I observed at McDaniel Learning Center for special needs children in 3 different classrooms. We went into the preschool class at the learning center and the room was very colorful and full of toys and the lights on the ceiling were covered with little blankets to dull the lighting in the room so the kids could focus. In this class there were 2 teachers and 2 students for most of the time, then Bobby came in and another teacher came in. The 3 students in the classroom where 3 or 4.
Gabby was one of the little girls in the preschool room, she was behind in things most children her age knew and were learning. She was not talking fully and couldn’t tell her teacher what sound a cow makes. If Gabby did not have these interactions and these skills weren’t fully developed, she would struggle in kindergarten. Second, there was Abby who could not focus on anything the class was doing. Abby’s teacher had to keep getting her attention but right when she finally focused, she lost it again. Abby also needs the learning center, without it there will be no one to help her with her needs to be on track. While the teacher was reading them a book Abby was supposed to point out the fish on every page. However, Abby could not do that because of her lack of focus. Lastly, there was Bobby, Bobby has not developed well at all. It was very hard to see that and made me wonder why he was not walking at his age or speaking. Bobby still has the mind of a baby, when he doesn’t want to do something he throws himself back as a baby would. Bobby is also not very respondent nor focused. He has no qualities of a child his age. He was still putting things in his mouth and could not focus at all and I don’t think Bobby will make kindergarten soon. Also, none of these kids were potty trained.
The teachers that work with them are very patient. I noticed they would do little hand gestures to get the child’s attention and focus. Also, they repeat themselves over and over again and talk very calm to the children and anytime they were to do something right, they were celebrated by statements of “good jobs” and yay you did it”. Even if they would do something wrong, the teacher was still positive instead of yelling and telling them that they were wrong the teacher would simply say how about we try again or something like that. Also, the teachers use timers to help them understand that once it beeps it’s time to switch or stop activities.Referring to the stages of development, I think that these three students are stuck in Erik erikson’s stage of Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt, They are still developing a sense of personal control but have not successfully done it.
Second, we observed the elementary room which was ages 6-10 believe. In this classroom, I noticed that the class was much bigger but still had the same atmosphere as the preschool classroom, full of toys and very colorful. This class had 4 teachers and 6 kids who are pulled out to be observed one at a time throughout the class time. Although these kids should be reading, writing, and doing math, they have not learned these basics. The kids in the elementary class are still learning their colors, numbers, letters and animals. Also, they still have to be taken to the restroom. The teachers in this class also work by timers and talk to them in a happy manner. The kids in this class can be easily confused so the teachers need to be very clear and direct with their directions so that the children will understand them.
One boy that was observed in the elementary class was Devin, while he was at the reading station with grandma; you could tell that he was completely shut down. He sat at the table with his head down and arms folded or in his shirt, he was constantly moving and could not sit still. Yet when it came time to do math, he was zooming through it and was focused on what he was doing, you could tell that math was his strong point.
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