Fortino Tafoya Essays - Education, Segregation,

Fortino Tafoya EDUC-100A Proff. Gardner 4-16-17 Unlocking the Cliche : How I Re-Learned the Power of Communication as a Key to Success in Education If one is shut off, cast aside or deemed to be less-than due to their inability to communicate then their voice has been taken away no matter how loud they scream, kick, grunt or shout. I believe that without one's voice and opinion being heard they cannot attain social justice. It is one thing to try and treat someone with equal care, attention and opportunity, but it is another thing to decide these treatments and selections for them. In researching and working with students with disabilities I have learned that the i nput of the student creates a channel of communication that can lead to empowerment and the development of their voice. This is something I have placed into my teaching philosophy for life. One example of this that I witnessed in my field observations came from a young 8 th grader with autism whom I will refer to as J. J was asked if he would like to be timed for his math work or not. His instructor reminded him that if he finished his work early he would have free time on his laptop. J was then given a choice, work with the timer and possibly finish with time to spare or take the full amount of time and go at his own pace. J chose the timer, finished his work early and enjoyed 5 extra minutes of free time. This simple example illustrated to me how Jake learned to take advantage of his own time in the classroom, he wasn't forced into any method he didn't need to be forced into (without the timer he still had ample time to finish his math problems) and therefore felt more accomplished when he finished his work early and exclaimed, "Ms. Crawford I'm done early, I beat the timer!" J's example seems miniscule or too simple to many people who ma y take their own empowerment via c hoice for granted. My coursework in Teaching Students with Disabilities has revealed to me a new lesson: that social justice begins with feeling empowered, feeling as though your voice will be heard , this is the first step towards social justice . I personally have never felt shut-up, cast aside or looked over and whenever I have I felt like speaking my mind or finding others with like-minds to speak with me, I have taken for granted the empowerment I felt to create action, I overlooked this important first step towards justice and equal treatment. I learned that for some students, even getting a thought across to others can be a challenge, one sometimes aided by technology, sign language, word charts, specific sounds or gestures and even behaviors. First hand examples we heard in class from professor Gardner and from the amazing women in our parent-educator panel discussion reminded me that many students with disabilities not only want to be included and treated equally, they want to be given a choice and they want their choice heard, whether it's in an IEP meeting or in the classroom . Former principle Linda Dismukes made a remark I cannot forget from that panel discussion, she said, "You can't take away hope (for these kids)." She helped me realize that hope of choice is part of giving these students the empowerment that they need to recognize and seek social justice. It is the pathway to communication that instructors must follow to give all of their students a chance f or equal access and service. How can you know a student ' s struggles without creating a dialogue of commu nication, this is the human aspect that is missing from quantitative testing, and is one of the most difficult aspec ts of being an educator, in my opinion. I believe that equal treatment, full access of services granted by the law, and opportunities to experiences as many dimensions of general education as possible are all part of the recipe for creating social justice for students with disabilities, but it is with the opportunity of input from the student and a chance to feel empowered