Medea E. Lamberti-Sanchez
At present, I am a regular education fifth grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School in New Haven, Connecticut, in an inclusive classroom setting with both regular and Special Education students. Betsy Ross is a middle school that serves students in grades five through eight. Betsy Ross serves urban and suburban students from surrounding areas of New Haven and it is for this reason that this is an inter-district school because all students from these areas are encouraged to attend the New Haven Public School System. Betsy Ross is founded on the principle that through the arts, students will think, learn, and see their academics in an innovative, challenging way. Each student attends five academic subjects (Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and an Enrichment class(French, Chinese, Spanish, Reading or Math Enrichment) and one specific performing arts class (Theatre, Dance, Visual Arts, Photography, Video, Music) every day.
I teach in an inclusive classroom setting with a Special Education teacher. Both of us present within the room, modeling the co-teaching principle. The Special Education teacher collaborates and consults with me on the modifications and adaptations of the Regular Education curriculum for all of the four subjects: Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies that are all taught in the classroom throughout the day. The students spend the majority of their day in my classroom only leaving for their enrichment class or the arts class. There are twenty-two students, five of whom have individualized Educational Plans, which involve a variety of modifications and adaptations to the regular education curriculum. The remainder's functional abilities range from below-basic learners to advanced learners. My classroom has a wide array of learning disabilities present that range from the intellectually disabled student to ADHD student. The make-up of the classroom consists of students who are Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. The class is made up of artistic, creative young people with a strong interest in the arts that is shown through their poetry writings, group presentations, and performances in the theatre, dance showcases, and the annual arts shows.