Forgive me, because this is going to sound whiny and, I'm sure, politically incorrect...but I have some minor issues with Disability Support Services. Today a student stayed after class to give me a letter from DSS requesting extra time to complete tests and quizzes, requesting permission to use a word processor for all in-class work, and requesting that I recruit a notetaker for the student.
This student, with all of these accommodations, will receive the same degree upon graduation as the students who don't get extra time to do their work, and who don't get to have a personal notetaker. That doesn't seem right to me. To the best of my knowledge, this student's degree will not come with a note from Disability Support Services stapled to the corner. My question is this. If the student can't function under normal conditions in college, how will the student manage life in the workplace? By awarding the degree, it seems that the university is saying this person is competent in his/her field. But IS this person competent if he/she cannot take his/her own notes at meetings, and needs special accommodations and extra time to complete his/her work? What employer will make these concessions? (Or are they legally required to bend the rules for employees with ADD, or dyslexia, or whatever else DSS sends these notes out for?)
Not to mention that, as a teacher, these conditions are super annoying. I will either have to remove pop reading quizzes from my curriculum, something I don't want to do because without the threat of a potential quiz a lot of English 111 students don't read, or let this student take the reading quizzes outside of class at Disability Support Services. The out-of-class quiz option isn't fair to the rest of the class, because the student would be taking the quizzes AFTER the in-class reading discussions, which are always the follow-up to the quizzes. (I can't make the student take the quizzes in advance, since it would mean he/she has less time to complete the reading assignment.) This means that if the student hasn't done the reading, he/she will still have the benefit of the discussion when taking the reading quiz. And let's face it. Even he/she has read, the discussion will help to clarify the reading. (At least, that's the case for about 90% of people.) This whole modified curriculum stuff seems inherently unfair.
And in-class writing assignments, of which there are PLENTY in English 111, raise a whole different set of concerns. Do I let the student take his/her work home to complete it, since I'm sure as hell not going to wait around after class to allot him/her the mandated extra time? That's not fair to everyone else, is it? Half of my curriculum has just been shot all to hell by a stupid letter from stupid DSS. I'm annoyed. I am not paid enough to re-work my curriculum -- either for the whole class, or for this one student.
Grrrrrrr.
1.16.2008
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18 comments:
Totally understandable, though! As a teacher dealing with disabled kids is tough - not that elementary is anything compared to college, though. That's another thing to thank W for - No Child Left Behind. Find 1 teacher that thinks that is something positive and actually helping ANYONE and I'll give you the million dollars I obviously don't have.
I used to read all my history books aloud and record them for Student Support Services for someone who had problems reading. I always wondered why a person with reading problems or whatever it was would major in history, as reading is about 75% of the work! I never knew who it was I read for.
Certain exceptions should be made for disabled people, but where is it that you draw the line and realize that exceptions are turning into cop outs or the 'easy way out'? (that's not really the word I'm looking for - but it's not so black and white of an issue anymore)
Frankly, Signe, you do sound whiney.
I don't think that the inconvenience it causes you is quite as inconvenient as being an individual WITH a disability. And I also don't agree with you that it's "not fair" that they aren't labeled with their degree as being "incompetent." An individual with a disability has to work extra hard in other ways to achieve the same goals that are very easy for those of us without them to achieve. You think it's rough having to set aside a little time to help them? Newsflash. You're a teacher. That's what you're supposed to do. Teach and help others. Are you completely lacking in empathy just because YOU'VE never had a disability? You don't know what it's like to stare at tiny print and have it cause massive migraines and further vision loss. Or not be able to hear people, and get completely lost because you have no idea what is being said. You're upset because you have to set aside time to help your students? Wow. I bet the student with the disability wishes his or her life were that easy. Speaking as someone who lives with an individual with a disability, I find your statement to be lacking in compassion and cold. He's lost over half of what vision he had left in being a student. Oh, and that's with the technology he's spent thousands of dollars on, having extra time to take tests, and occasionally, someone to read his tests aloud to him. And it has still cost him so much. He has to work a LOT harder to get what everyone else has, so instead of a note saying he got so much HELP, should he instead get two degrees because his cost so much more effort that those that were born on third base and call it a homerun? Well...you're more than welcome to switch eyes with him. And then he'd gladly take your inconveniences in your stead.
PS. Would you rather spend more in taxes to provide more money to help those that have disabilities by just giving them more money each month? Cuz that seems like more of a handout than helping them with a test so that they can get a degree and try to work their way into a better life. Money or time, I guess. But Parker gets very little in disability funds, and wants to give it up in favor of a job. None of his professors ever made him feel bad about his being born with fucked up eyes, though.
Maybe I can solve one issue here: one of my professors in college actually made us write an outline of the week's chapters and turn it in at the beginning of every week. That not only made me read the chapter, but it made me learn the material in it. Thats another option to the quiz. You can describe it on the syllabus and give them two weeks to prepare for the first assigned reading.
The main problem is that I get this information *after* I've done my planning for the semester. If I'd known in advance, I would have had time to actually talk with someone over at disability support to figure out the best ways to accommodate. But now it's too late. I've already got everything set up, I've already handed out the syllabus, I've already told the students how I'm going to run the class. I can't just say to them, "Never mind" and change everything around now that I've received this letter a week into the semester. I really wish the frickin' university would be organized enough to let me know about these things in advance so that I could prepare. If I'd had the opportunity to talk with the DSS people *WHILE* setting up my class, instead of *AFTER*, I would have.
This means that I now have to modify everything I've planned, which is lame. I'm paid $2700 to teach this class. That's $2700 for the *entire* semester. For a mere $2700, no, I'm not going to put in the time to re-do it.
Jamie, you might think that I'm an asshole, but last night I was talking with three fellow MFA grads who are adjuncting. We universally agree: this job is shit. We are supposed to care about the students and nurture the students and hold the students' hands and give our all to the job -- but the university doesn't give us the tools to care and nurture and hand hold. We get disability letters a week into the semester. We get bitched at by department higher-ups for not knowing department policies that were never explained to us. We get in trouble with the admin. assistant for not properly filling out copy forms we didn't know existed. We are forced to teach classes we are not qualified to teach and then get a stern talking-to when our syllabi aren't up to snuff.
We work our asses off about 25-30 hours/week for the university, and then work another 20-30 hours/week somewhere else just to make ends meet, and we get no benefits from either job. Pardon us for being a little bitter and a little overwhelmed and a little unwilling to go back in and do a bunch of extra work that we aren't paid to do -- and weren't paid enough to do the first time around, either.
My big concern with this particular situation is being fair to *everyone.* I feel that letting one student take the quizzes after we've had the discussions in class defeats the purpose of the quizzes, and isn't fair to everyone else who has to take the quiz prior to the benefit of class discussion. Nor do I think it's fair to let one student take home an in-class exercise while the other students rush to finish during class.
It's not that I hate people with disabilities. I hate having to re-prepare big portions of my class (my main tactic to keep students reading...kind of a big deal in a reading-intensive course where nobody wants to read) AFTER I've already told students what to expect.
For example: having audio versions of books is not a big deal to me. Nor is needing a special table to accommodate a wheel chair. Or taking a quiz/test outside of class (provided that the test was taken BEFORE the answers were essentially given out in class through discussion). In short, things that don't make my class unfair to the other students are OK with me, and being notified in advance is OK with me. I do think that if I had been informed about this earlier -- and there's no reason I shouldn't have been; my records show that this student registered for the class in November -- I would have been able to figure something out that would be fair for everyone.
Can I add something that seems painfully obvious here? This student is in your class for the content, not the methods of delivery or assessment that you've created. Yes, it's extra work for you. But dude, suck it up. You're being whiny. Just because you can't assess them through pop quizzes doesn't mean they don't know the material, you just have to figure out a different means of assessing.
I'm assuming the student is majoring in something English-related, or at any rate just needs to fulfill their English general reqs.. why would this student need to be able to show a competence in pop quizzes? Since when do we, as adults with jobs in the real world, have to take pop quizzes to contribute to society?
No offense, Sig, but your job is to teach the student the content. I'm guessing the class objectives don't include "student will be able to kick ass at pop quizzes" or "student will be able to hand-write in-class work".
Anyways, the DSS didn't say this student can't take pop quizzes. The student just needs to be given extra time (in class, I'm assuming) to complete them and allow the student to type up their answers (making sure that their wireless internet is turned off, of course).
Honestly, your best bet is to talk to the student and/or Disability Support Services to see what these specific accomodations might look like. You don't have to figure everything out on your own, use the resources you have available. Can the student tape-record the class sessions if there are no volunteer notetakers? (And to what lengths do they expect you to go to in order to recruit a notetaker?) Generally on that matter, it is DSS that is responsible for getting the student a notetaker, not the individual class teacher.
Anyways, go get help from the DSS experts. That's what they're there for.
P.S. Now that I've typed this, I'm looking at what you wrote and noticing that you say the DSS "requests" these accomodations, not "requires" them - there's a big difference. If they're only "requesting" these things, you have a lot more say in the matter than if it's required by law, and if you don't think the accomodations are really necessary, you can deny them or significantly alter them to whatever you feel would be more appropriate.
And PS: I'm not going to make anybody feel bad either. I will just smile and nod, and hope the other students don't catch wind of the fact that one of their classmates is being allowed the advantage of taking quizzes AFTER we've discussed the material in class.
I'm not faulting the student for this situation -- although yes, my annoyed post does sound that way. Mostly, I'm faulting the university for being so ill-prepared. Shouldn't teachers know about this stuff a.s.a.p.? And shouldn't we maybe get some sort of handbook or training that covers the eight million situations we encounter entirely unprepared for?
I also have to admit that part of my frustration is that this student is even *IN* my class. Not because of a disability, not because I don't want to deal with this student...but because I personally know this person is not prepared for my class. I have worked with this student in the writing center for the past few semesters. This student can barely read, much less compose a sentence -- yet received A's in all the preparatory English classes the student was required to pass before enrolling in English 111. Clearly, there was some sort of failure on the part of the prep teachers, and that makes me mad.
I don't think it's OK to pass students on when they're not ready for what comes next. I don't do that. All of UAA's students are required to take a 200-level English class before graduating. In order to get into that 200-level class, they have to pass 111 with a C or better. I've never passed a student who I felt didn't have the skills to take technical writing, or persuasive writing, or writing in the sciences, or writing about literature. I think it's a disservice to the student, disability or not.
What if the student types up something about the reading assignment to turn in at the beginning of class?
OR, better yet, what if you modify the pop quizzes? And by modify, I mean reduce the amount of questions. This doesn't let them "get away with doing less work" - they still answer questions that span the reading and show that they have read and comprehended the material assigned, but then they have more time to work on the questions without taking up extra class time or necessitating outside time to work on the quiz. It doesn't take that much time to pare down a quiz to the more important questions (much less than reworking your entire curriculum).
There, see? After I Sig-bash, I try to offer some constructive advice ;)
But seriously, if this student doesn't belong in the class or does not master the material as required, that should be reflected in their final (and mid-term, etc) grade. Your accomodations aren't to "socially promote" the student if they don't grasp the material or meet requirements, only to allow them the access to learning that their disability is denying them. Like you implied, disabilities are only one reason a student might not be learning - another might be that they just aren't ready for the material or capable of fulfilling the requirements of a class.
Lise - No Child Left Behind has nothing to do with accomodating disabled students. You're looking to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, passed in 1975, reauthorized in 1997) or to the Americans with Disabilities Act. And accomodating elementary kids - way harder. There are typically several (or more) per classroom with their own individual specialized needs, meetings, meetings, more meetings, and paperwork galore. As a teacher, you have to prove that you're doing all you can to ensure that little Bobby will be successful despite his dyslexia and EBD - what strategies are you employing? What scaffolding are you giving him? And what the hell do you do with all of the other appropriately needy kids in class while you're doling out so much attention to Bobby (and Kaleb and Susie and Jequoia)? Anyways, my point is that it's much more taxing than dealing with 1 stinkin' student that needs a notetaker and a word processor and modified assessments. I'm not being bitter, I'm just being honest (realistic?).
Lauren, that is *brilliant.* This is why I did not get a degree in anything that requires logical thinking -- it is a capacity I simply lack. Of *course.* Answer half the questions. Do only a portion of the in-class work. That way, there's no concerns about fairness, or about having to stay late, or taking up class time, while still allowing me to adequately judge the student's comprehension.
My brain immediately jumped to "send the student to the DSS office for testing and quizzes" and "take-home options for in-class writing" because that's what was suggested in the letter. But duh...I don't have to do what they SUGGEST...they're just suggesting. Thank god I have friends who are smarter than me in practical matters. :)
Holy crap I missed out on a lot. :)
I think Sig is completely right in every way, and I don't think she's being whiny. If anybody is being whiny it is this kid who thinks that university education is a human right and that everybody should bend over backwards to accommodate their special needs. Signe is not a charity for disabled people (nor is any other professor; notice how they get paid in money instead of warm fuzzy feelings), and unless the university is willing to pay her more or give her something more than a letter saying she has to make accommodations, well too bad. If I were a professor I would be perfectly willing to make accommodations for people with physical disabilities - that is, they are perfectly capable of doing the work but maybe need me to voice record the material. Nobody's brain should be forced to stagnate simply because they're in a wheelchair or deaf or blind. But mental disabilities are different because in that case the ability itself is lacking.
As a teacher, you have to prove that you're doing all you can to ensure that little Bobby will be successful despite his dyslexia and EBD
Since when is it a teacher's job to make sure students are successful? I thought they were there to present material to us, and it was our business whether or not we learned it.
Are you kidding me, Erica? It's a LAW. It has nothing to do with being paid in warm fuzzies. Do you get warm fuzzies from stopping at a red light? No. Well then, why do you do it? Because it's a law. If you follow it, you get the opportunity to keep your driver's license and you don't have to pay a fine.
Teachers and school districts get sued over non-compliance. You have to document your shit or parents who are good advocates for little Bobby will hand your ass over to the court system (As I mentioned in what I wrote, I was speaking about the elementary school level as IDEA applies to K-12 education, but there are clearly other things from the Americans with Disabilities Act that apply to accomodations for adults).
Some disabilities are harder to understand than others, but let me try to explain it.
Everyone agrees that children who are deaf have a right to be educated, yes? Physical disability, we're okay with accomodating that. So we agree they would not be getting equitable ACCESS to the information if the teacher lectured at the class with no interpreter available, used no visual aides, had no textbooks with the material in written format, etc. We know that doesn't mean the student wouldn't be able to understand the material, they just need a bridge to get over the obstacles. Also, the student would not have the ability to show that they understood the material if ASSESSMENT was only offered via an oral exam. This doesn't mean they do not possess the knowledge/understanding of the material. They simply need to be allowed to present their knowledge in a different format.
Dyslexia and many other mental disabilities (ie learning disabilities) are NOT the same as cognitive delay and mental retardation.
Students with learning disabilities have a obstacles on the pathway to their learning, not an inability to understand the content. Equitable access means bridging over the obstacles that prevent the student from accessing the content (ie note-taker) and allowing them to present their knowledge/comprehension of material in a way they are able to (ie using a word processor).
If you presented material to your students in Russian and they were not Russian speakers, is it fine because "your job is only to present the material" and they can translate your damn lesson on their own time if they want to learn it? No. That would not be equitable access (perhaps a translator). It isn't that they're incapable of comprehending the material, it simply was not presented in a manner in which they could access.
Lauren's right. ADD kids, for example, can be incredibly bright students. However, though they can and do undestand and comprehend content, their issue is GETTING to the content. It's an issue of needing assistance to create bridges from one to the other, just as Parker's magnifier or audio reader help him get to the content, other forms of assistance allow others to access the content.
The conservative attitude about such things is that we need to go along with what we think the majority needs, ie, people ask, "well, why does the whole rest of the class have to be slowed down for one person?" Again, this is a conservative attitude that equates majority as more important than minority. Also, if more creative endeavors are made, the rest of the class isn't "slowed down," it's simply gotten more unique. And, not only is it a law, but they are going to lengthes to make it easier for new teachers to handle these challenges. In Parker's education classes, for example, teaching children with disabilities is addressed, and there is discussion on different ways to make it accessible for everyone. It's wrong to say, "You're a retard for not getting this. If you can't follow my one teaching method, you're fucked." It shows a lack of creativity, and frankly, if teachers are getting paid, they should do the job they're getting paid to do. And actually, this isn't an attack on Signe, because I'm not talking about her issue right now, I'm talking about the elementary education system. It is, in fact, their job. And the law.
I *wish* someone would train me. Nobody has trained me. Nobody has ever mentioned anything to me about disabilities, or teaching students with disabilities, or how to accommodate disabilities, or what methods of teaching are best adapted to disabilities, or what is appropriate accommodation and what is asking too much. That would be great.
Yeah, it kinda sounds like your university is lame in some ways. Disorganized? UWSP was like that with financial aid--if it was a normal situation, they were great. Special circumstances? They ran around confused.
I have the sexy learning disorder, sexlexia.
Lisa brings up an important question, though. At what point are the accommodations simply a cop out?
Totally agree with Lauren on all the laws stuff. It's been awhile since I've been in the classroom. I think that was the hardest part of teaching - keeping up with all the IEPs, but yet assuring all the other students were receiving proper instruction & help time, too! During student teaching my 2nd grade class had 9 out of 23 kids that had documented disabilities and each their own IEP! It was crazy - not to mention all the extra time spent in the meetings, too. I've always wanted to get my masters in special education in the area of ADD/ADHD because those kids are amazing! Most are extremely smart like Jamie said, it's just trying to tap into them and figure out how to bring that out.
Just thinking of other ideas for Sig to cope - why not hand out the quizzes you already have prepared and require the students answer a minimum amount of questions - and make the minimum a big enough number that they will have to answer ?s from all parts of the book. Or they get docked points if they answer ?s from only 1 part of the book since that's obvious they didn't read the other parts. Or just change up your point system and base more points on their discussion participation.
As a student that outlining method sucked, Urs. I had a World History & an Education prof do that and I could have slit my wrists. Maybe for high school it'd work, but I think it's to tedious for college material. Maybe it works for some people, but not me!
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