Reflection #3

I feel that it can be very challenging to address the needs of all students. It is my absolute goal to make sure that every student is given the opportunity to succeed. This involves ensuring that we teach as many different ways as possible so that the majority of students will be able to understand and master the material presented. Ultimately, No Child Left Behind has given the school system and almost impossible task Lamar states that, “…all 50 million student in our nearly 100,000 public schools would be proficient in reading and math by 2014. ” This is an extremely difficult task, not all students can meet these standards at a certain point. Lamar also said that, “it is likely that nearly 80 percent of American schools will soon fail to meet the adequate yearly progress standards.” Inclusion has its pros and cons and is effective on an individual basis. For some students interacting with higher thinking students can benefit them because they are forced to have conversations and work with these students. On the other hand some students can be overwhelmed and it will impact them in a negative way. It all depends on the student and the classroom environment. I will strive to incorporate as many different types of teaching methods. I will ensure that my students have handouts of information gone over in class, they will be given the option to come to after school tutoring as well as in class we will review the information in a fun environment, thus using technology, games and hands on activities. From my experience I have seen the good side of inclusion. My students are working together and the special needs student is benefiting from the interaction. I know that this is not always the case and inclusion is not always the best fit for all special needs students. Alexander, Lamar. "A Better Way to Fix No Child Left Behind." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.