How COVID-19 has Affected New York City Special Education Teachers
Special education teachers have faced even greater struggles having to educate the next generation during a pandemic.
The education system plays a vital role in developing the next generation. On average students spend about 8,884 hours in school over the course of nine years. During this time, students discover who they are and what they wish to become.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability to ensure that students are receiving that top notch education. Due to the pandemic schools across the nation were forced to resort to remote learning. This means that students would be attending classes from the comfort of their own homes over sites like Google Classroom, Webex, and Zoom.
“I teach a 12:1:1 special education class, fully remotely, I currently have 11 students,” said a source who wished to remain anonymous whom I will refer to as Nicole. She served as a para, an educational worker who isn’t licenced to teach but aids in the classroom and helps students individually, for 12 years before becoming a special education teacher in late 2016. A 12:1:1 class consists of up to 12 students, with one teacher and one teacher’s assistant.
“My students currently range from emotionally disturbed ADHD to autism spectrum disorder. They are all District 75 students.” District 75 is made up of 57 schools, across New York City, that provide highly specialized instructional support for students with significant disabilities. These disabilities include: autism spectrum disorders, significant cognitive delays, emotional disturbances, sensory impairments, and multiple disabilities.
“With all things there are pluses and minuses there.” Nicole said as she talked about teaching her students remotely. “On the plus side, I learned a great deal more about finding connections with children.” This is something Nicole discovered she had the capability to do in an online setting. “It’s a lot harder to build a bond over a computer. I didn’t know that we could and we certainly can.” Nicole said as she recalled the time she had spent building bonds with her students and their families. “I am intimately connected with them because I get to see them and their families everyday.”
“I was really out of my depth and I struggled a lot. It felt like I wasn’t a teacher.”
These connections that are being built virtually show how teaching is still something that can be done passionately even through a pandemic. Nicole, who is a fully remote teacher, has been able to manufacture something that she never thought possible. Being able to create a strong foundation with her students' parents seeing them everyday over the camera and interacting helps the children with their learning as well.
“They have full access to me, they have my home phone number,” Nicole explains. When prior to the Coronavirus pandemic this was not considered a norm. “They are speaking to us regularly and constantly. Usually, if my kids need me and we’re in a school building they wouldn’t give me a call.” Looking at this change, of bringing work into her home, brought comfortability and allowed for Nicole to give her students more access to her.
But Nicole also says working from her living room means “There’s no line between work and home.” She has lost the feeling of relaxing after a long day at work.. “My job has changed, in that at 6 P.M. I get parent phone calls and child phone calls and they need help.” This is a change that she had to become accustomed to. This metaphoric “line” has also changed for her students. They feel they can reach out to Nicole since their homes have become their workspace as well.
“It usually takes three to four weeks to set a routine.” Nicole said this is typically the process when teaching in-person. “But this year it took more like eight weeks.” Her students had to learn a new classroom etiquette, which consists of learning how to mute and unmute their microphones, and not speaking over one another. “Then I had to teach things I’ve never taught them before. I had to spend a class a week teaching them how to upload a document.” This was something that Nicole said was difficult at first but she kept her students engaged and taught them in her own unique way. “I made it fun. I had scavenger hunts with them, I told them to run around the house and upload pictures of things. One time I had them upload their favorite Fortnite characters.” She said if she knew they were having fun they would retain the knowledge, and wouldn’t struggle when it came to posting their homework.
Mona Danziger, who became a special education teacher in 2018, has been working for the New York City Department of Education since 1999. “Teaching remote was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” said Danziger. “I was really out of my depth and I struggled a lot. It felt like I wasn’t a teacher.” Danziger faced the rigors of teaching during a pandemic and was in search of any help possible. She attended multiple professional development sessions which aided in teaching her online programs that would help her keep her students engaged.
Photo of Mona Danziger teaching her students in-person. Photo Credits: Anonymous Student
Nicole said that all special education students are required to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a legal document that is put into place, as required by United States law, for every special education student in the nation. According to the non-profit, Education Alternatives, IEPs were first introduced in 1975 when the right of students with disabilities to attend public schools were legally recognized under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA).” These IEPs are curated by the student’s parents, teachers, and administrators. The purpose IEPs serve is to give specialized learning experiences to ensure that the students get the most out of their education as possible. IEPs are required to be reviewed once a year to make any necessary changes. Students are evaluated every three years so that administration can decide whether or not the student is still eligible to receive special education.
Danziger simplifies the process of writing an IEP by explaining how they should be written as if the person who is reading it never met the student. The goal is to give, whoever is reading the IEP, the child’s story. “Writing one from scratch, for me, takes about two to two and a half weeks.” Between work, family, and her personal life Danziger has to take the proper amount of time to correctly write out an IEP. “I’m not one to do things halfway. I take pride in my work so I’m not just going to do something to get it done.” This dedication shows how much Danziger cares for her students and wants them to get the best help for their education.
With the transition from in-person learning to remote learning a lot of the hands-on experiences were taken from special education students. Both Nicole and Danziger have mentioned how they have seen both decline and progression in their students since the pandemic has started. They were hopefully, mostly for the students’ sake, that in-person learning resumes as quickly as possible. Danzinger said how the students miss being able to have fun with their friends in school. There have been successes and failures in remote learning but students and teachers alike are looking forward to getting back in the classroom.