Ed
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D6.docxAssignment 2-3 Paragraphs
Reading: Article - EnablingorDisabling_Kauffman_etal.pdf
Enabling or Disabling?
On page 386 of the reading, two cases are presented. Address the following Questions.
1. What are the two extremes presented by these cases?
2. Do either of the two cases raise questions or create concern for you considering you will be full participants in IEP meetings?
Next Respond to both classmates (4-6 Sentences)
· Do you agree or disagree?
· Why or why not
· Make sure to give feed back to what they have written
Classmate #1
Thomas is identified as emotionally disturbed. He is then assigned to a resource class to help him with organization skills and extra academic skills. It seems that no matter what Thomas really needs the counselor is set on him being in some sort of “resource class” which in this case is one that will add no value to his condition or his education.
Bob is a student with Asperger’s whose mother is involved in his everyday activity and that of his teachers. She has an opinion (as the mother of a student should have) as to what his accommodations should and should not be. She is involved to the point of threatening the very people that we must assume have her son’s best interest at heart.
The two extremes as I see them in these cases are Thomas has NO parent involvement and Bob has way too much parental involvement. Thomas’ meeting was with two people within the school and Thomas. This meeting was to decide how to deal with the schedule of a student identified as EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED and there were no parents there! The meeting for Bob had thirteen people from all levels of the school system (assuming Bob and his Mother were there) and its agenda was driven by Bob’s Mother that did not want to consider legal accommodation but rather the accommodation she felt was best.
Classmate #2
The two extremes presented on page 386 of the article are about two different types of students and how they were accommodated by their respected schools. Thomas, deemed as "emotionally disturbed", was assigned to be in a resource class. This type of class was designed to help students improve their organizational skills or their academics. He refused to keep up the required daily planner or do any homework, so after a meeting with other adults and the principal, the guidance counselor decided that Thomas would not be required to do any work for the class. There was also Bob, a high school freshman with Asperger's Syndrome. He was taking three honors classes and two Advanced Placement classes, and had a very concerned mother who contacted the school about his accommodations frequently. After a meeting with his IEP team, five of his seven teachers, the principal, an autism specialist, and many others, his mother demanded that Bob have no homework assignments. There was a strong disagreement made between the purpose behind the homework, and why Bob would not be put in lower academic classes. Talk about a stressful conflict between the school and a parent!
Yes, both of these cases raise a lot of concern for me as a future teacher participating in IEP meetings. As a future band director, a lot will be required from my students. From traveling to concerts to performing- there are a lot of events the students must attend that require hard work! The latter case is especially concerning because it seemed as if Bob had no say in what was going on in his academic schooling. His mother was choosing to take control. It reminds me of something that is mentioned often in the music field: there are going to be a lot of parents trying to tell you how to do your job.
There is also the fact that in both of these cases, in my humble opinion, the correct solution to the problem was not reached. The focus should be on what is going to best suit the individual student and their needs, not what the parent feels or letting a student get away with whatever they want. There is a balance that must be achieved when serving students with special needs, and we must encouraged the highest level of success possible.
