Unequal funding for Special
Education is very common these days. Education is the most important thing in
anyone’s life, but it is not always funded like it is thought to be. Certain programs
have been trying to get the government to do something about this issue but
nothing has really helped.
Special education is one of the
most underfunded programs there is and they are the ones who deserve it the
most. Working much harder on everyday things that are easy to everyone else is
something that has to be done and I praise them for that. Instead of just
giving up on everything they are pushed to really work for the things that people
take for granted. Funding should be a
bigger part of what people think about and where they should focus more
attention on and if so, it could be beneficial in more ways than others.
Also, if more people went to school
to become teachers for these kids, it would be easier to get funding for
education and the government would be more willing to help. But on the opposite
side it is ridiculous how these children cannot get what they need or are
deserved because of the lack of teachers interested in teaching them. There should be more funding for special needs
because they are in these schools and should not have to rely on other people’s
interests and what they want to do in life. With the limited amount of Special
Education teachers there is not as much one on one that some students may need
and the students are limited. You would think that with the growing amount of
children with disabilities increasing, the amount of people interested in
learning about these children would increase and want to learn how they can
help.
If this issue continues these
children cannot get the full amount of education they need and this should play
into the "no child left behind law".
Every child should have a right to an equal education whether they have
special needs or not. Schools are different all over the world but that does not
mean education has to be different too. If funding does not change and
continues to drop these children will never get the education they need,
understanding teachers, social aspects, and an all-around program that will be
the most beneficial to each student.
You wrote, "there is not as much one on one that some students may need." I'll reply that all children will learn best in a "one on one" teaching environment -- the ideal classroom would be a log, with the teacher sitting on one end and the student on the other, while they interact.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, our society has chosen to set its economic priorities differently. Schools are not designed to teach; they're designed to turn out assembly line workers. But there is hope; recent advances in computer speech recognition (I'm looking at you, Siri!) hold out the possibility that soon any student with access to a smartphone will be able to have that 1:1 experience.
I think you are making an important point, but there is one sentence that catches me: you say that "every child should have a right to an equal education," but I think that is exactly the point you are trying NOT to make. What public schools can give is an equal education, for the most part; what children with special needs should be getting is special education better catered to their disabilities. You are right: funding problems cut into education, which should be a priority for all children - whether they have learning disabilities or advanced abilities (I grew up in a town with a great special education program and limited honors and advanced placement classes, which I think is difficult in a different way because gifted students do not get an opportunity to reach their potential, either). Like Notelrac said, the best teaching environment would be one-on-one on "a log." But public schools are not set up to cater to individual needs: if you want that, you usually have to shell out a college-sized tuition (or perhaps your first-born child) to get it.
ReplyDeleteIn your article, you talk about how there are a limited number of special needs teachers and that you would think there would be more people interested in going to school to learn about how to help special needs students. I think that there are many people who are interested in working with special needs students but the job doesn't pay very well. I know a few people in the public school system who work with special needs students and the job is very hard and they are not compensated fairly for the hard work they put in. One of my friends works full time in the special needs program and is struggling to live and pay off her school loans. I think that if school systems were willing to pay these teachers and teaching assistants better then more people would be willing to take the job and use their skills to help special needs students.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase "if school systems were willing to pay" cloaks the true actor here. It's like "Today the White House said...." Buildings don't talk. Schools don't buy things.
ReplyDeleteConsider instead "if property owners in the school district were willing to pay higher taxes to fund paying for additional Special Ed teachers...." This construct makes obvious the impact the reader can have if they wish to change the world. Like, moving to a town with poor Special Ed funding and lobbying their neighbors. Or running for School Committee. Or going to Town Meeting and voting to increase the line item for that part of the school budget.