_What kind of students do we want?
What do we mean when we say that we want students with disabilities to be "independent"?  And what is the relationship between this concept and that of "authenticity"?  In other words, to what extent - and in what ways - do we want students to "own" their disabilities, themselves? 
The public school building is a function of the community; we require the participation of the community in the education of students and in the lives of children. 

Special Education - as it stands now, is one of our society's lasting bastions of institutionalized racism.  However, it is also one of the mechanisms by which we can

This is a thought, not from my teaching practicum, which I began at one of the local high schools this week, but rather about an experience that I had last year while working as a teaching aide at one of the local middle schools.

Each spring, like every other public school in Illinois, we began preparing for the annual ISATs, or "Illinois Standards Achievement Test," the state standardized test implemented in order to fulfill the requirements imposed by No Child Left Behind. (NCLB)  Last year, the standards for students with learning disabilities changed, and they were then required to take the same test as students without disabilities, albeit with certain accommodations, such as having the test  read to the them (as long as it wasn't the reading section of the test), being able to take the test in a quiet location away from other students, having extra time to take the test, or being allowed to take more frequent breaks than the students without disabilities.  As an aide, it was my job to take students with learning disabilities out of the classroom one by one and read sections of the ISAT (math and science) to them.

Now, let me perfectly clear: We never gave the students answers.  I know that these issues with special education and standardized teaching have been in the papers lately - and with good reason, this is an issue that I believe needs to be treated with a critical mind - but that's not what I'm concerned with here.  Because, you see, the kids try to get us to tell them the answers.  Or not even give them the answers; they try to get us to give a hint, a clue, anything to maybe give them some idea about whether or not they've got the right answer.  I'm sure that you can picture it.

So on this one particular day I was working with a seventh-grader - let's call him Ishmael - in the library, reading the math section of the test. 

   Last week in practicum workshop, the instructor talked about some of the common impressions that folks on the street have when you tell them that you are going to be a special education teacher.  Most of the students there shared that common experience – that kind of glassy stare that people give you, like YOU might be the one who is “special,” the common clichés of “Oh, you must be so patient,” or “I could never do that.” 

            I had an interesting variation of this kind of encounter a few days later at the CVS.  While I was purchasing some dish soap and cat food, the cashier turned to me and said, “Hey, I think I know you.  Do you work at the Middle School?”

            “I used to, but I don’t anymore.” 

            “Yeah, I subbed there a couple of times, and you were my aide!"

            "Yeah, that's pretty likely."

            "That class was crazy.  I don't know how you could do that for a living!"
            She laughed.

            "So have you still been subbing around town?" I asked, after a pause.

            "Oh, goodness no!" she laughed again, bagging my cans of cat food.  "After that experience, those children of yours..." she trailed off, and focused on some point of space about two feet above my right shoulder.  "I just felt like there was no way - I just couldn't go back there.  It wasn't worth it."

              We stopped talking again.

            "So what have you been doing since you left the Middle School?" she asked.

            "I'm starting a Master's Program."

            "Oh.... good for you."