Thank You to All!

Thanks and best wishes in the future.  I have enjoyed each of the posts that I have read and the sharing throughout the class. Thank You!

Blog Post Enlisting and Providing Support

Classmates we are a collaborative learning group with each other.  In my topic I am trying to collaborate with many different people groups to work toward my goal.  My question along with the information I am seeking is this: Collaboration is vital so "how do I get child care, Early Intervention, Pre K Programs and families all communicating together for the child"?
What I have found insightful but not really so helpful is that there is not much interest shown from the groups in the professional field under the three year old level to bring connection further down to the younger group.  This has shown me that I have to dig deeper in finding those who can better help me make the connection.  Any ideas will be helpful.

looking for followers

Hi Classmates, I was just wondering if anyone was seeing my post.  I am hoping for a few followers on my blog.  Hope you see this. 

Initial Post Module 3

The quote that I have is:  "It takes a village to raise a child" (unknown origin, popularized by book by Hillary Clinton).

I have always liked this quote I feel that it is true.  I think that we are all working together or should be to bring children to their fullest potential. 
What brings excitement to me about my advocacy action plan is the fact that others are aware of my concern and are also seeing the same thing.  Knowing this I know that I just have to speak with the right target audience in order to be heard and get others on board with the need.  What I have found so far to be a challenge is the fact that not everyone that I have been talking with truly understands the problem and what steps now need to take place.  I am working on trying to get a pilot program that has been successful in the beginning steps to bring in another pilot program down to a lower age group of children in order to reach children with developmental needs at the earliest age possible. 
I think that the most effective help will be to make sure I locate the right target group to present my concern and issue to.  I need to focus on those who are now working with the younger children.  Those that now are in the capacity to voice my concern to the grant writers and then to the funders. 

Internship 455

Hi Class, here we are in our last part of our education.  I am looking forward to doing some actual advocacy that could possibly lead to making changes for all of our students.  It may become a stepping stone to a future change or it could become reality.  I will be working with an advisory council.  There is excitement and also some fear of the unknown areas that I am not familuar with.  I have always been in the classroom.  Well best to all.  Anita

Reflection Post

As I reflect on the class I remember the fear and frustration I had in beginning my blog.  I felt inadadiquate to get it going.  I was able to seek out  a person at the library who was very helpful.  I still do not feel strong in it but am grateful for the help and support from my classmates in getting a blog set up.  I am glad that I can now at least post and I have had a few comments from classmates.
I finally made a call to our instructor and was made to feel a lot better about the class.  I feel that I have gained in the class but do wish that I had not had the slow start that I had.

I spent my visit this time in the infant room.  I was able to observe the two classroom teachers.  I was also able to observe a student worker and the children present.  I observed as the parents came into the classroom and brought in their children.  I was again introduced to the parents.  Most of them seemed pretty friendly and welcoming.  There was one family that brought in their child.  I feel that I made this parent very uncomfortable.  I do not think that it was totally all me just being there as it was not a typical day.  One of the teachers was sick and she ended up leaving and so the student worker came in and took her place.  It was actually during this time that this parent arrived with her child.  The other classroom teacher had went to another building and was to return in a little bit.  I think this parent was uncomfortable because I was there and there was not a regular teacher in the classroom.  I can totally understand this.  The teacher came back and the parent seemed to be better but I felt very much like it was because I was in the classroom. 
I also interviewed two parents who have children in services.  I wanted to find out their experiences with all of it.  The first parent felt that she had a postive view of the services her child was recieving.  I was told that she felt she had a lot of notice for the IEP meetings.  Also she felt that everything was thourghly explained to her during the meeting about the testing.  She did tell me that one negitive about it was that in the very beginning when they were doing all the investigation for qualification.  During this time she felt that it took way to long, her child continued to suffer with the difficulty of the schoolwork and the teachers were at a loss as they were all waiting on the outcome of the process.  This parent also opted to take her child to an outside agency to also give aide to the child to further his progress along.  She felt the outside agency really helped a lot yet it was very costly and she had to leave work in order to transport child back and forth.  This she found as a frustration with the Special Ed. program because in order for her child to get the added help that was still needed she had to deal with all of the transportation and cost.  It was a hardship on the whole family.
My next parent is educated and holds a full time job. Here is what she had to say. I also have only a short duration of experience as a parent. I know I have many more years and will learn more about special ed in the years to come. Also please understand that my child has not actually qualified for true special education services as of yet though I have been doing a lot of research. I have learned, as a parent, that the special education system has experienced severe financial cuts and therefore was told that special education services provided through public schools typically only reach the very bottom 25% and is academically focused. Meaning that as long as you can meet academic milestones a child does not qualify for special education. My experience as a parent is that the main focus of special education services now seems to be that of helping a child reach “functioning” ability not full capacity. Meaning that if a child can “function” in a classroom even if it’s not great they will not qualify. Also children who do qualify for special education services at one point will eventually be removed from special education services as long as they can “function” in a regular classroom without assistance.  In my relatively short experience the word “function” is not synonymous with “success.” Function typically means if the child can follow classroom rules and not cause disruptions (behavior, academic, social, etc) due to the disability then they can “function.” Special education seems to still be working on a reactive level rather than a proactive level. Students who do not qualify may have difficulties/disabilities but will not qualify until their disability gets in their way of “functioning.” Another interesting thing that I knew before, but has been reiterated since I have been a parent, is that medical diagnoses do not always hold up in the special education system. For children on the autism spectrum (not sure about other issues/disabilities) there are medical diagnoses and school diagnoses and the medical diagnosis is not enough for children to receive special education services. The schools must deem it necessary to engage in IEP meetings, etcetera using the criteria mentioned before about the ability to “function.” The best strengths of special education in schools is that people are more aware, more educated, and more open minded about what it means to be in special ed. Thought the stigma of special education is not gone I do not think it is nearly the same as in the past. People (teachers) regardless of being in special ed are more willing to try different approaches and it seems that people use more of a team approach rather than the “it’s your problem, you fix it approach” which I believe is more helpful for everyone involved. Parents have to do a lot of their own research and find a lot of a their own information because while schools are mandated to provide services for those who qualify they do not spend a lot of time looking, but rather leave it up to the children’s parents. Parents have to be huge advocates for their children with special needs otherwise the needs may not be met.   I found this parents information quite informative. I feel that both parents I spoke with had a lot of good points and I feel that they are both adovacating for their children well.