide assistance to the students. What I am finding is that I spend a great deal of time doing admin work, talking to parents and outside agencies, planning IEP and organising resources that the time I spend with the students is not very much at all.

I love my job and I have a good relationship with most of the staff. There is still a school of thought with some that I should be withdrawing all the students and spending my “half hour” with each child and fixing them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it is important that we negoitate our role with the staff we are working with, otherwise people might be expecting things from you which you are just unable to deliver. Also you may have expectations of the staff which have never been made clear to them and they need to hear them and respond.

I do not think we can ever get away from the fact that we may feel overburdened and sometimes unappreciated. I believe that we do a great job and so too do classroom teachers. in our busy days we everyone often lose sight of what the demands are on each other.

This is a great site and as such we should use it to boost each other and provide support for what we do.

Cheers

helen

To all special ed teachers,

As frustrated as you may be let it be known that we the parents of the special ed students, and the special ed students themselves very much appreciatte what you do for us. I know this does not put money in your pocket, get your deserved respect or the help that you need but hopefully it lets you know your are needed and appreciatted. As a parent of two special needs boys I can tell you what a challenge it is and any help I get I am thankful for. My boys have grown by such leaps and bounds thanks to the special ed teachers. I believe that without you my boys would not be where they are today. My 13 year old despite all his difficulties keeps marching on, he is a happy well adjusted kid catching up to his peers be it ever so slow. My younges son who seemed at age 3 to have severe autism now only manifests mild sx’s. I believe the boys are doing so well do to the patience and understanding they recieved from their special ed teachers. Thank you for your care and understanding for our kids.

Lisa

Boy do I understand where you are coming from! I also am in a similar situation. I am an inclusion teacher for 5th grade and I work with 3 other teachers. My problem was that they all agreed to the principal to do the inclusion with out even finding out what that meant. I have 2 teachers that have been with the district and as this school for at least 23 years and the other one is recently graduated with a degree in biology and now has decided to become a teacher so she is taking classes to become certified while still being in the classroom. One of the older teachers has been good about me coming into the class and working with my documented IEP students but the other one is totally against it and I have 2 students in her room. We never meet to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of what is going on and the only ones suffering are the students. Not one of my students passed Social Studies last nine weeks and I contribute a large part of it to me not being accepted into this class. This district is new to inclusion but I am not. I have taught both in a resource room and in inclusion but my schooling was mainly in inclusion.

My solution…I try to meet with them when I can and discuss what will be going on and then I use the time that I am in the class to really try to focus in on how I can best modifiy the environment to best fit the needs of the students. The other thing that I have found that is working for us is the the 2 teachers that I am able to work with have divided their class into 3 different reading groups. I am able to work with students during their reading time just as I would in my room without having to pull them out. The reading groups are flexible in which the students are able to move within them as needed depending on the difficulty of the reading assignment. So far, this has been working. I still have had no answers to the third teacher. I have made it aware to my principal my feelings so that it is known that I do not approve of this situation and that I feel that it is out of my hands. That way if a parent asks questions, I can direct them to him or back to the regular teacher. I can only do so much, and stepping on someone else’s toes and hurting my job is not the best answer. I have been there and don’t care to return.

It sounds like you are in the same situation and I would enjoy being able to share experiences and turmoils if you would like. Please feel free to drop me a line anytime and we can chat about ideas!

Good luck!
Christy

I am also an inclusion teacher in regular classes of reading, social studies and science. I was new my school this year and it is a real challenge for any special ed teacher to bridge the gap in so many ways. One has to be extremely flexible and tolerant. I have managed to do what I am required to do and have gone to great lengths to be accepted as another teacher in the room. The students also respect my authority. I do feel inadequate not knowing the subject matter of science and social studies, but I do see my role in the classroom in a different matter. I am there for the special needs students, but do not exclude any student needing special assistance. I prepare diffferent tests for my particular students and other students who seem to need it as well. I am learning myself on what I can do to make a difference and have to make necessary adjustments and changes so that my students can be successful. I have found out that everyone must be involved for the greatest success: the regular teacher, the special educator, the student and the parent. Life is grand when you are managing to do what helps, what is required and the student is succeeding

I am also an inclusion teacher in regular classes of reading, social studies and science. It is a real challenge for any special ed teacher to bridge the gap in so many ways. One has to be extremely flexible and tolerant. I have managed to do what I am required to do and have gone to great lengths to be accepted as another teacher in the room. The students also respect my authority. I do feel inadequate not knowing the subject matter of science and social studies, but I do see my role in the classroom in a different matter. I am there for the special needs students, but do not exclude any student needing special assistance. I prepare diffferent tests for my particular students and other students who seem to need it as well. I am also learning what I can do to make a difference and have had to make necessary adjustments and changes so that my students can be successful. I have found out that everyone must be involved for the greatest success: the regular teacher, the special educator, the student and the parent. Life is grand when you are managing to do what helps, what is required and the student is succeeding. This does not always happen. I have had success this year as well as failure. No matter how hard you try, the magic formula of what can bring success sometimes has a major missing element.

I’d feel incompetent, too. (think — in - compete — nt… you can’t compete).

It’s not that you have no clue — the kids are not in an appropriate setting. The setting *might* be appropriate if you & the teacher had time to plan — and it still might not, if their needs are really different from the other kids!

Inclusion is this great ideal… that is often used as a great bucksaver and who gives a hoot who gets hurt (hey, these sped kids aren’t going to learn anything anyway, right?). And the kids *do* get hurt. The only thing they learn in middle school is that school is this strange and frustrating place where you play this game and pretend to be participating. Okay, some of them don’t even have an idea what it is like to actually *learn* in a classroom. (Can you tell I work with rememdial-level college kids that have been “included” in middle and high school? And these are the kids brave enough to try college! Most of the ones you’re looking at wont’ even have that chance.)

CHeck out “inclusion - issues and asnwers” on this site for some realistic and constructive ideas about inclusion. I think it’s in “LD IN Depth.”

get a copy of their weekly plans and have them hi lite the 3 most important “enduring learings ofr that week. good luck. also have humor, copy your correspondence to them to admin as well for extra support.

I’m frustrated too! I started 6 weeks into the school year (7th and 8th grade RSP) with no tools. I was told to define my own program. Now, 6 weeks later, the regular ed teachers are angry with me. They think I’m a support teacher. They want me to teach exactly what they are teaching in exactly the same way. I should have the responsibility of going to their rooms and finding out what htey are teaching. I’m the one who needs to fully support their program.

I’m extremely frustrated and angry too. My kids IEPs are not being served and the classroom teachers don’t really care. They don’t want to hear the words remediate skills from my mouth.

Do you think any of them would ask my advice about methods and strategies for my students? Have any of them ever come to visit my classroom? Have any of these teachers commented on the great strides that have been made in 6 weeks? But, are all of my kids failing 7th grade pre-algebra? Of course! I have an aid in the class, but this isn’t enough! Have any of these teachers thought about how they are failing our students? I think not! But, what do I do to keep my jpob and keep helping my students?

Finally someone who sounds like me.As a first year teacher, I am feeling in the same boat as you are. The frustration that I have is that some of my teachers do not want to modify for certain things… like Spelling they tell me “It is something that they need to know how to do … will you be there holding their hand in college?” They do give me weekly lesson plans with no time to prepare and get frustrated with me because of my discpline style. They tolerate so much and being a special educator. The distractions are not worth the pain. Also the counselor gladly put my entire caseload in English class which is where most of my kids have their disabilities. I don’t think that is what we call inclusion.

This is my second year of teaching, and I am tired of having to do all the work in the reg ed. room. Last year it was decided to do full inclusion. I am like Joanna, with my caseload who have disabilities in English are included. The only classes I teach are math. I do all of the modifying for my students in the regular ed classes. I spend so much time modifying and accommodating my students in the reg. ed. classes, I can’t even spend time on math. I feel cheated out of being able to teach, I feel my students are cheated because their needs are not always met. (I am also a middle school teacher) Before I was here, the teacher before me would take the kids out for tests and homework assignments and give them the answers because the work was not modified. Well, now I do it all!!!! I read the History textbook onto a tape almost every day for my students to listen to. The teachers are used to having the spec. ed. teacher in their room to help out and this year I have so many students it is impossible for me to help out as often. The teachers (not all, but most) give out the homework, don’t reduce it, and don’t help the students. That was my job before. I was thought as the teacher’s assistant by the students. I believe in inclusion, but I am not sure for what classes. My kids are capable of a lot, but have trouble with the homework, understanding how to do it, or the length of it. This may sound terrible, but I feel so stressed out that I don’t want to do this anymore. What do I do? It is good that others are going through the same thing. Thanks for listening and I hope to get some responses, or we can hopefully help each other out. Thanks, Rebecca

Dear Special Needs Teachers,

It sounds like no matter where we are we experience the same difficulties. The reason I first went into special ed teaching was because I would be able to provide assistance to the students. What I am finding is that I spend a great deal of time doing admin work, talking to parents and outside agencies, planning IEP and organising resources that the time I spend with the students is not very much at all.

I love my job and I have a good relationship with most of the staff. There is still a school of thought with some that I should be withdrawing all the students and spending my “half hour” with each child and fixing them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it is important that we negoitate our role with the staff we are working with, otherwise people might be expecting things from you which you are just unable to deliver. Also you may have expectations of the staff which have never been made clear to them and they need to hear them and respond.

I do not think we can ever get away from the fact that we may feel overburdened and sometimes unappreciated. I believe that we do a great job and so too do classroom teachers. in our busy days we everyone often lose sight of what the demands are on each other.

This is a great site and as such we should use it to boost each other and provide support for what we do.

Cheers

helen

To all special ed teachers,

As frustrated as you may be let it be known that we the parents of the special ed students, and the special ed students themselves very much appreciatte what you do for us. I know this does not put money in your pocket, get your deserved respect or the help that you need but hopefully it lets you know your are needed and appreciatted. As a parent of two special needs boys I can tell you what a challenge it is and any help I get I am thankful for. My boys have grown by such leaps and bounds thanks to the special ed teachers. I believe that without you my boys would not be where they are today. My 13 year old despite all his difficulties keeps marching on, he is a happy well adjusted kid catching up to his peers be it ever so slow. My younges son who seemed at age 3 to have severe autism now only manifests mild sx’s. I believe the boys are doing so well do to the patience and understanding they recieved from their special ed teachers. Thank you for your care and understanding for our kids.

Lisa

Boy do I understand where you are coming from! I also am in a similar situation. I am an inclusion teacher for 5th grade and I work with 3 other teachers. My problem was that they all agreed to the principal to do the inclusion with out even finding out what that meant. I have 2 teachers that have been with the district and as this school for at least 23 years and the other one is recently graduated with a degree in biology and now has decided to become a teacher so she is taking classes to become certified while still being in the classroom. One of the older teachers has been good about me coming into the class and working with my documented IEP students but the other one is totally against it and I have 2 students in her room. We never meet to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of what is going on and the only ones suffering are the students. Not one of my students passed Social Studies last nine weeks and I contribute a large part of it to me not being accepted into this class. This district is new to inclusion but I am not. I have taught both in a resource room and in inclusion but my schooling was mainly in inclusion.

My solution…I try to meet with them when I can and discuss what will be going on and then I use the time that I am in the class to really try to focus in on how I can best modifiy the environment to best fit the needs of the students. The other thing that I have found that is working for us is the the 2 teachers that I am able to work with have divided their class into 3 different reading groups. I am able to work with students during their reading time just as I would in my room without having to pull them out. The reading groups are flexible in which the students are able to move within them as needed depending on the difficulty of the reading assignment. So far, this has been working. I still have had no answers to the third teacher. I have made it aware to my principal my feelings so that it is known that I do not approve of this situation and that I feel that it is out of my hands. That way if a parent asks questions, I can direct them to him or back to the regular teacher. I can only do so much, and stepping on someone else’s toes and hurting my job is not the best answer. I have been there and don’t care to return.

It sounds like you are in the same situation and I would enjoy being able to share experiences and turmoils if you would like. Please feel free to drop me a line anytime and we can chat about ideas!

Good luck!
Christy

I am also an inclusion teacher in regular classes of reading, social studies and science. I was new my school this year and it is a real challenge for any special ed teacher to bridge the gap in so many ways. One has to be extremely flexible and tolerant. I have managed to do what I am required to do and have gone to great lengths to be accepted as another teacher in the room. The students also respect my authority. I do feel inadequate not knowing the subject matter of science and social studies, but I do see my role in the classroom in a different matter. I am there for the special needs students, but do not exclude any student needing special assistance. I prepare diffferent tests for my particular students and other students who seem to need it as well. I am learning myself on what I can do to make a difference and have to make necessary adjustments and changes so that my students can be successful. I have found out that everyone must be involved for the greatest success: the regular teacher, the special educator, the student and the parent. Life is grand when you are managing to do what helps, what is required and the student is succeeding

I am also an inclusion teacher in regular classes of reading, social studies and science. It is a real challenge for any special ed teacher to bridge the gap in so many ways. One has to be extremely flexible and tolerant. I have managed to do what I am required to do and have gone to great lengths to be accepted as another teacher in the room. The students also respect my authority. I do feel inadequate not knowing the subject matter of science and social studies, but I do see my role in the classroom in a different matter. I am there for the special needs students, but do not exclude any student needing special assistance. I prepare diffferent tests for my particular students and other students who seem to need it as well. I am also learning what I can do to make a difference and have had to make necessary adjustments and changes so that my students can be successful. I have found out that everyone must be involved for the greatest success: the regular teacher, the special educator, the student and the parent. Life is grand when you are managing to do what helps, what is required and the student is succeeding. This does not always happen. I have had success this year as well as failure. No matter how hard you try, the magic formula of what can bring success sometimes has a major missing element.