Renee Garcia

Field Experience #3
SPED

Working on my practice hours for Special Education has definitely been a very
challenging experience because it is very different from a general education class. Previously I
had worked with kids with special needs, but I never realized that a student in special ed doesn’t
necessarily have an autism or a down syndrome disability. The kids I work with are 7th and 8th
graders and are regular students but that can’t read or have a difficult time processing in a
learning environment. It has been a unique experience.
My mentor is Ms. Wu, being part of her class has also been one of the best experiences
I've had so far. It is something I wasn’t used to and every single time I walk in her classroom and
bond with her and her students I have learned so many things not only about special ed but about
life, it has opened my eyes, and I have been more open minded. Ms. Wu always makes sure her
classroom feels safe for her students she doesn’t only talks to them as friends, but her students
love her and trust her. The students aren’t always motivated and ready to learn, but Ms. Wu has
managed to figure them out and I have notice by how she teaches them and even though most of
them struggle, she always tries and not just once many times. These students learn at a slow pace
and most of them can take half an hour in one question whether it is a math problem or a reading
question.
Ms. Wu has a very weird and different schedule from what I have ever experienced.
Every day is different and even though she has IEPS and is full of emails she always makes sure
that she has assessments for her 19 students. They each have different disabilities, so she works
her way around them to make different assessments. My mentor does what we call pull outs.
Depending on what kind of help the student needs that’s how we determine the time he or she
will spend in the SPED classroom.
In this class we also do groups, independent work, and one on one with Ms. Wu or with
me. Depending on who shows up. There is days when some students wont show up, so we don’t
always test everyone.
The types of assessments my mentor has vary all the time because these students can
work on the same things for days. They can go from math, vocabulary, reading, to any other
classwork they have. These tests are very different from a general ed classroom because for one
if the student feels overwhelmed, they can stop the test no matter how easy it is for us the
teachers, but the student may have a difficult time. Second even if they don’t stop, they can
usually continue it the next day they attend the class. Thirdly, as I’ve mentioned before every
student has a different disability and they each work at a different pace.
Most of the students I’ve got to work with have had trouble with reading, and I’ve been
part of their assessments. Mostly what they do is read a small passage, and answer about 8
questions. Majority of them are on a 3rd grade level. Most of them take a very long time to finish
reading the passage they usually answer about 3 questions and have to have to finish the rest on
the next day and of course re read the passage again. After that there has been times where we go
over the passage out loud and reflect a little. We even go over the words they have trouble
pronouncing. This is how we get an idea of where each student might be in there reading
comprehension and some vocabulary.
Theres also other types of assessments like math and vocabulary, but I have mostly seen
the reading assessments Ms. Wu creates for the students. I think these tests are created because
that’s how we know where a student stands and if they are reading to move to another grade
level of which ever subject it is they need the most help on.
I’ve seen different techniques my mentor has her students do and that she works with
them. They vary from reading together, asking questions, using supplies that will help them say
or create a story, and many more. But what I have seen is that Ms. Wu creates not only tests but
different worksheet activities for the students to try alone and also work together. There’s been a
few occasions where I’ve notice that they work and feel more comfortable when it said and
worked together.
Being part of this class, has taught me so many things. Although these kids aren’t so
little, I think the techniques Ms. Wu has have helped them throughout the year, I’ve only been
with them for a while but each time I go I see more progress.
This was and has been a great experience for me because it is something new and
different. Ms. Wu always makes sure to put her students first and she always tries her best. I am
happy to be part of this class. As I’ve seen every student is different and they all learn at different
a pace. Every teacher is different, but Ms. Wu has the best heart for her students, and I love that.
I can proudly say that I am learning more from them than they are from me.
Being a teacher isn’t only about assessing students with test and schoolwork. It is about
waking up everyday and going up in a classroom and teaching students.It is about caring for
them and making sure they learn so they can always look back and say only positive things.