RUNNING HEAD: POST PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 1

Post Personal Philosophy Statement

Mikayla Castillo

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 203: Introduction to Special Education

Dr. Dale B.Warby

March 15, 2020

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My pre-personal philosophy statement differs from my current personal philosophy in a

number of ways. To begin, I believe the profession paragraph from my first paper has changed

the most over any other part. I only knew of basic information about special education before

having taken this class, such as some known disabilities and inclusive learning. I knew that I had

to learn about special education in depth, not just for my degree, but because it was something I

did not know enough about. The content from this course covered all corners of special

education to make me knowledgeable and comfortable enough to say that I understand it well.

Also, I previously put that I am not looking at degrees or careers specified in special education,

but I look at it different now. Focusing on special education is still not the number one focus, but

I feel that you can never control how things will plan out with being a teacher and having

students. You can’t predict if you will have special education students or not and that is why it is

important that you have all the information about it before that time would even come.

Next, my educational philosophy about teaching is still the same which is Progressivism.

My philosophy has not changed because I still feel that education should focus on the student

and what they need. Living in Nevada, more specifically Las Vegas, it has had an impact on how

my preference of teaching has turned out. I have seen how the education system changes for the

better but also for the worse. Tests and scores are the focus for some educators and their schools,

but I personally do not think it should be that way. Putting the focus on the student is important

for regular classes and special education ones too. Like I discussed in my pre-personal paper

about my philosophy, my determination did help me in this course. I always try to do my best

already, but every now and then things do occur where struggles arise. I also stated before that I

did not know much about special education in the school system and that has definitely changed
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at this point. I have been able to get so much insight from this course about special education that

I will be able to carry with me moving forward in my schooling to become an educator.

My thoughts on strategies for instruction are still about the same but now I am more

mindful to the different reasons they may be used for. I was planning on using all various types

of teaching because not all students learn in the same way. Some can understand and follow

along with only being read instructions, but others may be more hands on and need it in front of

them. I still plan on doing this but there are more reasons and ways of doing this that I have

learned from this course. Before I was only considering students in regular classrooms and now,

I think about simply using it for all types of students. For example, I could give an oral lesson

instead of a hands-on one for the students who learn better with hearing it out loud. Now, I think

of doing oral lessons or activities for those students as well as special education students who

may have a visual impairment. I will use the different instructional strategies to also address

student variability which is the same way I felt before. My thoughts on student diversity and

assessments have also not changed from previously. Student diversity will happen in any single

classroom, so it is important to always keep an eye out if any problems were to happen. I want to

make sure no student is treated any different for any type of reason. In addition, I still want to

base my assessments on all forms, including observation, formative and summative. I know all

children do not learn in the same way and similarly not one single assessment will show

everything about a child.

My future with special education is unknown at this point but I will always keep an open

mind as I do with other uncertain things. I have learned so much from just this one course that I

am very hopeful for continuing my education and hoping to one day be able to teach others too. I

have always seen but only known to a certain extent about special education and what it
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specifically details. Some things from my pre-personal philosophy that I wanted to learn about

while taking this course was how grading and assessments are done, what items an educator in

this field would need to handle and what kind of technology is used. These are no longer things I

wonder about since having learning all about each of them from the class. The chapters and extra

material helped me to get a good understanding of the information.

I believe the role of the special education teacher in the classroom is to assist the student

or students with disabilities. They are able to help provide instruction, work with, communicate

with and do more for a special education student and a general education teacher. I think students

with special needs learn best based on several factors. To me, these factors include their

preferred method of instructional teaching, the environment, and the support they receive in the

classroom. I don’t think there can only be one thing that will decide how a special needs student

learns best because there is not only one way for any other type of student either. My goal for my

students with special education needs is for them to receive the needed teachings pertaining to

them as any other student would. Special education teachers should have certain qualities in

order to be effective for students. Some qualities that I believe are important include patience,

organizational, creative, detail-oriented, and caring. There are many tasks that need to be done

while being a special education teacher, so having the majority of certain qualities will help them

be more effective for students. I do believe all students can learn no matter their circumstances.

Children learn at different paces, in differing environments, and from various teaching styles, so

all students can learn but it will not be with the exact same situations. Teachers owe their

students with special education needs the same amount of dedication that is given to any other

student who does not have special needs. I feel that all students of any kind should receive proper

teaching, devotion and care in order to learn properly. Teachers should also not treat special
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education students different from their regular classroom students. Every student should have the

opportunity to learn from a teacher who makes them their whole focus and treats them that way

as well.