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Self Reflection: Role of Special Educator/EBD

Sean Laughlin

University of Kansas

SPED 898

Dr. Brasseur-Hock

June 22, 2020

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Self Reflection: Role of Special Educator/EBD

Having spent three years as a paraprofessional in an Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD)

class has evolved me as a special educator because I have seen and worked with so many

different students who cannot all be treated the same.  Two strengths of mine as a special

educator is my ability to build relationships with all students as well as creating high

expectations for each student to allow them to grow socially and academically. Creating

appropriate expectations is not only important but also surprisingly difficult (Kauffman &

Landrum, 2018). 

EBD classrooms can range from many different students and cases that may not belong in

the same room, but because they both fall under the EBD umbrella, they are together. Choosing

the roster in an EBD can be challenging because of the vagueness of what an EBD student is. 

What I see in my current school as why determining EBD students is difficult is because parents

and their children often fight the diagnosis, which creates issues for placing the student in the

correct environment. A lot of these cases are from families in poverty, which is where a

significant amount of EBD students come from (Landrum video). As to who is responsible for

the education of students with EBD? I think a little piece of everyone is responsible for fixing the

overall education of EBD students. Students come to school to receive an education, and if we as

educators cannot put them in the correct environment, we are letting them down.
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References:

Kauffman, J.M., & Landrum T.J. (2018) Characteristics of emotional and behavioral disorders

of children and youth, NY, NY: Pearson.

Landrum, T.J. (2015, July2). Issues in Identification, Evaluation, & Eligibility in the Category of

EBD. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/playlist?

list=PLN2P8SpU2zyNFKMc2x_FMIP4AnG0BhLyJ

Instructor Comment copied from Canvas: Be sure to provide specific examples in your

writing and adhere to all components of the assignment details. For example, you stated "a little

piece of everyone" should be responsible for identifying students with EBD, but you don't clarify

for the reader who that may include (e.g., general education teacher, special educator,

family/caregiver, community support providers like mental health counselors). The prompt asked

to consider disagreements over the definition of EBD in your response to the question regarding

identification. Providing two perspectives (or two ways to look at the issue of identification)

would demonstrate you addressed disagreements over identification.