A Peek Behind the Curtain at Public Schools and Special Education

Some of these stories may surprise you, and a few may alarm you; they offer a unique, informative, and compelling look at the inner workings of special education in schools. Several highlight situations and interactions between special education teachers and their students - and/or their students' families - that the public doesn't often get to see. Most stories are fictionalized accounts of situations that occurred during the author's career as a special education teacher. Some are quite heartwarming: others are of a more serious nature, with story lines ranging from concerns about the physical restraining of violent students to a revealing glimpse of what life used to be like in institutions. Several stories exhibit research-based teaching strategies, while a few are purely fictional perspectives of school situations seen through the eyes of students in special education. In many instances throughout the book, special education laws, regulations, and eligibility processes are discussed and dissected.