How Can Teachers Help Special Education Students?

     Teachers these days face a list of problems and issues on a daily basis.  One major problem is special education students and students with learning disabilities.  Teachers need to learn how to accomodate these students appropriately, without making them feel left out, uncomfortable or embarrassed of their disabilities.  Students with learning disabilities and who are in special education classes are much of the time just like everyday kids.  They may just have ADD or ADHD, something tons of children have these days.  Some students may be autistic or have different cases of downsyndrome, and this is where teaching gets more complicated.  Teachers of these students need to be seriously patient and understanding of these childrens disabilities.  It's not their fault they have what they may have or may act a certain way that may not be appropriate in a regular classroom.  These children have to be taught in a less restricted environment.
     Additional skills are required for special education teachers.  Many teachers aren't trained in this aspect, so when they teach a class where they may have a student with a learning disability who may not know yet, neither may the teacher.  Once the teacher starts teaching, he or she will not be any help to the child who doesn't understand or comprehend what they're saying.  A good idea for a teacher would not only be to obviously observe his or her students and get to know them and what they are about, but also their learning and ability levels.  A teacher could be the one to recognize that a child may have a learning disability or need extra help in a certain subject, and suggest that they be put in a special education class.
     It's difficult for teachers to recognize and point out what students need help more than others.  Many students, like myself growing up, are relatively quiet and keep to themselves.  It's hard for teachers to see if they need help or be able to tell what's going through their mind.  Every teacher has their own method or way of teaching and doing things, but when it comes to children with disabilities, teachers have to move forward and try their hardest to help these children.  They want to learn, sometimes it may just be difficult for them too.  Leaving out students with disabilities or thinking that they may not even care to learn is an awful prejudice and a teacher shouldn't be teaching if he or she feels this way.
     I think being a teacher takes a special person, but I think being a special education teacher takes a VERY special person.  A huge heart and open arms is how these teachers need to be.  They could be teaching kids who have mild cases of ADD, to teaching kids who have severe cases of autism and downsyndrome, and that is where things can get difficult and at some points even violent.  Something that really upsets and disgusts me is something that actually was just on the news the other night.  A special education teacher accused of raping his 13 year old student.  That is so disturbing and awful that any human on this planet would ever take such advantage of such an innocent and vulnerable child who does not better and many of the time may not even know what he or she is doing.  Someone like that should NOT be a teacher, and I'm guessing there was many warning signs that would have been recognizable before that incident happened.  I hope he goes to jail because someone as sick as that should not be on our streets, let alone in our school systems!