Adapted from OCT. (2006). Booklet One: Case work inquiry for educators.

How Hard Could It Be to Teach

Special Education?
In my third year of teaching, I was asked to teach Staff room stories tended to impart gossip about
the special education behaviour class at my that class. Almost daily, it was reported how one
school. How difficult could that be? After all, student or another had started a fight in the
there were only eight students in the class, and classroom or caused a major conflict at recess. We
there was a full-time child and youth worker. The teachers would raise our eyebrows and knowingly
teacher I was to replace was leaving the school identify the problem: no doubt it was a lack of
and moving out of the province. Not surprisingly, discipline at home, or those kids just got away
I was offered the class since I had hinted that with murder; in any case, there was probably no
teaching special education students was probably hope for them.
much easier than teaching a class of 30 students. In retrospect, I have to admit that the teacher and
Surely it would be a nice change to work with
the child and youth worker assigned to that class
students on a one-to-one basis. After all, I had full time looked exhausted more often than any
successfully completed the Special Education, other member on staff, but at the time I was sure
Part 1 Additional Qualification course. I had even the exhaustion was caused by the personal
taken the behaviour option. I couldn’t believe how demands of their own families.
pumped and prepared I felt … then!
I realized I had a great deal to learn, but I was up
As I left the principal’s office, I was happy, I for the challenge, I think! Still, two other concerns
think! However, doubts began to surface almost crept into my mind. What should I teach them,
immediately. I had been assigned a class of and how would I engage eight learners that ranged
students with behaviour challenges at the junior from eight to 14 in age with diverse academic
and intermediate level, Grades 4 to 8, and many of abilities that spread even further than their ages?
the students were taller than me. In fact, one
student stood a full head taller than me and, no As the summer wore on and I thought more and
doubt, outweighed me by 30 pounds. more about it, I decided to research what a special
education teacher should know in order to teach
My experience so far had included a Grade 5 class these students. I met with the special education
for one year and a split Grade 3/4 for the consultant, and she shared some articles and
following two years. True, I did not really know books with me. I reread the texts I had studied in
what to expect, as none of these students with the Special Education, Part 1course, and I dug out
behavioural challenges had ever been integrated articles that I had received in my teacher training
into my regular classes. courses. I was ready!
Yet, I did do a lunch duty in that part of the school On Labour Day weekend, apprehension turned
one day a week. I would walk up and down a into terror. On Labour Day Monday, I received a
short hallway and peek into classrooms if I heard phone call from the child and youth worker. He
a loud noise, or if one of the students needed had fallen out of a tree and would not be able to
something, he or she would seek me out. But come to school for the first week. I would truly be
generally, an adult stayed with that behaviour on my own. I had a sick feeling in my stomach.
class every lunch hour, so there was little need to What if none of the students listened to me, or
even approach that room.
even worse, just ran around the class in circles
and refused to follow instructions? How would

CASEWORK INQUIRY FOR EDUCATORS 9

 Revised 2006

the events in my new class affect the rest of the different needs were! So I guessed at what I
school? thought they knew, what they could do and how
they might behave.
The school was in a middle-class area with a
population of about 600. The students in the The child who had cerebral palsy and the
regular classes were relatively well behaved. I designation of TMR provided me with a major
really enjoyed teaching there, and the principal challenge. She was the only female in the class
seemed to think I was a good teacher. The and her parents’ expectations differed from what I
students in my regular class liked me as a teacher. had observed of her behaviour and abilities. I tried
The parents complimented me on my style, my to understand what she needed. Now as I look
class management, and my interesting back, I can articulate: she struggled with reading,
assignments for their children, and almost all of writing and mathematics. Her parents insisted that
the parents visited the class during the school day she could handle three-digit division at home, but
at my invitation. I wasn’t too sure that she understood rote
counting. Her parents insisted that she could
It was a large building, so we did not need
explain how an island was formed, but I had
portables: that meant we felt as if we really
trouble getting her to read a list of pre-primer
belonged to the school community. The students
in this behavioural class were placed there words. How do you program for a student whose
behaviour and actions are inconsistent with
because the IPRC had determined that placement
in a full-time special education class was the best parental information? How do you program for
students who haven’t revealed exactly what they
option to meet their needs.
can achieve?

So the first day of school arrived and the students At the end of the first week, problems erupted on
did too. I had a class of students with various the schoolyard. In my regular class, I dealt with
needs. One child in her class had cerebral palsy recess problems by chatting with students. If the
and had been diagnosed as having a moderate problem was a major one, I enlisted the help of
intellectual disability. Another student was very the office and the principal.
bright but had been abandoned by his adopted Now I taught a behaviour class and part of my job
mother. A third child had autism. And the was solving behaviour problems. Here, a small
rest, well, they were challenging, each in his or chat didn’t cut it. Problems that occurred during
her own way. Suddenly, Special Education and the morning recess usually took a major part of
the little actual experience I had terrified me. the day to investigate. Conflicts usually involved
Those first few days, the students were well a student from another class in the school who
behaved and seemed to shift into routines. I could explain the solution fairly well. My students
would be angry, and in their perception, the
became a sergeant major who set up strict and
louder kids yelled, the stronger they were: might
inflexible routines. Permission was needed to made right in their eyes. So, processing with them
move around the class and even to sharpen a was difficult. They could not see that there were
pencil or throw waste paper into the garbage.I two sides to every story. Someone was always
worried about giving them any freedom as I right, and someone else was always wrong. And,
thought they would take advantage of me and I most usually, the other person was wrong.
would lose control.
Miraculously, they co-operated. Busy work was
my goal for that first week, but I hoped that in the
second week I could begin to program for their
different needs: if only I knew what those

10 BOOKLET ONE
I thought that at some point in the year everything
would eventually fall into place. Yes, some When Completing the Standards-Base Case
Discussions table, think about the following:
aspects did; others were not as evident. Mary, my
only female student, seemed to settle down, and,
What Are the Facts: Who? What? Where?
yes, did make progress. But how to evaluate that
progress? That was another question. When?
Analysis & Reflections: Analyze the problem(s)
Students in a regular setting could demonstrate in
from the viewpoints of the different people in the
a pencil and paper assessment the content of their
learning, and what still needed to be case using the reflective questions or charts (see
accomplished. A teacher in regular classroom Appendix IV and V) following the case as a
settings could talk to a colleague and plan and guide to explore, extend or discover information.
discuss the next steps. But I was the only special
Evaluation: Examine critically the teacher’s
education teacher in the school, and I didn’t have
strategies for handling the problem(s).
anyone to talk to on a daily basis. Being a
relatively new teacher, I had trouble trying to Alternative Solutions & Explanations:
gauge what was appropriate for these students. I Generate alternative solutions and explanations to
knew I needed a mentor. the ones presented in the narrative. Take into
What I did find powerful was listening to the consideration the risks and benefits as well as the
parents. I met with them throughout the year and, long and short-term consequences of each
fortunately, spent more than an hour with each proposed action.
student’s parent. They would share their hopes for
Principles of Practice: Formulate some
their child, and what past experiences had taught
generalizations about effective practice.
them about their son or daughter. Most parents
Remember that the Standards of Practice and the
were very supportive but some did question every
Ethical Standards are guiding principles for
decision I made.
teacher action.
In spite of all of my best intentions, I continually
experienced “teacher guilt.” It hung over my head. What Is This a Case of? Link this resource to
I never felt I was doing enough. I continued to ask more general categories. Rich cases suggest
myself, “Am I just babysitting or do I really make many themes, issues and layers of interpretation.
a difference?” I was a novice teacher and I, A rich case is a case of many things.
myself, questioned everything I was trying to do.
Changing Opinions: Who or what has caused
I continued throughout the year and I believe we you to consider a new way of thinking? How
made gains, but I always worried that I had not strongly do you still feel about your previous
done all that I could have for the students. How assumptions?
hard could it be teach special education? Hard
enough that I am still trying to figure it out.