Running Head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

Personal Philosophy of Special Education

Chauncey E. Stephens
Louisiana State University

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Personal Philosophy of Special Education
Academic achievement is only a portion of education. Not only is the purpose of
schooling to expand students knowledge, but it is also to develop them into educated citizens
who will positively contribute to society and live happy, prosperous lives. It is important to
educate our youth because they will one day be the leaders shaping our future. Equal
opportunity for a free, appropriate, and high-quality education promotes democracy and gives
individuals the freedom to defy their circumstances; thus, I believe that schools should be
dedicated to providing everyone with this opportunity. Each public school should be equipped
with the resources necessary to meet each childs individual needsfrom children with
exceptionalities to students with culturally diverse backgrounds, including children who come
from financially stable households and children who are raised in poverty-stricken homes.
Education is not simply about working with what a student has to offer and hoping they learn
something. It is the responsibility of educators to set high expectations for students and provide
them with the resources, instruction, motivation, and monitoring necessary for personal growth.
Anyone is capable of learning; the challenge is determining how to teach so that each
individual can understand. Students learn best through appropriate, yet challenging, active
lessons. Teachers should consider Gardners multiple intelligences and use varied instruction
that appeals to kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and tactile learners (Powell, 2012, p. 80). Each
teachers primary concern is whether their students basic needs are being met. According to
Maslows hierarchy of needs, a students necessities for survivalincluding physiological
wellness, safety, belongingness and love, and esteemmust be fulfilled before a student can
progress towards higher order needs such as the necessity to know and understand, aesthetics,
and self-actualization (Powell, 2012, p. 61). All educators should be aware of this hierarchy and

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incorporate it into their classroom. It is vital for families and educators to have constant
channels of open communication to ensure that the childs basic needs are being met. As a
result, the educator may appropriately address their higher order needs and effectively teach the
child by taking the students whole life into consideration. Additionally, educators should have a
working relationship with their students families so what is being learned in the classroom is
reinforced at home. Instruction can only go so far when children generally spend less than a
third of their day at school for about half of the year.
In my opinion, students with diverse needs and disabilities are entitled to the same rights
and privileges as any other student. Additionally, their specific needs must be met through
individualized instruction and accommodations provided by professionals from across multiple
disciplines in a collaborative effort. Placement is not what makes special education effective. As
Naomi Zigmond stated, Effective teaching strategies and an individualized approach are the
more critical ingredients in special education, and neither of these is associated solely with one
particular environment (Heward, 2013, p. 76). Students with exceptionalities should be placed
in the most enabling environment where they can best interact with their peers and receive
instruction that is appropriate and challenging. Again, family cooperation is vital to a childs
success, especially when a student has diverse needs that require more intensive
individualization and accommodations. Parents are essentially the experts on their children and
professionals are the experts on their area of service (Byington and Whitby, 2011, p. 45).
Moreover, family members of students with disabilities should not simply be informed of their
childs individualized education program (IEP) but instead have a strong hand in developing the
IEP. Special educators are responsible for enabling their students to learn at their maximum
capacity. They must accept the challenge to meet their students specific needs and inspire the

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students to challenge themselves. As a teacher of students with exceptionalities, I will provide
prevention, intervention, resources, and instruction for academic, personal, and social
development.
As a professional in the field of education, I will strive to be cognizant of my students
hierarchy of needs and focus on providing the appropriate support for each student. In order to
do so, I will invest time and effort into getting to know each of my students and their families. I
will also use a universal design for learning when developing my lesson plans in order to
accommodate for diverse learning styles. I will constantly work towards educating and enriching
the whole child academically, personally, and socially, and I refuse to get caught up in test scores
and policies. I am also determined to use evidence-based practices to ensure the effectiveness of
my instruction. Most importantly, I want to utilize the time I have with my students to increase
their potential and inspire them to believe that, with a quality education, they are capable of
achieving great feats despite any challenging circumstances.

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References
Byington, T. A., & Whitby, P. S. (2011). Empowering Families during the Early Intervention
Planning Process. Young Exceptional Children, 14(4), 44-56.
Heward, William L. (2013). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Powell, Sarah Davis. (2012). Your Introduction to Education: Explorations in Teaching. Boston,
MA: Pearson Education, Inc.