After teaching children with behavior disorders for several years, I often wondered exactly what parents of general education students thought of my students. Many of you may wonder why parents of general education students would even care about my students? After all, my students never crossed paths with their children, did they?
In actuality, my students were often integrated into the general education classroom after they had exhibited appropriate behaviors in my special classroom. It always took a long time before my kids were integrated and we never made the choice in haste, it was well thought out. Many times my students were sent to a general education classroom with the assistance of an associate, or paraprofessional, depending on where you are from.
It was always inevitable, however, that my students, with this one step forward into general education, would take a big step backwards and have a blow-up in the general class. Let’s face it, when my kid’s blow, it can be big. They aren’t in a classroom for behavior problems for no reason.
It happened every time one of my students was integrated into general education. It had nothing to do with them not being ready behavior-wise, it had to do with stress and being out of their comfort zone: my classroom. Usually after the one big blow-up, my students did pretty well behaviorally and earned more general education classes. Every once in awhile, I would have a student who we thought was ready and just wasn’t. He would return to my class again instead of being integrated.
Whenever I went home from teaching after my student had a blow-up in a general education class, it often left me wondering what the students in that class went home and told their parents. It left me wondering what their parents thought of this whole integration scenario. I can see how so many of the parents would not be pleased.
Their children deserve an education free from interruptions or explosions from other students. Or did they think it was a great thing that these special education students were getting a chance to get back to the free and least-restrictive education they were entitled to? I am betting the majority of the parents leaned more towards thinking that their general education student shouldn’t have to have his education interrupted because of a student who is in special education.
So, I wonder from all of you; how do you feel about the inclusion of special education students, especially those that may exhibit behavior problems, into the general education environment? Do you agree with this, or would you rather keep kids with behavior disorders out of the general class, even if they earn it?