[tulip5]

I teach Special Ed/Resource at a title 1 school. I feel like I am getting burned out with the over abundance of paperwork, behaviors and the state expecting us to bring up SPED kids to grade level when they are 3 years behind. My goodness..... if the students could make that gain they would not be coded with a learning difference. I'm thinking of trying Gen Ed. can anyone tell me the downfalls of gen ed compared to special ed.?

[robint03]

This is my first year teaching LFI students and I have noticed they are much better behaved than many LAD or general education students in inclusion classes. Also, there is no pressure to teach students who are either not motivated or not capable of achieving well in general education classes and passing the HSAs (MD).

I thought for many years that I wanted to teach general education and there are many classes that are likely wonderful, but with No Child Left Behind and politicians talking about pay for student performance, I think I am fine now where I am.

It has been my observation that honors and even IB classes where self-selection is permitted have too many students who are not prepared to be there.

Theresa

[SpecEdTeacher]

Tulip I so feel you on what you are experiencing. I have taught for almost 5 years now and I do feel burnt out. I feel like sometimes as a SpecEd teacher I am responsible not only for my mandated kids but also for the Gen Ed kids paperwork and etc too. That is a lot of work on top actually teaching and doing lessons. If a Gen Ed kids start to act out I am responsible solely for making behavior plans and writing. With two teachers in the room I can not see everything nor do I feel like I should have to write up everything just because of my position. The responsibility should be shared. antidotals. Ok, I amy have went off on a tangent but I had to vent a bit.


Just know I totally feel you on this issue.

[msunrullieone]

I switched to gen ed this year. There is still a ton of paperwork. RTI paperwork is basically like an IEP. Lots more pressure for test scores---I have some gen ed kids in my class who are much lower than any spec ed kid I've taught. With Resource/inclusion, I had a bit more breathing room in my schedule. Parents tend to 'hover' more than the spec ed parents, in my opinion. I'm enjoying the change though. Not easier, not harder, just different.

[newspedteach]

I really think it just depends. On the vent board, there are people saying that they have MUCH more paperwork as a gen. ed. teacher. I think it's different though. I have no doubt they have tons. This isn't tit for tat here. IEP's, BIP's, FBA's, EVAL's....they are very time intensive and lots of work. We have trouble getting our gen. ed. teachers to understand what they need to include in an intervention packet. It isn't really that much, if you're the one teaching/assessing. Inevitably, they leave out the health stuff and we have to go dig. They are supposed to fill in stuff in the cum file, but they never do. Once, we got a packet that had about 5 sentences on it...this was for a child that had had two full years of intensive, severe behaviors! I'm not meaning to vent. I just get frustrated when people make blanket statements across the board.

I know that I spend HOURS a week just documenting. It all adds up. I document every day for one student in particular. I have two more that I write about at least 2-3 times a week. They have a lot of behaviors and if I don't get it down several times a week, I forget. Do gen. ed. teachers document that much? This is just a very small part of my paperwork.

This all being said, as crabby as I am this week, , I love my job when I get to actually TEACH and not babysit, get jackets thrown at me, get spit at, shoved, do recess duty for kids that can't hold it together for 15 min. w/o slugging someone, etc. .