Progress with Special Education Students

I am enjoying teaching the special education students who are in the classes I will be with for the next 5 1/2 weeks. The classes, which have as many as eight or nine students in the room at the same time, are broken up on paper as learning several different subjects. These may be biology, physical science, and math all in the same room at the same time. I think the different students have been listed as learning whatever subject they have on paper because they need credits in that particular subject to graduate.

One of the deans of the school, when I asked her what she wanted me to teach, simply said, "Teach 'em science." I have modified that somewhat. I start with "the word of the day," to increase their vocabulary. Then I go to a Xeroxed handout in which the basics of science -- elements, atoms, compounds, etc -- are defined and explained. Also, if there is a scientific story in the news, I spend about ten or fifteen minutes on that, too. I write on the board as I talk, and I have them copy what I write into their notebooks. As I talk, I continually ask students questions about the subject matter and their experiences with it. When we discussed Alzheimers, I heard about some interesting experiences.

We are working with Xerox copies drawn from different textbooks. And as I have more and more experience with these students I have become aware that their intellectual level varies enormously. It is rather like teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in which I am trying to educate 4 different grades.

One of the young ladies shows up in two of my four classes each day. She has a rather sad affect. I don't see her smiling, and I don't see her interacting much with the other students. What I do see, however, is that she takes excellent notes every day, usually both sides of a page of lined paper. She is diligent about her schoolwork. And on several occasions when other students have interrupted the class with talking she has told them to be quiet.

I'm using the only teaching technique I know, the one used in my classes 55 or 60 years ago at Exeter, when we sat around a big, table and the instructor went over the material with us.

"What is an element ?" he would ask. "John, tell us what an element is." and we would struggle through whatever notions we had in our heads, while the instructor would verbally nudge and push us in the direction of the correct definition until finally we reached it.

How intelligent really are these kids ? Someone claims their math and English skills are on a 3rd or 4th grade level. One of the school psychologists told me today that a few of them are really high-level "retarded." I haven't spotted this in any of them.

I like these kids, and I think they like me. One of them who wishes to become an NFL football player asked me yesterday if I would go to their next home football game. He sounded as though he really wanted me to be there, so I am guessing that he must find me an okay instructor.

Whenever I am teaching these kids I am haunted by the idea that they have been classified and categorized in a way that makes them subject to lower expectations than they are capable of.

High school kids are like beagles. They're motivated by food. That's why I have promised them a pizza party this Friday. I'll have four or five large pizzas and some soda delivered to the classroom just before lunchtime. When I ask a question in class, nothing grabs their attention more than when I say, "Answer this for one pizza point. You have to have pizza points to come to the party."