Amy Zeller's Class

My You and the World project is Discrimination and Stereotypes between Work and Education with a disability. I want people to know that words hurt for everyone. People often discriminate people with disabilities thinking that they can’t do anything but they are so wrong. In my Blog Post#1 I focused more so on the discrimination of people with disabilities. During that Blog Post is when I really figured out what I want to do.

For my original research I went to Edison Ferreira High School. They generously let me observe and interact in one of their special education classes. I had the wonderful opportunity to be in Amy Zeller’s classroom. They only had a about 5 high school students in her class. Amy Zeller is a phenomenal person and teacher. She cares about her students and treats them the way the should be treated.  She treats them with respect and never tells them they can’t achieve something.

This is a picture of two students going to the garden.

I learned that all you need is patience, patience is the key to getting through to these students. Yea sometimes you might get frustrated but you have to keep trying, the students deserve it. I know that I don’t really have experience but I witnessed people with experience and I saw the patience that the teachers had. The students I were with were so nice and inspiring. They never gave up on anything and when they messed up they tried and tried until they got it right.

This is a picture of a student outside.

The students have a routine.

• Monday is the day to clean.

• Tuesday is the day to cook.

• Wednesday is vocational training.

• Thursday is community outing day.

• Friday  recreational / Leisure / Art.

    When I went to visit the class it was a Friday. That day was a special day because they had a different schedule, they went to Walmart and Lowes. When I was talking to Amy she said that when they go out they teach the students how to act when they are outside in public settings. They went to Walmart to buy bags for Mother’s day presents and to Lowes for flowers. They bought pink flowers for the mothers and other flowers for a memorial. That day they also cooked. They went to the garden and picked mint and also chopped up cucumber and zucchini. The students that are in the special education programs learn life skills.

    I learned that the states allow students who have a disability to stay in school till they are 21. The dropout rate for a student with a disability is twice than an average student. In Ms.Zeller’s class the students’’ age averaged between 18-20. They all plan to stay until the age 21. Why is this school different from any other school? That I do not know but I do know that the students I saw were happy. When I talked to them they said they enjoyed school. Some girl even refused to leave at home. School is their second home and that is how school should be.

Check out my bibliography here!