Where do educators draw the line between helping students and enabling them?
412423
Helping students -- making sure that each step in problem solving and skill building is taught, supported, and nurtured. Believing that all students can achieve to their own potential (not as defined by anyone else but by the final outcome of the student as an adult), and being there to help the student find that potential.\n\nEnabling students -- Brushing off student failure as due to them being helpless, incompetent, etc., in the guide of "caring."
1172220
A counselor should do just that, "counsel". I believe that a counselor should help students make the right decisions regarding furthering their education. Like helping getting students internships or more information on careers so they can make educated decisions on which career field is most appropriate for them, which colleges to apply to depending on what career the child is interested in entering, and things like that. They should also just be there to help students when they need help the most.
822304
As an educator a teacher should teach the required materials on subjects, aid in teaching the next level of social skills(even if the parents haven't done their part),boost all students egos and desire to learn, council as needed, recognize problems with emotions,physical,abuse,educational,financial or any other problem a student may have that is keeping them from performing their best and be on good terms with the child so the teacher may have a positive discussion and help with the problem or give suggestions for ways for the parents to get the child help, and keep up with all fund raiser money, notes and calls to parents, homework, grading,lesson planning, after school activities leader, and be cheerful and always present. As learning from the student a teacher must be open to new ways to communicate with students and learn new ways to teach as well as make students behave.The teacher will improve by dealing with many student conflicts/issues whether or not they are educational or affect educational purposes.The teacher will try methods that may work with one class but not the next and have to figure out how to meet the next classes needs.Over trial and error the teacher will learn how to meet the needs of most students. The teacher is also attending classes to keep up with the states requirements and/or to recieve their masters or above or administration degree or to teach other classes.The teacher is a constant learner and teacher. Teaching isn't in the classroom only and learning doesn't only happen from a desk.They are both ongoing and a responsibility a person must accept as a teacher.
208957
I totally agree with you.  I am getting a degree in ECE (early childhood education, K-3) and have decided against student teaching because honestly I do not want to be a teacher anymore. \n\n The things I have witnessed has deterred me from teaching because of the restrictions put on teachers.  Educators are not allowed to explain the realities of situations.  They cannot even go off topic to discuss anything aside from the assigned curriculum. \n\n The No Child Left Behind Act has created chaos due to its focus solely on standardized tests.  Children need to learn and discuss skills in school and not worry about passing a standardized test, which many students fail, only to reflect negatively on the school and its teachers.  To discuss the realities of Hurricane Katrina or whatever main event gong on in the world would be to go off track of the curriculum and thus would not allow the teacher to complete the days math lesson... \n\nI believe the students need to understand that the world does not owe them anything and that they must make their own way to become successful adults.  There is too much of a focus on what the student needs, and in the real world it is the utilitarian view, and not the view of how things will work out best for each individual.  \n\nOnly when we as educators and parents allow students to see the realities of the world and the fact that they must do their own good to make it in the world, will the students of today not feel as though they are owed something.
699265
I became a special education teacher because I grew up with a sister who has a significant developmental disability.  Now that we are both adults, I am her conservator, because our father is deceased and our mother is in poor health.  So I can relate to both sides of this equation.\n\nAs a family member, I know how important it is to know that my loved one is getting the concern and attention she needs and deserves.  I do get annoyed when the adult program she is now in doesn't communicate with me, especially when it is an issue that could have more easily been resolved had they been in touch with me as soon as the problem arose.\n\nAs a teacher, I make a sincere effort to communicate with the families of my students.  In addition to the classroom phone number,  I give everyone my email address and my voice mail number, and I send a communication notebook home with each child.  Ideally, I would be able to jot a quick note daily, but in reality, I have 10 students, and if I spend even 3 minutes writing to each person, that's 30 minutes a day.  I don't have a planning period like the general ed teachers do, and because of the special needs of my students, I cannot just send them out to recess or to the cafeteria;  I need to be present with them.  So I am literally on duty from the moment the kids arrive until they leave in the afternoon.  I only use the restroom after checking that my assistant is OK with managing things for 4 or 5 minutes.   Our kids need assistance with toileting, and about half are not toilet trained or have accidents.  About half my students do not communicate verbally, and nearly as many have significant behavioral issues, including physical aggression. And then there is the need to work on the specific IEP goals of each student;  with 10 students, we are responsible for implementing activities and collecting data on anywhere from 60 to 100+ objectives.   It's an incredibly intense and busy day, and if you haven't lived it, you really can't appreciate it.  \n\nAnd as I said, I have the legal responsibility for a sibling with a disability, as well as taking care of a mother who is in severe decline mentally and physically.  And I have a husband and children who need my attention and care.  And now and again, I would just like to have a couple of hours where I could just think about myself.  But I spend between 50 and 75 hours per week on classroom related activity, because I LOVE my job and I LOVE my students. \n\nSo - as far as your particular situation is concerned, knowing first hand the stresses of both family and of teachers - I would not make a judgment.  As I said, if I even take 3 minutes of time during the school day to write a note to each parent, I have spent 30 minutes of my instructional day, which is 30 minutes that I am not teaching anyone.  (And time yourself - you can't write much in 3 minutes, especially if you are supervising 10 kids with special needs at the same time.) \n\nI do try to give the benefit of the doubt to the families of my students when they are not exactly considerate or politically correct in their communications with me.  I also try to do the same when the residential and adult programs involved with my sister communicate.  We are all human, with lives outside the immediate moment, and none of us is without fault.  So perhaps, when you are able to communicate in a calm and unemotional way, you could ask the teacher to clarify what she meant.  Try something along the lines of "I understood you to say that I shouldn't make waves because my son's IEP was nearly taken away.  Is that a correct interpretation, or did I misunderstand?"  And please be open to the possibility that you did not understand what she meant.  Life is full of miscommunication, even between people who know each other well;  communication is a two-way street, and both sides need to keep the roads open.
451218
It would help to know what specific behaviors are causing you to ask for help.\n\nI have found that there are three primary causes for misbehavior in a special education classroom. Since you (presumably) are able to provide individualized instruction with more 1:1 time available, student frustration should be minimalized. If the kids are acting up, and when you seek to re-direct them, they are stuck about what to do to "get back to work," you need to re-assess your instructional strategies.\n\nAnyway... these are the sorts of things going on in my classroom. I hope some of these are of interest for you to try.\n\n1. The student is new to the program and has bad habits because in regular ed class he/she can just sit there and tune out. Call the student's name more frequently during instruction (in a conversational tone). I also do "round robin" for various skills on a regular basis...nothing like knowing that you're going to be called on to perk up attentiveness. I always make sure that if a student cannot currently answer, they can pass for the moment without penalty. I just smile, nod, say, "OK, well, think about it...I'm coming back to you..." As they crave approval, and they see the others succeeding at their own levels and getting praise and attention for it, they will start to come up with their own ideas.\n\n2. Lack of overall motivation. If a student doesn't understand WHY they have to do all this school stuff, they're not going to be motivated to do hard work with little or no value. I spend lots of time acting as a counselor. I start with the immediate rewards (I do a point system/token economy...you get points for every assignment you turn in, with prizes spaced every 50 points and a huge auction of books, computer programs, collectibles, and educational toys/puzzles at the end of the year). Oh well, no points, no prize!  One of the most valued prizes I have is what we call a "You Pick" in my classroom...the student selects one of the laminated You Pick cards from the prize box (instead of a toy or pencil). At any time, (tests or regular ed make-up work excluded), the student can hand me the card and be excused from the daily work for the time he/she is scheduled to be with me. The work does end up in the student's folder to be completed later. The student may quietly play the whole time (of course, everything in my room addresses academic, OT, and PT goals, but the kids don't know that). An unmotivated student, parked sadly at his desk while others play happily in the free time area, quickly discovers the drive to get one of those cards for him/herself. The interesting thing is that, as students become used to this option being available, they often don't take a card from the prize box, prefering a toy or pencil. They also save their card in their folder (they may only have one at any one time) for a day when they feel really off...and sometimes don't cash it in for a month or two! Anyway, once the student is driven to earn the points and prizes, we work hard on instilling the idea that print is a tool for success. We explore career choices and how print is used in different areas. I emphasize during writing assignments that writing is just talking with your pencil rather than your mouth. As students skills increase, I continually focus with them on how this helps make their lives better.\n\n3. Seeking peer entertainment. Since most of the students are caught up in #1 or #2 above, the occasional class clown is quickly quashed as his/her behavior is responded to negatively by his/her peers. Plus, loss of recess time, loss of points, loss of turn during round robins (hey, you'd be surprised...the class clown is bouncing up and down with his/her hand high in the air, and sighing in frustration as more quiet students are called on first), etc. helps emphasize the point to them...if you play now, you lose your play time for later. In addition
364622
I agree with everything in the previous post.  Guidance becomes particularly important when schools start streaming students.  Students must be advised which level of a certain course is appropriate for their ability level and for their future goals.  To get into many universities, students must have a specific level for certain courses.  This is when guidance and subject teachers work in close collaboration to ensure that students' ability and future goals are matched with the appropriate courses. \n\nFurther, the responsibility of guidance has broadened to include any personal problems that students may be having.  Education is not only curriculum; if a student is having difficulty at home for example, s/he will not be able to use their full potential.  This again, is where guidance and subject teachers work collaboratively.
619924
Not enough information to give a good response.  If you described the situation we might be able to better understand where the problem is - is it with the teacher, or is it with you?
871233
I see myself asking people to ensure their child is given a good grounding in the basics before even starting school. Children need to know so much before they even set foot in a school. \n\nChildren need to be given help before they reach school to ensure they don't fall behind in our fast paced world.
174187
Teaching means actually providing instruction.  Facilitating means helping someone discover things for themselves.  Faciitating might be a strategy you would use as part of your teaching repertoire.  There is a very interesting article, Teaching or Facilitating: A FAlse Dichotomy.  I've included the link.
938269
When I went to college studying math education, I minored in psychology.  Then I did graduate work in Guidance.  My first teaching job was in a very small high school were I taught math and also served as a counselor.  I quickly realized that I was not mature enough to be a counselor and that teaching math was the career for me.   I have had several opportunities to return to counseling, but I couldn't see leaving the math classroom.\n     The point is, these two jobs require radically different personalities and skills in working with students.  I would hope that things like amount of homework to be graded would not influence such an important decision.  \n      What should  you really consider?  Do you love your chosen subject?  Are you comfortable in front of a class?  How do you feel about the administrative responsiblities that are associated with the guidance position?  Do you have special skills that make you successful in working one on one with students who are experiencing problems?  These are the kinds of questions that you should consider when making  these life changing decisions.
1109026
Yes I feel they should be 'challenged'. But not at the level of the regular kids. They need to be challenged at a level that they can understand. They are treated like they don't know anything is because the schools won't follow the laws and teach them in the way that they are entitled to by law.\nEven though each child and each case is different, the schools are 'suppose' to follow special education laws called IDEA. And part of this law states that children who are in special ed are suppose to recieve services in the 'least restrictive environment'. This means, the child is first suppose to be in a regular class with the proper services. If this doesn't work then the child needs to be in a special ed class. There has been some debate as to whether this is a good idea because some special ed students are 'disruptive' in class and keep the other children from recieving a 'free and appropriate education'.
902821
How about having students mentor and/or tutor younger children from the local elementary schools?  Or from your local homeless shelter?
561510
Any that don't give correct guidance to their students
217986
I think that what you need to do is not look at what you are doing right or wrong in your teachings.  What you need to realize is that the material that you are showing the students at first, needs to be relavent to them, not to you.  You need to understand where the students are coming from and not what they're doing there.  You need to know that most students want to learn, but their "society" in school prevents them from doing their best because of peer pressure.\n\nAfter you demonstrate to the students that what you are showing them is in fact relavent to them, they will start to learn and they will start to show more respect for what you're trying to do as a whole, and what the other students want too.\n\nIf that doesn't work, you need to try a new "bluff" and stick to it.
656716
First I think that 20% is a low estimation.  Second, teachers work incredibly hard to ensure that lessons are tailored to meet the needs of varying skill and ability levels.  Finally, even though teachers do what they can with the limited resources that they are given to work with, it remains difficult to reach all students (particularly with the levels of apathy at an all-time high).  There is nothing inherently wrong with the public school system.  The flaw however, is that not enough financial resources are put into a potentially great system.  With sufficient resources (financial, physical, and human), the percentage of students that would not understand their lessons would drop significantly.
249519
NO.  Students with disabilities do fall under a different "system" of sorts.  But they still get punished and know what is wrong from right.