Fenton 1

Lee High School

Special Needs Physical Education

Desirae Fenton
Capstone Third Hour
Peter Foote
21 April 2017

Students with special needs/learning disabilities have certain needs when it comes to

physical education. Rules of the game are just minor things that will need to be adjusted
 Fenton 2

according to the students conditions, but a major thing needed to be successful is having the

proper skills. In order to be a successful special needs physical education teacher there will

be many skills needed such having a strong mindset, being focused and always ready to

work, and having the ability to build relationships with each student.

To be a special education teacher having a strong mind set will help a lot. Working with

special needs may become very frustrating at times, with having to change certain activities and

constantly having to look after everyone to make sure they are okay. To work with special needs

people having a strong and good mindset is a must. Being able to connect with the people will

help the relationships, it will help that specific person feel more comfortable and build a trusting

relationship between two people. If one has a bad mindset and is always negative nothing will

get done, the students as well as the teacher will struggle to get along, and accomplish what is set

out to do. Having a strong mind set will help one stay focused better and have a better attitude

towards the work at hand.

To be a successful special needs physical education teacher one must always be ready to

work and be focused while working. Being able to be focused is very important, if there is a task

to be done but no one is focused and messing around, that certain task probably will not get done

on time or the right way. But if everyone is focused and working hard the task is more likely to

run smoothly and be done correctly. There will always be struggles with anything one may do

but staying focused can help get past the struggles. Daily struggles include managing students

behavior, class size, and participation. Many students dont like PE and it is your job to get them

involved(Wilholt). Students may not always want to get involved in activities and may think the

activities are for no reason. Making sure all students are active is a struggle faced by all teachers.

All jobs have struggles and teaching is not without its share. But the good far outweighs the
 Fenton 3

bad. One is motivating kids who do not have an interest in your subject. But with expectations,

accountability and great enthusiasm you can get kids to perform(Ambrose). Students need to

see that the teacher is there ready to go and focused, that will show the students that the teacher

is serious about what he/she is doing. Focus plays a huge part in the success of a teacher and

students, if one is not focused, only sees the bad things, and doesnt try to overcome them the

tasks may not get done or more struggles may arise.

Building relationships is a huge part of being a teacher in general, if one has a bad

relationship with the students it can be a struggle for both the teacher and students to enjoy

themselves. Teaching is about relationships and I love building them with my

students(Ambrose). Being able to connect with students whether on a person level or

professional level will play a very big role in the attitudes of both student and teacher. Working

with kids is about building relationships, specifically relational trust. If students dont trust you

then you will struggle to connect with them(Wilholt). Students can be hard to connect with at

first just because of the fact there may not be trust towards the teacher, or dont see the teacher as

someone who is there to help them. Being in an enclosed environment for hours with many

different students, with whom one must interact with, can become stressful and hard to connect

with everyone. Trust isnt something that comes easily but showing the safe environment there

and an environment where one doesnt need to be afraid can help them connect better with their

teacher. Some students will struggle to trust anyone and have negative behaviors in the

classroom, however you need to keep trying to find something to connect with them

about.(Wilholt). Getting to know each student for who they are can help any teacher better

connect with that student on a personal level, and help that student trust more easily. Children

instinctively know when they are loved and a teacher plays a key role in their development. It is
 Fenton 4

imperative that teachers feel a genuine love and joy for children and their chosen career(SJU).

By one showing effort and showing the care for the students will help the student(s) see they are

safe and cared for as an individual. professionals are expected to keep a safe environment,

protecting their students(Hughes).

Teaching to special needs students can be an even bigger struggle rather than just being a

normal subject teacher. One must know everyones conditions, how to handle them, have

patience, and care for them. educators are legally and morally responsible for appropriate care

for students' chronic health conditions(Hughes). Just because there may be more struggles and it

may not always be easy does not mean giving up is an option. One will have more

responsibilities than a normal subject teacher but that is just a part of the job. There will be many

different students that need different things in order to get the tasks done, everyone will be

different and as a teacher one must adapt to the changes that need to be made.

When it comes to teaching there are many different things that are a must such as being

professional, organized, not take things personal, being committed, and being able to connect

with students.You must be able to remain neutral, not take things personal. This is the most

emotionally and cognitively exhausting job a person can do, it requires 100%

commitment(Wilholt). Teaching is not an easy job the long hours of work, all the students one

may deal with throughout a single day, the emotional connections. To be a teacher one must have

the mindset of that being exactly what they want to do, one cant go into teaching just kind of

thinking that is what they would like to do. Teaching may look easy but all of the hard work and

skills that actually go into it may surprise some. People think teaching is easy, but it is far from

it(Wilholt).
 Fenton 5

To be a successful special needs physical education teacher one needs to know what has

to be done, and what they as teacher need to do to be successful. It may not be an easy task but if

it is what one really loves and wants to do the struggles will be worth the final result. Teaching

has many struggles on its own and adding in students with learning disabilities can add more

stress but with a strong mindset, coming to work everyday ready to work and stay focused, and

building strong relationships with the students will help one become a very successful and good

special needs physical education teacher.

Work Cited

Aquinas PE teaching." Interview by Duane AMbrose. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Hughes, Patricia Paulsen, et al. "Risk and safety in physical education for children with
disabilities: adapted physical education textbook review and primer for teachers." The
Physical Educator, vol. 74, no. 1, 2017, p. 104+. Academic OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_accessmich&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C
A480028777&it=r&asid=5a56da03c3f37fe8f5f5f480a5bcd792. Accessed 13 Apr. 2017.
 Fenton 6

Physical Education Teacher Interview." Interview by Casey Wilholt. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Top 10 Traits of a Special Education Teacher." Online.sju. Saint Joseph's University, 23 Feb.
2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.