"Count Me In Teacher"

First of all, teachers need to be aware of who their students are, what their particular needs are and how to go about planning for their student's individual educational program. Most of the time teachers are not aware of the students who are disabled or are in need of special assistance. Many times these students go unnoticed and these students fall through the cracks before they really are caught and given the necessary help, guidance and assistance that they really need to succeed in school.

Secondly, once teachers know who these students are, they can get help from other teachers such as a child study team who will work on setting the goals and educational programs for the students who need the extra help or assistance. There is help for those teachers who are afraid of dealing with these special students, but they just need to know how to go about getting started with providing these students with the help they need.

There should be lesson plans modified for these students, so that the parents and the child study team have an idea of where the student is, what his/her needs or goals are and plan to help the student reach the goals set for him/her. This will also help the teacher to better understand what the student is capable of and what his/her limitations are. These students should not be left to the sides any longer, and there is help available for those who come in contact with these students. I would need to find out for myself what this student's disability is first before I can really plan his educational program for my class.

An example of a student with a disability would be a high-functioning autistic fifth grader. He is a bright young man at math, his parents support him in every aspect of his life, but he gets frustrated in Chamoru class when there is a weaving activity to do. I would need to calm him down and work with him on a one-to-one basis, and he knows that I know his mother speaks Chamoru--so he can't get away with saying, "I don't understand, but I keep my patience with him because I know that he'll eventually get what it is I'm asking him to do. The key to working with this student is not to show him that you have no patience for him. He needs to know that there are other students in the class, and that I, as the teacher, will assist him without him "melting down" in front of his classmates. This young man knows that I'm there for all the students in my class, but he also knows that if he needs a little more help than the others--I'm there to assist him one-to-one.

Every child is special whether they have a disability or not. As teachers we should be able to share ourselves and our knowledge with those who need our help or even share our ideas. Teachers need to be able to work with all kinds of students: disabled or not, after all, teachers are in this profession to make a difference in a child's life--even if it's only one child.