The guy from the video today really spoke to me. My mom is a special education teacher at an adult facility in Morganton. Sometimes I will go over and work with her "students" and hang out. Some of her students are very aware, can talk fairly well, and comprehend things easily. One of them particularly strikes me. She remembers me every time I go over there. She knows me as Donna's daughter, but that is who we told her I was! After watching the video today, I started wondering, if she had had that debate coach, or someone to believe in her and want to try and help her and make her better, would she be in that facility? Or would she be living a fairly normal life now? I just wanted to see what everyone thought about this topic.

My fiance's mother, Michelle, is a special ed teacher at a high school back home. She had one student who was 20 and could not even tye her shoes or use the bathroom by herself. After having Michelle the student can now tye her shoes, use the bathroom. This was something that not even her own family thought was possible but with Michelle's attitude and belief in the student it became possible.

It can happen and it does, it just takes someone truely believing in that person to make a difference.

I completely agree. I feel like a teacher's attitude determines how well a student will do in the classroom. If the teacher gives up on the students, then what do they have encouraging them to actually do something with their lives. In many sitations encouragment does not come from the family, so the only place a child obtains confidence is from the teacher. I was horrible in math and all my teachers overlooked me because I didn't understand and honestly I don't think they wanted to take the time to help me. But the first teacher to actually explain math and did not give up on me when I struggled made me love it and in high school I ended up taking AP Calculus.

I do not know much about special education but I do have an experience that makes me believe people can do anything they put their mind to! I use to volunteer to Holly Angel. This is an prganization that housed severely handi-capped children because they needed medical assistance or their parents very not able to take care of them. I have a grild who could not talk, walk, use any of her limbs, and was serverly deformed. After spending several months working with her i taught her hoe to use a spoon to eat! This makes me know that all people can overcome any obstiacle they want, they just have to work hard at it!

I agree with everything that you guys have said so far. I think that it can make a big difference to any child (whether they are special ed or not) if they know that someone believes in them and in their abilities. I think that is it very important that we try to find something that each child is exceptional at and something that they are not so great at. By praising their talents and encouraging them through their challenges, you can help them to understand that you care about them individually and not simply academically. I worked with a mildly autistic child at my local YMCA summer camp. He had trouble socializing with his peers and sometimes needed assistance when completing daily activities. He had 4 counselors (including myself) and we always tried to encourage/support him on a specific task each week until he could do it on his own. He eventually learned basic interaction skills with his peers, as well as memorizing the daily routine of camp. He was such a great helper and much more optimistic by the end of the summer! I was so proud of him for his accomplishments and we all made sure that he knew how we felt! I definitely believe that teacher impact can play a huge role in a child's success.

I highly agree with yall on everything. A person life can greatly be changed if someone is willing to make them feel important and help them to develop confidence in themselves. I have never personally experienced anything like yall, but i did have a child who was in special ed in school that was in my after school group. He had been in a car accident and had a lot of physical problems, but could walk and do everything independently. He struggled with his attitude, social skills, and basic concepts a first grader should know. I only had him for a month and a half and only in after school for about 3 hours Monday- Friday. I notice after about a week or so his social skills had greatly changed and he was usually very happy. He once in a while still threw fits with me, but those were generally because he couldn't run and play like everyone else because of a swollen spleen. I gave him encouragement to play and talk with his peers and helped him to understand how to be polite and nice to everyone. This may have only been a small development, but I know that this little boy really gained confidence in himself and now every time I see him he smiles, giggles, says Hey and gives me a huge hug. This one child really left an impression on me and has encouraged me to always try to smile.

I absolutely agree that if someone in a Special Education class has a teacher that is willing to put all of their effort into their students and will stop at nothing to see them succeed that anything is possible. I am very close to a cerebral palsy 12 year old at my church and she attends our day camps during the summer. (the ones her mom think she would be interested in) She is in a chair and is so frail, can not speak, has no control of her arms, and can't move her legs. She has care givers during the day and she attends church regularly. Once you take the time to get to know her and be around her, when she sees you, she immediately smiles and makes "noises" to talk to you and you know that she is listening to you. I think in this simple case, maybe she will never be able to overcome certain obstacles, but to even communicate with her, that's something that shows the impact you have made in someone's life.
If a teacher is willing to put the effort into each and every one of their students, anything is possible.

Casey Gill