Sources of Personal Satisfaction
There was a time when I distrusted regular education. I would never have allowed a child who had special needs to go into a regular shool system bcause I thought it would kill them. But after seeing that it could work and being part of it and seeing the change in the children, naturally I had to change my attitude. I always believed in individualized education, but I was’t sure that it was possible in the school system. But now I can see — I mean it stares me in the face everyday — that schools can change, that teacher practice can change.
This attitude is not unique. Many educators, are sceptical of the capacity of regular school programs to accept and provide for special needs students.
However, a new and optimistic view is not unique either. Most of the methods and resource teachers feel very positive. They feel that integration is working and that their role in support of regular class teachers is an important element in making it work.
The rewards they receive are quite different than those experienced in the regular classroom. M&R teachers get satisfaction from facilitating the suceess of others. They have to enjoy being advocates for students and their families. They have to be challenged by the help they provide to teachers to find alternate strategies for students:
I’ve had a lot of satisfaction from seeing the improvements in students, when in September, I thought, “What are we going todo with this child?” [I’ve had satisfaction from] seeing integration work, and the support of staff and administration and students. We’ve had so many students who have taken it upon themselves to make it work.
[I enjoy] seeing the results! When you actually see a student progressing you feel good about it because chances are that progress would not have taken place unless there had been intervention of some kind and that’s when you feel good.
