Special education classes

[PuddleFopsKit]

(Should this go in the TB section?)

This thread is dedicated to Choirbrat- wherever he may be..

Ok, so as some of you may rememeber, Choirbrat started a thread about his special ed class on the old TBDL forums, as I always thought it was a good topic. I am restarting it, because I want to expand it beyond where it was, and make it better.

I was in those classes, form 1st grade through the beginning of seventh grade. My experiences in there are rather mixed. I got bullied a lot in my early years, strickly because I was in that class. It was viewed as the "retard" class, which was a horrible term for it. Very few in there(one?) was mentally challenged, and most were failry normal but had some type of social problem. Most of the time, it was alright, but sometimes being in there was stressful, or just horrible, because of outbursts, tantrums, etc.

With going into a lot of drama: How many of you were in those classes, and how do you think it contributed to the way you are now? (Personality/TB/DL/Furry.) Do you think it did you good to be in that class? How was your overall experience; good or bad?

 

[andysetra]

I remember there was the 'special' classroom next to the normal grade 6 classroom. I was in it for some classes with about 5 kids (not advanced or slowed down, just different... like an education experiment or something), and there was a bunch of kids that were always in there - one would have tantrums a lot and flip out. I remember hanging around with him outside school and being appalled at how his parents treated him...I've always wondered what he did with himself and hope he's doing well. Another one of the kids I'm still friends with. He had anxiety problems in large groups, and also some learning problems I guess. There was also a girl, but I don't remember much about her as she was really quiet.

I don't remember anything bad going on, just a lot of unsupervised, wasted time. I think that's why my math was poor going into junior high school, because I wasn't in the 'normal' class to get a good handle on the basics :/ I ended up taking advanced calculus after high school, so I don't think it was me who was the problem

 

[Dawes]

For one, there's absolutely no reason why someone should be bullied for being in the so-called "retard" class. That's not at all what it is. Although I've never been in a special needs classroom, I had plenty of friends who were, and I've also spent a bit of time tutoring and teaching in special needs classes, and some of the kids are honestly the most fascinating, lovable, and attentive students someone could ever want.

I've also spent a lot of time doing hands-on physical care of people with disabilities and special needs, and even though some people scoff at the idea of changing adults' diapers (yes, even here!), showering them, putting them onto the toilet, etcetera etcetera, it's actually quite a rewarding and engaging experience.

What I'm trying to say is this: I have a lot of respect for people who live in those kind of conditions and get educated in those kind of classrooms, whether the experience was good or bad for them, because it usually alwaos goes to turn them into a more well-rounded person. Special needs classes aren't just for "retarded" people -- they're for people who have special, if slight problems -- social, emotional, physical, or mental -- that might need just a little extra guidance to get past those difficulties. But once they get past them, they can soar and accomplish just as much as everybody else!

So you know what I say, to people who once went to school in classes like that? If it was a good experience, be proud of it, because you've clearly been able to use that education and get the most out of it!

 

[PuddleFopsKit]

I don't remember anything bad going on, just a lot of unsupervised, wasted time. I think that's why my math was poor going into junior high school, because I wasn't in the 'normal' class to get a good handle on the basics :/ I ended up taking advanced calculus after high school, so I don't think it was me who was the problem

Same here, minus the advanced calculus part. I do blame that class for my lack of skill in Math. There just wasn't enough time to dedicate to each student, and so some were left behind in certain things. I had to work hard at it, but I learned everything I missed in Junior High. I am still medicre in Math though, it just isn't my favorite thing to do..

Special needs classes aren't just for "retarded" people -- they're for people who have special, if slight problems -- social, emotional, physical, or mental -- that might need just a little extra guidance to get past those difficulties. But once they get past them, they can soar and accomplish just as much as everybody else!

I know it isn't, and I didn't mean it like that either. That's just unfortunately, how others viewed us. I do agree with you on almost everything else though.

 

[Dawes]

Oh, I didn't take it like that from you, Chromos. It was just my response to what might be a rather poor generalization, but I totally understood what you meant!

 

[Jewbacca]

I've always felt sad for the people with Asperger's, they're quite often rather intelligent, but because they can't act, according to society, "normal" in social situations. The damn idiots, who will most likely end up flipping burgers, always pick on them.
That's a bit of awkward sentence structure and ranting, but I've never been in a special needs class, although in junior high I took the short-bus as a personally shuttle to high school classes.

 

[Takashi]

I wasn't what you could call "special" classes but I was in a small class setting for certen things from 5th-8th and have been in co-teach (two teachers in the class) from 5th to this day. Basicly things started to go down hill when I started in 3rd grade.

My 3rd grade teacher loaded us down with homework, we had 4 homework assiments everynight (yes even on Fridays.) and it took be about 2-3 hours to get my work done and the teacher didn't really care she just wanted it done.

So I really struggled in 4th grade and when I look back on it now my whole 4th grade year is a bler. so I was put in a small class setting with about 10 kids which reached about 16 by years end and I regained alot of ground and I was ready for middle school.
When I got into 6th grade I was put in the same setting for Science, Reading, and English. By 7th I was only in a small class for reading and it was the same for 8th grade.

As for my expereance with kids who have had special needs I have found some cool people. I once had a friend who's older brother was in a speical needs class, he was interesting and very smart. The only weird thing about him was he thought that Star Terk was real. I was also a teachers assisstant in a special needs class when I was in 8th grade and those kids were really cool and alot of them looked up to me as a role mode.

 

[baconbit]

I have never been in a special education class. thought a lot of people at my school in it get made fun of i see it as mean. Though many of them are not actually retarded and not like anyone can help that. I am a genius myself though. I never had any problems in school.

In my school the special education class has a lot of people that are to lazy to try to get the work or in there on purpose because they acted like they didn't get it. This is mainly because they have an xbox360 and wii in the special education class like being in there is a good thing because of that.

Kenshin Himura you know what the reading in 7th and 8th(always small classes btw) is not because your dumb but because your not ready for a forien language. At least that is how it is here.

 

[Takashi]

This is mainly because they have an xbox360 and wii in the special education class.{/QUOTE]

Lazy bastards alot of the kids in the special ed classes in my school are like that.

Kenshin Himura you know what the reading in 7th and 8th(always small classes btw) is not because your dumb but because your not ready for a forien language. At least that is how it is here.

I was just a bad speller and I have a learning disability.

 

[Mr Alex]

I was just a bed speller

Was that on purpose?

Rance, I don't think I could do what you described, but it was interesting to read.

Below content may be offensive if you fail at life.

I hate, yes, hate, some of the people who are in those classes. Not the people with actual problems like severely mentally impaired. But just people with minor stuff such as in Pre Algebra in 9th grade. Most of them are extremely stupid, and they just have no idea about anything, anything in the real world, the same holds true for many girls, don't really know anything, hate bush because their parents do, and have no idea why they hate the things they do. Most of these people are douches, and they make fun of people, for being stupid, and call them fags for no reason etc. I don't exactly see how people in those classes can make fun of people for being stupid. You know the people I am talking about, I hate those people, does anyone feel the same as me?

 

[daria7483]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that special ed students had to be integrated into a regular classroom now under U.S. law, and therefore there could be no "special ed class." I used to tutor special ed students in a setting like this and I think it worked really well. We sometimes took the kids into a separate room to work with them without so many distractions of a regular classroom, but often we just sat at our own table in the classroom, or we'd pull our chair up to the student's desk.

Maybe the kids at this school were just unusually decent, but I never saw any of these kids get teased. They were really friendly and open to differences. The kids I worked with had mild developmental disabilities and behavioral problems, and sometimes autism or asberger's. But for the most part their classmates treated them like any other kids. There was one little girl, who I never worked with, who had really severe disabilities. She probably functioned on about a 1-year-old level, could not walk, talk, or eat solid foods. But by law, she had to be in a regular classroom with other kids at least some of the time. The other kids were really nice to her and would often ask her teachers questions and would say hi to her whenever they saw her.

That experience was a complete contrast from when I was in elementary and middle school. As I recall, we did have the "special ed class" and nobody who wasn't in it wanted anything to do with those kids. I remember my friend complaining to me because she had once said "hi" to a girl in that class, and now the girl said hi to her ALL THE TIME, and it was ruining her life and she was going to be SO UNPOPULAR if this girl didn't stop talking to her.

My high school though was different. We did have a separate special ed class, but for the most part the kids in it were treated decently, and some were quite popular. There was one guy who was in a wheelchair, he had cerebral palsy I believe, and at graduation he was able to walk across the stage with the help of a walker and we gave him a standing ovation.

So, I guess my conclusions from all this is that special ed students seem to do way, way better if teachers include them in a class with the "regular" kids and encourage treating them like any other kid, with some honest discussion of their disabilities if they're obvious. Setting up a separate special ed class and isolating the special ed students like they're lepers doesn't do anyone any favors.

 

[gamebaby]

i was in that class becuse of home work. befor that i had to take a pill for my adhd. the found out in 6 grade and am now still being made fun of.

 

[Takashi]

Was that on purpose?

You see what I mean I make weird spelling mistakes.

 

[starshine]

We don't have special-ed rooms. We do, however, have workers. They sit with the kids. In grade school, and highschool, there were 2 or 3 kids that were severly challenged, a few in wheelchairs who couldn't talk, ect... They had a worker that was with them constantly.

We also had rooms. My brother is Adhd, and he goes to what is called the "Back on track Room" which is where he can go to work, or even play games if that is neccissary for a couple hours if he is disruptive in class. The room also serves as a place where you can get extra help, for ANY student that feels a need to go down there, not just kids who have learning problems.

Like Daria, there was never any teasing, especially for those that had severe problems. We always said hi, you talked with them, and there was one girl, Lana, who had a learning disability, if she wanted to hang out with us, we let her, if she invited us to her birthday party, we went, and we invited her to ours. It may have been more out of pity, than being friends with her, but we never made fun of anyone, it just wasn't something you did.

 

[Takashi]

There was one little girl, who I never worked with, who had really severe disabilities. She probably functioned on about a 1-year-old level, could not walk, talk, or eat solid foods. But by law, she had to be in a regular classroom with other kids at least some of the time. The other kids were really nice to her and would often ask her teachers questions and would say hi to her whenever they saw her.

I know exactly what you are talking about. I am the president of a club for vision impared and blind studends for all of my county and we have a girl like that. She is in a wheelchair and has to be fed by a teacher. When I first saw her I was just confused because I had never seen someone that was so disabled before.

We also had rooms. My brother is Adhd, and he goes to what is called the "Back on track Room" which is where he can go to work, or even play games if that is neccissary for a couple hours if he is disruptive in class.

Please forgive me for being so blunt but your are going to reward him with games it he is disruptive.

 

[baconbit]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I am the president of a club for vision impared and blind studends for all of my county and we have a girl like that. She is in a wheelchair and has to be fed by a teacher. When I first saw her I was just confused because I had never seen someone that was so disabled before.

I heard about it but only on tv. It has something to do with their braincells either not working properly or not functioning together to allow things like talking walking and stuff. But that is only one possibility i heard of there might be other ways.

Please forgive me for being so blunt but your are going to reward him with games it he is disruptive.

Well they do that dumb stuff a lot. The U.S. has a bad very bad education system.

 

[jeep]

Yes, I was in them. Very limitly though.

 

[starshine]

Well they do that dumb stuff a lot. The U.S. has a bad very bad education system.

I'm in Canada, and our education system is pretty good.

Please forgive me for being so blunt but your are going to reward him with games it he is disruptive.

No, he's not being rewarded. I'm assuming you don't know much about being ADHD (I have limited knowledge, as well). My brother has bad days... where he doesn't want to pay attention, acts up, and wants to be the class clown. What's better, sending him home, where he isn't learning anything, or letting him calm down for an hour or so, playing games so he's able to return to class and learn? It's pretty simple, really. Most of the time, however, he does the work he missed, as well.

 

[Silikon]

(Should this go in the TB section?)

This thread is dedicated to Choirbrat- wherever he may be..

idk if that's slightly sarcastic and this is completely off topic but he was arrested or at least reported the police for pedophilia.

Other than that no...don't remember being in any special classes, other than the pressure my entire life to take higher level courses and me always doing so for some reason despite my lousy work ethic (unless i'm getting paid that is ).

 

[EmmEmmThree]

I am/was in Special Ed. from 1st Grade onwards. I failed 1st grade the first time, so I repeated. Then I moved on from 1st to 2nd.

I missed the last 5/8 of 6th Grade and the first 3/8 of 7th Grade because I was sent away for a while. After vigorous months of catching up with school, getting my life on track, working hard to try not to get left back again, they allowed me to proceed to the 8th Grade (Should've been in ninth) in Sept. of 2006.

I was in Special Ed all the way up to 8th Grade, then I was put into regular classes for high school, to see how far I've come, and to see if I'd be alright.

Gee, didn't that last long. My grades were/are in the toliet... but whatever.

After 8th Grade, and when I finally made it to the damned high school (2 years late), I'm half and half. Some of my classes (English, Global) are a little slower, while Math, my electives, and Biology are still normally rated.

And now I'm missing yet another month and a half of school... Things aren't looking too good. I'm actually trying to look forward to going back to my old classes. I could actually do the work there. Instead of failing 3 classes, I could be passing all of them with a pretty good averate (high 70s, mid 80s), considering...

Heh. look at the bright side. At least I'll be the first Sophomore to drive >_>.
Oh, and I'll graduate high school when I'm 20~21. Whoopie.