PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION 1

Portfolio Artifact #4

Personal Philosophy of Special Education

Florentino Juarez

EDU 203

April 23, 2018

College of Southern Nevada

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Personal Philosophy of Special Education

My inspiration to teach came from my family. First, I’ve always had a strong supportive

foundation from my parents and sisters. They always encouraged me to stay in school and pursue

whatever I wanted to become. Second reason why I want to pursue teaching was the birth of my

niece. I see the support that I received and now the support that my niece is receiving as she

growing up. I see children who don’t have a solid foundation of support at home and lack of

positive adult figures. Becoming a teach will fulfill a passion of mine that will give the support to

children who need a support system to grow as individuals. My interpersonal skills, the ability

listening compassionately, and eagerness to uplift my community will serve me best to work

with school who are low funded and in poverty neighborhoods.

We are all different. It is what makes us all unique and interesting human beings

(Gargiulo, p.3, 2015). Gargiulo and Kilgo remind us than an individual with a disability is first

and foremost a person, a student more similar to than different from his or her typically

developing classmates. The fact that a pupil has been identified as having a disability should

never prevent us from realizing just how typical he or she is in many other ways. As teachers, we

must focus on the child, not the impairment; separate the ability from the disability; and see the

person’s strengths rather than weaknesses (Garguilo, p.6, 2015). Special Education classes didn’t

appear in public schools until the second half of the nineteenth century and beginning of the

twentieth century. Every child is deserving of an education, schools and teachers must adjust to

every student’s needs so they can be better learning and retaining the material.

I’ve learned after observing in a classroom with students with severe autism, it is a very

demanding job. During readings or discussions, you will be interrupted with students talking out

of place, not keeping their hands to themselves, and students moving around. As a special
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education educator, it is important to be CPI certified (Crisis Prevention Institute) a safe

management of disruptive and assaultive behavior. Children with learning disabilities may have

an impulse to release serotonin from their bodies, so some will bang their heads on a wall or the

floor. A method to help the student release serotonin is to press on their body from shoulders all

the way to their feet, so that the child’s impulse to release serotonin isn’t harmful to where they

bang their head and hurt themselves. It is important to keep an open mind to learn new research

methods and taking as much trainings to further serve and provide an impactful education to

students with learning disabilities.

In order to be a successful teacher, you must possess certain qualities that only some

people have. Being patient is a vital one, regardless of the grade you teach your patience will be

tested. If you are not listening to your students, as a teacher, you are not making your job easier.

With listening, you’ll be able to build rapport with student assuring them they are being heard

and noticed. Being a substitute teacher, I will be able to see the functions of a classroom and

interact with students. Currently, I’m working on my Associates Degree in Elementary

Education. Before transferring to either Nevada State College or UNLV, I will have had passed

the Praxis I exam. With appropriate time to study and prepare for the Praxis I exam, passing

results will lead to entering the desired school’s education program. Similar steps are taken

approaching my Bachelor’s Degree as I will have to have completed the Praxis II exam. By

completing the Praxis II exam before graduation only soothes the transition into a classroom.

Once I’m a licensed teacher and in the classroom, I would like to continue and either purse my

Masters in Elementary Education or get a ESL endorsement to teach ESL.

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Reference

Gargiulo, R. M. (2015). Special education in contemporary society (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks,

CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.