Entry#4-Chapter 4 and Kevin's Dilemma

#2

Kevins IEP Dilemma Post
Kevins IEP includes extended time on exams, no penalty for spelling errors on essays written in class, and ability to use the computer for extensive written work. You are Kevins high schools English teacher, and one of your student has protested that giving these accomodations to Kevin is not fair. The protest is growing,and now several students have voiced their resentment of kevin's special treatment.

A. How will you handle this?
-Kevins situation seems like it would be very complicated and hard, not only for Kevin but also for the other students to understand it as well. If I were their teacher, I would make the decision to pull the few students that were bothered by Kevin's treatment aside after or before class, somehwere where no other students could see and explain to them their is no favoring going on and that the classroom is a place to learn but not everyone learns in the same ways.

B. What are your personal beliefs about this issue, and how will your baliefs affect your professional decisions?
-My personal beliefs about this issue is that everyone has a different learning style and learns at a different pace. While some students may catch onto things very quickly other students may need extra time or even a completly different approach to learn the information. Considering that, I think that teachers need to accomodate to each students individual needs and understand that everyone learns differently. Every student deserves the right to a fair education, and Kevin's IEP is what he deserves to learn.

C. What does "fair" mean in the educational context for individuals with special learning needs?
-I think the word fair in the educational context for individuals with special learning needs means that the children with special learning needs have to be brought up by means of modifications and and accomodations that will bring them to the same level as a regular classroom. Children with learning disabilities deserve to learn and have the same exposure to a regular learning environment as does any other child or student.