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Architect of Solidarity: Carol Cot

Cabrillo Middle School: Special Education

Cody King
Santa Clara University

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My architect, Carole Cot, explained to me that when people hear special education
they usually think mentally retarded, but these kids usually just have some type of learning
disability that they are born with. I have to admit that before going to her class I was one of those
people, but I was surprised to see that all of these kids were pretty normal and most of the time I
forgot that I was in a special education class when I was there. However, these students do need
extra help and individualized learning in order to succeed academically, and sometimes also
socially. Research shows that the most effective interventions are ones that happen early with
high-risk children (Adams). The issue is that special education does not get the same attention as
general education and it could take some time for legislation to get written and then
implemented. Fortunately, there are some reforms being worked on right now that include more
opportunities for professional development for teachers and more early intervention programs for
young children Carole says children should be evaluated as early as possible so that they can get
the proper help they need and also thinks this would lead to more successful special education
students. Moreover, some teachers are finding that some of the laws in place are contradictory
and creating issues in schools. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed in
1975 ensured individualized learning for students with disabilities, but the passing of No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001 has made schools accountable for all students meeting age-based
grade level standards. This has indirectly led to special education students being put into more
mainstream classes when they are not ready, something that research says is problematic (Russell
and Bray). Carole says that some kids can get help and correct minor issues that they have and
eventually be put into mainstream classes, but students that have more severe disabilities will
have to stay in the self-contained special education classes and it is important that these students
get the proper care and instruction.

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Carole Cot grew up in the Silicon Valley and likes being here with her family, but she
does acknowledge certain situations that are somewhat unique in the area: an ethnically diverse
population, a large number of English language learners (ELLs) and varying socioeconomic
status (SES). There are many ELLs in her class and it is mostly Hispanic; recent studies have
show ELLs to be placed in special education classrooms illegitimately (Fernandez and Inserra)
and similar racial and gender biases have been found in schools (Peters et al.). When these
students get put in special education classes for the wrong reasons they actually perform worse
academically and are unable to reach their full potential. Furthermore, a Los Angeles study
revealed that homeless children often do not get the proper evaluations for a disability, even
though they have the same rights as any other student (Zima et al.). This is very relevant to the
Silicon Valley where homelessness continues to be a serious problem and Carole actually
informed me that one of her students is homeless. I was glad to see that he was able to get the
proper evaluation and that he is getting help in a special education class. I asked her about these
issues during our interview and she agreed that these are serious concerns. Carole said her staff
at the school, which she oversees as the special education department chair, is diligent and does a
good job of objectively evaluating students without being influenced inappropriately by external
factors such as language, SES, race, or gender.
During the interview I specifically wanted to ask Carole about a person named Temple
Grandin. Grandin is a pretty well known Autism advocate who is actually on the Autsim
Spectrum, and she also served on the board of directors for the Autism Society of America in the
late eighties. Grandin talks about her experiences as a student and recommends that teachers be
flexible and accommodating to their special needs students. Autistic students are often times
high-functioning and are placed in mainstream classes, but just need a little bit of extra help.

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Also, many kids on the spectrum have specialist minds and can have certain fixations (Grandin).
Our education system is based on the deficit model where we constantly focus on where students
perform poorly and do not give them the chance to master what they are really good at doing.
She suggests going away from this model so that Autistic kids can use their specialist minds as
an advantage. She also suggests that teachers use a students fixations to get them interested in
the material; if they like rockets incorporate rockets into math problems, science problems, or
history lessons. Although Carole did not know about Temple Grandin, she agreed with these
points and reiterated that Autistic students usually can be put in mainstream classes, but that
teachers in those classes need to have the proper knowledge to handle these students.
Furthermore, this issue is being looked at by the California Board of Education and there have
been recommendations to have more professional development opportunities for general
education teachers (Adams). This is also what researchers are suggesting for teachers who may
not have the proper knowledge or experience with special needs students (Costley). This is an
issue that is very relevant here in California and the Silicon Valley because the population is so
diverse. Costley also recommends that less experienced teachers collaborate with other
professional special education teachers in order to create the best learning environment possible.
I really like this idea and think this should be happening with all teachers in schools. Teachers
have a large impact on the success of students (Costley) and they should be making sure they are
doing everything they can to be knowledgeable and prepared.
The part of the interview with Carole Cot that I found especially interesting was when I
talked about Thich Nhat Hanh and how he says burn out is very common among people
involved in direct service work. This is well known among teachers and even more with special
education teachers, but she said after all these years of teaching she does not see how that would

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be possible with her. After seeing her in the classroom and hearing this, I was certain that this is
right job for her and that she really enjoys it. It is very apparent from watching her interact with
the students that she takes pride in her work and cares for her students. Students can tell if a
teacher cares and it really has a huge impact on them and their academic performance. There is a
great relationship between her and her students and she is really making a difference for them.
It was also interesting that she did not cite religion or spirituality for her motivations to
become a special education teacher and to keep her going to do this type of work. This is an
interesting challenge to what Boyle and Martin Luther King have said about faith and solidarity.
They claim spirituality to be a necessary part of solidarity and this is issue I have been thinking
about the last couple of months. For Carole, she started as a special education instructional
assistant and was then motivated to go back to school and earn her credential for special
education. She has been teaching now for more than fifteen years, but involved in special
education for about forty years. Carole explained that she has enjoyed this work and it would
appear to be true if still involved with special education after forty years. As a teacher at Cabrillo
Middle School, she comes in contact with many marginalized groups and some of her students
are in multiple marginalized groups. She has been in contact with these students for a very long
time and I have to commend her for the work she has done, but the missing faith aspect is
interesting. This has added to my confusion with this question of solidarity and it appears it may
depend largely on the individual. Carole does not look at faith for motivation, but I have to argue
that what she is doing as a special education teacher in the Silicon Valley is solidarity. Her joy is
visible when working with the marginalized and it is very clear that she cares about them.

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Biography

Cody King is currently is student-teaching at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, CA while
taking graduate classes for his M.S. in Teaching and teaching credential at Santa Clara
University. He received his B.S. in Mathematics with a minor in Urban Education from Santa
Clara University in 2015.

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Carole Cot is a special education teacher and the department chair of the special education
department at Cabrillo Middle School.