Day 6: 7-22-10

Ok its Thursday and the children, I, and Mr.McCraw are ready for Friday to get here. We are different learning playing games in the classroom. The learning games are giving to the students to test their knowledge, awareness, and learning strategies. Every students are on a different level from each other. The teacher including me are making notes on each of the students on how they do and also these games tells the instructors if the student is improving or at the same level from the first game that was giving(labeling each students).
Personal I hate labeling children, students, or people period. I’m always torn about place labels on people. I dealt with behavior-disordered and learning disable individuals with in my family, so I aware of how things are done and etc. When we go to recess I see the other students point at my students to tease about going to a special class for the “bad” kids or the dumb so they say. It didn’t help, even when Mr.McCraw requested it be removed , to have the nameplate over his classroom door labeled only with his name and not special education. The label was everywhere; it would followed those students regardless of where they went in the school building. Everyone knew, and the results were not always positive.
From a special education teacher's point of view, labels are technically necessary. First off, students that are in special education must be labeled in order for the state to recognize them. Without that label there would be no extra funding for that student. There would be no additional support staff to help that student at school. There would be no IEP for that student, which is a must in special education. You see; a label is necessary in that manner.
Does it need to follow the child around the school? Does every staff member need to know that child is labeled as special education? Technically yes. Every teacher or staff member in the school that he comes into contact with needs to be aware of the child's behavior or learning plan. Therefore, the label is a must in the school setting.
What about the other students the students in general education? Can we keep them from knowing that a peer of theirs is in a special class? I am finding out that the answer is no. This is where the label can become a negative. Students that are labeled as special education already know they are different, then to top it off, their peers may know and this opens up a whole can of worms. Other students are sometimes not so nice to the kids they know are in special education.
I wish I had ideas on how to keep kids labeled with their specific special education label, but somehow manage to keep it from peers of the students with the label. I believe by doing this, it would save the self-esteem of the special education student and perhaps, allow for an improved school year for all in my opinion.