day 4

So day 4 of my SPED 225 class brought another issue up. When going over the regulations of the IDEA law, we got to the part about offering services to children on an IEP. We were discussing the role of a paraprofessional (paras) because not everyone knew what their job was. My instructor gave a brief description that included helping a special education teacher and being a support person in a regular ed classroom. I piped up and said "they are also paired with a child in a regular classroom setting to support their needs in a more inclusive environment" to which my instructor said "yes, this is true. However, I disagree with this. I believe that pairing a child with a para one-on-one is detrimental to the child's growth. He or she will become attached to the para and may only work with that para creating more issues down the road." Yet again, rendered speechless, I just stared at her. I must have had quite the look on my face because she got an odd look on her face and looked away.

My assignment due tomorrow is a "Reflective Essay" on my personal views of people with disabilities. This is supposed to be a growing exercise for those who haven't had much interaction with the special needs community. I am interested to see how things change after she reads my essay.


:D