1. Alex Boswell
12/5/2012
Category: Professional Growth
A New York Times Article Critique on Special Education
The following artifact is a paper I wrote for a course called Differentiating Instruction in
Secondary Schools. It is a critique of a New York Times article titled, “Bringing Special­Needs Schools
Closer to Home.”
I chose this artifact to represent my professional development in the field of education. The
artifact reflects on information about special needs children having to travel long distances for their
education and the benefits of residential in­state schools. My critique of the article includes the importance
of listening to the needs of diverse people and the hope that:
“with the influx of residential in­state schools being built, there will be more of an opportunity for
those that come from low­income families to also receive the special education they need. I also
hope that more voices will begin to be heard in order to better understand and help special needs
kids. For now, it seems that special education is something only the rich can truly afford.”
(“Article Critique” 2)
This artifact demonstrates my ability to articulate an ethically informed philosophy for educational practice
and to support institutional change that improves a person's quality of education and quality of life. Even
though my certification, so far, is only in Secondary English Education, my advocacy for Special Education
and doing my best to understand and respond in an informed manner to diverse needs is an aspect of my
professional development.