My forty year old brother is a graduate of the Fairfax County Public Schools Special Education program. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers, school team members, and my parents who helped my brother develop his skills and talents as a student and now an adult. Unfortunately there still continues to be a great deal of stigma associated with special education system—parents of children with special needs have been equated to “welfare recipients” who use their resources to buy Cadillac’s…and worse yet students of special education are often viewed as lazy, not fitting, and feeling entitled.

 

Take a moment to imagine what it is like to see a word and be told the rest of the world does not see it the same way—and that you are “wrong.” Imagine hearing a story and the words sound differently to you than they do to the rest of the class—and that you are “wrong.” Imagine having a great deal to say, but because of a physical or cognitive disability you can’t get the thoughts and words out in a coherent fashion—and once again you are “wrong.”

 

It was not easy being in special education, it was not easy being in the public school system. My brother often felt as if there was something wrong with him—that he was broken. But what I learned over the years was that the education system is set up in a linear fashion, a student is taught to learn in a straight line… in bite size pieces—He didn’t learn this way, his path was much more indirect—but it was not wrong—it was different.

 

I share these insights because they are important. There is no easy way to teach children who come from so many different backgrounds and bring so many different ability levels and experiences to one classroom—have you visited the “typical” classroom in Northern Virginia—I am going to tell you a secret the only “linear” learning going on in these rooms is the fact that everyone is mandated to teach to the test --the Standards of Learning. Otherwise there is something exciting opportunity, individualized instruction; unfortunately there are not enough resources for teachers and students to feel good about individualized instruction-- so it feels like a struggle for everyone.

 

Changing the Virginia Special Education Regulations to minimize input from parents is not the answer –leave the Special Education Regulations alone. Look for better ways to pull in parents as “partners in learning” for kids in the general education community. My parents knew my brother best, and to be honest he would not have graduated with a regular diploma if my parents weren’t reminding my brother’s education team about his “different way of thinking.” Thanks Mom and Dad…thanks Fairfax Public Schools. Rather than go to war over the Special Education Regulations, administrators, parents and students should be working to find better ways to get the right supports in place for ALL students—so we can build one strong Virginia--not a divided school community.

 

Nancy Mercer

Executive Director

The Arc of Northern Virginia

Proud Sister of graduate from Special Education