Looking Back, Moving Forward: Lessons from an Early Special Education Classroom

Wow. I was part of the problem, not the solution, wasn’t I… 🧐

I’ve been teaching for quite a while—When I started in Taipei and then Guam, Friends was a new TV show everyone was talking about.  Something called Amazon started. Online professional development simply didn’t exist.

I recently visited an old school building where I used to teach in my early days as a school educator and learning specialist. I want to reflect on how much the educational systems I’ve worked within have changed. Many of you, as educators, likely resonate with this journey in one form or another.

Fresh out of college and after spending time teaching in Taipei and Guam, I returned to Seattle, Washington, eager to put my teaching and special education certifications to use by accepting a permanent substitute position at a local school. I was repatriating for a bit. It was close to home, and I thought it would be the perfect starting point in the U.S. for my career.

I was assigned to what was called a preschool “special education classroom.” This was a standalone space where all students with special educational needs were grouped together. Before the school year began, young preschool children were identified through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Child Find program and assigned to my class. I had about 15 students in the morning and 15 in the afternoon, with a wide range of needs. Some required intensive support, while others didn’t need much help at all—in fact, some students were placed in the class simply because they used a wheelchair. That alone qualified them for “special ed.”

Within those walls, however, we created a learning environment filled with laughter, kindness, fun, and differentiated instruction. This was a classroom ANY and ALL students would have loved! Specialists—who were often stretched thin across three or four schools—would visit for about an hour each day or a few days a week to provide support. Despite the limited resources, we tailored learning to each child’s needs, tried new tools and strategies, and collaborated in every way, shape, and form.

For example, when teaching colors, some students learned by naming them aloud, others by pointing to pictures or words, and some through sign language. For 15 students, we planned 15 different ways to ensure everyone could succeed. While it wasn’t quite Universal Design for Learning, it was an individualized approach born out of necessity and creativity, more along the lines of differentiation. A lot of hours were spent at “that” bean table, reflecting, designing, reimagining, and creating. And it was far from easy. In fact, the support was non-existent, and I ended up leaving after only two years.

Despite our efforts to create a supportive classroom, the students in my class were largely isolated from the rest of the school. They had their own playground, ate lunch in the classroom, rode a separate school bus, and learned in a separate building—physically apart from the broader school community.

When schoolwide events or assemblies occurred, we would walk to the gym alone and sit at the very back, far removed from the action. It was a “school within a school,” a setup that reflected the broader societal mindset of the time.

How to create an inclusive classroom is something I wish I had known better back then. The students I worked were so much fun and they loved being there.  I just didn’t have the knowledge, or the support. 

Nyasha Derera, Athlete and SOI Board Member at Special Olympics Zimbabwe, captured this dynamic perfectly at the recent SENIA International Unplugged Conference I attended. He used the analogy of family. “If you’re part of the family and things are happening, and you’re not included, how do you feel? You feel out of place, right? The same is true for special education students and teachers. You can see the segregation in their roles, too.”

One of the goals in my classroom was to prepare these incredible preschool students for kindergarten. However, these students faced additional challenges. They were not only expected to learn the same skills as their peers but also to communicate those skills without hearing or sight. They weren’t learning just to play on the playground, but how to walk up stairs so they could access the playground.

As the year went on, I realized our focus was misplaced. Instead of asking whether our students could fit into a mainstream kindergarten classroom, we should have been questioning what is inclusion and Universal Design for Learning and how it could be applied to make sure all students are truly included and supported. Teachers and I began these conversations.  There wasn’t a name for it yet…we just were questioning how and why…but as any educator knows, change takes time. Every year, things continued to grow and change.

That little classroom I left after two years no longer exists. The space has been repurposed into offices for a virtual middle and high school. The area where we had circle time is now the principal’s office, and where we once had snack and lunch is now the front desk for conferences.

Looking back, I’m struck by how far we’ve come since those days. Inclusion, such as Universal Design for Learning, is no longer just a goal—it’s a proven effective framework and is becoming the norm at many international schools. Tools like Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are being developed to benefit all students. Technology, once scarce (our “tech” consisted of a single computer for a nonverbal student and a CD player), now plays a major role in creating inclusive learning environments.

However, inclusive classrooms are not yet a global reality. In some regions, government policies, school infrastructures, and societal mindsets continue to prevent students with disabilities from accessing the same opportunities as their peers. True inclusion—sharing lunch in the cafeteria, playing on the same playgrounds, and learning side by side—remains a work in progress.

Education’s shift toward inclusion and Universal Design for Learning is happening so very slowly. But the progress is undeniable. What gives me hope is the unprecedented access to global knowledge and support through online professional development for teachers. Collaboration and development is no longer limited to one building or one community—it’s happening on a global scale.

Your Turn

What changes have you seen in education over the years? Share your story in the comments below—I’d love to hear how your journey compares!