Ginger Rogers

April 21, 2

Feature

Headline: Special Ed adapts 

Captions: Student’s assignments all shift to google classroom and other learning platforms during  Online School. 

Student’s fill their binders with papers as they enter In person learning. 

Paper and pens.

 

Across the globe, COVID-19 has made it difficult for schools to continue their traditional learning methods and accommodate those who typically need extra assistance in the normal school setting. As a result, special education students and teachers have been impacted substantially. 

In the past decade, the number of Special Education students increased dramatically from 6.5 million in 2007 to around seven million in 2017. According to a Redwood statistic, between 2017 and 2018, 13.7 percent of Special Education students were enrolled in public schools in the U.S. For students with Attention Deficiency Hereditary Disorder (ADHD), it can be hard to sit through lectures or complete assignments in class. In addition, there are challenges when it comes to managing their social interactions as well as emotional behavior. Learning over Zoom has heightened these obstacles and increased the difficulty of managing these behavioral challenges for special education students. For a kid with autism, a common challenge is regulating their social outbursts in class. Additionally, learning disabilities include neurologically-based disorders that come with difficulties in subjects such as written expression or math. “ I really don’t really find zoom helpful for teaching.” According to Laura Leones a special education teacher at Redwood high school

Learning during the pandemic has looked very different from previous years. From social distancing guidelines to mask mandates, everyone has had to adapt to new circumstances. Academics for Special Education students in particular have come with added challenges in the virtual format. Teachers are doing their best to make adjustments to the students’ needs. According to Special Education student and senior Ethan Bryne, who decided to stay virtual despite the option to return to campus, distance learning was difficult, but over time, began to show more benefits. Bryne noted that his decision to remain in distance learning was mostly due to the COVID-19 health risks. 

“ I think zoom is helpful for meeting, Especially (IEP’s) individual Education plans or meeting where you have to get a lot of people together.”According to Leones. However, another Special Education senior, Alex Santos Reyes has a slightly different take. 

“When we started, it was a mess. Teachers weren’t 100 percent certain on how to prepare for online school. Eventually, it began to improve,” Reyes said. 

He pointed out the importance of being in person, especially for Special Education students. 

“I miss socializing with my friends and teachers. Since I am a senior this year, I would rather spend as much time at school as possible. Being in person also gives me a chance to interact with the outside world rather than being in my house all day,” According to Reyes.

Now that redwood is back in school full-time school is safer now because more people have been getting the vaccine. Particularly, in the special education community the support for students has been getting a little bit better. “ I have a lot of students who who had all F’s when we were online, Who’ve been able to bring their grades up to passing.” Leones carefully noted the growth of her students online and being back in person.

 

Ethan: It was a little bit hard. You get used to it after a while, but it was really new to us. We were only used to doing work at school …”

Devon: “When you think about distanced learning it was a really cool sneak peak for me about what online school would look like.