Happiness is a Special Education Classroom

         I must admit, I have been procrastinating about writing a new blog post for some time! Most of what I have thought about writing lately isn't really blog worthy!  So, I decided to write about the things that bring me joy!  The things that make me happy as a special education teacher. My happiness comes from being in a special education classroom. I have never regretted my career choice. I won't lie, being a special education teacher is a very difficult job!  I wouldn't trade this difficult job for anything. I am in it for the kids! So, let me begin with the number #1 reason why I love my career choice.
1. The students! Just thinking about my students now and way back over thirty years ago, makes me smile. Kids are honest and are so good about being genuine. They say what they think, and they behave how they feel.  Sometimes they are like tiny puzzles that must be figured out. Eventually through trial and error each child is understood. The child realizes that they are cared for, somebody gets them!  When this happens, the teaching becomes magical! I love seeing them everyday!

2. My co-workers. I adore my para-educators, aides, and personal care assistants. When we all work together a beautiful thing happens. We become a school family! No one works in special education for the money! It's always all about the kids. Where else would you find a caretaker willing to change jobs just to follow a student? When a classroom works right the students feel safe and trust the adults in their classroom. This is when real learning can take place. 

3. The special education related service providers are third on my list! I love the team of professionals that share in the education of my students. The speech people, occupational therapists, physical therapists, autistic support teachers, job trainers, guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists, and special education consultants. These people run from school to school, class to class, and student to student all day long, yet enter the classroom with a big smile ready to see that certain student who they mean the world to.  My kids (students) know right down to the minute what day and time each of their service providers come to see them. They all have their very own special unique bond with each student. Their expertise with these students is very helpful in helping the student to become more successful.

 4. The cafeteria employees and maintenance personnel are fourth on my list!  I adore the cafeteria workers and the maintenance people. It just often seems that the cafeteria people and the maintenance people are the first to lend a helping hand when my kids or even a specific student needs a helping hand. Mrs. B. would often take the time out of her day to allow a certain young man to sweep the hallways with the giant broom. Mr. R. made the dreams come true for a student who wanted to help out in the cafeteria. I thank these unsung heroes because in the eyes of my students they are true heroes!

 5. The creativity of teaching is my fifth love! Yes I love lesson planning! I love figuring out ways to deliver instruction to my students in a way that they will understand it and remember it! I love the art of teaching! Sometimes when teaching, I feel like an actress or maybe a cross between am actress and a comedian! I do whatever it takes to bring a point home! I love hands on learning: building, digging, pouring, imagineering; yes I meant to say imagineering!  Imagineering is a product of making our imaginations come to life! There is also a kind of fine tuning that takes place everyday, I have to blend each activity carefully to a time of day that will benefit the students the most. Unfortunately, not all of our work can be "flashy" or "Fun"! So, we ease into the morning after breakfast, with our daily news, followed by social circle, followed by a full morning of English language Arts, and three different reading classes, all before lunch! To break this up we have a "brain break" with our friends at Go-Noodle! After lunch we have math, social studies, life skills, and science! It's during the afternoon when I turn things up a notch after a long morning of learning! It's in the afternoon when we sometimes bring our lessons to life! It's in the afternoon when good ol' imagineering takes place! Needless to say, I find the teaching part of teaching fun!

Just a little Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/ Kindness Party

6. The sixth thing I love about Special Education is the IEP (Individualized Education Plan)! Maybe I'm crazy, but yes, I love the IEP. Writing them is not so much fun! I however appreciate their value. I believe that every child is different and not just kids in special education, but all kids. The IEP really does bring the best of education to each child to meet his or her personal needs. If it's on the IEP, then it must be followed.

7. Last on my list of things I love about special education is bringing the world to my students. I never, ever want my students to feel like they can't make a difference in the world because they most certainly can! I love doing service projects with my students because then they see for themselves the differences they can make in other peoples lives. In the past my students from two different schools have raised money for author Jena Ball to be able to publish her book "The Not So Perfect Club." We met with Ms. Ball, Marty Keltz (TV producer for the "Magic School Bus" series, and with students also helping Ms. Ball in Iowa, through SKYPE. We also raised money after the earthquake in Nepal to help rebuild damaged schools. Finally, we raised money for Special Olympics in New York State. Our current service project is, "Letters for Life". We make cards and send them to our "Little Warrior Buddies". Each student has been matched with a child to send cards monthly. The children all have very serious medical problems. My students adore their monthly matches! The "Little Warrior Buddies" post pictures of themselves with their cards for my students to see. Some of my students have received cards back. It has become a nice friendship. We also make and send cards by request. If you know someone who needs a pick-me up, message me and we will send them a homemade card. We are hoping to reconnect with the students in Nepal to send cards to

them too. Who says that we have to speak the same language to appreciate a  new friend! It has been heartwarming to see the responses of my students when they know they are making a difference in someone else's life. The truth is though that those we are trying to help are making a difference in our lives too.

   I am beyond happy that I chose a career where I get to meet some of the most fascinating people in the universe! I value each and every one of them. My life is better because of the children I teach.

Reflection By a Special Education Teacher.

 The older one gets in life, it seems like everything that has happened to the current point becomes more clearer. I'm elderly yet, but I believe that every experience good and challenging has brought me to the place I am today with greater awareness. I have worked in some form of education beginning before I left high school.  Back then, I was chosen to train and work with a young autistic child every Friday night. I knew from the moment I met this child that I was meant to work in Special Education. I pursued a B.S. in Special Education N-12, and obtained an Pennsylvania Instructional II teaching certificate. More recently I earned a M,Ed. in Literacy 5-12. It's my belief that education is non-ending. We learn new things every day. I have learned from coursework, reading, professional development, but most importantly from my students. As a teacher, I have learned to listen to my students auditorily and visually. To learn, a child must be heard. When a child acts out or shuts down it's because I am not reaching him or her in the way that the child needs, it is therefore my job to find the  right approach or strategy that speaks to this child.  I value each child, I will teach each child the skills that s/he needs, I will advocate for each child, and I will write appropriate IEP's for each child. At the end of the day I will take the whole of my experiences and reflect on what I can do the next day to make that day better for every child in my classroom. 

Steps to Navigating the Special Education Process

     On my last day of work for the 2014-2015 school year while standing in the front office, all anyone could hear was "chirp-chirp-chirp", over and over again. No one knew where the little chirp was coming from. So a wise administrative assistant and a high school mathematics teacher searched for the source of the tiny, yet frantic chirp. They found it! In the outdoor courtyard located in the center of our school was a baby bird trapped inside a drain hole. It was trapped in a very precarious place. It wasn't possible to just reach down and guide him out. Gentle care had to be taken because this bird was so tiny and frail. The two adults put their heads together and from a coat hanger or two, and a manila folder they created two tools to gingerly guide the baby bird, a killdeer, into their manila-folder tool and into the math teacher's hands. This duo then swiftly brought the frightened bird to safety, outside under a bush near the field where the elder killdeer roam! I ran inside to grab my cellphone to take the tiny bird's picture, but by the time I came back this sweet little urchin was running and chirping on the back field just like all of the other killdeer! Can you see him in the picture above?
      Sometimes being the parent of a child who is having difficulty in school is like trying to see a tiny bird through all of those blades of grass! Where do you look? Who do you go to? Who can you trust? You hope that someone will swoop down just like the two adults in my story and will just fix everything! It's not quite that easy to remedy the problem when a child needs academic help,  but the good news is that there is all ready a plan in place to help children who are struggling in school. I've broken the process down into ten steps as a guide to help parents or guardians navigate the special education system.

1)  Talk to your child's teacher about seeing if your child needs to be identified as needing special education services:
     There are two ways that children are possibly identified as needing special education and/or related services. The first way is by the referral of a parent. The second, is by "child find", a mandate from the Individual's with Disabilities Act. (Wrightslaw: The Special Education Law) Child Find requires all school districts to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities regardless of the severity of their disability. Child Find operates in every state in the U.S.A..
     Again, their are two ways the child can be identified, first by the parents asking for a referral and second, by child find where school professionals such as the teacher or school psychologist may ask for permission for the child to be evaluated. When the parent asks for a referral, it can be done verbally but it's best to place this request in writing. Under the federal IDEA, the evaluation of the child needs to be completed within sixty days after the parent gives consent. Some states have their own time limit which is then takes precedence.


2) The Child is Evaluated:                                   
     The law mandates that the child's initial evaluation must be complete and individual. This means that the evaluation must be only for that specific child and no other. The evaluation must also assess all areas in which are believed to be included in the child's suspected disability.

3) Determination-It is decided if the child is Eligible for Special Education and/or related Services or not:
    A team of educational professionals and the parents or guardians review the child's evaluation results together. As a group, they decide if the child is defined as a "child with a disability" by IDEA. In my years as a special education teacher, I have seen decisions go both ways.  If, however, the parents or guardians do not agree with the results of the eligibility decision, they may ask for a hearing to dispute or challenge the decision.
* steps 4, 5, and 6 run concurrently.

4) When the Child is found Eligible:
     When the child is found to be eligible for special education and/or related services, The school district has thirty days to write an Individualized Education Plan commonly called the IEP.  The IEP is written by a team of professionals such as: the school psychologist, speech pathologist, teacher, CSE Director, the guidance counselor, and anyone else who will provide services for the child such as an occupational therapist or physical therapist.

5)  The IEP meeting is scheduled:
       It is the school district's responsibility to schedule and implement the IEP meeting.The school district must contact and invite all participants including the parents or guardians and depending on the child's age, the child him/herself.  The meeting must be scheduled at a time and a place (usually at the school) where the parents or guardians and professionals can all attend. The parents or guardians must be informed of the meetings purpose and who will be attending. The parents can also invite anyone that they believe has special expertise on their child such as: a family member, a pediatrician, an outside counselor...etc. The goal is that both the school and the parents are on the same page going into the meeting so that everyone involved is well informed and can make the best decisions on behalf of the child's education.

6) The IEP meeting takes place turning a draft IEP into a complete IEP:
     Again, the entire team with the parent's meet to discuss the child's IEP. Often, a draft IEP has been written to guide the process. It's imperative that the parents or guardians give consent for the IEP to be implemented.  If for example, the parent does not agree with the child's new placement (class or school) the parents can further discuss options with the team before consenting to the IEP and the placement. An example of this is, perhaps the professional team feels that the student is best served in a classroom called a 12;1;1 placement. This means twelve students, to one teacher, and one classroom aide. The parents may want the student to stay in the regular education classroom. The team and the parents must then work out an agreement. Perhaps they compromise by keeping the student in the regular education classroom with a special education teacher as a direct consultant in math and English (this means the teacher goes to these classes with the child) and as an indirect consultant (The special education  teacher collaborates and oversees the the remainder of the child's classes) with resource room support for 42 minutes daily and testing accommodations for all tests and quizzes. The Special education teacher would be  the direct consultant teacher in math and English because this is where the child's disability areas are prevalent. Resource room will be a place where the child can work on his/her IEP goals which are in the areas of the child's disability. Testing accommodations are adjustments that are made to the child's testing situation to help level the playing field between the child and his non-disabled peers. When all persons involved in the child's IEP agree and sign-it, by which the parents give consent, then the IEP can be carried out. 
     If the parents still do not agree with the decisions made by the IEP team, then the parents can ask for mediation, or the school may offer mediation. If no agreement is met after mediation, then the parents can file a state complaint, or a due process complaint. This would lead to a due process hearing where mediation must be available. Most of the time the professional team and the parents leave the IEP meeting in agreement, after all everyone wants whats best for the child.

7) Finally, the IEP is complete and services, are provided for the student:
    The school must make sure that the child's IEP is carried out.  The parents are given a copy.  All of the student's teachers, and services providers must have access to the IEP and must know his/her specific responsibility to carry out his/her portion of the IEP. Everyone must sign-off that they have read and understand the IEP.  A case manager or special education will monitor all persons responsible for carrying out the IEP.

8)  Progress monitoring reports for parents:
     The special education teacher and the service providers must regularly report the child's progress on his/her IEP goals. Data of progress toward to measurable goal should be kept and included in the report. Progress reports must be sent home at least as often as the child's non-disabled peers are rated. Usually, this is four times during a school year.

9)  Yearly IEP Review
     At least, once a year, the IEP is reviewed. It's called the "yearly or annual review".  A review can be held more than once a year if the parents or the school district feels it is warranted. Step nine is very much like step six.  The profession team and the parents again meet to review the IEP, change goals, or the placement as necessary after reviewing the student's progress. Concerns and things that are going well are discussed. Sometimes additional testing or consultations are recommended. Again, if the professional team and the parents or guardians are not in agreement with the IEP, then a mediation can take place, or a due process hearing. Parents can also file a complaint with the state education agency. In most cases, however, all parties leave the IEP meeting in agreement.

10)  Reevaluation Process
     Minimally, every child with an IEP must be reevaluated every three years. More often if it is requested by the child's parents, guardian's, or teachers. It's called a triennial review. The triennials purpose is to determine if the child is still considered a child with a disability under the IDEA guidelines. Like an IEP meeting their will be a triennial review meeting to discuss any changes in programming that may need to be made on behalf of the child.

     

     In the end, like our baby killdeer, you too will navigate your way through all of the blades of grass and special education processes that will get your child the help that he or she needs. Remember, all persons involved want what's best for your child. Also remember, as the parent you always have the right to question your child's IEP and advocate for your child. Like our little killdeer your child will land on soft, yet solid ground.

Please Rate Me on My IEP's... My Roadmaps to Student Success!

      An Individual Education Plan better known as the IEP is a system, a dashboard if you will, for spelling out where the child is, where s/he should be headed, how s/he is going to get there, how long it will take, and how to tell when the child has arrived where s/he needs to be. The IEP is essentially a measure of accountability for teachers and schools. I like to think of it as a roadmap on how to address the important needs of each student.
      Every year, I get the memo: "Annuals", no matter what date and how many student dates are attached to it, I cringe and whine a little! I'm not sure why I whine because in writing an IEP, I actually become at peace. I cringe because they take me no less than four hours each to write and that's not counting all of the hours of monitoring, testing, gathering data, interviewing students, parents, and other school personnel. 
      So, I've begun the process of writing them for the 2015-2016 school year. I spent both Saturday and Sunday compiling all of my data and writing six IEP's. I should transform my thinking when writing IEP's because they actually do amazing things for the special education teacher writing them! 
       They invite me to take time out of my very busy day, and plan to test each student individually for several hours. What a gift! How often is a teacher allowed that one-on-one time with a student that allows them to really get to know them! I love testing my kids on a personal level because after working with them all year I know what they can do. So as they work their little heats out trying to their best, I sit their silently cheering for them in my head because I know what champions they are! Then the best part is, I get to compare last years scores to this years scores and see all of the progress we have made! Yes WE! Since opening day in September, we have been a team! I used this child's former IEP as a roadmap to plan out what this child needed to learn this year and it worked!!!! Trust me, the moment of knowing what we did as a team work really is as exciting as winning the superbowl or an academy award! It's on a smaller scale and the whole world doesn't know but it sure is equally as exciting! 
     When writing IEP's I take the time to think back on all of the lessons I've made and taught and how they've impacted each individual student! I see the progress that each child has made up close and personal! Until this point, I don't see all of the work that we've done this year! All of the planning! All of the doing!  and...All of the progress!! Trust me, this aha moment is amazing! It's my personal, secret prize, knowing that a job was well done.
    I love writing IEP's because in the hours it takes  to write them, that child unbeknownst to him or her becomes the complete focus of my attention, during those four hours, I think of no one else! Sometimes students don't make the progress that we have hoped, so throughout the year, I tweak my plans for this child and tweak them again and call the parents, and the guidance counselor, and the psychologist in trying to figure out what is going on that is making this child behave the way s/he is which is stopped him/her from making adequate progress. In writing this child's IEP, I put in extra thought to think about the child's skill level, personality, friends, homelife, growth changes, maturity level, and health. Then I write an IEP that I think may benefit this child for the following school year so that s/he makes positive academic gains. 
     This year in writing my IEP's, I had an epiphany of sorts! I realized that I know all twelve of my students very well. I know their favorite colors, their pets names, their favorite foods, their favorite school subjects. I know what's going to make them happy or angry. I know their hopes, dreams, and fears. I sometimes know what they are going to say or do before they do it! I know their reactions to various stimuli! Ask me a question about any of these kids, and I probably know the answer, right down to their favorite song , game, or sports team!
    So, why can't I be rated on their growth according to their IEP's? I use standardized testing to rate their progress in reading and math. I have portfolios of work from years past until now. I have kids in my room who could barely read when they first became my students who are now reading short novels fluently!
     In a sad sense the APPR rating seem laughable to me! 60% of my teacher evaluation comes from being observed twice by my supervisor, 20% comes from state tests, and 20% comes from my districts standardized testing. My first observation is announced. Let me just say, in special education with a mix of students with emotional disturbance, health issues, and intellectual delays, one never knows what a day may bring! Every moment of every day has the potential to change! I of course have a behavior program set in place in my classroom which helps, but it is certainly not a panacea for every situation. I can write the most perfect lesson plan in which all of the students are working, engaged if you will, and then, my one student who likes to upset others may whisper to the sensitive kid next to him, "I heard nobody likes you." Then that kid runs to the back of the room in a puddle on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, and talking incoherently,  while the other kid stands there with a smirk stating that he did or said nothing wrong"! Trust me, on a daily basis, I try to keep kids
 apart who may bother each other, and I stress the importance of respect and kindness, but even with many rules and behavior plans in place, it only takes a moment to unravel the best made plans. So, does this mean my observation is poor? Should I be rated ineffective?
    Then there are the state tests! Oh my! My kids are several years below grade level but they take the grade level state test. Hard as I try, I can't expect kids who can barely add and subtract to do linear equations and proportions! Do we practice all of the ELA and math standards, absolutely, but this does not mean we will do well on the state tests?  In my dreams, all of my kids do well on their state tests and on my district's standardized testing but in reality, my main goal is to keep their self-esteem high during  difficult testing situations!
    So....my epiphany was, please rate me on my IEP's and on my observations! I'm not really worried about my observations because I do take my time making lesson plans. I do take into account that Christopher might whisper something horrible into Michael's ear! I do have a response for that! So, if I'm observed and my IEP's are read and compared  to last years IEP's you will see that my students overall have made growth! You will see that I not only know my students, but I care about them too. You will see that sound lessons usually do keep kids meaningfully engaged. You will then know that I am a effective teacher, maybe even highly effective! IEP's work and so do the people who write them always with the best interests of their students in mind.