History of the IEP Meeting

Years ago, the field of teaching involved much less paperwork and data collection than it does today.  The IEP process, however, has enabled schools to be better equipped to “think outside the box” when it comes to both below-level children or even gifted or physically challenged boys and girls. Though it has increased the time a teacher must spend outside the actual delivery of instruction, it has truly made the educational process more accommodating to children who fall beyond what was previously considered “normal”.  New educational insights have made the word “normal” almost obsolete, since every single boy or girl is different in some way or another.  Recognizing the individual gifts of every child is an intregal part of being a teacher who is actually able to make a difference in the life of the children she is instructing.

Long past are the days of the one-room schoolhouse and the times where every student was considered only as a member of a certain grade level. The processes of ‘tracking’ children and placing ‘smarter’ students in one room and more ‘challenging’ students in another are now illegal and unethical. Though this does create additional paperwork and problems at times, it really has created miraculously better learning environments for the children of today. For now we fully understand that, in order to take their place in an ever-increasing and changing world, each and every child must also be considered on an individual basis.  And that is only the beginning of a lifetime goal of making boys and girls understand that they live in a world of amazing differences, that every race and color and creed is here to have the same chance of success; that beyond this basic right lies the fact that diversity makes their own lives richer and makes them more capable of understanding others.   This understanding is one of the best components of a successful school and is one of the most needed parts of helping to form a gentler and more accepting climate, regardless of where that climate happens to be.

Teaching has never been a career choice for individuals who want fame or fortune, but it is really and truly a profession which has many benefits. The chief two of these, according to most people who have entered this field, are the fact that you are in a position to actually make a difference in the lives of a great many students. The other benefit is even more basic, though – a teacher may come home discouraged, exhausted, and even angry at times, but a teacher almost never comes home at the end of a day feeling bored. How many professions are able to make such a wonderful claim?!

Further Resources

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is an excellent resource for people who are suffering from mental retardation and other diseases featuring cognitive deficits. NAMI has branches in nearly every county around the country, and helps thousands of people who suffer from various types of mental illness (Callahan, 2003).