alk through the doors of a rural high school called Stockbridge High School.

The school serves

eighth graders through twelfth graders. The students have to fulfill the traditional four subject
requirements throughout their high school career. However, Stockbridge truly offers curriculum
for college and career-minded students. It offers job training at the Career Center and a workbased learning-program where high school credits can be earned through working at a job.
There are hands-on experiences such as construction, welding, automotive technology, and
more right at the school. Meanwhile, there are also students taking online classes at home or
school. All the while, there are issues and controversies floating around about where education
should be going or is going etc. The list includes issues with curriculum, types of schooling,
instruction, testing, funding, special education and more. The areas I am most interested in
focusing on are types of schooling, curriculum, and instruction as these are often where
problems of practice come into play. Universal design is often a solution to these problems of
practice. Universal design is where education is made accessible to all students. Sometimes it
is providing an accommodation you would usually do for one student and provide it for your
whole class. As I study these three focus areas, I contemplate my focus question of how
schools can better implement universal design in these three areas. My current belief is that
universal design is the solution to problems of practice and Montessori schooling is how we can
implement universal design in our schooling, curriculum, and instruction to ensure every student
gets what they need. These three components will be apparent throughout, but the focus will be
mainly on one problematic area.
One problem of practice is curriculum. My student Walter* is an eighth grader who has
dyslexia. Walter is young for his grade. In my first grade teaching experience, age can get in the
way of learning because of emotional maturity and development. He has had a tumultuous
home life involving a family murder and rape. Although there has been improvement, he often
comes to school tired. These factors combined have left Walter with a first grade reading and
mathematics skill-level. Luckily for Walter and other students, these still will be heavily focused
on in the future as the common core has emphasized English and mathematics as universally
necessary since they are needed for both routes of college and career. Many schools, however,
are adopting newer curriculums such as STEM. STEM is when Science Technology Engineering
and mathematics are emphasized. Although I see the value, it does not make sense that
schools would switch to a curriculum that leaves out English. The government sees the obvious
need to incorporate English into curriculum to prepare students for their future. Nonetheless, in
our school, Eighth graders are required to take the traditional curriculum covering the four
subjects: math, English, social studies, and science. Therefore, Walter sits in a social studies
class with a packet laid out in front of him where he is struggling to write and spell every word.
His teacher walks around the room feeling discouraged that he is not getting what he needs.
This is an example of where curriculum is getting in the way of Walters educational needs. The
accommodation of a scribe provided through technology or an aide can help make the
education accessible. However, is there a universal design that would allow each student to get
what they need? Montessori schooling would have allowed Walter to be in a multi-age
classroom to allow for his development, more time for the skills he missed, older student role
models for academic and social purposes, and instruction catered more to him and his needs.
Nowadays instruction can be in person or online, at work or at school, or finally at home.
I understand the claims that there are work-from-home jobs, so why not work-from-home
school. I also agree that technology is a universal design. It is a tool that makes universal
design possible because accommodations of audio, scribing, self-pacing, calculators, and more
can all be easily provided. However, one student, Angela, who was in all general education
classes at the time, ended up being put on special education caseload. She went from
attending, participating, and passing all her general education classes to special education,
missing school, having attitude changes such as moody or withdrawn, and eventually went in a
different direction altogether by no longer attending our school and only attending an online,

virtual school. The intent was to allow her to have access to resources, accommodations, and
supports she may need. This is always a careful balance to create the least restrictive
environment, where the student has access to education through accommodations, but are not
enabled; while, the school gradually scaffolds and releases control to build up confidence and
responsibility. Teachers are very conscientious of this during in-person instruction and it
enhances students educational benefit. This method provides students the FAPE (Free and
Appropriate Public Education) which is our legal responsibility. The online classes separated our
student-teacher relationship when strong student-teacher relationships have shown to help
students succeed. It put us in two different worlds; we lost touch and interaction. I had no idea
how to help her socially or academically. I do believe you can combine technology and inperson instruction in a way that is effective. However, any of the students that have been put on
E2020 classes like she was do not graduate. I have not had many experiences with virtual
students yet, but I would presume it is similar. Research has also been shown that rich
environments increase in knowledge and learning, how do online classes provide a rich
environment like the rich environment Montessori provides?
Finally, the last problem in practice is type of schooling. Jack would benefit from more
flexible types of schooling. When there is too much stress or pressure, he gets frustrated. He
will cry, yell, run, or push tables due to the effects of his health. Jack suffered many seizures
when he was young. They have gotten better but the side effects remain. His behaviors have
improved due to a behavior plan and social supports. Mathematics used to provoke his
behaviors, but he has started to take pride in the rewards from working diligently at his
mathematics. As I watch him work hard, I sympathize with watching him struggle to hold the
pencil, hold manipulatives, or get frustrated when he has to erase and start over. Every careful
movement of his pencil also carries very careful thought. Before he writes his problem, he asks
Ms. Edge, why do we get -3. Montessori mathematics builds in manipulatives into their
curriculum which helps perplexed students understand why. I have us get up and walk a
number, or I get out different colored chips. The seizures have caused fine motor ability
impairment. He needs mathematics if he is going to be able to face the high school content,
and he is improving so much. However, he also needs occupational therapy. Occupational
therapy is offered in a limited capacity, if at all, so my mathematics class is the only time he can
go to it. Off he goes, he benefits from all the occupational therapy he can get. Montessori also
built occupational therapy into her curriculum. Although I realize that he has surpassed the
developmental stage where this is part of the curriculum, the availability of materials within the
school of this and other materials allow an enriching environment to my often deprived students.
Also, due to the flexibility in Montessori schooling, I believe this flexibility would allow for him to
receive both his occupational needs and academic needs. This flexibility would also create a
more relaxed environment which may ease his frustrations while taking pride in responsibilities.
Soon enough, all my students go off in their own direction, next class, home, work, etc.
As you can see, schooling, instruction, and curriculum are all problems of practice. I see
universal design and Montessori schooling as the solution. Even with these as the solutions,
there are still many questions such as how can we keep improving our universal design
implementation? With universal design, should we focus on making education accessible or
providing students what they need for their future? How do we balance universal design to meet
everyones needs as well as individual needs without it becoming a one-size-fits all? I have
knowledge and experience with special education, mathematics, Montessori, and using
technology in the classroom. I would love to put this all together and learn more from the
Masters of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum. The program would improve my teaching skills in
general and expand my professional knowledge. I would like to gain a better understanding of
curriculum or general education curriculum to see how I could create an individualized and yet
universally designed curriculum, instruction, or intervention for many students, general and

special education students. I also entertain the idea of creating a mathematics intervention
program for special education students, especially at the secondary level where these
resources are scarce. Lastly, I could pursue finishing where Maria Montessori left off in her
development of mathematics curriculum at the elementary level and expand onto it into the
secondary level by taking my experiences, what I learn, and adding onto her foundation. I am
excited to see where this program takes me with the potentials I see for myself.