#5 Historical Events and Important Laws

One law of major importance was the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 of it is all about making accommodations for children with disabilities. This act is important because everyone child deserves to learn and every child can learn if the circumstances are right for them. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is also a historical event of great importance. While it does have some flaws, it is beneficial because it holds schools accountable for teaching all of their students and bringing every student up to a certain level of intelligence.

While doing Service Learning hours I have not seen any examples of English learners getting support but I have seen my cooperative teacher deal with one challenging student multiple times. He has an extremely short attention span, loves to talk, doesn't listen well, and has a difficult time concentrating on his work. In order to help him, the teacher has separated his desk from other students. He isn't so far that he feels ostracized from his peers, but he is far enough that he is better able to concentrate on his work. And when he still gets distracted from time to time he is gently reminded to work on his homework. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is still a good example of a teacher making sure that no child is left behind. It is important that teachers are able to notice and understand when their students need a little bit of extra attention or help in order to be successful.

It's also important to note how much of a difference IDEA has made for students in schools. According to the linked article Twenty-Five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities Through IDEA, "Before IDEA, many children...were denied access to education and opportunities to learn. For example, in 1970, U.S. schools educated only one in five children with disabilities, and many states had laws excluding certain students, including children who were deaf, blind, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded." That is concerning and so it is good to know that times have changed and effort has been put forth in order to teach children with disabilities. Sometimes children with disabilities are the most important to teach so that they can be successful and benefit today's society. Every child deserves attention, love, and a good education.