Over the course of my research this week, I found some interesting information that led me to a very specific aspect of my research topic. I have been very interested to learn more about disproportionate classification of minorities in special education. There has been a trend of overclassification of minorities as disabled for many years. It has led to federal oversight in classification and because of that there is a new study showing that now there is an underrepresentation of minorities in special education which means that there may be students who are not receiving the help they need because they are a minority and cannot be classified as disabled.

I learned a great deal about research this week and was so excited to be able to find sources from journals, books, studies, that have all been peer reviewed and offer so much research that I am eager to keep digging and learn more! Using the library sources was beneficial, but I was more interested in how much information I could access just from doing an advanced search on Google. I think the evaluation criteria we used was also extremely supportive. Analyzing the currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose of each article helped me focus on the most important details of the research. I was able to eliminate a few different cases and articles based on the currency alone. I want to make sure I am studying recent and relevant information that takes into account federal measures to safeguard against overclassification.

I think the next direction I want to pursue in my research is how disabilities are classified and measured to determine whether or not the law affecting overclassification could be inhibiting students receiving services because of their minority status. I would also like to find out more about the history behind disproportionality, and what federal guidelines are in place to limit overclassification.

Hello! I am starting this new adventure as an assignment for my very first class at Brandman University which is my first college class in 7 years. I am finishing with an Applied Studies degree (finally) after taking time off to start a family, I am a mom of 3 wonderful boys under the age of six, so now my attention is divided between the Bachelor’s and the baseball! It has been a very long and difficult journey getting to this point in my life and I could not do it alone. I am very thankful for parents who instilled a desire to continue my education and never give up. I have wanted to become a teacher since my first day of kindergarten, and when I became an instructional aid with Hemet Unified School District and got to experience the amazing challenge of working with severely handicapped students I found my direction and plan to continue with a Moderate/Severe Teaching Credential.

I think one aspect of my career that I need to continue to explore are limitations that I don’t have experience dealing with. For example, I have learned so much on how to handle basic classroom management, but I have never had to deal extensively with violent or emotionally disabled students for long periods of time. I have learned how to modify curriculum for specific limitations of students, but how do I find something meaningful to teach to a student who is so low functioning that the most simple fine motor skills are beyond comprehension?

I expect one of the challenges of teaching special education is finding the right tools to help our students. I was doing research on dyslexia for a specific student and was able to find a font that was designed specifically for dyslexic readers and was so excited that I had found a tool to help our student succeed! I hope that over the course I am able to find tools and effective strategies to help my students learn to the best of my ability.

I believe that one of my biggest challenges during this course will be reacquainting myself with college level writing and correct citation of my work because honesty is very important to me and I would never want to plagiarize work because it was not cited correctly. I would also like to learn more about education resources for severely handicapped students that are tested and studied accurately.

This course is an amazing opportunity to step back into my education and gain the tools I need to be successful and I am very excited about this amazing opportunity.