Special Ed? Bring it on!

Today I worked in a Special Education classroom full of students with not only learning disability issues, but also behavior disabilities. This teacher is teaching modified math classes. Most of these kids work the same math books as their peers, but at a slower pace and with modifications to homework and teaching methods. The teachers have to spend twice the time teaching the lessons and give half the actual work since you can't expect these kids to work dozens of these problems and stick with it to completion. I know of many substitute teachers like myself who refuse to teach anything special ed and absolutely will not even think about going in to a room known to have behavior issues. I actually thrive in this setting. I don't know what it is, but I can actually work with these kids. Maybe it's because I don't look down on them and work them with a heavy hand. I talk, laugh, and teach the subject so it's fun and engaging. I just wish folks understood these kids a little better. They really want to learn and be productive, but most everyone they come in to contact with don't give them that chance. I was teaching these kids how to assign variables, create an equation to solve a mathematical question, and then solve. It was neat watching them listen and participate, and then acually work the homework problems by themselves with very little help from me. I asked them several times, "Do you feel smart yet?" and they all replied with a smile, "Yea, I do!" This is why teachers do what they do!