The influence a teacher can have on student's education is vast and important. There impact not only extends to the students academic achievements, but their mental well-being. I interviewed Mrs. Bryant a middle school special Ed teacher about anxiety disorders or depression. I centered my questions on part of my mid- term research. My mid paper focuses on post postpartum depression, but I broaden the topic for my interview questions to not only depression but also anxiety disorders. The interview questions used were to highlight how special ED teachers' use their knowledge and skills to address students with depression and/or anxiety. It was difficult coming up with questions for the interview on my own. I did Google several interview questions to ask a special Ed teacher about the disorders. Upon researching for questions I found several questions that I could use as outlines to …show more content…
form my own interview questions.
Mrs. Bryant was asked "Do special Ed teachers, teach students who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders or depression?” Occasionally, we do have special needs students who are dealing with a form of anxiety or depression. But usually students with anxiety disorders or depression require them to see a school guidance counselor or social worker. The student benefits more from in school counseling with some accommodations in a general Ed classroom to help the student cope.
The next set of question I asked her to base it off her experience as a special education teacher and asked her to share real-life example if she had any.
According to the ADAA American and Depression Association Of America, symptoms of depression and anxiety disorder, "include persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood feelings of
hopelessness, pessimism, loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down”, nervousness, irritability, and difficulty concentrating and remembering, making decisions". I asked, are these accurate descriptions of the type of symptoms you observed or are there other symptoms you observed that could serve as better detection for anxiety and stress? Mrs. Bryant replied, "Generally speaking, yes student can experience those symptoms and majority of them usually do. Other indicators I have observed to be good detection of possible anxiety or depression in a classroom setting is bad academic performance, antisocial behavior, and in some cases, disruptive and defiant students. Although, symptoms like disruptive students are often overlooked as an actual sign of depression or anxiety.” Symptoms of depression and anxiety often differ from the general characterization of these disorders. This may lead others including teachers to misinterpret a students behavior. Disruptive behaviors such as Mrs. Bryant mentioned , can be seen as opposite, almost contradictory to the typical and general symptoms such as being sad or tired. Comparatively, Ronald B. Miller states, “feeling of powerlessness, a lack of assertiveness, and suppressed anger and rage are found in the clinical and research literature to be closely related to anxiety and depression. This initially seems counterintuitive and does not seem to fit with the picture of fear and sadness gone awry”. (Miller Ronald pg.150) The symptoms of these disorders can vary. Furthermore, she explained that it is important to if a teacher suspects a student is dealing with anxiety or depression they address it so that their mental-health needs can be met. With that in mind, I wanted to know what comes after you observed that students with some of those symptoms; how exactly are they evaluated. So for my next question I asked, Mrs. Bryant "What the evaluation process involves and how does she as a special ED teacher can contribute to it? Mrs. Bryant explained that the evaluation is somewhat of a long and thorough process. It entails evaluating various aspects of a student life such as their school life both academic and social but also their home life. Psychologist or psychiatrist uses the evaluations to determine extent of the students disorder. There are two parts to evaluating identifying and some kind of intervention or treatment. Special ED teachers can contribute to both part by observing students behaviors students in a classroom setting and provide information that help in the assist the development and the progress of a of a treatment plan. My next question focused on the strategies used to help students. I asked, what kinds of strategies do you use when dealing with students who have anxiety disorders or depression and which ones do you perceive to be the most effective with students? Mrs. Bryant stated that there were many different causes for why a student would be feeling depressed or anxious; therefore, she personally tried to implement different strategies on an individual basis to address their needs. Some of the popular strategies that seem to work in general with helping students cope with something like depression was to see a counselor. Similarly Miller, “It is only when one considers the subjective experience of the person and the development, meaning , and course or progression of the symptoms that distinction begins to break down”(Miller, Ronald B. pg.121) This next question focused on the actually training and how it prepared her to succeed in her profession. I asked, did the amount of experience and teachers' training backgrounds and degree influence her awareness when addressing students with anxiety issues? To summarize Mrs. Bryant response she said that when was student teaching; she didn’t experience some of the disorders she encountered when she got her first teaching job. It is a very different to learn something in a textbook then to go out and experience for your self. When you are able to experience personally you have a better understanding, which leads to being more aware of how to address the issue.
My assignment is a combination of two interviews. I interviewed an Assistant Principal, Ms. Katis Romig, as well as, our Curriculum Director, Mrs. Maria Petkanas. They are both responsible for the curriculum development and instruction for the school where I work, P.S. 811Q. I also learned a fair amount from Ms. Romig and Mrs. Petkanas including that District 75 Citiwide Special Education’s Deputy Superintendent, Ms. Barbara Joseph, had given the school feedback and suggested writing curriculum and textbooks. This was the only feedback she gave our principal during her observation last week.
Graziano’s article over the handling of his son’s disability in the classroom also involves issues that relate to teachers detecting signs of mental illness in the classrooms, how teachers identify a behavioral troubled child, and training school counselors on the Section 504 policy that are all happening in the world today. Realizing these issues can help parents with giving their child the best out of their education and can also help teachers understand the importance of their relationship with students. Everyone should have the opportunity for a brighter future and having a learning disability should not be the end of the road for any student.
If the patient is showing any of these sign/ symptoms then they would be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (Comer, 2013, pp.115).
The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) describes essential guidelines required for all Advance Practice Nurses (ANPs) to enter practice, regardless of their specialty (2010). The nine core competencies outline the best practice in providing quality educational programs and developing policies and curriculum at the national level. The purpose of this paper is to summarize an interview done with an APN leader in my community to understand the application of the NONPF NP core competencies in the role of Clinical Nurse Practitioner (CNP). Engaging in this interview process allowed me to collaborate with a practicing CNP through communication in person and on the telephone to facilitate professional
Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in
Vaccarino, A. H. (2008). Symptoms of anxiety in depression: assessment of item performance of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale in patients with depression. Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 25(12), 1006-1013.
Two years ago, I embarked on a journey that would teach me more than I had ever imagined. As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to finally begin my teaching career in a field I have always held close to my heart. My first two years as a special education teacher presented countless challenges, however, it also brought me great fulfillment and deepened my passion for teaching students with special needs. The experiences I have had both before and after this pivotal point in my life have undoubtedly influenced my desire to further my career in the field of special education.
The students in our classrooms, both special education and general education classrooms, require individualized education to reach their full potential. Each child’s potential is different just as each child’s road to reach it is different. Our job as teachers is to be there for the student’s to help them reach their potential through their own unique way.
The administrator that I spoke to wrote in a fax "the Special Education classes are transitioning into study skills classes so the teacher can provide additional help and support for the student to succeed in the regular class environment. During the four or five periods, when the teachers and instructional aides do not have students assigned to them, they are providing support for their students in the regular education classroom. The level of support is directly related to two factors: 1) What the student needs to be successful. 2) What the teacher needs to help the student succeed. So the support provided by the teacher may be provided daily in the regular education classroom, in the form of helping the student take notes, monitoring behavior, doing a lab activity, etc. The support may also take the form of weekly program checks with the regular education teacher, modifying and/or adopting curriculum, or teachers meeting informally to talk."
Anxiety: The signs of anxiety include excessive worrying, inability to cope with normal activities, feeling of helplessness and sense of impending
There is a fine line between anxiety and depression. A line that is often times blurred. Although there are differences between the two, they also share many similarities, which can lead to false diagnoses for patients. It only gets more complicated when both illnesses are present. For example, The National Institute of Mental Health (2009) did a study of anxiety disorders and found that 53.7% of people reported they also experienced major depression as a secondary condition. These researchers also stated that people who are severely depressed do become anxious. In order to have a better understanding of anxiety and depression one must first clearly define the two conditions, understand the causes, look at the symptoms involved, and review the different treatment options available.
In general, anxiety has an effect on emotions. People of all ages with anxiety have common symptoms because anxiety affects the same parts of the brain. Although “moodiness” is a popular emotion that people have frequently, when it repetitively comes up it can be defined as a symptom of anxiety. Hand in hand with “moodiness,” a routine of irritability is another symptom that has been recorded for anxiety. Anxiety is also seen when one is unable to relax, feels overwhelmed, have a sense of loneliness and depression. Even though depression is a symptom of anxiety, it can also be an end result to a critical case of anxiety. Along with emotional, physical symptoms also come to the attention of those who diagnose anxiety.
I chose to do my teacher interview in my home town at Richard D. Crosby Elementary School. This K-3rd grade building is very new, it was built in 2010. It has 4 pods, one for each grade level and has a large discovery center in each pod. The school is very colorful, with each pod a different color so the children find it easy to go from area to area. I did my interview with Mrs. Doe, a special education teacher. Her room has a lot of materials for learning and is set up to have several work stations for group activities. Mrs. Doe shares her students with other special education teachers and also has a special education classroom aide. My research question is how does a teacher’s perspective on learning reflect theories and concepts in educational psychology? Mrs. Doe is faced with many challenges in her classroom, overcrowding, multi-cultural differences, learning disabilities, several students with low socioeconomic status and English language learners. There are many challenges for Mrs. Doe to deal with, but she has been teaching for 21 years and has a lot of experience. She started out as a regular classroom teacher, but switched to special education and has done so well that when she asked if she could return to the regular classroom setting, the Superintendent begged her to stay in the special education department because of her success.
Many people feel apprehensive and miserable every now and then, but when does it take over their whole lives? Losing a loved one, doing poorly in school or work, being bullied and other hardships might lead a person to feel sad, lonely, scared, nervous and/or anxious. Some people experience this on an everyday basis, sometimes even or no reason at all. Those people might have an anxiety disorder, depression, or both. It is highly likely for someone with an anxiety disorder to also be suffering from depression, or the other way around. 50% of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
There is so much to know about special education that is separate from teaching in a traditional classroom. One thing that has really stood out to me is how many acronyms and terminology these teachers need to know. IEP, LRE, IDEA, FAPE, IFSP, and that is just to name a few (DREDF, 2017). Special education teachers, really need to be knowledgeable about a ton of things. Not only all of the terminology associated with special education, but about disabilities and the best way to go about educating a child with disabilities. When working with children in special education, there will be students of all ages with all kinds of disabilities and different ability levels that you are teaching. It is important to know about each child’s disabilities, what they should be learning and how they should be learning it. There may be times that are challenging education students with disabilities, but when a teacher properly educates themselves on all the aspects of special education and the resources out there for them, it may help make your classroom run more smoothly and easier to