teaching career. When she first started teaching, Special Education was
for children that couldn’t function in a regular class setting. A child was
placed in Special Education class after testing and recommendation
from a psychologist. She recalls the Special Education department
in Yankton consisting of two teachers and two aides dividing
approximately 25 students.
In 1975, the Public Law 94-142, or Education for all Handicapped
Children Act was passed. This law guaranteed a free public education
to every child with a disability. The law brought forth many changes
and has evolved greatly over the years.
Natasha explains, “it’s a pretty new thing that everybody has a right
to school in this country.”
This law brought forth the introduction of Resource Rooms, special
classrooms where students with disabilities can be assisted more
closely with their needs. With the law, Martha explains, “there’s a whole
spectrum of services that federal law outlines with kids that maybe just
need a little help during their school day all the way to kids that need
to be in a separate facility.”
The number of students in Special Education has greatly increased
during Judy’s career. During her first year of teaching, there were about
25 children in the Special Education program and when she retired,
she had 45 kids just in her caseload. “There must be 350-400 kids
in special education in Yankton now but it’s because there’s a whole
range of services available,” she states. They explain to me that because
of the increased advancement in the program, there is a shortage of
teachers in the field.
Judy recalls her first years of teaching, when there wasn’t a
customized plan for each student like there is now, referring to the IEP,
or Individualized Education Plan. The trio explain the IEP is given
to each student in Special Education to provide the best education
possible. This is a team effort between students, parents, teachers,
administrators and any other parties that may need to be involved.
They discuss the significant amount of time and effort involved for
the paperwork in their careers. Martha admits, “I don’t think I could
have gotten through the first year of being a Special Education teacher
if I didn’t have someone to call.” They agree that the paperwork is one
of the most challenging aspects of their careers.
Politics is also challenging as there are promises made that often
aren’t kept, like funding. Martha comments, “Education is one of
the few property rights that a child has in this country, an important
civil right. Every single child is required by law to be provided an
education.”
“Public school is a real foundation of our entire society and our
culture,” Natasha adds. “This is why funding is so important for
education.”
A Valuable Resource
Judy has become a huge resource to her daughters as she has kept
many of her teaching techniques and materials from over the years.
They all laugh about the abundance of information she has stowed
away. “That’s what makes her such a good source of information too,”
Natasha smiles.
Judy has been teaching in the Yankton School District so long that
she has witnessed many of the students’ progress over the years and has
even taught children of her previous students. She explains the delayed
gratification for her; though she may not see immediate progress
during the student’s first year or two, the progress often becomes
evident as the student gets older.
vFAMILY BOND continued on page 23
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A S S O C I AT E S
Dr. Steven Anderson, Dr. Aaron Feser, Dr. Laura Slowey
HERVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019v7