Professional Presentation

Portfolio: Resource for EBD

 

Introduction

Teachers are often considered some of the most influential people in an individual's life. Teachers can have a profound effect on their students, both academically and personally. A teacher's warmth, encouragement, and caring approach demonstrate respect for students. Students remember their teacher's compassion or lack of compassion throughout their lives. Students may perceive teachers as unfair, controlling or mean, even to the point of intentionally embarrassing each student. It is this type of teacher that makes students vow that they will never treat someone else like that, especially a child.

 

Teachers take all their prior experiences and beliefs into their classrooms (Pajares, 1992). According to Dilts (1999), beliefs are "judgments and evaluations made about oneself, others, and the world." These beliefs are generalizations one takes to the classroom about the causation or the meaning of student learning, behaviors, and social skills. Teachers must be aware of their beliefs before they enter the classroom, as beliefs influence classroom management, student evaluations, and teaching performance (Pajares). Beliefs and generalizations provide the underpinnings of how teachers view their classrooms and the role they will play within the educational environment. Teachers need to enter the classroom with a belief that all students learn differently, at different rates, and in different timeframes. Some students will be interested in some topics while others will not. Patience and the belief that all students can learn in their own personal ways and timeframes will help teachers stay engaged and encouraged in the classroom.

 

Differences

There is a common misconception in educational settings that people learn best by teachers simply providing information and students writing the information down with paper and pencil. Today, there is a plethora of research that disputes this belief because knowledge is a constructive process (Hegland & Andre, 1992). Learning is about many more things than just academics. Classrooms are social environments where students take part in experiential learning, knowledge exchange, and rote memorization. Teachers have a diverse set of skills, information, and knowledge, but the many demands of the educational environment leave them pressed for time. Teachers today cannot always wait for individuals to process information in their own time. Differences should be celebrated, but too many times people are stigmatized and segregated due to these differences.

 

Teams

The more severe students with EBD may have to be separated from the mainstream more often in order to help ensure their safety and the safety of others. However, the goal needs to be for them to learn how to survive in society without being segregated. The earlier the special education team can use interventions, the better the prognosis for success and eventual independence for the student. When a team develops an individualized education plan (IEP), the goal is for student success. Unfortunately, sometimes interventions are not successful due to the attitude of individual team members. There are often conflicts due to areas of supposed expertise and beliefs that interfere with the goal of student achievement. The issues can be as simple as a meeting causing an inconvenience to one teacher or team member. Prevailing attitudes also lurk − teachers may believe that they did not go to school to teach those kinds of students. Therefore, the progress can be very slow due to team members and not just the student.

 

Inclusion

The current trend is inclusion, and sometimes it is possible but blocked due to the attitudes and decisions of administrators, other team members, or the behaviors of the students. Often, teachers and administrators cannot be empathetic and have a limited understanding of special needs students. Some teachers and administrators may have the cursory theoretical foundation but not enough experience. The team needs to be open to ideas from all members, parents, and children and prioritize the child without overriding restrictions due to assessment reports, facts, and figures, as well as their personal attitudes. Regardless of why a student is placed into a special education program, the student may be aware of a society's stereotype about special needs children. Stereotypes such as the child is born stupid, special education kids are slow learners, or they cannot learn are unfounded and can lead to emotional problems. These children are often given a diagnosis of EBD, yet may have a genius IQ. Student achievement should not be based on IQ or assessment scores.

 

Conclusion

EBD teachers are in great demand in school districts but these teachers are at higher risk for burnout. When teachers are placed in high severity districts and classrooms, tenure is short−4-5 years maximum (Larwood & Page, 2004). Some educators last over a decade and have a few secrets to share. The first tip is for teachers to create a positive environment, a healthy place for them to retreat. Teachers must take care of themselves before they can take care of others, specifically their students. It is a skill to learn to leave work behind; stress is cumulative and causes health problems in the long term. Teachers always need to remember why they began teaching in the first place. Hobbies, friends, and family are good ways to leave the classroom behind and focus on building positive relationships. A good tool is to take notes, writing down anything important to remember, goals or tasks that need to be accomplished, and any other issues that are work-specific. Developing networks of professionals will help teachers have a safe place to debrief after a particular issue has been resolved or to give professional feedback.

References

Dilts, R. B. (1999). Sleight of mouth: The magic of conversational belief change. Capitola, CA: Meta Publications.

Hegland, S., & Andre, T. (1992). Helping learners construct knowledge. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 684-689.

Larwood, L., & Paje, V. (2009, Fall). Teacher stress and burnout in deaf education. Academic Exchange Quarterly. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3325/is_3_8/ai_n29144428/.

Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers' beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307-332.