Molly Craig

Diversity/ Professional Growth

11 April 2015
Professional Development
On February 2, I attended an RTI (Response to Intervention) talk with
Dr. Kelli Esteves at Butler. She discussed the basics of RTI and how important
RTI is in general education. Her most important point was about the
misconception that RTI is only used for students with exceptionalities.
Instead, RTI can be extra support for students without exceptionalities along
with being a way to document the process that could possibly lead up to
special education intervention.
In addition to this, I attended school staff meetings about RTI and
preparing for ISTEP. I also attended PLC (Professional Learning Community)
meetings for different grades throughout the semester. I also attended a
staffing in downtown Indianapolis to advocate for a better learning
environment for one of my students with autism. Below are my responses to
how the professional development and experiences Ive had helped me learn
more about special education and grow as a special education teacher.
How do special education educators actively create learning
environments that foster cultural understanding, safety, emotional
well-being, positive social interactions, active engagement of
individuals with disabilities, and valuing of diversity?
My cooperating teacher and I advocated to come up with the best
learning environment for a student with autism when he was struggling to
become successful academically, socially, and emotionally in his general
education classroom. The student exhibited behaviors of non-compliance,
physical aggression, and verbal aggression towards adults and his peers
alike. His behaviors were preventing his own learning and the learning of
others. We had a BIP in place, a rigorous reward system, and specific
documentation of his behaviors every day to present to the members of the
staffing downtown. We gave them a specific overview of the student and the
issues hes having in his current learning environment to advocate for an

alternate environment or extra assistance. The members of the staffing saw

the needs of the student, but unfortunately did not have the resources to
provide the student with an assistant or enough evidence to send him to
another school that would best support his learning. Instead, they changed
his day to a half day in an attempt to create an environment that best suits
him and his peers. Since the meeting, my cooperating teacher, his
Kaleidoscope representative, and an autism specialist meet weekly to
discuss the students progress, digression, and possible changes that can be
made to better suit the student and his learning.
How are special education educators active and resourceful in
seeking to understand how primary language, cultural, and familial
backgrounds interact with the individuals exceptional condition to
impact the individuals academic and social health, attitudes,
values, interests, and career choices?
Special education educators are active in seeking to understand the
aspects that interact with a students exceptionality when they see that a
student is struggling academically, socially, or emotionally even though
there are extra supports included in their educational plan. When a teacher
sees that a student continues to struggle, it is their job to search for what
may be causing that student to struggle, whether it stems from problems at
home, within their neighborhood, or within themselves. In order to search for
the cause, a teacher should contact the parents to learn more about what
may impacting the student. The teacher could also have a conversation with
the student to build a trusting relationship about what could be impacting
their education.
How do special education educators understand that the beliefs,
traditions, and values across and within cultures can affect
relationships among and between students, their families, and the
school community?
Beliefs, traditions, and values across and within cultures can affect
relationships among and between students, their families, and the school

community because different cultures have different beliefs, traditions, and

values. Its important as a special education educator to understand these
differences and be open to these differences. In my experiences at Ralph
Waldo Emerson School 58, Ive realized how important it is to build respectful
and trusting relationships with students. In most of my students culture,
respect, respect, trust, and building relationships are vital. In order to
support a student in their educational growth, their physiological needs,
safety needs, and feeling of belongingness needs to be met first. To meet
these needs, the special education teacher must understand the differences
in beliefs, traditions, and values of that student and how to bring the
differences together.
How do special education educators understand that culture and
language can interact with exceptionalities and can be sensitive to
the many aspects of diversity with students who have disabilities
and their families?
Special education educators have to understand that some students
will struggle academically if their primary language is not English. A teacher
must get to know her students and their needs to be able to teach them
what they need to move forward with their learning. In my experiences with
an ESL student, I recognized that the student must first learn the letters of
the alphabet and the sounds they make in the English language before he
could be taught how to decode words and read. By getting to know my
student and his needs, I was able to help him progress even with the
difficulty he had with the English language.
How will I work as a teacher who works with students with
disabilities actively plan and engage in activities that foster your
professional growth and keep yourself current with evidence-based
best practices?
1. School districts often offer, or sometimes require, professional
development within the district. Whether required or not, I plan on

attending professional development within the school district I work in

to better my craft.
2. Along with district-wide professional development, the state and nation
offer conferences for special education teachers as well. I plan on
attending these to get a wider perspective on special education on the
state and national level.
3. Eventually, I plan on going back to school to continue my education
and get my Masters Degree. By going back to school, I will be given
the opportunity to improve my daily teaching and learn how to become
a better educator for my students.
4. One of my greatest goals is to become better at implementing
technology into my classroom. At the IACTE banquet I attended for
Outstanding Future Educators in Indiana, I learned about some new
technologies that are out there for teachers to implement into their
classroom. I hope to attend more professional development conference
like that to learn more about how to implement technology.
5. I will continue to follow certain groups and organizations on social
media as a way to keep myself current and up-to-date with teaching in
special education. As an undergraduate student, Ive learned that
social media can be one of the best ways to keep up with whats going
on in education.