Medicine Lodge High School
Medicine Lodge, KS
Teachers: Debra D. Parker and Michael
Hubka
Education for All
By Andrea Sorg,
12th grade
As I sit beside the little boy, I notice he is struggling to solve a math problem. If I ask him to write his name, it would be an easier task for him. But, a math
problem is very difficult because he has a learning disability. I show the boy a different strategy to solve the problem and a light bulb turns on. He can work the
next few math problems much easier. Being a teacher is an honorable trade, but to be a special education teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs in the field. An
apprenticeship program that would allow me to learn the “ropes” of a special education teacher would be the best way to benefit my future and show me what
special
education encompasses.
Special education teachers work with children who have problems in the general
education. These teaching positions begin in
preschool and continue through high school.
Students who qualify for special programs may have learning disabilities, serious
emotional disturbances, mental retardation, visual, hearing, speech, or orthopedic
impairments, autism, traumatic brain injuries, or multiple disabilities. By federal law, schools are required to develop an
Individualized Education Program or Plan for each special education student. This plan tells where each child’s
deficiencies lie and what each one needs to learn. The
Individualized Education Program sets personalized goals for each student and is tailored
to a student’s individual learning style and ability.
This program includes a transition plan outlining specific steps to prepare special
education students for middle school or high school, or in the case of older students, a
job or post-secondary study. Special
education teachers are involved in the creation, implementation, and annual review of
these programs.
Special education teachers work in a variety of settings. Some work in their own classrooms and teach
classes composed entirely of special education students; others work as special education
resource teachers and offer individualized help to students in general education
classrooms.
I must be qualified in order to be a special education teacher. I must obtain many skills to be qualified. The personal skills and qualities I must acquire
are communication skills, confidence, critical thinking, initiative, leadership qualities,
patience, self-discipline, and sensitivity, Most of all, I must be good with people. These qualities and skills are only a few
characteristics I must have to work with such complex people.
Technology is playing an increasingly important role in special education. Special education teachers use specialized
equipment such as computers with synthesized speech, interactive educational software
programs, and audio-tapes.
Many positive opportunities await me when experiencing this apprenticeship program. I believe that every child deserves an education,
whether he or she needs special education services or not.
If a child is struggling in a certain subject or a child is handicapped and cannot
be taught in a general education classroom, this child still has the right to learn. A special education teacher can teach a student at
his or her own level. It is every student’s right to have a free, public education.
The negative aspects in this apprenticeship program begin with money. Millions of dollars are put into the special
education programs each year; however, every year this apprenticeship program is a fight
for funds. For all the money that is put into
programs many question if the program is really helping the students. Some students may receive an excessive amount of
help and have a great amount of money spent on them, but are they so disabled that they do
not comprehend anything? Is this the best use
of the money? Perhaps an apprenticeship
program would be a better use for some of this money.
After I have taken the time to explain it in many different ways, the little child
I am helping, now understands his math, I have found how math works for him. I believe that special education teachers are
worth the time and money, and they, too, would benefit from this program. Every student deserves his or her right to
learn. We should help in every way possible
to see every student receive an appropriate education so they can succeed in today’s
society.
Questions to be answered after the required reading has been completed
1. Discover and write a two-line
description of four programs in your community that currently operate on the
school-to-work philosophy.
A.) FFA allows us to interact
with small children and provide them with a role model.
We organize many activities for the children and the FFA members to enjoy.
A.) Toys for Tots is a program that
provides children with Christmas presents and warm clothes throughout the cold winter. This way children will have a Merry Christmas.
B.) Reins for Hope is statewide. This program helps the handicapped people learn to
deal with the disabilities. It teaches them
balance and flexibility by riding horses and stretching on them.
C.) Community Colleges are primarily
open-enrollment local colleges that offer adult and vocational education and two-year
degrees.
D.) Trade Schools are for-profit schools that offer practical instruction in such fields as hair styling, computers, dental technology, and trucking.
3.
Discover and write a paragraph or two describing two examples of federal
legislation that have been either proposed or
enacted during the Clinton administration.
Answer:
The United States is enjoying the longest economic expansion in history; the lowest
unemployment rate in 30 years; the most new jobs ever created under a single
administration; the highest homeownership rate in history; the lowest poverty rate in
twenty years and the largest five-year drop in child poverty since the 1960's.
4.
Businesses often make partnerships with schools to introduce students to the
workplace. Discuss a situation like this in your community. (Hint: Contact your local
Chamber of Commerce.)
Answer:
FEA students are allowed to go down to the primary school and help teacher the children of
their choice. This prepares them to be a teacher if they choose
to do so.
5.
What is meant by “outcome-based” in the illustration below?
“Apprenticeships must be outcome-based like a cosmetology school. When you
finish you must be able to cut hair, not just say you completed 1,000 hours of
training.”
Write a similar
illustration of your own.
Answer:
It means that you need to learn something, and apply it to your everyday life.
6.
From the reading, give three reasons the AFL-CIO might be opposed to youth
development programs.
Answer:
They believe in the child labor laws and the fair labor standards act. Also, having apprenticeship programs would violate these laws. They think that the word
apprentice should be reserved for the decades-old registered apprentice program, which is strictly defined. The employment issues, is wary of using the label youth
apprenticeship for a smorgasbord of
programs without differentiating between good ones and bad ones that exploit kids.
7.
From the reading, give 3 reasons employers might be opposed to youth apprenticeship
programs.
Answer:
One is that employers hire college
graduates over high school students because they believe the maturity level is much
higher. Another is that not all employers
temperamentally suited to supervise apprentices because they need supportive parents and
employers who will give them time off. The last reason is that they need to find workers
with a good work ethic and appropriate social behavior-reliable, a good attitude, a
pleasant appearance, and a good personality.
8.
In the reading, Aviation High School, High School of Fashion Industries and the
High School for Agriculture Sciences were mentioned. Research on the Internet and describe
the program at one of these schools or another at another school you discover through the
National Center For Research in Vocational Education.
Answer:
Aviation High School has several pilot and apprenticeships up and running. Their education program has a school-to-work
initiative
9.
What are the differences between contextual learning, applied learning, community-based
learning and experiential learning?
Answer:
Contextual learning is where the
learning takes place in context and is functional.
Applied learning is when you apply the skill you are learning and you understand
the skill. Community-based learning is when
you go out into the community and learn from community-based projects. Experimental learning is when you learn from
experimenting with criteria.
10. In the required reading the federal government’s role was described in one word. What was that word?
Answer: The word that the federal
government's role was described as was an Apprentice