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Luisa Silva

March 9, 2022

EDU 203

Personal Philosophy of Special Education- Artifact #4

Constantina Pappas M.Ed., BCBA

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Special education means something different to everyone, those who are closer to it have

a deeper connection and understanding. For me the closest person in my life who lived with

special needs was my cousin Gabriel. Gabe was diagnosed with autism very early on but

growing up I didn’t really understand what that meant, I just knew he didn’t talk. So, to me I

thought autism just meant a person was mute, and that is quite obviously not the case. Even

though Gabe did not speak he always took part in things with us and sat in our circles of

conversation, he still does to this day, he wants to be with us and interact as we do.

I never envisioned myself as a special education teacher, but I never put much thought

into it either. I think if given the opportunity I would love to take on that task. I do believe it

comes with its own set of unique hardships, as any profession would. Parents are more on edge

and worry more for their children’s future, so it could be more difficult to have uncomfortable

conversations, but parents also get the benefit of being personally involved in their child’s

Individualized Education Plan. Parents’ aggressiveness is always coming from a place of fear, so

it is important to remember that and try to work through issues with them calmly and reassure

them that everything is okay. Special needs kids can also become aggressive, and it is important

to keep calm in those situations.

Teaching is rewarding in any grade and any subject, but with special education I think

that bond goes even deeper when you see your students achieving the goals you had in place for

them. Instruction needs to be a lot more hands on and individualized in a special education

setting. Teachers are spending more time with each student and ensuring that they are making

movements toward their goals. There are also a lot of subjects that need to be taught that

wouldn’t typically be mentioned in a general education classroom, things like how to

communicate with people using eye contact and personal space, how to respect boundaries, how
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to tell what a person is feeling based on facial expressions, and even how to do simple household

chores. Teachers also need to be mindful of triggers, and how to keep the day running as

smoothly as possible. For autism students it is good to have set schedules they can look at to

know how their day is going to go.

I think the future of special education is bright. Every year educators learn so much about

how to better assist their students in their needs. We are constantly learning new things about

disabilities and impairments, and how to help students thrive with the ones they have. We have

already come such a long way from segregated “dumb persons” schools and refusing to teach a

student with a body deformity because it is “gross” for teachers and other students to have to

look at. Critical issues still exist, just as they do in all school systems, but we are aware of their

existence and that is a huge step in the right direction. Education is not a one size fits all, so it is

difficult to get it exactly right, but with teachers who are always striving to do and be better we

are headed in a positive direction.