Somebody Else's Kids by Torey Hayden (1981) is a
fictional book that depicts a teacher’s experience educating four students with
vastly different educational needs within one classroom. One student, Boo, is autistic
and has difficulty connecting on a basic level with the world around him
(Hayden, 1981). Claudia, is an extremely bright twelve-year-old that suffers
from depression and finds herself pregnant (Hayden, 1981). Lori is a student
that has the ability to learn and comprehend information but is unable to read
or write well because she suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was a
young child (Hayden, 1981). The last student is Tomaso, a boy that witnessed
his father’s murder, has been juggled through foster homes, and who has severe
anger issues (Hayden, 1981). Tomaso is not meeting his educational goals and
levels for his age because of bouncing from foster home to foster home (Hayden,
1981).
At any point in time, we as educators could easily encounter
students within our classroom setting that would require modifications and
accommodations in order to successfully complete their assignments. All
students, even those with disabilities, are to be educated in the least
restrictive environment and this falls under FAPE (Wright, P. W., & Wright, P. D.,
2011). The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA) amended the
Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and shifted the focus to the
individual needs of the student and offered protections to the student and
their families (Wright, P.W., & Wright, P.D., 2011). IDEA 2004 helps
students become better prepared for life outside of the education system (Wright,
P. W., & Wright, P. D., 2011).
Claudia provides an interesting situation that I could very well
encounter in my classroom. Although she is younger than the children I teach,
teen pregnancy is something very real in our world. Depression is also
something I have experienced within my classroom. Claudia is a very withdrawn
student and has difficulty reaching out and connecting with others, especially
in her new environment of a special education classroom (Hayden, 1981). In
fact, based on her educational abilities, she is improperly placed in a special
education classroom and should be placed in a mainstream classroom. However,
she needs supports in place that can support her mental well-being. She was
placed in the special education classroom to “hide” her from society since teen
pregnancy was not commonly accepted during the time the book was written.
Having Claudia in a special education classroom could possibly
pose a negative effect on her classwork. Independent work, while is important,
is not preparing Claudia for the real world and she is not developing 21st
century skills that she needs to be successful. Claudia spends most of her
instructional time working independently, only interacting with the class she
is in as a mentor or motherly figure (Hayden, 1981). She is much older than
other students, middle school versus elementary school so she is learning very
different curriculum. Since the teacher has students that require more
individualized attention, I would request for Claudia to be removed from the
special education classroom and placed in a mainstream classroom. Once there, I
do not believe that Claudia would need to have accommodations made for her
learning outcomes. However, as a chemistry teacher, Claudia would anticipate
laboratory experiences. While most laboratory encounters in the classroom pose
no immediate health risk, as a pregnant mother, additional care would need to go
into planning labs. If the chemicals being used posed a threat to pregnant
women, then Claudia would need to have an alternate activity. While this
activity would likely be less hands on, the learning outcomes would be the same
as the other students. This is an example of an accommodation for Claudia
because the way the material is presented or learned is different but the
expectations of learning remain the same (The Understood Team, 2014).
Another problem to be addressed for Claudia is her battle with
depression. What appears to be tricky, is that her parents are unable to see
the signs and are somewhat unwilling to admit that not all is good with Claudia
(Hayden, 1981). In Claudia’s situation, I would recommend a conference with the
school counselor, psychologist (if applicable), principal, teachers and parents
in order to devise a plan to help Claudia receive the help that she needs.
Unfortunately, sometimes help does not come until a traumatic event takes place,
which happens with Claudia. While the parents are asked to look into routes to
help Claudia, Claudia eventually attempts suicide unsuccessfully (Hayden,
1981.) This is when it is finally agreed that Claudia needs additional support
and she begins to see a therapist.
As Claudia’s teacher, I would recommend her to be evaluated for
either an IEP or 504. I believe that she would more readily qualify for a 504
because although she has a disability in depression, her learning progress is
not effected (Bennett & Frank, 2009). Having a 504, accommodations could be
made that help support her depression. For example, she might be able to receive
in school therapy or could have a pass that would allow her to speak with a
counselor at any time she felt necessary. It is important for the school,
therapist, and family to work together to make sure that Claudia is supported
in all areas of her life. A potential issue for Claudia is that she would need
to be closely monitored and most if not all of her teachers would know about
her depression. Another issue is bullying that she might encounter, whether
over her depression or the fact that she is a teenage mother-to-be. Bullying
could lead to isolation and increasing the affects her depression has on her.
Finally, Claudia would need supports in place to help her with her
pregnancy. A 504 could also support this by providing Claudia with
accommodations for food throughout the day as needed. It would also be
important to provide Claudia with access to a support group that includes
students in similar situations, either during pregnancy or after pregnancy
(Hayden, 1981). Another potential issue, or drawback, would be the amount of
time Claudia would need to be away from school if her baby is born during the
school year. This could significantly impact her learning. In order to keep her
on track, I would provide her parents with materials for her to complete at
home in order to stay up on her school work.
I believe that Claudia would pose many personal challenges for me.
First, I would need to make sure that I treated her no different than the other
students. I think it is natural to want to accommodate someone who is pregnant
but I would need to be cautious because other students might see this as
favoritism. Another challenge might be my inability to connect to Claudia. Not
that I feel like I could not connect with her but that she might not let me
connect to her. I think it is important to build meaningful and real
relationships with our students, relationships that allow students to build
trust and feel comfortable within my classroom. This might be difficult with
Claudia since she is withdrawn and does not seem to want to connect with
others. However, this is something that would need to be worked at with her and
something that might take a significant amount of time to accomplish. Finally,
I would probably become very vested in her personally because of her pregnancy
situation. While I do not immediately think that this is inappropriate, I would
need to be careful that this does not creep into the way I instruct her in my
classroom. It would also be important to make sure I am clear on my school
districts policy in the event that Claudia would reveal something to me,
specifically about suicide.
Somebody
Else’s Kids was a really interesting read to me, a book that I found
difficult to put down. It offered an interesting perspective on working with
students with differing needs. Although the book is fictional, many of the
strategies the author discusses are rooted in fact. Having the student attached
to the various strategies allowed me to see a perspective that I would not have
unless I encountered a similar student in my classroom.
References:
Bennett, A., & Frank, L. (2009, January/February).
Special education process: IEP vs.504 plan. 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter.
Retrieved August 10, 2016, from http://www.davidsongifted.org/Search-Database/entry/A10671
Hayden, T. (1981). Somebody
else’s kids. New York, NY: Avon Books.
The Understood Team. (2014). Accommodations: What they
are and how they work. Retrieved August 10, 2016, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/accommodations-what-they-are-and-how-they-work
Wright, P. W., & Wright, P. D. (2011, November 29). The
History of Special Education Law - Wrightslaw. Retrieved August 10, 2016, from http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/art/history.spec.ed.law.htm
