special needs observation
Observation of Special Needs Classroom
SPE/300
June 16, 2013
Leigh Anne Guminger
Observation of Special Needs Classroom
On June 26th and 27th, I observed in a special education classroom in Lathrop Elementary School. The head teacher was Janelle McQuerry. Mrs. McQuerry has 9 years of teaching experience. All of her nine years have been spent in special education programs. This was a summer program, so it was not the same as the program during the regular year. During the two days of my observation, there was one eight year old boy going into first grade, two 8 year old boys going into 2nd grade, one 9 year old boy going into 3rd grade and one 11 year old boy going into 5th grade. One of the boys going into 2nd grade has the diagnosis of autism, but the other boys all fall under “other health impairments” paired with ADHD. The other 2nd grader has had multiple surgeries to enlarge his skull and also has a feeding tube in his stomach. The three youngest boys each have a para-professional with them at all times.
When I first came into the classroom, the teacher was reading to the boy going into first grade, Trevor. The teacher later explained that this young man had been in nine school districts and had not progressed out of kindergarten in that time frame. He had severe behavioral issues in his past schools and had been expelled from two of them. On this morning, he was sitting in his para’s lap while the main teacher read a social story to him. The two boys going into second grade, AJ and Jacob, were also listening to the story. They each had a para with them also. The teacher was reading in an engaging way, changing voices for different characters. After each page, she would ask questions to gauge their understanding and would clarify if they did not respond. The book was about making ice cream, which was the project they were going to do later in the morning. After reading the book, the teacher asked all of the children to go to the table to
SPE/300
June 16, 2013
Leigh Anne Guminger
Observation of Special Needs Classroom
On June 26th and 27th, I observed in a special education classroom in Lathrop Elementary School. The head teacher was Janelle McQuerry. Mrs. McQuerry has 9 years of teaching experience. All of her nine years have been spent in special education programs. This was a summer program, so it was not the same as the program during the regular year. During the two days of my observation, there was one eight year old boy going into first grade, two 8 year old boys going into 2nd grade, one 9 year old boy going into 3rd grade and one 11 year old boy going into 5th grade. One of the boys going into 2nd grade has the diagnosis of autism, but the other boys all fall under “other health impairments” paired with ADHD. The other 2nd grader has had multiple surgeries to enlarge his skull and also has a feeding tube in his stomach. The three youngest boys each have a para-professional with them at all times.
When I first came into the classroom, the teacher was reading to the boy going into first grade, Trevor. The teacher later explained that this young man had been in nine school districts and had not progressed out of kindergarten in that time frame. He had severe behavioral issues in his past schools and had been expelled from two of them. On this morning, he was sitting in his para’s lap while the main teacher read a social story to him. The two boys going into second grade, AJ and Jacob, were also listening to the story. They each had a para with them also. The teacher was reading in an engaging way, changing voices for different characters. After each page, she would ask questions to gauge their understanding and would clarify if they did not respond. The book was about making ice cream, which was the project they were going to do later in the morning. After reading the book, the teacher asked all of the children to go to the table to