Prepare

Prior to working on this journal,

• Review Chapters 4 and 5 of your course textbook Ethics and the Early Childhood Educator : Using the NAEYC Code.
• Review the Beyond the Dotted Line: Empowering Parents From Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families to ParticipateLinks to an external site. article.
• Review the 8 Parental Rights in the IEP Process | Special Education DecodedLinks to an external site. video.
• Review the Understanding Due Process Hearings in Special Education: A Guide for ParentsLinks to an external site. video.

Journal Instructions

Reflect on the various ethical responsibilities you hold towards the children you teach and their families. Be reflective and really dive into how these considerations affect your approach to teaching and interacting with special education students and their families. Provide examples from your experiences, hypothetical scenarios, or anticipated challenges to illustrate your points.

In your journal,

• Analyze how your core values have deepened or changed throughout this course as you begin to understand more about your role in working with children with diverse needs.
• Plan how you will ensure the fundamental rights of children with diverse needs are respected and upheld in the learning environment.
• Identify ways you can advocate for the well-being of children under your care.
• Evaluate how you ensure that you are continually educating yourself about the specific needs and rights of special education students.
• Propose ways you can advocate for these students to have equal access to resources, opportunities, and supportive learning environments.
• Develop strategies to ensure families are active participants in decision-making processes, particularly in IEP meetings and other planning stages.

Submission Requirements

This exercise is intended to be a profound personal and professional inquiry into how you view and enact your ethical obligations in special education. Please do not use any type of generative artificial intelligence for this journal, as this is meant to be your own individual reflections on the prompts.

The journal must be 2 to 3 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages). Sources are not required for your journal assignments. However, if you need to cite information, you must cite in APA format and include a reference page. Refer to the APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site. guide and APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resources created by The Writing CenterLinks to an external site..