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An apple for a special education teacher

This week during American Education Week we are proud to put an apple on our teacher tree at Kump Education Center for a teacher who represents one of the most important 20th century changes in American Education.

Roseann L. Harvey was an unusually good teacher who took extra training to serve students with special needs. Her dedication is inspiring and it helps to fulfill one of the greatest promises of American society: equal opportunity for all.

In the 1960s when Baby Boomers were in school, parents of most disabled children were left to seek help wherever they could find it. West Virginia had a school for blind and deaf children, but most students with serious learning and behavioral disabilities had no place in the public system. Wealthy parents paid to put their children in expensive facilities, but those who had no extra money locked their children in their rooms all day while the parents were at work.

In 1975 Public Law 94-142 introduced the five principles of special education: zero rejection, nondiscriminatory education, appropriate education, least restrictive environment, and procedural due process (Sadker, M.P. Teacher, Schools & Society. McGraw Hill, 2000). This law offered a lifeline for children with disabilities and families struggling to take care of them. After 1975 no school could reject a child on the basis of a physical or mental disability.

Roseann and her husband, Richard Harvey, recognized the importance of getting the necessary extra training required to help students with mental and emotional learning disabilities. After she finished a long day at school and he left work at the bank, they drove to Morgantown a few nights a week while she took all the additional courses she needed to be able to help children who had a wide range of learning issues.

Many of these problems had not been identified as learning issues in the past. Too much emphasis was placed on simplistic concepts of IQ, and not enough time was given to diagnosing the nature of each learning disability.

One important result of the ADA legislation was the fact that educators began to ask, What is “appropriate education” for a child who has each type of mental or behavioral disability? Medical and educational research on issues like autism, hyperactivity, and turrets syndrome has increased markedly. The new term “Behavioral Health” is a sign that our society is beginning to gain some enlightenment on mental issues that may cause aberrant behaviors that impact performance in school and later on a job. Such behaviors may also cause criminal behavior.

Dedicated special education teachers like Roseann Harvey may be on the first line of defense against drug abuse and criminal behavior. These teachers take the time to ensure that procedural due process occurs for children before they have developed habits that will prevent them from learning the basic skills and behaviors they will need to function in American society. Many of these students may need public support to be able to live on their own, but getting the right training as children may help them gain the skills they will need to deal with their disabilities.

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