Tales of a Frustrated Special Education Teacher

I remember when I first ventured into special education after 5 years of teaching language arts/reading. I was apprehensive even then about the amount of paperwork required for the job. Despite my misgivings, I moved ahead because I knew there was a need for highly qualified teachers in the field.

Once involved, I was able to organize my time well enough to the point where I could balance my role in the classroom with my paperwork requirements. Several years later, when my oldest son had his own individualized education plan ( IEP ), I developed an even greater respect for the special ed process.

Fast forward four years later, and I am in a completely different place as far as my mindset. The amount of paperwork has seemingly doubled and 24 hours in a day doesn't seem to be sufficient for me to meet the demands of my job. As much as I value the need for special education,  I am becoming a statistic...one of the hundreds of special education teachers with one foot out the door and the other one slipping...

The Modern Classroom Caught on Tape

I normally devote most of my blogging to disability awareness but after seeing the video from Chicago, I realized how much awareness needs to be raised about the realities of modern education.

Admittedly I did not want to watch this video initially but when I did, it brought out so many emotions. My thoughts were: I hope that this is some sort of parody. But I knew it wasn't. Sad that this is what the classroom has become in modern contexts. What's even sadder is that this isn't an isolated incident.

After 11 years of teaching experience, I still can't say that I have seen it all because there's something new every single day.