My Experience/Perception of Special Education today in America

I do not personally have alot of experience with special education.  There was only one young girl in our school system that had a special need.  She was autistic and spent alot of her time with a teacher that was placed in our school system to work with her.  I only ran into her in the hallways a few times.  Over the years though, you could tell that the teacher was making an impact because this girl gained people skills and social skills.  She used to never talk when I would pass her, but after the teacher worked with her, she was talking all the time and wouldn't stop!  I think sometimes special education is put on the back burner.  Some people say they don't have the time or the patience for it so they just ignore it.  Ignoring it is not going to help anyone and it for sure isn't going to help these children learn.  As a teacher you have to be ready for different students and you have to be willing to accept a challenge. 

As an educator, you have to truly understand the different ways that people learn in order to teach.  You can't be set in one way of teaching and expect every student to understand and excel.  You have to have a plan, but be flexible and ready for change.  If a student isn't catching on or understanding right away, you have to be a quick thinker and develop another way of explaining something even if it isn't your favorite way of doing it.  Being a teacher is all about the student and the way the student learns not about the way you want to teach.