The SPED Teaching Force
SPECIAL Education is a specialization for professional teachers. This is a one of a kind occupation wherein the teacher will primarily handle children with special needs.
It is not easy as it seems. Let me showcase some of its complexities. They engage children with impairments. It can be visual or hearing ipairment which constitutes the sensory part. It can be anatomical impairment which can be exhibited by the lack of ability to move and function the way other children do.
It can be behavioral impairment which can be manifested by non-purposeful movements, impulsiveness and inattention, lack of social interaction, rigidity of thoughts or repetitive actions or activity. In addition, cognitive impairment which can be observed as the difficulty to learn concepts, analyze and solve problems. These children who are impaired may not be able to perform tasks in school just like the other learners. They have the skills but it needs to be honed and improved to be able to cope up with the demands of academic life.
This is where Special Education (SPED) teachers emerge. If there is Special Action Forces (SAF) in the Philippine National Police, it must be assumed that SPED Teachers are its equivalent in the Department of Education.
However, this field has never been renowned in universities and colleges. There are hardly any interested freshmen who would not venture into this program. There are fewer students who enrolled in Special Education courses because it does not appeal to them. Also, it can be perceived as being parallel to an Allied Health profession because it deals with health issues and developmental problems which are very difficult to manage and educate. It does not have the distinction that other professions possess.
This field is never intended to be glamorous. It is in fact a vocation just as teaching is a noble profession. It is a road less traveled among professionals because it does not present a rewarding experience and a promising career. It involves painstaking approach which appears futile in the eyes of many.
But I beg to disagree. SPED Teachers are sought after because of their skills, knowledge and expertise in teaching children which others believed to be totally disabled and handicapped. In the United States, many Filipino SPED Teachers are hired due to these abilities. Even in Europe and Middle East, they are trusted and valued that is why many have flown overseas.
In addition, most of them possessed not only the educational credentials but the heart as well. They go beyond the extent of their call, widen their patience, think out-ofthe-box, innovate and create things so that these special children can learn and become at par with their peers. They have the utmost desire to go against the tide to pursue a developmental objective finding ways for learning and acquiring skills; and explore the untapped potentials of these children.
If SAF is the elite unit of the PNP, I believe the SPED Teachers deserve to be on this radar in DepEd. With the rising embarrassments and dismal performances in both National and International Assessments of our Filipino learners, it is high time that we look into these elite professionals in the division. How many years have they relied on traditional approaches? How many years have they exhausted the same means of confronting the same issues? How many times have they consulted and asked the same people to address these pressing concerns to no avail? Why not exploring the possibilities of utilizing the SPED Teachers in a definitive role of improving the performance of learners? After all, this is where they thrive – challenges amid the pressure and expectations.
Making them valuable assets mean enhancing their capabilities and expanding their roles by not only attending to self-contained classes in a homogenous group but also to oversee the learners with learning difficulties and behavioral concerns in the school. Also, try not to convert a Non-SPED professional to become one. It does not add to the equation. How many times do I see many teachers who are not trained
in handling and teaching Special Needs children become SPED Teachers just for the sake of promotion? Yes, SPED Teacher is higher in rank. Therefore, it is really high time to uplift this profession and become the best option to eradicate this stigma and stereotype among Filipino students. And also become the beacon of light with the advent of Inclusion; which is an end to the barrier among disabled and non-disabled peers and become equal in a least restrictive environment.
There are so many things an elite unit can do to solve the problems hounding the present system. Increasing the awareness in Special Education can eliminate the negative discourse and improve the numbers in enrollment of the would-be SPED Teachers. As the numbers given by Davao City that is 90,000 children with special needs, I believe that training and molding in the Undergraduate classroom must be a priority. It is also a challenge for our local schools to continue to entice students to venture in SPED and be one of the special units in the teaching force.