Reflection Of A Teacher As A Special Education Teacher

Reflection “Be ready to laugh. You’ll be doing a lot of that everyday,” are the words that continuously rang through my head after conducting my high school teacher interview. These words left me feeling elated at the fact that someday I would be able to teach special education myself. The man who said these words is Michael White, who has been a part of my life for years as he was my high school track coach and because of this I like to think that I know him pretty well. I could easily describe his sarcastic and witty personality, I could explain how he worships the Mets, or I could express how he is constantly making jokes. While I may have known about Coach White, I never knew much about his career as a special education teacher. However, …show more content…
White as Coach White, I was not sure what to expect walking into his classroom, but I was surprised to see that it was decorated with colorful educational posters and student’s work as well as personal decorations, such as his Mets posters and baseball bobble head. At first glance, these decorations seemed to just be a way to brighten up the dully-painted classroom, but after speaking to Mr. White I have realized that hanging the student’s work on his walls allows his student’s to feel pride in their work. In addition to this, I now know that the personal decorations displayed throughout the room also serve as a conversation point, which allow him to connect with some of his more withdrawn students. As I listened to my high school coach speak about his profession, I soon came to realize that many of the commonly overlooked small things teachers do are actually efforts to boost positivity in a classroom. I learned that this was one of a special education teachers most powerful tools when it came to …show more content…
White questions about his teaching experiences, I noticed how honest he was with his answers, which I deeply appreciated. He spoke to me about how rewarding his job is and how much fun he has teaching his kids. He also shared the more negative aspects of his career, such as working with parents who are indifferent when it comes to their child’s education and regular education teachers who are against inclusion classes. Hearing this appalled me because I think it’s awful how some people dislike or have a stigmatized view of students who have special needs. However, I am grateful that Mr. White was honest enough to allow me to know about the less than ideal side to being a special education teacher as well as the