1. Philosophy of Special Education: ALL S.T.A.R.
My personal philosophy of special education can be summed up in the following statement: students are
more than their Individualized Education Plan. What I seek to achieve as an educator of students with disabilities is
to bring out the best scholar that a student can be. I see part of my vocation as a special education teacher as
preparing the next generation of community leaders. The acronym ALL S.T.A.R. appropriately describes my vision
for the classroom: All Students can learn through being Teachers, Achieving goals, and making school Relevant.
All Students:
Every student has the right to have access to a free education. Students with disabilities should have
everything accessibleto them so that they too, may be included in our communities. I speak from experience
when I say that standardized test scores and IEPs arenot the best decidingfactors for pickingFortWorth’s future
leaders. I have worked in an enclosed classroom settingfor SPED scholars,and I haveworked with gifted dual
languagestudents who happened to have an intellectual disability and haveseen them excel in a general
education classroomwith some help from my work doinginclusiveteaching.
Being Teachers:
Although on paper my goal is to be the Teacher of Record in a classroom, I view myself as a student and
my students as teachers also. Our classroomis goingto be a learningcommunity that is open. I believe one of the
best ways for a scholar in my classroomto become invested in her/his own education is to become a teacher
themselves. I striveto emphasize personal responsibility and listeningskillsas partof my classroommanagement.
I could not succeed in my goals of havinga classroomconversation if students do not see their own teacher
modeling the behavior he asks for. By my listeningto students, not only does ithelp them see what open dialogue
looks like,but it also shows howmuch I as a teacher valuetheir participation.
Achieving Goals:
The third part of the equation for my vision for the question is rigorous academics. BecauseI believe that
every student can be a teacher-student, I want to provideas many opportunities as possiblefor my scholarsto
demonstrate their abilities. By usingthe IEP goals and previous assessments as guides,I believe I can challenge
each student so that they can make progress.If a student feels likeyou are challengingthem, they will seejust
how much you careabout their well-being. I received my formation at a traditional school asan elementary
student where good manners and homework were stressed equally. Within a special education context, I believe
wholeheartedly in providinghomework as a learningopportunity for students to teach me what they know.
MakingSchool Relevant:
Last but certainly not least,the content in the classroomshould betaught to be relevant to students’
lives. I believe our scholarsaremorelikely to engage the curriculumthatthey are taught if they understand why
the material is useful. As a Special Education teacher for example, I liketo take lessons for coupon math and give
the students choices so that they can see the real world implications of becomingsuccessful in mathematics.I
believe that by making the lessons relevantfor students, I can also become more relatablefor the purposes of an
optimal educational experience.

2. Classroom Management and Discipline Style: H.E.R.O.
I want the classroomto be a safe and positivelearningenvironment. I am continuingto develop my very
own classroommanagement stylethat stresses consistency,character development and positivebehavior
modeling. My classroommanagement and disciplineplan aresummed up with the acronym,H.E.R.O. H & E is for
HelpingEveryone. My desireto assistour scholarsin reachingtheir goals. Thebest way that I can do this is by first
setting a predictable,set schedule. This way, students will knowwhat is expected of them. It is also importantfor
me to teach and re-teach the students the classroomexpectations from the firstday onward. The R. in H.E.RO.
stands for “become Ready”. First,I as a teacher must be ready every day with a lesson plan. I must also work with
other faculty and staff members in the Special Education department and participatein professional develop so
that I am better prepared. In the classroom,I want to regularly acknowledgestudents who come ready to learn.
Finally,theO stands for “and Outstanding.” I believe that every student has the potential to be a stand out scholar
and citizen. I do realizethat there are students who struggle with citizenship,and that’s where positive
reinforcement and positivemodellingcome in. It is justnot enough to tell students how they should behave, but
also sincestudents havevaryinglearningstyles,our scholarsshould havegood behavior demonstrated for them. I
believe that regularly updatingparents on students’ academic and citizenship is another importantelement of
classroommanagement. I believe that keeping the parents involved is crucial to being successful in Special
Education contexts.

3. Lesson Plan for Special Education (Elementary School)
A. Subject: Social Studies
B. Grade Level: Grade 3
C. Unit Teaching: “Economics: The student learns the purpose of earning,spending, saving,and donating
money and to identify the ways of earning, spending,saving,and donatingmoney.”
D. TEKS: TEKS 113.14 (b) (6) (A)
E. Objectives:
1. The student will name several of the importantjobs in the Fort Worth community.
2. The student will comparedifferent occupations.
3. The student will interviewone employee from school,home, or within their local community.
F. Materials: Social studies textbook, Promethean board,Play Money, Community Bingo.
G. Introduction: Have you ever thought about what you want to be when you grow up? Who are some of
the people you look up to in your neighborhood? What do they do for a living? Today we will learn about
the many jobs that are in Fort Worth. In the end, you will decide,“What do you want to be when you
grow up?”
H. Assignment: Homework assignmentis for the student to interview an employee from home, school,or
from the community. The student must ask the person at leastthree questions: 1. “What do you do for a
living?”2.“Do I need to go to college for your career?” 3. “Why is itimportant to earn money?”
I. Closure: Email parents or guardians,askingthem to bringup what students want to be when they grow
up at the dinner table.