Invasion of Privacy: Dr. Michael Rozalski
Dr. Roz, who has been in the special education field for around 25 years, gives The Lamron some insight into his experience
Photo courtesy of Dr. Rozalski
Dr. Roz has been working in special education for over 20 years, and his students love him!
Dr. Michael Rozalski decided to work in the special education field when he began volunteering at a special education school where his parents were employed. Receiving that exposure to the different needs of students and teaching styles motivated him to pursue a career in education. As he was working towards his undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education, he realized that students with more complex behavioral problems inspired him the most.
When asked how he feels special education has changed since he started in the field, he discussed how we are currently in a very dangerous position because of the Trump administration’s desire to shut down the Department of Education. One particular threat that Dr. Rozalski discussed was the risk to federal funding reserved for students with disabilities. States rely on the government’s funding to maintain special education programs and Dr. Rozalski says that “withdrawing that support has been devastating.” Another threat he discussed is how the grant money provided by the Office of Special Education, which is a part of the Department of Education, has been put on hold. These grants are important for numerous reasons including training teachers in special education practices, giving money to schools to have special education programs, and continuing to improve special education.
Dr. Rozalski also commented on the influx of research support to aid students in transitions between grades and schools. He thinks that over his career, there has been more support and expertise being utilized to make more logical decisions on how an individual student will best move through grades, and possibly go to college if they so desire. There are a lot more services and research that goes into implementing different intervention strategies to help students succeed.
Alongside this, it takes a certain combination of qualities to be a supportive and successful teacher, especially if you will be collaborating with special education teachers or becoming a special education teacher. Dr. Rozalski said he believes that every teacher should be a “lifelong learner” because the only way to continue to be successful is to continue to learn about different strategies and information. Dr. Rozalski added that New York State requiring teachers to obtain their Master's Degree within five years ensures that educators continue to work towards professional development. Requiring teachers to get a Master's and go through recertification processes enable educators to be lifelong learners; professional development is also something that all teachers should continue to look for.
When it comes to addressing behavioral problems, Dr. Rozalski described some methods that he has found to be effective throughout his career, such as using evidence-based practices and eliminating harsh punishments. Instead of punishing students by taking away something, like recess, there should be more reinforcement for positive behavior. Additionally, making sure there is a clear set of rules and expectations is proven to produce better behaviors in all students, but especially in special education.
Collaboration between special education teachers and general education teachers is also a large topic of discussion. Dr. Rozalski talked about how a lot of school districts do not value co-teaching and other models that should be implemented and emphasize how important it is to advocate for these practices. Special education teachers have a better background in behavior management and are thus better-equipped to foster positive school environments while doing so. By having positive collaboration between these teachers, students benefit tremendously.
Dr. Rozalski strongly encourages teachers and students who want to become educators to look into Bibliotherapy, which, as defined by Information Matters, “is a type of therapy that makes use of literature to assist clients in resolving emotional, interpersonal, or behavioural issues. It is a strategy for using reading to advance mental health and wellbeing…The books used in bibliotherapy are specifically selected to address the issues that the individual or group is dealing with.” Dr. Rozalski has seen many positive results from utilizing bibliotherapy with students, especially when they are reluctant to open up emotionally.
He recalled a specific instance where one of the students he was working with got diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the other kids in the correctional facility would refuse to discuss it and shut down emotionally. When the student left for hospital stays, the others acted like they did not notice his absence. Dr. Rozalski decided to use a book called A Taste of Blackberries to get the students talking about the characters' emotional experiences, which enabled the students to process their own grief.
Dr. Rozalski decided to start working with college students because he realized “how powerful it was to be able to train the trainers.” Watching future educators dedicate themselves to learning how they could be the best they could be inspired him. He said that teaching at SUNY Geneseo has been very rewarding for him and for his overall motivation. Dr. Rozalski acknowledged how passionate and engaged students are during and outside of class, which has been wonderful to experience.
He would like for more people to understand that students with disabilities are very much capable of learning, but simply have skill deficits that require more assistance. If you make sure that you are teaching the students the skills necessary or utilize a different set of expectations, the students will perform much better. Being able to teach students new skills and knowledge is very “empowering and exciting to know that you're making an impact on so many people.”
Dr. Rozalski has indeed made an impact on so many students' lives at SUNY Geneseo, inspiring many to pursue special education as a career. He goes above and beyond in and out of class, showing students how much he cares and encouraging them to mirror that passion with their own future students.