I believe that students should receive a democratic education . All students should be treated equally and it is the teachers job is make sure that all of the students succeed in class. The classroom needs to be an interactive and collaborative learning environment where the students and the teacher work together to reach the school's academic goals. The teacher prepares the lesson plans and organizes the materials but the students need to participate in the learning experience and process. It is important to use a variety of assessment methods to allow for various learning styles. This would include holistically scored writing assignments, oral quizzes and projects. In a collaborative learning environment, the students should be assessed both individually and in a group level.

It is imperative that all of the students learn the material but the teacher needs to foster a broad zone of proximal development for the class and have the class learn more on the subject matter. Teachers should help students develop mental activities and promote constructive thinking and have a collaborative learning process.

All students need a democratic education. If there are students that are from different cultures or have learning disabilities, the teacher needs to give extra time and support to make sure that the students learn and assimilate the material. I have been doing substitute teaching for the past two years in the Morris County school district and I have had the opportunity to work in many Special Education classes, ranging from kindergarten to high school. In a democratic education, it is important to treat all the students equally. In one middle school that I worked it, one of the special education classes that I attended was predominantly Spanish. Even though I don't speak Spanish, I was able to work with all the students and help them equally. In the special education classes, I have done multiple subjects, including math, science, English and Social Studies.

I have also worked in high school special education classes, where I worked very closely with some of the students. The Special Ed teacher commented to me how well behaved the classroom was after I worked with them. She said she never saw them so well behaved. My philosophy in democratic education is that we treat all students on an equal level, that they must put the time into learning the course work so that they can expand their education.

It was good that I had a wide experience in working in Special Education classes, because I also worked on the elementary level, where I worked with very young children who had mild to moderate behavioral problems. I worked very closely with them and the teachers' aides. I also worked one on one with a student who had cerebral palsy.

These experiences have provided me with valuable experience in special education classes. I am motivated to work with students with special needs and I am prepared to provide my students the best possible education that I believe they all deserve.