Saya pernah membuat tulisan ini saat senggang dikantor, lucu, grammarnya masih kacau.
Education for Special needs students
I like education system for special needs students in US. I am absolutely agree with the rules for special needs education system.
Why ?
I like Black Law that said, ‘every children must study together’, it means the class in USA class are inclusive class. Education system in US support inclusive class.
When I joined class with subject “Inclusive setting for special needs students”, I was very surprise with education system in US that very support special needs students. I know US needs a long time for make their education system, but I admire their passion to think about special needs children.
I learnt about rules in US that every children whose born with special needs condition, then the government will pay all of education, health and therapy for special needs children until they high school. Wow…imagine how much money that US government spend for special needs education…?
My lecturer explain every children that born in special needs condition, the hospital will tell the parents about conditions of their baby, how about the health payment and what payment will government paid for them.
The government will pay or cover all of education cost and the doctor bills in the school. Please remind that education for special needs students means that school must provide special need teachers for special needs students.
Can we imagine how much the US government must pay for special needs teachers and the doctor and don’t forget, of course the facilities for special needs students?
This education system is so expensive. Or is this worthed for US ?
Most people will think, no it is not worthed to spend a lot of money for special needs students. But, people whose think not worthed to spend money for special needs students, for me, is very wrong opinion.
Why? Because actually US government help their fund to save and don’t have to spend a lot of money to pay non productive citizen, why?
Because US government already teach special needs students to be independent person, so they can be productive person. This system will increase a lot of productive person, why? Special needs person are not stupid person, they also human who have same needs just like ‘normal’ person. Special needs person have the same rights just like other person.
Maybe just the culture/ habit in some region that treat special needs person become different person.
And sometime people also act differently when they treat special needs person. It is wrong attitude for me.
Why we ‘treat’ differently with special needs person? If we are not teach/educate special needs person, we are the one whose suffering for what have we done, because when special needs person didn’t get right education then when they grow up, they can’t do anything, then the government and society whose suffering because have to paid and bear throughout life of special needs person. And the worse are sometimes the government ignore the special needs person, so we can see so many paupers in the street. How pathetic this condition???
My government (Indonesia) can’t afford to pay special needs teachers in public school, so mostly parents (rich parents) go to private school which accept special needs students. How about middle class parents?
Well, some public school are inclusive school, but they don’t have special needs teachers, so public school teachers will have some difficulty to teach special needs students.
The funniest thing is education college in Indonesia don’t put special needs subject in the curriculum, so people who will become teacher don’t get subject or lesson to handle special needs students. This subject (special needs lesson) just give to extraordinary education (major which teach people to be teacher in special needs school).
Indonesia have special needs school for mute, deaf, blind, mentally handicapped. Just that. Extraordinary education is major in education college for prepare person which is become teacher in this school.
Why for me this funny? Because special needs class in US classroom is mandatory, must be take for all of students college who want to be teacher.
Of course, US education have special needs education major just like in Indonesia (extraordinary education), but all of US teachers get lesson to handle special needs students.
See, so teachers in US can handle special needs students, here, in Indonesia, teachers can learn from the experience…hi hi, almost the same??? I don’t know.
Maybe, for our culture in Indonesia, is not common to see two or three teacher in the classroom. This was my experience when I saw three teacher in the classroom. One teacher is lead the classroom but two teacher (special needs teachers) just watch and then explain again the lesson to special need students. I felt weird when I taught in the class and other teacher saw me (I felt like my headmaster inspection me, ha ha :D)
Special needs teachers is very important, they help subject teacher to explain again to special needs students. So, in US classroom is not problem to have two or three special needs students in one class, because special needs teachers help subject teacher.
My experience when I handle two special needs students in my class just like disaster, one special need student cried, and the other students yell each other, and just only me, the teacher in the class. Of course, people will said, “you have to handle it, that’s your job, your duty”.
I know, I feel I am still lucky my students just only 25 students in the class, but I can’t imagine if I am public school teacher who have 40 students and I have two special needs students, what will I do, if one of special needs students is tantrum?
Okay, this is what I see in US classroom for special needs students. Each special needs students have teacher team to handle them.
Teacher team consist of health teacher, two/three special needs teachers, psychologist, school doctor. Two or three special needs teachers will accompany special needs students in their class. Example Ann is special needs students who have three special need teachers, Miss Maya, Mr. John, Mr. Peter. Miss Maya will accompany Ann in math class and biology class; Mr Peter will accompany Ann in art class and history class; Mr. John will accompany Ann in sport class.
Special need students also have to check their condition to doctor in the school; they have 5 minutes free to go out from class before class over (so they don’t have to meet crowded of class over in the corridor, to go to next class); they have more time to finish the test in study room with special need teachers; they have one hour free time to resume all of their study.
Each school have capacity to accept special needs students, because to accept special needs students, school has to look how many special needs teacher that school have. If the school have so many special needs students register to school but the school doesn’t have capacity to accept the students, the students will be transfer to another public school.
Each public school also have specially in handle special needs students. Example: my host school, South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US have specially to handle special needs students in physical inability.
I wish someday Indonesia government can afford to pay special needs teachers in inclusive school. I know some public school already be inclusive school but the government don’t prepare the school with facilities and the teachers.
So, special needs students can be productive citizen when they grow up.
I also hope the mind set of people that special needs students are parasite will be change, why? Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawkings also special needs person, but we know them as scientist and productive person and very useful for their country.
Special needs children have rights to get better education. We are ‘normal’ people that must be understand that nobody perfect but we can make world perfect if we can cooperate with all of elements in our society. Special needs children also our society, our next generation.
The point is we have to save and educate our next generation.
That’s all.
School of Education (Fakultas Kependidikan)
In the math education college classroom, a math lecturer explain about theory how to teach geometry to high school students.
After finish teach, one college student ask to the lecturer, ”Sir, is this theory already you apply in high school students? And how many high school already use this theory?
The lecturer answer diplomatically, “ I believe all of my students whose graduated already apply this theory in their school”.
The student very surprise and then ask again, “Excuse me, Sir, can I ask you something, Have you been teach directly to high school students to apply this theory?”.
The lecturer , ”No, not yet, I am lecturer whose teach college students”.
The student, “ Sir, how can you teach all of us who want to be teacher if you never have experience teaching in school? What experience you will share to us? Experience teach college students? We will be teacher in elementary, junior and high school not college! Maybe some of us will be lecturer but I think this faculty is produce teacher for school, right?”
Some people believe teachers are teach everything to children beside their parents. First education is family and second education is in school.
But, some people and I believe most people think that some person is good if they get good education. Good education means people go and study in good school which have good teachers.
What is criteria of good teachers? Hmm, lets make a list
- Explain clearly
- have good attitude
- good row models to their students
- etc.
But I am sure if you ask this question to students, no one will answer like this, “graduated from education college”.
Are you sure? Most international school have teachers whose don’t graduated from education college.
Why? Are you not believe teacher whose graduated from education college?
If we read discussion above, some people will believe there is something wrong in our education. How can our education improve if our teacher who educate us is not educate well in their school? I don’t say that our education college is wrong, No…I just think something wrong with our curriculum.
I went to College Education and Human Development (CEHD) in University of Minnesota last year. CEHD faculty is education faculty here in Indonesia. That is a good name for faculty, right? Education is develop human. That’s a good name and already give purpose to this faculty.
My lecturers mostly already taught elementary or junior high school or senior high school. They took master and Ph.D in university, then after graduated, the university asked them to be lecturer in CEHD faculty.
So, if the lecturer teach some subject/theory, they already apply the subject to students in the school. This subject is not just only theory. College students in CEHD learn application and not theory. Hmm, I like it.
Lets compare with here, in Indonesia. Teachers and lecturers are different. Teachers just teach in kindergarten, elementary, secondary school. Lecturers teach in college. Teachers can’t be lecturers. Too bad, because their experience are advantages for students college who want to be teacher. Actually its not just about experience, but also share knowledge or transfer knowledge how to handle students in class. That’s the important thing to be teacher. Are Indonesian lecturers in education faculty have that sense?
We have to improve our education faculty because teachers are warrior leader in education system. Teachers build character of their students. Teachers create leaders. Teacher educate our next generations. If our teachers are bad, then our education will collapse.
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