Whom you
observed and interacted with in your setting during these two weeks
I
had the opportunity to observe in a kindergarten class at Edison school. I had
the opportunity to observe a parent who was walking with her son into the
classroom. I noticed the parent trying to hold her son’s hand and he kept
pulling away. The little boy (I will call Darren) however, ran into the
classroom straight for a toy in which he grabbed and began playing with. I was able to observe this parent with her
child on two other observation and everyday it is pretty much the same, him
pulling away from his mother and running into the classroom grabbing the same
toy.
Any special
learning experiences, insights, challenges, etc., related to your topics/focus questions
and/or advocacy efforts in this setting, the community, and/or the field
I
had the chance to continue my observation of Darren throughout my time in the
class. I noticed that Daren had to be asked several times to do certain
activities. Even if asked several times it seemed as though he picked the
activities in which he wanted to participate in. During the play time Darren
played alone. However, if he saw a toy or an item that other classmates have he
would run over and take the toy. The teacher would talk to Darren and he would
try to pull away and go to another area that caught his attention. She would
encourage him to apologize for taking the toys away from his friends. Although
he could not speak clearly he did attempt to apologize.
I
had the opportunity to speak with the teacher when the children went to lunch.
She stated that Darren has been diagnosed with Autism. She also stated that his
parents were having a difficult time accepting that their son has Autism. She
also stated that she have noticed some improvement in the way Darren is
communicating. She also stated that Darren is taking out for speech. She also
stated that Darren will withdraw and have behavioral issues if the routine is
broken. I asked her how she felt about inclusion and she stated she is all for
it if the children who have special needs is going to benefit from it. It can
be a bit challenging at times but the overall experience of inclusion is was a
positive one. The teacher also believes that an inclusive was good for the
children as well as her because everyone had the opportunity to learn and grow.
She also stated that it is important that the school district provide the
service necessary to accommodate the students and their families. She also
stated that inclusion will have a long lasting benefit for children with
special needs. I learned that teachers must have full knowledge of the
strengths as well as the limitation of the child with special needs. Another insight
that I gained from speaking with the teacher of this kindergarten class is how
important it is to have support of administration staff, therapist, parents and
children, and that all are perfect ingredients for positive inclusive
experience. “Every
student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.”– George Evans.
