The Special Educator and Coach

I was asked to interview teachers and administrators of special education. I was thrilled because I had already set up an appointment with my old football coach who is now a special education teacher at the high school. I was asking him about student teaching at my old high school, I thought this was perfect because I could also knock out an assignment. What I did not know was the level of passion and determination my old coach had for the special education program. I was thrown back about how much information he could give me and how much admiration he has for these kids.

I started off by asking coach Silver about how student's are identified for a special education referral. He went into detail about the Individualized Education Program (IEP). He stated that it goes back to the teacher. You must look at different things that the student has done in class, he emphasizes that we must look for personal issues. If a student loses their house to a fire, that obviously would impact their education but not be a special education issue. The process is as follows. The teacher who identifies an issue and makes a referral to the schools psychologists. They tend to run assessments on baseline studies such as; reading, math, sometimes emotional factors. The psychologists get parents involved if there is a determined disability to try and figure out a plan. Even when he was talking about a simple referral process Mr. Silver really seemed passionate about making sure these students were put in the right place. He added that parents are incorporated throughout the whole process and it is important for them to be apart of it.

Accountability was brought up, I asked the coach who is responsible for the students after the referral. He explained the team decision under IEP which consists of the; teacher, parents, school input, kids input (at least in high school students). He heavily focused on a check and balance system. Obviously if there is continual improvement in students scores then they will review the IEP and determine if the student is still well suited for special education or not. Usually its a minimum of a year of the student being in the program before they can review, and every 3 years they must review.

When asked about his specific teaching style with such a diverse class setting. He says that he tries to incorporate a multitude of teaching styles in every lesson from lessons plans that use; hearing, visuals, and interaction. This seemed to hit on a topic that was discussed in one my first assignment in the special education section. I believe Finland's model of early intervention also touched on differentiation teaching practices for all students. That is something Mr. Silver was saying with his style, he doesn't focus on one specific area, he tries a multiple array for all different students. He also told me he suffers from a disability, and he uses this to encourage students. His approach is you are not allowed to use this disability as a crutch, you still have the power to succeed. Even though it may take you more time to comprehend something or complete an assignment you at least tried. New York School of One's classroom basis follows a similar model. They have an algorithm which determines where a student struggles and then has them try different methods in order to be successful in education. That is essentially was Coach Silver was saying, he focuses on trying to understand the material but at your own pace and what will work for you.

I asked him some personal questions. I asked how he tried to get special needs students more involved with extracurricular's. He said that he encourages it because the more clubs they are involved the better it is for them. He see's how some of these kids may struggle, being involved in clubs and sports broadens their social interactions in terms of people who might have similar struggles in these groups. It also allows the struggles to be put into something positive at the same time. I asked him how he manages coaching and teaching in such a time orientated field. He says that you must be organized. You can't jump around, he has done that and it becomes stressful. He really emphasized prioritizing time.

What stuck with me was what he said about his personal experience. He said "There is a tendency for people to be scared, however its very rewarding. Sometimes people have wrong and negative outlooks for special education. Its rewarding to see them succeed in life. I enjoy the profession and the kids. Don't be afraid to see what kids can do. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." His passion was exemplified through his words and the look of happiness he has for this profession. I was optimistic about my own pathway to teaching by seeing how much Coach Silver cared about his special education students. If every teacher could be like this the world of education would be a successful one.