‘Integrated education’ issues
Recently in Taipei, a male student with special needs attacked his teacher.
The student had been reprimanded for interrupting the class, but he then lost his temper and rushed to the podium and confronted the teacher. He smashed the microphone, put the teacher in a chokehold and said: “This has nothing to do with you. I get privileged treatment in this school!”
What he said reveals the difficulties in providing special education in regular classes.
Taiwan, as in many countries, includes students with special needs in regular classrooms. These students are integrated, rather than being segregated into special schools.
Every classroom has students with special needs. Some students might need special services due to physiological or psychological disorders, but everyone studies together.
However, have those who oppose the segregation of students thought about the fact that some students with special needs might be prone to violent behavior?
It is extremely difficult for teachers when they are confronted by such students and, in some cases, the classroom might even become a dangerous environment.
I have a student with a psychological disorder. I encourage my students to look out for her, be nice to her and to befriend her.
However, the student tends to overreact to even the most trivial things, gets easily angered and throws things at others. We have to calm her down to stop her from screaming and throwing stuff and hurting other students.
Everyone tolerates her, but our tolerance at the same time spoils her. It is as if she is indeed privileged.
Untrained assistants are often assigned to students with special needs.
They are more like their little servants, handing them erasers or carrying their school bags. No wonder those students feel privileged.
Moreover, since these assistants have not been trained to take care of students with special needs, when students with psychological disorders lose control, the assistants are powerless to do anything about it.
I have several years of experience dealing with students with special needs in regular classrooms, and I believe that we cannot let these students wrongly think of themselves as the privileged few.
We should let them know that teachers would intervene and educate them if necessary. When students with special needs become enraged, we have to divert their attention and not let them fixate on trivial things.
Undeniably, the parents of special needs students have to put in more effort to take care of their children.
We should also remember that most students and teachers have to make an effort to tolerate students with special needs. As a result of the so-called “integrated education,” the rights of regular students have been undermined.
Would you let your children study in an environment where other students might scream? I personally am afraid of others’ screaming, and I would do my best to prevent such a thing from happening.
I He-hsuan
Taipei
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