Final Reflections on new feelings

1.        What are your initial feelings regarding working with students with moderate to severe disabilities?  Wow, my feelings haven’t really changed I am still intimidated by the students but it should be said that all classrooms intimidate me.  The students were great and taught me to expect the unexpected in all situations.  Students with labels to me are sweet even though I was hit, verbally abused and picked on.  This experience could not be traded it rates up in my top 6 of education experiences. 

2.       What do you already know about working with students with moderate to severe disabilities?  My feelings on this are still the same.  The difference this time is that I expected the behaviors and learned to adapt my mind frame and body language to provide a comfortable experience when possible for the students.  I did learn to keep my opinions to myself.  I also learned that even when you don’t agree with the methods something can be learned good or bad in any situation.

3.       What do you think you will learn from your community-based experience?  I took away this from the experience ignore the adults and concentrate on ways to help the students gain knowledge.  No, I know that you can’t ignore the adults but that would be nice.  My teacher never came out of the classroom unless it was necessary.  I understand now that sometimes staying to yourself can be a good thing.  By staying in the classroom he avoided becoming involved in conflict with different parties but he used the time to make visuals, grade papers and respond to emails.  To me this was a positive way to stay on top of work and assignments.  I wish the time he put into the visuals and lessons he put into engaging the students attention in the lesson.  By the time I finished the hours here my teacher was turning into another person.  I hope that if the program continues that another student is placed into this class to aid the students and get to know them.

4.       How would you like to grow professionally over the course of your community-based experience?  Professionally it is my hope to gain a more mature approach to working with peers, parents and administration in this field.  I would like to learn how to interact with everyone in a manner that will be professional but comfortable.  In this experience I hope to learn positive interactions, teaching skills and appropriate strategies to teach children in this area.