1. We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the
professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that
enhance the quality of their lives.
2. Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human cycle.
3. We shall continually be aware of issues challenging the field of early childhood special education
and advocate for changes in laws, regulations, and policies leading to improved outcomes and
services for young children with disabilities and their families.
These three codes of ethics are important to me because I currently work as a special education teacher. This is a very hard field to work in as an educator. I currently work with a child that is extremely autistic. He can not speak, but he has taught himself sign language in order to communicate. He is an extremely bright and intelligent child. I enjoy spending every day with him. Yes there are days when he has melt downs, but that is something that he can not control. I hope to one day be a strong advocate for children in the special ed programs. I believe that many people do not know how important or useful this program is. Many schools, such as the one I am currently working at, have gone through budget cuts for their special education department. I hope that one day I can make people see how important these programs are.
Resources
The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.dec-sped.org/
NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
Working with children with disabilities can be challenging at times, but in the end it's something you love doing. It's great you are an advocate for those children and their families. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteI applaud you and all the others in the special education field; people always tell me that it takes a special person to teach young children but am here to say it takes a very very special person to teach children with special needs. It seems that the cutting of the budget always falls on education which is an area that never needs to have it budget cut.
Hats off to you Mary!
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI admire the work that you d with special needs children. I work in a private center that does not have extra money allocated for special needs children and when we do have a special needs child it can become a difficult and cumbersome task to help the child.I almost feel like we are doing a disservice to the child because we do not have anyone working with us to help the child the way that he/she needs to be helped. I hope that some day that is a place for all special needs children to get the services they need without struggle or fight or even a place for current teachers to get resources to learn how to work with special needs children.
Great job Mary!!!
I agree with the standard, we should be aware of the changes because it s relevant to the work we do. Autism is such a complex issue and very sensitive and to work with children of this magnitude must be challenging. Every day there is new research about autism and how to work with children therefore it is even more important for you to stay relevant.
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed reading about your personal thoughts and professional opinions over the past 8 weeks. Reading about your family in the beginning and about your thoughts on ethics has really opened my mind to the thoughts of others. Thanks for sharing.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteThere are many children with disabilities or special needs. Not all get the care and attention that you are giving to your students. It takes dedicated people like yourself to help provide these children with the assistance and environment they need to thrive. It is also important to be an advocate and speak out for them. I commend you for continuing your education. Special needs is an area that information and research is continuing to develop and be published so it is important to keep up to date with it. Good luck with your professional development and also with your future wedding plans.